Russisch Leder (Eau de Toilette) by Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz
Bottle Design Heinz Glas
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7.9 / 10 101 Ratings
Russisch Leder (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz for men and was released in 1967. The scent is leathery-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Leathery
Spicy
Woody
Animal
Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
LemonLemon BergamotBergamot BasilBasil
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CedarwoodCedarwood CinnamonCinnamon CarnationCarnation FernFern VetiverVetiver
Base Notes Base Notes
LeatherLeather MuskMusk MossMoss StyraxStyrax VanillaVanilla

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.9101 Ratings
Longevity
7.382 Ratings
Sillage
6.783 Ratings
Bottle
6.680 Ratings
Value for money
7.411 Ratings
Submitted by TVC15, last update on 01.03.2024.

Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions
8
Sillage
10
Longevity
8.5
Scent
FvSpee

249 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
FvSpee
FvSpee
Top Review 37  
Colonial goods XIV: Farin Farinovich
I was very disappointed by Farina's much praised cologne. I clearly prefer the eternal competitor of 4711. Therefore I was not particularly keen on testing the Russian Farina. And so it remained the last untested sample (before I organize new ones...) in my "colonial goods sample box". Then last night I thought with Beethoven: "Must it be? It must be!" and then shouted with Kant from "Pflicht! You sublime name!", took the sample boldly and sprayed resolutely three times on my forearm
Zabong! I would have been knocked down if I hadn't been lying there lying down (not crouched in the Russian's squat) anyway. This is really awesome stuff! Ingeniously good and beary especially! I started to write down my first and second impressions and read the comments so far. Unfortunately (or fortunately, harmony and unity are something beautiful) I found out that my precommentators, especially Yatagan and Konsalik, have already said what I felt. But since their comments are already 7 and 2 years old, it is a remake.

Without any foreplay, Russian leather will shoot a full brown and at the same time fresh spiciness through your olfactory nerves into your cerebellum within milliseconds. One of the warming (almost tingling), balsamic, aromatic variety. I (also) immediately notice a strong similarity to Tabac Original (which I love). However, I find the Farinski to be a little lighter in colour, and it has a specific menthol or eucalyptus-like freshness that I don't remember in the Mäurer. Also the barbershop (or in case of a Russian: Parjukmácher) association might be even stronger, because here the full soap-drumming is included right in the package with the (sandal-) wooden crucible, in which the soap is whipped.

Another difference is (this only became clear to me when I thought about it later) that the Farina is even further away from a classic citric cologne than Tabac Original. If the "Colonia Russa" from SMN, which was reviewed yesterday, is still completely Mediterranean cologne (with a brown spot), while Tabac is already about two-thirds "brown", there is practically no cologne left here. It is (almost) only a fresh spicy-balsamic-soapy woody scent for men. There is no lavender and citric notes are in the pyramid, but I can only perceive them in traces (and firmly built in) at best.

Thus, this fragrance is doubly on the fringes of the genre reviewed here, as it is not called "Cologne" but "Eau de Toilette", which is actually an exclusion criterion for my series. Here I allowed myself the exception, because Farina is a typical Cologne producer.

Back to the fragrance: its basic characteristics remain the same, the key note spicy fougère I would say boldly, but the "accompanying notes" change. After perhaps thirty to sixty minutes, I take on a fascinating aldehyde cloud, which for a Kerlowitsch fragrance is highly surprising and feminine in appearance, almost reminiscent of Lehmann's Sminta or even Chanel's No. 5. Then velvety suede associations are added, and in the end it gets a bit more creaky and harder, as if the leather and wood on the Russian stove has now dried.

With my generous dosage, the shelf life is more than 24 hours, which leads to the maximum value. The projection is also strong, which proved to be a drawback in that Spee's wife could only be dissuaded from having her dinner and her night's rest separately from me. Similar to Ajlen, I also had to experience that the fragrance is not necessarily an asset in the (especially female) environment. With Tabac Original this did not happen to me. Maybe because of that, but also because I find the mason a bit more clearly contoured and classically structured in the end, I would see Farina by nose length behind (unlike Yatagan, but just like him I wouldn't want to commit myself conclusively).

Conclusion: A great scent experience, a huge surprise, and a force of Russian scent. Please dose carefully and test carefully before use in interaction with the opposite sex.

Supplements: The fragrance is offered on Farina's website for 78 Euro for 100 ml and is therefore no "drugstore bargain". The label still looks as grandiose 60's ugly as in the picture above. The "Russians" specificity should have been triggered here quite conventionally by birch tar; this is probably what is meant by "leather" in the pyramid. The scent has nothing to do with modern leather scents à la "Tuscan".
29 Comments
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Konsalik

81 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Konsalik
Konsalik
Top Review 14  
Not (only) for old farts!
In the course of a pre-Christmas stroll through the (surprisingly empty) inner city of Cologne, after a detour to Manufactum (among other things, very expensive brass watering cans were admired), we went to Farina's head office opposite, the oldest perfume house in the world still existing - depending on the bill. Already after a short locking on one of the prepared "fragrance bells" it was clear that the plan to buy a bottle of "Russian Leather" had to be put into action: Deep cinnamon and frankincense notes spontaneously intensified the very delicately trained Christmas feeling in me this year. This "Instant-Besinnlichkeits-Boost" alone was worth 19 Euro for 15 ml!

At home, I expected an opening à la "Tabac Original", since quite a few of the reviewers were allowed to note an appropriate association on these pages. And indeed: A bit of the old Mäurer & Wirtz flagship resonates in the top note, although the rustic oak wall is missing. This one seems to be mainly responsible for the beige pensioner vest note, which quite a few people associate with Tabac Original, because Mrs. Konsalik (who can't stand "opadufts" like Tabac Original on me) was immediately taken with the top note. The scent impression in the first hour, however, is determined by a bitter-fresh, soapy lavender that clearly pushes the whole thing towards the "barbershop"; a theme that has experienced a pleasing renaissance in recent years.

Heart and base gain more and more the upper hand and here at the latest "Russian Leather" seems almost modern: The clear depiction of the individual components (primarily, as I said, cinnamon and frankincense or styrax, vanilla underlaid) seems thoroughly contemporary to timeless. Of course, "Russian leather" has little to do with "leather" as it is "quasi-naturalistically" brought to us by today's perfumery art (Tom Ford's leather scents, Davidoff's "Leather Blend" etc.). Here we play more with associations that belong in the word field "leather": Club chair, ride, open fire - but no 1:1 correspondence to the new leather jacket.

And once again I feel compelled to lift my hat to a classic from an old house. Not for nostalgic reasons, but simply for recognition of the quality offered: all fragrance components exude value and resistance to reformulation, the durability is appropriate, the sillage is present, but never loud: That's the way it has to be!
5 Comments
10
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
5
Longevity
10
Scent
GothicHeart

86 Reviews
GothicHeart
GothicHeart
Very helpful Review 8  
A Scent for Heroes...
My grandfather was a very brave, very decent, very proud and very just man. He fought in the frontline during WWII defending my country and leaving his newborn daughter, my mother, behind. After the war he spent many years as the co-owner of a gambling club, being a professional gambler himself. His spectrum of acquaintances varied from Prime Ministers to labourers. And he always believed that the second were way better people than the first. He lived through so many things that most of us could never meet, even if we live thrice his lifetime. And he made everything look SO easy! He passed away peacefully at the age of 98 in 2009, leaving me with hundreds of fabulous stories and adventures as his heritage. He was always my hero. Russisch Leder was his signature fragrance for nearly 30 years. The iconic white opaque glass bottle with the black disc shaped lid was always in his bathroom and the scent was always lingering in the small apartment he lived in. I always splashed myself with it each time I visited him. He always laughed with my hurry to be a grown man. I cannot be impartial about it. To me this is one of my fondliest childhood memories. Something that will make me burst in tears if I ever sense it again. This is the scent that heroes wear. The scent of a tall, handsome man that holds a straight flush in one hand and a Walther P-38 in the other. A scent of colossal proportions.
0 Comments
5
Longevity
9
Scent
Apicius

222 Reviews
Apicius
Apicius
Helpful Review 4  
Save and Sound in the Arms of Masculinity
This is the slogan for the old, now renewed Russisch Leder! Farina kept announcing it for ages, then they were selling only tiny miniature flasks for some months but finally, it's out! I was lucky to get a sample early in 2011, at a perfume fair where Farina was presenting it.

Farina Gegenüber's Russisch Leder puts a smile on every face: a traditional birch tar accord, unmistakably masculine and exciting. Farina claims to be the first who released a Russian Leather, many decades ago. Possible, but it does not matter that much, does it? It is the result that counts. And this version of Russian Leather does something to me that neither the expensive Cuir de Russie by Chanel nor the cheap Russisch Juchten by Harry Lehmann achieves: It brings back childhood memories!

This is about the smell you could get in a barber shop during the 1960's or 70's, when after a decent cut and shave a big load of Russian Leather Eau de Cologne was splashed into the customer's face. Just one of these things you do not forget. Chanel's Cuir de Russie may be a high quality perfume, noble and a fine choice - it simply does not tell a story. But Farinas Russisch Leder does! The slogan for the small advertising campaign could not have been chosen more aptly.

The mystery behind this fragrance may be the fact that Farina decided to declare it a gentleman's fragrance. And you can smell it! No regards to the requirements of unisex perfumes are made as the other Cuir de Russies do. Nevertheless, Farina's Russisch Leder is anything but simple. The scent pyramid shows a complexity that only in the drydown becomes a bit more bland. It is difficult for me to analyse this fragrance. Are there any florals? Yes, but totally discreet. Musky notes and vanilla? Only a hint of. Vetiver and Cedarwood? Maybe. Herbal or fougère stuff? Yes, definitely! By the way, almost the structure of a chypre. Anyway, it simply suits my taste!

I see a certain similarity to Mäurer & Wirtz' Tabac Original - but only in style. This is also something from the past that perfume lovers love to come back to once in a while - disregarding of their favour for any sophisticated or fancy perfumes. However, compared to Tabac Original, Russisch Leder is definitely of a better quality.

A big compliment to Farina Gegenüber for having dared to re-issue their Russian Leather! In this case I'd hoped for some more money put into an ad campaign than they obviously do. The customers will not find their way back to this fragrance on their own. Too much time has passed since it had been discontinued. Too many fashion trends have by now changed people's fragrance preferences. Even an iconic perfume like Russisch Leder will work out only if it is launched at least as an insiders' tip.

Here is the reformulated scent pyramid:
Top: Lemon, Bergamot, Basil
Heart: Fern, Carnation, Vetiver, Ylang-Ylang, Cedarwood, Geranium, Cinnamon
Base: Leather, Musk, Storax, Moss, Vanilla

If just more traditional perfume houses would dare to bring back their great perfumes from the past!

Farina Gegenüber is a traditional perfume company founded in 1709 in Cologne. It still seems to be owned by the descendants of the original founder. They claim to be the ones to have invented the original "Eau de Cologne", and this is the product they became well known for. If you ever come to Cologne do not miss the Farina Gegenüber Perfume Museum in the city center!
0 Comments

Statements

2 short views on the fragrance
LemonheadsLemonheads 3 years ago
4
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
9
Scent
Sweaty,spicy leather from the old good times,still produced and sold in the Farina Palace in Koln,shares similarities with Knize Ten,weaker.
0 Comments
ApiciusApicius 9 years ago
5
Longevity
9
Scent
Lots of aldehydes make this Russian Leather a sort of Chanel N°5 for gents!
0 Comments

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