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Cuirs Nomades

Moroccan Leather Memo Paris 2018

7.6 / 10 127 Ratings

A popular perfume by Memo Paris for women and men, released in 2018. The scent is leathery-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Leathery

Spicy

Green

Woody

Floral

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Ginger

Mandarin orange

Heart Notes

Ylang-ylang

Orange blossom absolute

Orris butter

Base Notes

Galbanum

Leather

Styrax

Musk

Tonka bean Vetiver

Vetiver

Ambrofix

Perfumer

Daniela Andrier

Ratings

Scent

7.6127 Ratings

Longevity

7.9110 Ratings

Sillage

7.5110 Ratings

Bottle

8.3123 Ratings

Value for money

6.855 Ratings

Submitted by Anessa · last update on 01/03/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Cuirs Nomades collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Irish Leather Eau de Parfum

Cuìr de Morocco

Iris Malikhân

Cuir Mythique

Knize Ten Toilet Water

Italian Leather Eau de Parfum

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/25/2018

9Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

MajorTom
109 Reviews

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MajorTom

Top Review 11

Not for Wallflowers

If Irish Leather is too harsh, too green, and on the other hand African Leather is too spicy, I recommend testing Moroccan Leather.

For this fragrance creation from the house of Memo, I also allow myself to suggest a restrained dosage, because like its brothers in this almost genius series that offers something for every leather fan, ML is also fully present from the very beginning. Really full. Impressive. Powerful. Exactly my thing :-). I am fully aware that this is not for everyone, and anyone looking for a discreet, unobtrusive everyday scent can stop reading here.

For those still reading, you are probably curious about how this fragrance unfolds. Well, from the very start, it is very, very clear. The opening already reveals the leather, enriched with a touch of southern fruits. In the fragrance pyramid, orange and mandarin are listed, okay, as a layperson I can't sniff out the difference, but it is slightly fruity, combined with the sharpness of ginger. But, and here lies the great art of the craft, it is not carelessly thrown together or haphazardly cobbled, no, it is a fantastic symbiosis that makes its way into my nose.

As this entrance gradually makes way, the pyramid names iris and ylang-ylang for the heart note. Here too, I find it difficult to filter that out exactly, for such things, my spice tester seems obviously not made.

And then comes, slowly but surely, increasingly taking over the dominance, the base note with distinctive leather, musk, and cypress. What I also perceive is tobacco. When I close my eyes, I see myself in a super-exclusive hotel bar, beamed back to times when gentlemen were still allowed to smoke cigars without being banished to some carelessly made private rooms. The fine tobacco scent of a Puerto Rican cigar combines with the rich leather smell of the large, wide armchairs into which one sinks deeply.

Longevity is outstanding. Sillage is distinctly noticeable. Bottle: Black bird of prey on a golden background, suggesting a hint of freedom. Beautifully made, the weighty bottle feels substantial in the hand and already conveys what awaits the buyer. Namely a classic scent that lingers, on oneself and certainly also in the noses/heads of the people who encounter the wearer of the fragrance throughout the day. See header: not for wallflowers!

01/11/2024

7.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Mairuwa
76 Reviews

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Mairuwa

Top Review 8

The Atlas Cedar from the Rif Mountains

It seems that the “Cuir Nomades” line from Memo disappoints quite a few leather fans, as the leather here does not always take center stage as the name might initially suggest. I can certainly agree with this viewpoint, but I don’t see it as a shortcoming. A leather scent that smells too straightforwardly of leather can sometimes overwhelm me, and I feel slightly overburdened. In the Cuir Nomades fragrances I have tested so far, the leather is almost always at least subtly noticeable, or even more distinctly recognizable, without ever appearing too heavy or strong. I greatly appreciate this and therefore find the line very interesting. It seems that a leather base accord appears in all the fragrances, which is interpreted differently in combination with other notes, thus addressing various themes.

That these themes are geographically defined is, of course, somewhat arbitrary and likely primarily a marketing approach. This may occasionally lead to controversies regarding the appropriateness of the scent associations. For instance, regarding “Moroccan Leather,” it has been pointed out that its scent, strongly characterized by the cedar note, evokes Tuscany rather than Morocco, making the name misleading. While my first associations do not necessarily conjure images of Morocco, I find that rather interesting than disturbing. Catering too overtly to scent stereotypes commonly associated with certain countries or regions would not be my idea of fragrances attempting to capture geographical inspirations. What else is there to discover?

Upon closer inspection, there is indeed quite a bit to uncover here. First of all, there is an endemic species of cedar in Morocco, namely the Atlas cedar, so this note is not entirely inappropriate. If we follow the manufacturer’s explanations, the inspiration for the fragrance lies less in the desert and more in the cool indigo-blue painted old town alleys of the town of Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains. And that seems to me a coherent interpretation for a rather cool-spicy and not very desert-like scent.

But back to the fragrance itself!

I join some of the more critical fellow reviewers when it comes to a certain similarity between “Moroccan Leather” and its older brother “Irish Leather.” However, the question of what this similarity is attributed to seems interesting to me. While there is a certain overlap of scent notes, that is probably not the decisive factor here. Both have tonka and iris, but these are not necessarily the defining notes. Rather, it seems to me that “Moroccan Leather” achieves a similarly fresh-green spicy effect through the cedar as “Irish Leather” does through the juniper. These are the notes that play a significant role throughout a considerable part of the fragrance's development.

Despite the apparent similarity, the two fragrances still differ significantly. For instance, at the very beginning of “Moroccan Leather,” a lovely mandarin is clearly perceptible, while this slightly fruity citrus freshness is absent in “Irish Leather.” There, the spicy-green juniper takes center stage immediately. The gentle powderiness of the iris, although also present in “Irish Leather,” comes through much stronger here and, along with the support of ylang-ylang and orange blossom, makes the fragrance as a whole somewhat sweeter and less angular.

Over time, the warm-soft base with musk and tonka becomes more pronounced, although its slight sweetness is balanced by the vetiver. The leather note resonates throughout but is never dominant or intrusive.

Overall, in my opinion, it is a very beautiful fragrance - gently leathery but not in a monothematic way. That it has to compete with some tough rivals within its line does not make it objectively worse as a fragrance but rather speaks to the consistently high quality of the brand. In terms of longevity and projection, it is on par with other “Cuirs Nomades” fragrances. It is definitely unisex. The bottle, with its Moorish pattern elements and eagle silhouette, is, as always with Memo, very stylish. Whether the fragrance and bottle fit together and also match the name is something everyone must ultimately decide for themselves and should ultimately be of secondary importance.

Updated on 01/26/2024

02/12/2019

9Scent

Verbeene
233 Reviews

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Verbeene

6

elegant versus noble

"moroccan leather" is of similar delicacy to "White Suede" by Tom Ford.
While Ford's fragrance has a creamy-warm feel like freshly worn super-fine suede, Memo's is cool smooth leather.
An elegant tea-spice base, from which powdery iris gently emerges with ginger and ylang-ylang.

What unfolds as bright elegance in Ford's version is a finely spiced, humorous liveliness in Memo.
Where Ford dazzles a bit with rose and lily of the valley, Memo's herbaceous spiciness (which strongly resembles bitter orange) feels structured, grounding, and calming.

Moroccan leather is a subtle, refined, calm-airy, noble-looking leather fragrance.

Updated on 02/12/2019

02/13/2022

YellaYella
37 Reviews

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YellaYella

8

Refined and Timeless

Recently, my love for perfume has blossomed wildly; I’ve tried many, discarded many, liked some (very) much, and in rare cases, it became "actually love." Like here.

Moroccan leather came to me as a half-heartedly ordered sample because I had noticed Memo as a brand a few times. Just those artistic bottles! And leather as a fragrance ingredient I generally find delightful in its soft, comforting version. For example, Creme de Cuir/bdk is a successful candidate for that.

However, Moroccan leather is anything but a subtle, quiet scent. Even the top note is all-encompassing. I perceive it as herbal, untamed, and yet thought-out. Later, a feast of spices, iris, and ylang-ylang unfolds, and we are far from any sunscreen vibes. Light-years away. Rather, the scent evokes for me the visit to a gala performance, leaning towards the avant-garde, where one appears in a tailcoat and beret like Marlene Dietrich, drawing all eyes. Hedonism meets elegance. I find that wearing Moroccan leather requires a certain boldness, a desire to stand out. Nevertheless, it is not a fragrance that bothers those around you with its sillage. It strikes a balance, as long as one knows where the limits are and doesn’t overapply excessively.

The base has a distinctive, slightly masculine character, where I find the leather and vetiver so wonderfully and skillfully "constructed" that the entire composition is absolutely unisex, because it is timeless, because it is refined, and at the same time not overloaded. It elegantly refuses any gender attribution. (By the way, I would have neverever suspected ambrox here. Never!)

Conclusion: For me, a favorite in my collection. Not to mention the beauty and grand tactile experience of the bottle with the flying eagle on a golden background.
I revel in this scent and look forward to discovering more from Memo.

03/20/2025

9.5Scent 10Longevity 8Sillage

DukeOfEarl
32 Reviews

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DukeOfEarl

Helpful Review 6

New yet Familiar

Today it arrived, it was on my wish list, I never really favored it. I always thought; well, if it’s available somewhere for a small price, I’ll just take it.
That wish was fulfilled a few days ago and... oh man... I wish I had smelled it earlier.

Moroccan Leather feels to me like a well-known journey, just with a different horizon. As a big fan of Irish Leather and Italian Leather, I immediately recognized this DNA - that typical green, leathery Memo feeling that balances between wildness and elegance. And yet, Moroccan Leather takes its own path.

Here, the leather is depicted softer, almost like with a watercolor brush on fine paper. It’s as if Irish Leather has absorbed a hint of oriental warmth, without losing its cool nobility - or as if Italian Leather were wandering through a Moroccan riad, where herbs, smoke, and floral notes linger in the air.

What I particularly like about Moroccan Leather: It is different, yet the same. A fragrance that bears the Memo signature but adds new colors. Elegant, individual, quietly extravagant. For me, it’s a scent that tells stories - of vast landscapes, rugged leather, but also of sunshine, silence, and a touch of magic.

Updated on 03/27/2025

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