Already in 1968, Philip K. Dick wrote his prescient story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", which served as the basis for the film "Blade Runner" by Ridley Scott, known to many of us (and somewhat cultishly revered).
Androids, humanoid robots, usually intelligent, perhaps even superior in intelligence to (many) humans, lack one thing: genuine empathy. This leads to the only significant distinguishing feature from humans, as there are no longer any outward differences between humans and androids.
To track down androids, they are subjected to the so-called Voight-Kampff Test by bounty hunters to differentiate them from humans. Physical and vegetative reactions are observed to identify adequate, "human" responses or vegetative signs of empathy. If they are absent, the android reveals itself as such. For even the most advanced androids, which are deceptively similar to humans, fail the Voight-Kampff Test because they lack empathetic reactions.
Leather Skies is, for me, an android scent. It reflects something android-like for me with its nuances of artificial leather, rubber, Barbie hair, and fresh air under a sealed oxygen dome right from the first sniff. Along with the sweetness, perhaps reminiscent of human skin; it has something of a mealy apple with a peppery spice, which could be understood as a reconstruction of human skin.
Towards the end, I catch a whiff of slightly sour sandalwood, which remains dry, smoky, and lifeless like paper. Everything feels clean, perhaps even sterile.
If androids sweat, they surely smell like Leather Skies.
The scent remains oddly lifeless; and although its synthetic nature comes across as mild, soft, and conciliatory, not presenting a sharp "chemical accident," I personally miss a touch of warmth, authenticity, heart, and - to stay with the androids - well, empathy.
Nevertheless, it is precisely this that makes it interesting: it remains a foreign body when worn, but fits for me into the modern era of Artificial Intelligence and leaves me thoughtful and, in a certain way, inspired, despite all the distance it imposes on me and does not allow me to overcome.
My heartfelt thanks to Pflanze for her generous and warm-hearted gesture!
How could I have missed this wonderfully insightful review? Not too long ago, I watched Blade Runner again. And thanks to your ability to describe skin scents so vividly, I can now imagine exactly how sweaty androids smell. It makes you want to lean into the Rutger Hauer character, as that doesn't sound off-putting at all. Very fascinating, even if it probably wouldn’t be a wearable scent for me - but incredibly intriguing.
I should have ChatGPT write a response now, but I’m not in the mood to feed AI.
As far as I'm concerned, the androids can stink without a soul! Thanks for the warning.
Thank you, dear A.! :-) Yes, who would have thought that these topics would no longer remain fiction - I mean, not in our times (or our children's times). It's becoming a reality faster than we ever assumed back then...
Reviews are often overrated anyway 😉. I also think the scent is nice, but what didn't convince me was its smooth coolness, which you describe so wonderfully in the Gundel style. I'm really glad you left a comment 🙃
I'm not really surprised that we agree on our perception here again ;-) I find it really interesting and not necessarily bad, but it does feel a bit emotionally flat. An arty fragrance experience, very niche. I can't really rate it in this context, but that's okay too :-)
So if we soon have household robot androids, yours could fill their artificial sweat glands with it and sweat a bit after vacuuming. ^^
... And maybe a candidate for a new subcategory in the 'Skin' Top Picks: "My Android's Skin." ;-)
That's true, there are so many thought-provoking insights that are worthwhile - and I'm grateful to the fragrance (and its kind-hearted giver) for that too :-)
Wow, my love! Absolutely wonderful! I will definitely test it out.
A touch of warmth, authenticity, and heart is often missing in this world, even without androids, but that's another story for another time. :) Sending lots of love! 🧞♂️
Oh dear M...! :-) I'm really glad you read it and felt connected to it... Yes, we do struggle a bit *nod* And exactly, maybe one day the androids will actually be the "better" humans, not just intellectually, who knows... That's something to ponder. Wishing you all the best! *heart*
I love warm, kind-hearted, and especially empathetic people! So, this scent would probably not be very appealing to me. This also applies a bit to the increasingly widespread AI... Even though these developments are quite exciting.
Exactly, it's exciting, although for us older folks, it's often a bit more nerve-wracking-exciting. When it comes to scents, we might prefer something more familiar and less "coolly designed," but that's just kitchen psychology speculation, of course ^^
I think you captured it perfectly. Or in other words: Just how I perceive it 😅 Your analogy fits like a glove: A fragrance that seems flattering and harmonious on the surface, but has no soul at all. For me, it felt way too artificial, in a cold and very uninviting way. So I can understand your ambivalence towards the scent. A wonderfully thoughtful review, and it's just as wonderful that you wrote one again! It was a great pleasure to read.
Thank you, dear P.! :-) I see we're in agreement again... The scent was on my wishlist, and then I surprisingly received it as a gift, which I find incredibly sweet. We couldn't have guessed that it wouldn't match my taste in wearing it. But at least it's interesting and has engaged my intellect enough to write a review out of it - so that's good too! :-D
As far as I'm concerned, the androids can stink without a soul! Thanks for the warning.
Dick has written several novels whose dystopia is alarmingly close to our present. 🤖
... And maybe a candidate for a new subcategory in the 'Skin' Top Picks: "My Android's Skin." ;-)
A touch of warmth, authenticity, and heart is often missing in this world, even without androids, but that's another story for another time. :) Sending lots of love! 🧞♂️