Clean Suede / Tom of Finland by Etat Libre d'Orange

Clean Suede
Tom of Finland
2008

xtermn8
09/15/2025 - 03:40 PM
1
6
Pricing
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent

Actually really nice suede!

Personal: 8/10 – It’s wearable, soft, smooth, and realistic. I enjoy it!
Mass appeal: 7.5/10 – Leather/suede is divisive, but this one is gentler and creamier than most, so more people will tolerate it.
Performance: 7/10 - It's pretty quiet for suede, and that's okay.
Value: 7/10 - One of the best realistic suede expressions. A bit pricey but worth it.
Uniqueness: 6.5/10 – A suede fragrance stripped down to its cleanest form is a bit unique, but this fragrance isn't really groundbreaking.

SCORE: 72/100

Full bottle buy? YES, it just smells like a nice leather belt. A couple sprays is great.
Blind buy? NO, suede isn’t universally safe. Too simple to be a blind buy.
Recommend? YES, if you’re into minimalistic, soft suede without smoke or spice.
Date night? YES, it's soft and gently masculine. Not seductive, but clean.
Office safe? YES, low-key and clean enough to fly under the radar.

Pros: Smooth, soft suede, without the smoky sharpness of most. Very realistic.
Cons: Linear, but that's the point. Suede isn't the most versatile.

Clean Suede is ELDO, but restrained. It's not crazy, weird, or absurdly unique. It's mostly a GOOD expression of elegant simplicity, with a few other notes thrown in to make it wearable and pleasant. It's linear, and just smells like a photorealistic suede with some freshness and vanilla thrown in to keep you intrigued. No weird spices, smokiness, florals, or animalics. Yes, it's wearable, but it is a bit boring. If you want to smell like leather, and don't want something cloying or weird, this is a great option, but if you want something with a lot of personality and luxury depth, this isn't quite it for you.

A soft suede jacket, nothing more. A great expression of simplicty.

Review #78 in my fragrance journey – this fragrance I own as a decant
0 Comments