- Origin
- an accord composed by the perfumer
- Raw materials
- Suederal, Safraleine, iris, musks, isobutyl quinoline (in a small dose)
- Olfactory group
- leather (soft)
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- Suederal, Safraleine
Suede is the inner, napped side of leather, soft to the touch. In perfume suede is an accord of its own: a softer, powdery and lighter version of the leather note, without smoke or tar.
How it smells: soft, powdery and warm: velvety leather, a faintly sweet and spicy (saffron) shade, iris powder, the warm skin of hands. Suede sounds elegant, cosy and expensive.
The main molecules of the suede accord are Suederal and Safraleine: they give a leathery sound without harshness. They are often joined by iris and musks, which add a “napped” softness.
What it pairs with: with iris — the classic powdery suede, with saffron and oud — soft oriental leather, with rose — a “rose on suede gloves”, with vanilla — warm sweet suede, with woods — modern soft compositions.
Good to know: the word suede comes from the French “gants de Suède”, “Swedish gloves”: that is what the French called gloves of soft, turned leather.
