I spent 2019 exploring the range from Ferrari. When you think of scents by car manufacturers, you tend to think they’re going to be a bit lacklustre – the sort of fragrances they don’t keep locked behind glass in Boots. I’d already tried the basic Ferrari line (Red, Light Essence, Red Power etc.) but after being really impressed with Ferrari Silver Essence back in mid 2018, I was intrigued to see what the others were like. I managed to get most of the range, and finally got my hands on a 100ml bottle of Leather Essence just before Christmas 2019.
I love this fragrance and so does the missus. We went for a fancy meal for our anniversary yesterday, so I thought it would be a good choice to wear.
It opens with a spicy hit of cloves, a very subtle bitter orange, and of course leather – which is there all the way through. There’s a certain sweetness to it from the vanilla and tonka bean in the drydown, but it’s a light/fresh sweetness, not cloying or sickly.
I’d forgotten what a sophisticated feeling fragrance it is. It makes you imagine that it’s what the seats in an actually Ferrari would smell like. Projection and longevity are excellent considering this is considered a ‘cheapie’.
Unlike something like Tuscan Leather which I find can be worn in the warmer months, Leather Essence sits firmly in the autumn/winter/cold weather category for daily use, but can be worn for special evening occasions.
The Ferrari line is really nostalgic to me as it was easy to get hold of the various scents from eBay for really good prices back in 2019 and I watched a lot of YouTube videos from AGentlemansJourney77 (the Ferrari king) to get inspiration for which ones to try next. I really enjoyed getting them in the post and trying them for the first time when they arrived. Sadly, they discontinued the line and some scents in the are now very hard/expensive to get hold of.
Leather Essence is definitely one of my favourites and it’s worth having on the shelf for the gorgeous bottle alone.
Have you owned Leather Essence? Do you still have some left? Would you like Ferrari to relaunch their fragrance line?
