Mannish fragrances will prove increasingly appealing to women looking to move away from the fruity-floral and caramel-sweet mixes that have dominated scent shelves for so long. Green and woody notes are showing up strongly, often softened with the gentle florals also used in traditional men's colognes.
Newer crossovers are leather accords, which Beaute Prestige International's Danny Ventura explains can be appealingly soft. In the same way leather adds textural interest to fashion, aromatically speaking, it sensually layers scent.
"The woman who has her own style, who dares to be different, will like this developing category," he says.
An example of a new fragrance for women with a leather accord is Fan di Fendi's Leather Essence (pictured).
Men's fragrances with leather notes range from velvety soft to smoky. Smoky leather notes were used famously in Chanel's Cuir de Russie for women which dates from 1924, when the idea that a modern woman might like what was once seen as an all-male preserve was first in vogue - like smoking.
In 1959, French couturier Madam Gres looked to leather for Cabochard. The combination of perfume and leather harks back centuries, to the days when perfume was added to gloves to mask the animal aromas of tanned goods.
Men's contemporary leather fragrances worth sniffing out include Burberry Brit Rhythm, Dior Homme Parfum, Bulgari Man in Black and Arquisite's Aleksandr, the latter being one of a number of boutique offerings.
