See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Vibrant Leather Cologne Zara 2019

7.9 / 10 82 Ratings

A popular perfume by Zara for men, released in 2019. The scent is fresh-citrusy. It is still in production.
Compare

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Fresh

Citrus

Fruity

Green

Aquatic

Fragrance Notes

Mandarin orange Ginger

Ginger

Floral notes

Perfumer

Jérôme Epinette

Ratings

Scent

7.982 Ratings

Longevity

6.778 Ratings

Sillage

6.578 Ratings

Bottle

7.584 Ratings

Value for money

9.434 Ratings

Submitted by ExUser · last update on 10/11/2022.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Dior Homme Cologne (2013)

Mercedes-Benz Cologne

From Paris to New York

Vibrant Leather Summer

Vibrant Leather Summer Breeze

Blue Hole

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

06/10/2019

9Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Elysium
898 Reviews

Elysium

Very helpful Review 2

The obvious when it’s inimitable

First thing first, this is not a Vibrant Leather flanker, yet a new edition of From Paris to New York. I'd like to express my real impression of this brand new Zara's release. Albeit the name and the box look different, the smell and the description on the box are the very same. The opening is strongly citrus and closely akin to Zara Blue Hole, as many reviewers stated, yet they take separate ways as soon as the heart starts beating and the dry down approaches. Definitely, BH has a clear heart floral note, bright jasmine that turns to an earthy and woody accord akin to patchouli and cedar, it reminds me of CD Homme Sport 2008 to be exact, instead, VL Cologne is more seasoned, the ginger is hot and chilly in the heart, and it turns into a neat musk, this one evoking me of CD Homme Cologne 2013. Since I own both Zara's and CD's fellows, I had an opportunity to study all of them side by side on my skin, they all smell quite apart as both CD Homme Sport and Homme Cologne do. Oftentimes, people are too hasty, they quit and conclude on the first impression, but scents are alive and take their time to develop and reveal their heart and base.

Back to VL Cologne, the opening is a blast of strong citrus fruits right in your face, and once the intoxicating fresh lemon juice soothes down, a sweeter and smooth mandarin orange stands, I definitely get that strongly in the opening alongside the lemon, together with a bitter note of grapefruit, maybe not from the juice or peel but from the blossom or leaves, there is some greenish herbal and leafy accord in there. The opening is so fresh, so manly. Love its bitterness when the lemon finally sits. I absolutely love it. Great refreshing and bright zesty fragrance in the style of Dior Homme Cologne and Allure Homme Cologne.

In the heart, both sparkling ginger and a kind of soft lemon-like greenish herbal are very present up close but from arm's length ginger really dominates. It is spicy, sharp, bracing yet light, and pairs well with citrus notes. This heart aroma lasts quite a few hours before unhiding the backbone notes.

The drydown has woody, spicy and citrusy nuances, the zestiness lingers in the base with the musk and a nice ginger kick. Despite the dominance of the musky accord, I notice a sense of vetiver, rather creamier, lemony, and greener than earthy or rooty, which reminds me of Cacharel pour Homme, the vetiver vibe and trail is similar.

I am really glad to have this one in my collection, you can't go wrong with it. Performances are awesome for this kind of EDC. The bottle is also very nice, heavy and has a blue straw. It is fresh yet elegant, positive, uplifting, bright, sparkling. For more or less any event when you just want to smell nice and clean. You'll get compliments with this one, seriously. I can imagine this fragrance would perform fantastically well on hot and sticky summer days and evenings out.

-Elysium

07/25/2020

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

MonsieurTest
39 Reviews

Translated · Show original

MonsieurTest

Top Review 36

More than nice, Mr. Epinette! Zara's Bergamot-Mandarin-Ginger Cologne refreshes colossally - and lasts long

The refreshing start features a minute of mixed citrus freshness, followed by a relaxed 6 hours of moderately projecting mandarin-bergamot-ginger nuances underpinned by subtle cedar-musk vibrations. Everything feels rounded, pleasing, and not at all cheap (unless you think of the pocket money-friendly price).

But how does a not-so-young perfumer end up at Zara? And why so late? I’ll try to explain briefly. About 10 years ago, I once entered a branch of the fashion chain at the other end of the country, having heard quite a bit about its rapid expansion and trendy clothes. I didn’t notice any perfumes there (my focus was on the clothes); and after a few minutes, it was clear that it wasn’t really my thing - especially since the textiles and thus the whole store smelled a bit odd. As an armchair fashionista, I have since followed the unstoppable rise of the fashion chain and its owner only through reading the style and business sections of European newspapers. However, recently, while wandering through Parfumo.de, I came across positive reviews of Zara fragrances; most recently, particularly those of the Vetiver-Pampelmuse from Zara's Jo Malone Emotions Collection. Information from other sources, equally behind the scenes, production-wise, also pushed Zara fragrances into my awareness.

What does the fine nose Jérôme Epinette do when he’s not developing fragrances for Atelier Cologne, Byredo, Vilhelm, or &Other Stories, that is, for trendy, niche fragrance houses?
What drives Jo Malone, who has long sold her namesake company to Estée Lauder, when she’s not fully utilizing her new brand Jo Loves?
And what do the factories of the esteemed fragrance giant Puig (from Barcelona) produce when they are not fine-tuning and brewing Artisan Parfumeurs, Penhaligons, Prada, Comme des Garçons, Gaultier, Rabanne, or Herrera fragrances, as well as the few classics sold under their own name?
Yes, what do all these esteemed addresses of fine perfumery do then?

They create, brew & release affordable and occasionally quite good fragrances for the fashion company Zara!

Thus, the decision was made to try one or two fragrances from this chain. Since these hectic fast-fashionists & parfumists also hold sales and offer some scents as discounted six-packs, it turned out to be more than I initially thought. My impression is that these fast-perfumists apparently create a lot of quickly rotating fragrances - more precisely: have them created by the Puig professionals. Some of these they keep in the program for years (classic maintenance), while others they sell out and bury at lightning speed. Unfortunately, this triggers the archiving and holding reflexes of the perfume enthusiast.

Now, however, to the first catch of my affair with the trendy flirt Zara. Vibrant Leather Cologne is a bright, refreshing summer scent that has already been praised by others here and compared to famous siblings. Jérôme Epinette designed a modern, slightly sweet mandarin-ginger cologne, indeed endowed with considerable longevity.

In stark contrast to the screaming lemon and the rather dull ginger in the Lemon&Ginger Acqua Colonia from the traditionally esteemed brand 4711, the ginger in this Zara cologne appears fruity, pleasing with minimal sharpness and medium sweetness, like candied ginger: delicious.

Zara and the Puig creators have succeeded in crafting a tasteful, uplifting, and long-lasting light fragrance, whose longevity has likely been boosted by various synthetic ingredients; which, however, does not come off as unpleasant to me. There is a strong similarity to Zara's Vibrant Leather Summer, which is labeled as EdP - but contains pretty much the same and equally long-lasting elements as the Vibrant Leather Cologne. Whether there is a connection to Dior Homme Cologne, as often noted here, I cannot (yet) judge. It somewhat reminds me of the CK-One-like unisex airport PACO by Paco Rabanne, in the fabulously simple tin can sprayers; only the mandarin-heavy Zara cologne lasts longer and has this very slightly sharp ginger note on board instead of tea.

The name 'Vibrant Leather' seems rather far-fetched and misleading, as there is no leather present or at most homeopathically in the base, which, alongside the persistently pleasant mandarin notes, has a rather soft cedar-like scent and may also be mixed with hints of musk and vetiver. The leather that the name refers to is probably more the skin of the wearer, which may vibrate a bit in the face of such a welcome refreshment.

In my opinion, this delightful little fragrance is suitable for young and old, for men and women, as it is a well-balanced modern cologne: moderately sweet, moderately ginger-sharp-fresh, and subtly floral with the fine mandarins (along with added bergamot notes) underscored. This modernized cologne accord lacks the neroli peaks and also the rosemary & lavender spice of a Farina cologne. Moreover, this ensemble-modern cologne, which is now allowed regular guest appearances alongside the 4711 Musica Antiqua Cologne, has a longevity that is closer to that of a solid EdT.

I find the heavy, transparent, well-proportioned glass bottle excellent. And the blue suction tube as a function-focused eye-catcher seems almost exemplary modern to me: Here, the functional tube-highlighting Centre Pompidou principle by Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers is convincingly transferred into the world of flacons. The solid plastic cap only slightly detracts from this excellent external appearance.

Once again, it shows: the Spanish cologne brewers know how to create refreshing water that must work soothingly under heat stress. This light yet clingy composition by the great nose Jérôme Epinette can be confidently recommended for testing.

09/03/2019

7Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

Timboeck
8 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Timboeck

2

Fragrance Twins?!

The similarity to DHC is unmistakable, however, I find DHC to be a bit more finely balanced. AHSC, on the other hand, is clearly ahead of the two. It is somewhat more complex and has a fine herbal note that is completely lacking in the Vibrant Leather Cologne, in my opinion.

About the scent:
It opens very citrusy with a slight synthetic note that diminishes over time. The scent progression is rather linear and not particularly complex. H+S for me is just average.

For summer, it's a good and very affordable citrus refresher. I have grown to love it.

07/05/2021

8Scent 6Longevity 7Sillage

MNGR
11 Reviews

Translated · Show original

MNGR

2

Sin or Blessing?

Just the design of the bottle suggests what one might expect here. In a way, this approach can certainly be described as presumptuous. On the other hand, it pays tribute to the "original," which is likely reflected in the sales figures as well. To answer the question posed in the title right away: both.

It is quite obvious that Zara has ventured very close to Dior Homme Cologne here. Perhaps even so close that it is just barely legal. I can easily imagine that Demachy and Epinette might chuckle about it, but the Parisian fashion house Dior has likely considered taking legal action. But let's set aside the speculation.
I did say that both apply. This means that this fragrance truly has something sinful about it, while at the same time, it also possesses something very blessed. For on one hand, it is a copy of something, the imitation, the counterfeit. On the other hand, it is so well done that even trained noses might struggle to discern significant differences in a blind test. But if we overlook the compromises in longevity and sillage that inevitably come with a Zara fragrance, it is extremely good, both in terms of scent and dupeness. And at that price, one can easily own two or three bottles and leave them wherever a reapplication might be needed.

Furthermore, I am a fan of good fragrances being made accessible to a typically younger audience in unconventional ways, who otherwise might not have come into contact with them. Of course, Zara is primarily pursuing a marketing agenda here, enticing customers to buy one or two more clothing items with affordable fragrances. That's fine. That's how the market works.
On the other hand, I can easily imagine that this fragrance is quite capable of encouraging the wearer to engage with the "original." Especially when someone in their circle comments on it and perhaps even makes a suggestion: "Wow, that Dior Homme Cologne really suits you. It fits you well."
If the wearer then wonders what that might be about and reads up here and there, they will quickly realize that fragrances are perceived very subjectively, as the label is nowhere visibly readable. It sometimes happens that the copy smells more original than the original itself. This has a lot to do with construction and association, but somehow it is an uplifting thought. It has a sense of democratization, anonymity, and masking. This mysterious something brings drive to a matter and prompts discussions, or at least in this case, writing about it.

05/16/2022

7.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

Sollberg
4 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Sollberg

1

Would you like a splash of mandarin?

One of my most affordable fragrances, yet it doesn't have to hide from more expensive ones.
The opening is zesty with fresh, delicious (slightly synthetic) mandarin and citrus notes. The ginger is not too sharp, and the mandarin is also not too sweet (like the sorbet sweetness in Pomelo Paradis). The scent hardly changes until the end and remains very linear; however, I don't expect much complexity from a citrus summer freshie, as I have other fragrances for that. One should definitely be a fan of the mandarin that stays in the foreground, otherwise this scent is not for you. I cannot compare it to Dior Homme Cologne and Mercedes Benz Cologne, as I have never smelled the others.
The sillage is, in my opinion, quite good for a citrus scent, with projection being well noticeable for up to 2 hours, after which it is more intimate. On my skin (where fresh fragrances usually perform relatively well), I achieve more than good longevity of 7-9 hours (one spray on the forearm). Very nice compact bottle and especially for this price, a very well-functioning magnetic cap. Well-functioning spray head. Unfortunately, it's hardly available at Zara; I just managed to snag the last 2 pieces for a good price (7.99 for 100ml) at the nearest Zara store, and since then I haven't seen the fragrance available anywhere else. However, if this scent is available somewhere for this price, it's a no-brainer for me, as the alternatives to Dior Homme Cologne are usually significantly more expensive.
In summary, this is a fragrance that feels like a delicious refreshment for me, while also offering good longevity and costing very little.