Cuir de Nacre Ann Gérard 2012

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7.7 / 10 122 Ratings

A popular perfume by Ann Gérard for women, released in 2012. The scent is leathery-powdery. It is still in production.

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Main accords

Leathery

Powdery

Floral

Woody

Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Ambrette seed absolute

Aldehydes

Angelica root

Heart Notes

Leather

Orris concrete

Sweet acacia absolute

Base Notes

Sandalwood

White musk Styrax

Styrax

Perfumer

Bertrand Duchaufour

Ratings

Scent

7.7122 Ratings

Longevity

6.699 Ratings

Sillage

5.3104 Ratings

Bottle

7.989 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 01/09/2025.

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Dragée

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

11/17/2013

10
Bottle 2.5
Sillage 5
Longevity 8
Scent

Drseid
821 Reviews

Drseid

Helpful Review 4

Floral Suede...

Cuir de Nacre opens with a dominant powdery makeup-like iris note, as traces of underlying suede leather add early balance. As the composition transitions to the early heart the iris settles down into smooth near liquid support of the now starring soft suede that continues to grow in intensity while never overpowering the iris. During the late dry-down styrax now takes on the mantle of approximating the leather while adding a subtle spicy facet, as the iris now combines with slightly sweet sandalwood and near transparent clean white musk for added weight. Projection is below average and longevity average at 8-9 hours on skin.

Iris is not a note I am fond of so when it appeared as powdery makeup in relative strength early I feared the composition would not impress... In short, I was wrong. Duchaufour has a knack for finding incredible balance in his compositions, and Cuir de Nacre is no exception. He uses just enough of the suede early-on to counter the powder of the iris, with the two almost seeming as one by the time the suede grows into the star during the mid-section. The two aspects blend so perfectly that they engender the completely believable effect of smooth liquid suede. By the time the composition starts to wind down the transition to the mild spiced leathery styrax, white musk and sandalwood trio is extremely polished and controlled. The only potential negatives are in the performance department as the composition is just slightly more than a skin scent; and for a perfume billed as an extrait de parfum concentration Cuir de Nacre appears more on the weaker side of the potency spectrum. The bottom line is the $165 per 60ml bottle Cuir de Nacre is yet another fine addition to Duchaufour's already lengthy resume, earning an "excellent" 4 star out of 5 rating and a strong recommendation. This one is an absolutely gorgeous unisex floral suede leather!

10/19/2012

8
Scent

Ysbrand
84 Reviews

Ysbrand

Helpful Review 4

Pearlized skin

Cuir de Nacre starts with an outdoors cold atmosphere. Earth-caked roots, and chilled winter air. The iris of this opening is a true force of nature and i am already in love with it at first sniff. An animal, herbaceous angelica serves as a seamless transition from the iris to the leather. And mind you, it is a very noble, aged leather. There is no "prettiness" in the start, just feels voluptuous and dark, masculine, cosy.

As warmed up by a fireplace, leather flowers. It is such a wonderful leather accord that i cannot but enjoy it with guilty pleasure (long story here) This sumptuous leather is enriched with the boudoir-cream facet of iris.

And then it happens, a sudden floralcy, luminous and ethereal, ylang-like and mimosa-like. If what gives an object an iridescent quality is its ability to reflect a brighter or different color tonality than the object has, Cuir de Nacre plays for a while this game in olfactory terms, by overlaying notes with different hues. After the stunning opening, this is the other highlight of this perfume.

The texture of the fragance has changed, the leather is a soft suede. Cuir de Nacre most stable phase is sweet and sensual thanks to an enveloping balsamic styrax and the musk over the milky sandalwood base. Its sweentess is a sweet-spice one, rather than sugary. Resinous muffled sparks keep the fragance from being too safe and tamed.

Cuir de Nacre is an appropriate name: it absorbs the light and returns a dim glow as mother-of-pearl. Great fragance, very glamourous and refined, but the opening is so beautiful i keep missing it once it fades.

01/15/2021

8
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 8
Scent

Marieposa
50 Reviews

Translated Show original

Marieposa

Top Review 14

Effortlessly chic

Iris and leather, this combination brings me regularly in rapture and if then also the great Bertrand Duchaufour has his fingers in the game, actually nothing more can go wrong. And indeed: Cuir de Nacre, the Perlmuttleder, keeps what it promises.

First, there is a delicate shower of glittering aldehydes and bitter angelica, which lies like dewdrops on delicate iris flowers and incidentally gives the fragrance subtle retro charm. However, it's nothing more than a slight nod in the direction of great vintage leather scents like Cuir de Russie. CdN can't compete with that much glamour, but it doesn't want to.
At the latest when the leather accord unfolds and fragile mimosa flowers appear together with cotton soft musk, no doubt remains: The fragrance is clear, stringent and reduced to the essentials, but in its simplicity does not lack a certain sophistication. Iris, suede, mimosa. Harmonious, cultivated and elegant.

In front of me, the image of a self-confident woman emerges, so enviably well-dressed with uncompromisingly well-fitting jeans and a plain T-shirt that any normal mortal involuntarily wonders why it doesn't work for her. Cognac suede boots complete the look, along with a matching bag. Plus, the beauty tied her untamed hair back with a mimosa-yellow silk scarf.
I'd love to be that effortlessly chic. And even if CdN doesn't suddenly magically transform me into a fashionista with a certain je ne sais quoi, some days the fragrance whispers in my ear that maybe everything is much easier. Friendly and uncomplicated, no big drama in sight.

Finally, a word about dosage: supposedly Ann Gérard's scents are extrait concentrations. This one, however, is more of a quiet-stepper and with light dabbing you're killing yourself half the fun. Cuir de Nacre wants to be treated like an EdP, otherwise it gives a rather short guest appearance

09/02/2018

8
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 7.5
Scent

Serenissima
729 Reviews

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Serenissima

Helpful Review 8

Hello, why so brittle?

For a long time I puzzled over how "Cuir de Nacre" could best be described: as dusty, dry, powdery or perhaps best as brittle?
I came to the conclusion, brittle is the right answer, because that's how this scent is towards me.
It would be exaggerated to say that all scents seem to be mummified; but "Cuir de Nacre" shows me no liveliness at all.
Now I expect something called "Perlmuttleder" not to make a brilliant appearance, but a slight shimmer would have been very welcome.

I know that I don't simply have fragrances that have leather in them with me: but with this one I still greet the leather note most positively.
The white musk dominates once again very strongly: this fragrance does not become my "Best Buddy" anymore.
But even that is not the problem.

The pyramid reads interestingly, therefore I went completely biased and once again quite curiously to the test. The fillings given to me by Yatagan and Can (as he quite rightly points out) are so rich that I was able to try for several days to see if we both still had access to each other.
But that's not supposed to be.

Right at the beginning the white musk appears, probably intensified by the musky, peppery and also spicy-herbal appearance of Ambrettesamen.
Angelica makes a brave effort, supported by a good dose of aldehydes. If they provide otherwise immediately for shining of a smell, that remains this time unfortunately out!
Ozone always has a very invigorating effect on me in all its variations; weather conditions containing ozone get me going - that's also a waste of energy here.
What happens with Cuir de Nacre and me?
Leather in interplay with plump, ripe black currants with their bitter aroma is already the highlight of this creation for me.
That's a little bit, a little bit sad. I expected more.
But this time Iris fits very well into the general fragrances. For me it often seems a little dusty, slightly musty anyway. This aroma finds a suitable home here.
The vanilla-like scent of Styrax resin unfortunately can't save anything; even "my Darling" sandalwood fights a hopeless battle against windmill wings!

Conclusion: White musk and dryness dominate my feeling at "Cuir de Nacre"!
So I am not particularly sad that the durability is just so mediocre.
This scent gets lost quite fast; probably he is glad if he can leave me!

I'm disappointed!
What I expected, I can not say at all: but not this brittle creature!
Maybe "Cuir de Nacre" develops on other skin than mine, which now has parchment character anyway, much more alive and lovable: I hope it very much!
Thus, unfortunately, also this filling belongs to the "Wanderpröbchen".

09/19/2018

5
Sillage 7
Longevity 9.5
Scent

Gelis
164 Reviews

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Gelis

Very helpful Review 8

Fine and elegant

The dear Serenissima has left me her bottlings of "Cuir de Nacre". I thank you again for that.

The beginning is dry powdery. The leather of the heart note joins almost immediately. It has a fine leather spice. When iris and blackcurrant gradually replace the top notes, the leather becomes a slightly spicy base of blossom and fruit. Iris is flowery-powdery, the powder note is not as dry as in the top note. The black currant adds a fine-fruity, cool-harsh note. It's all happening in my immediate vicinity. The mother-of-pearl leather is not a balancing hum, but fine and elegant. I can only find the base with my nose on my wrist. It is gently leathery and spicy, the otherwise powdery note has now gone. The given base notes seem to have the task to hold on to the leather note for a while, because I cannot perceive them individually.

"Cuir de Nacre" is a wish list candidate, but competes with "Bottega Veneta Eau Sensuelle". During my search for CdN in the Internet for the purpose of price determination and purchase possibilities for the case of the cases I came across empty camps everywhere, it will not be already stopped, nevertheless?