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Cuir Garamante Parfums MDCI 2013

8.0 / 10 171 Ratings

A popular perfume by Parfums MDCI for men, released in 2013. The scent is spicy-leathery. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Spicy

Leathery

Woody

Oriental

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Saffron

Nutmeg

Pink pepper

Heart Notes

Rose

Leather

Oud

Papyrus

Base Notes

Labdanum

Sandalwood

Bourbon vanilla

Frankincense

Perfumer

Richard Ibanez

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

8.0171 Ratings

Longevity

8.1138 Ratings

Sillage

7.4141 Ratings

Bottle

8.3130 Ratings

Value for money

6.640 Ratings

Submitted by WRoth, last update on 04/23/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Café Rose (2012)

Black Oud Extrait de Parfum

Tabac Rose

Bois Mystérieux

Another Oud

Leather Oud

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/04/2014

7Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

Very helpful Review 6

Could Have Been A Real Contender...

Cuir Garamante opens with all-encompassing saffron spice mixing with hints of supple suede leather. As the composition quickly transitions to its early heart the saffron remains now dirtied by the addition a pinch of supporting cumin, with the suede leather taking a back seat to a quickly emerging synthetic vague dark burnt woody accord that begins to develop. As the composition moves though its middle the synthetic burnt woods completely take over and become nearly the only thing detectable save remnants of the now supporting saffron and leather well in the background. During the late dry-down the synthetic burnt woods finally fade and then completely disappear, allowing cypriol to emerge and star (coming across as a radiant frankincense and woody vetiver hybrid) supported by smooth slightly sweet non-powdery vanilla and sandalwood through the finish. Projection is average and longevity is near outstanding at 12-14 hours on skin.

Cuir Gramante is a bit of a puzzler. For a composition that has "Cuir" in its name it is not as much of a leather composition as one might expect. Sure, the suede-like leather is there throughout, but it always is in a supporting role. First it supports the starring saffron spice before fading into near obscurity as the norlimbanol driven faux burnt woods emerge to dominate the heart, finishing again in just barely detectable support of the smooth woody vetiver and frankincense-like cypriol through the late dry-down. Aside from the leather not being the focus, there really is a lot to love about the composition. The saffron spice coupling with soft leather during the open is implemented perfectly and the result is intoxicatingly beautiful. The late dry-down is equally impressive as it is so refined and smooth, slightly sweet and entirely luxurious. Where things fall apart, spoiling the party is in the mid-section due to the near-certain use of norlimbanol, creating a synthetic burnt woody accord that overpowers everything in its path while present. The bottom line is the $250 per 75ml bottle Cuir Garamante has a lot of things it does exceptionally well, but its mid-section is a complete letdown that drowns out most of the composition's fine attributes, lowering the final score down to a "very good" 3.5 stars out of 5 and only a tepid recommendation. It merits mentioning that the open and close are so much better than the overall rating indicates, a real shame indeed.

01/25/2021

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Wayofscent
62 Reviews

Wayofscent

1

Sexy fragrance!

Definitely one of most sexiest fragrances in my collection. It's s daring and attention grabbing scent, seductive and mysterious.

Although is marketed as "men" fragrance I can easily see any lady wearing this one! In fact my wife is stealing it from me almost every other day. It lasted around 8 hours on my skin with strong but comforting sillage in the first 3 hours, after that mark toned down medium for an hour or two and after that turned into more private but enjoyable skin scent! But I could easily catch whiffs of it through the entire lasting time!

Really good fragrance!

12/14/2013

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Adan
52 Reviews

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Adan

Top Review 27

Leather-Oud MDCI Style: no risk - no fun

As a student of biosciences, one often faces identity crises and existential fears, especially during very frustrating times like writing a bachelor's thesis.
Somehow, I then came up with the idea to write to Claude Marchal and simply ask him how he came up with the idea of creating perfumes or having them created, becoming the Creative Director of his own brand.

The short version of his answer was basically that while he earned well in his previous job (he worked for a company that builds private jets if I interpreted that correctly), it eventually became too much for him. And since he had always liked perfume in some way, he wanted to do that!

"Sometimes, you have to make very risky choices in life. They can either fail or reward you a lot."

Well, that's certainly universally valid, but still motivating.

The connection to Cuir Garamante is as follows: By chance, I found out through a post in a Facebook group that MDCI is launching 2 new fragrances at the end of November.
So I thought I would email Claude Marchal again, just to know when it would be available for purchase. And of course, to ask how he came up with the idea of creating a leather scent.

He said he wanted to create a leather fragrance because he never really liked leather scents and therefore never dealt with them much, but it would be a good addition to the fragrances that had already been created.
Since I argued exactly the same way during my interview for the Master's in Plant Biology, I found that sympathetic.

Based on the previous fragrances, I was convinced that the scent would be a hit anyway. I then received samples of Nuit Andalouse and Cuir Garamante and was very surprised by Cuir Garamante.
At first, I thought I would be greeted by a leather scent like 1740 - Marquis de Sade or Cuir Ottoman, but Cuir Garamante is only relatively leathery at the beginning.

It's more of a gentle, soft leather accord that is accompanied by spices and oud.
The leather is quite subtle and identifiable, but without smelling tarry (compare Cuir Ottoman) or fermented (compare Aoud Cuir d'Arabie or the first seconds of 1740 - MdS). Nevertheless, the leather accord has that feeling described by Chandler Burr in his review: a sun-warmed leather sandal that has fallen from the perfumed foot of a pretty harem girl.
Saffron, nutmeg, and rose seem to make up the spicy part here; this accord vaguely reminds me of the one from Terry de Gunzburg's "Terryfic Oud," but without cumin and thus without any hint of unwashed armpits.
I can hardly identify other components right away, but since oud is missing from the fragrance pyramid, I'm not sure if it's trustworthy. So there could be cumin in it after all, or at least something that can be interpreted as cumin.
Up close, Cuir Garamante smells less like a leather fragrance and more like a gentle oud and spices with a slightly animalistic touch (from the leather).
The scent trail, however, is phenomenal; here, all three components seem to be equally represented, making the leather more recognizable and conveying that feeling described above.
The longevity is spectacular; when I tried to wash it off after the first test, it didn't work despite soap. I could still perceive it on my wrist the next morning. Anyone who has smelled all the other MDCIs will notice that these fragrances are inconspicuously powerful and possess a perfect balance between strength and control.
And Cuir Garamante is a bit of everything, but not too much of anything. And yet the overall composition is polarizing, but coherent in itself.

Claude Marchal said Cuir Garamante has more power than what has been released so far (IB, AT, and CP), hence he was a bit skeptical. Additionally, he expected more criticism since every good perfume house has a good leather scent and everyone is currently launching an oud fragrance.

However, I believe that Cuir Garamante does not smell like hasty work; I am sure Claude Marchal searched long enough until he smelled what he wanted:

"I am happy with my (risky?) choice!"

So am I.

09/26/2017

9Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

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Meggi

Top Review 26

No! No! … Is-a not Napoleon! Is-a not ‘itler! Is-a not Mussolini!

The conductor Arturo Toscanini was notorious for his strict adherence to the score, which he relentlessly enforced in the orchestra - with overflowing temperament, always on the brink of a stroke, loud and not picky in terms of vocabulary. Simply because he held himself to even stricter standards (including adequate self-abuse), there were no complaints from the extremely sensitive American musicians' union, which otherwise criticized every little thing in the speeches.

However, it was a British ensemble, namely the BBC, that the maestro shouted at during a rehearsal of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony in 1937. The composer had originally dedicated his "Eroica" to Napoleon, but literally erased the dedication out of disappointment over his coronation as emperor.

And such surrounding details were completely irrelevant to Toscanini. Perhaps the musicians had played too "imperially"? In any case, he interrupted and yelled: "No! No! … Is-a not Napoleon! Is-a not ‘itler! Is-a not Mussolini! Is Allegro con brio! … Da-caaaaa-po!"

I feel somewhat similar. As if I must always be loudly reminded by a purist: "Is leather!"

Vanilla and saffron open, accompanied by a hint of fruit candy rose. Leather? Nuances. They struggle. I find a gentle, subtly dirty spice more noticeable. Instead of nutmeg, I would have guessed cumin. A guessing game. Then, just a few minutes later, I sense a latent, creamy labdanum that is slightly pig-like. That was it!

Up to this point, I would call it the 'amber-spice scent.' And although I concede a bit more leather starting from the second testing day (getting used to it? "No - is leather!"), Cuir Garamante essentially presents only a bouquet of corresponding hints. Unless, for example, 'papyrus' is simply meant to refer to Papier d'Armenie, it could hint at a dull quality that, if desired, reminds one of leather. The rose also contributes: it shifts between fruit candy and oily-tarry, providing with the latter another building block. A woody note from late morning suggests oud. This not only develops a reference to the tried-and-true combination of rose-oud, but oud also offers - this is argued indirectly - at times a closeness to leather.

But that all seems like mere embellishment to me. I shrug my shoulders and prefer to wait eagerly to see if the dominant labdanum might eventually start to urinate (cf. Oud Ispahan by Dior). Indeed, its proportion increases throughout the morning, while the role of the rose becomes a supporting one. However, it never urinates. Never. The labdanum does unfold an undeniable animalic quality, but remains within limits, not least thanks to vanilla-caramel tones. I find this wonderfully executed and, above all, not too sweet at all. In the afternoon, Cuir Garamante increasingly takes on a more typical amber direction in my perception, which, accompanied by vanilla splashes and rose touches, lasts well into the evening and consistently appears very high quality.

Napoleon this, Allegro con brio that - with a perfume, things may be somewhat different than with a symphony conducted by Mr. Toscanini. Therefore, I maintain my opinion: I would not have referred to today's candidate as a leather scent or called it "Cuir something." The supposed leather shows its other family trees too obviously. It doesn't matter at all, because the result is a noble and characterful perfume with a certain entertainment value.

06/19/2016

8.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Terra
646 Reviews

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Terra

Top Review

Classic reinterpreted. Typical MDCI, typically well done.

It feels to me like I’m testing a different fragrance when I read the preceding comments. Hardly any leather? Almost femininely sweet?

Actually, I didn’t feel like writing a comment; I wanted to make a statement and maybe write a comment about the fragrance later. But Cuir Garamante is simply brilliantly crafted, and I feel the need to organize and share my impressions a bit more.

Cuir Garamante starts off for me with an alcoholic, sharp-spicy note, and right after that comes a classic, dry leather note that reminds me a bit of Tabac Blond, at least that’s how I currently associate it. I can’t say for sure anymore, but it’s definitely a leather note that I know well from more classic fragrances, quite dry and almost animalistic.

This is clearly accompanied by spices, although I couldn’t specify nutmeg distinctly. Rose... that could be. Perhaps a dirty rose like in Rose Poivrée by The Different Company, of course much softer and subtler than in that fragrance. Above all, it seems to me that these impressions serve to further elaborate and refine the leather note. It feels harmonious, rounded, and simply very high-quality.

Alongside this familiar leather comes a soft-vanilla amber. While it is sweet, it contrasts and soothes the rather rough leather note just the right amount. The overall impression remains quite dry for my taste, just not completely unyielding.

The fragrance development appears relatively linear. Cuir Garamante starts off quite dry, almost a bit brusque, but over time the balsamic base softens that harshness more and more. Eventually, it becomes relatively soft and acquires a certain sweetness that reminds me of a firm, light honey. However, the dirty, edgy leather note always remains, entering into a symbiosis with the soft nuances. The leather simply becomes significantly more socially acceptable. An exciting, erotic, and beautiful development.

I find Chypre Palatin even a bit sweeter or less dry; however, the concept seems fundamentally very similar to me. In Chypre Palatin, an animalistic chypre structure is combined with soft, oriental, and balsamic nuances, slightly modernized and perhaps made more appealing, while in Cuir Garamante, it’s the combination of animalistic leather and those oriental-balsamic notes.

In terms of opulence and noble appearance, both fragrances have gained rather through this connection. They feel dense, warm, harmonious, and incredibly high-quality.

Cuir Garamante is grand and unjustly stands in the shadow of Chypre Palatin and Invasion Barbare. Anyone who likes leather fragrances and appreciated the style of MDCI in Chypre Palatin or Invasion Barbare should definitely test Cuir Garamante.

I don’t think it’s a fragrance I would wear often. Still, I would like to have a decant when the opportunity arises, because for me, this harmony and perfection is a solid 10!

More reviews

Statements

39 short views on the fragrance

BertolucciK

1 year ago

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

2

A spicy saffron and leather opening blends with sweet labdanum, smoky nuances and creamy vanilla, rounded off by the deep richness of oud.

Floyd

3 years ago

7Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

28

26

An old wood
With rose petals
The violet glowing
Fluttering in black light
Vanilla white is its suede
Labdanum cream liqueur

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Eggi37

3 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

24

20

Dark red rose
On a spicy leather accord carpet
The base isn't dry thanks to the resin well
Stylish & Elegant
That's how I like leather too

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Licorice

4 years ago

7.5Scent

24

21

Spiced with
rusty red rose,
pleasantly
smoked
and
darkened with woody, resinous leather.

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Salva

2 years ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

23

22

A gentle saffron-spiced
Gentleman Orientale
With a leathery-rosy touch
& amber-like balsamic labdanum base
I really like it

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UntermWert

4 years ago

7.5Scent 7Sillage

20

15

soft leather wraps around an indescribably elegant rose-oud combination
sometimes bright, sometimes dark, sometimes spicy-dry-powdery, sometimes woody-smoky
noble

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