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NeisseHissisp – :
The Helmut Lang perfumes inhabit a special position in the early 2000’s – all of them were executed with utmost care, novelty and originality – quite possibly the last time a designers perfume was ‘done right’. Using all the image placing mechanism available, yet offering highly unique and at the same time, fully functional fragrances that were easy to appreciate and brilliantly composed at once.
The original Cuiron indeed was a particularly significant fragrance, very much a product of its time, suggesting the idea of abstraction of leathery perfumes from the 70’s and 80’s with a good dose of modern syntheticness.
Lang knew his former local anchor points impressively well, releasing a leather related scent, would from a Viennese perspective, of course, be linked to Knize. Certainly, Cuiron is not a grand leather perfume a la Knize, by no means, but more a play with the idea of the leather as a specific en-vogue-note, which led the Knize tailors with their Adolf Loos 1910 designed shop at the Graben, to produce a leather driven scent in the 1920s. Cuiron’s brown glass bottle being both, a subtle update to HL’s transparent Eau de Cologne version, as much an apparent reference to functionalism of continental apothecary glass jars.
Cuiron offers something conceptually between the aforementioned leather classics at the one extreme yet much more related to the late 90’s experiments of overtly technical appearances in perfumes – being remarkably in line with Comme’s Odeur’s 53 / 71 at the other extreme.
P.S. The reissue is close to the original as well, pricing, however, is unnecessarily high. I well remember the times before this got reissued and the related lamentation if there was anything close … in my opinion there wasn’t – but when recently receiving a bottle of Sisley’s Eau d’Ikar, surprisingly Cuiron came to mind. Likely due to the perceptual filtering of citric notes through the mastic that is featured in Eau d’Ikar instead of the olibanum and bergamot combination that makes Cuiron so lovely.
iimeda – :
Dry subtle leather, very gentlemanly. This is not one of those fruity, sweet and loud leather scents its a leathery and classy understatement. The same applies to the newer version too as its as pleasant as this one with just a little less power. If you want to get noticed before you enter a room, look elsewhere but if you want to get remembered, then this classy gem might be something for you.
kingvvs – :
Wow, aqua’s review below me is pretty much exactly what I was going to say! (That never happens to me haha). Fresh peppery citrus opening, just a touch of sweetness. Very soon the sweetish citrus floats away and the most lovely, true suede appears and stays all the way through. It keeps its bright, fresh peppery cool top vibe; that’s at the top of every whiff, and the note that lingers in your sinuses is the leather. The vintage EDC pictured is at least as strong as most EDTs and is the one I have. Have sampled the newer one and really enjoyed it, too, but have yet to do a SBS comparison.
Sacha914 – :
Older version,
Cuiron by Helmut Lang is in the top 5 suede. Rather a clean/fresh vib not a stuffy/dirty aroma. I’m fortunate to have the version shown and not the new stock.
Longevity and Silage is moderate lasting about 6hrs.
Overall,
This juice has a sweet/floral top note. After it settles you enjoy a spicy/suede blend. This frag is excellent during the fall/winter months..best during the evening. A very rich/complex fragrance. 9/10..if you find the version shown…don’t wait, you’ll enjoy it and you’ve tried before…the new version isn’t the same. 8/10
KapJLacoH – :
It’s a shame the reformulation is a bit of a let down. I purchased 2 – 100ml vintage testers a couple years back and it really is a must for leather frag aficionados. I’ve used about 1/2 of one of the testers, but the other is around 92-93% full. If interested, e-mail me for pics.
cadenza – :
was my signature scent for the two years it was alive and kicking..leather, leather, everywhere!
Synthetic but fascinating, so glad it will be on the shelves again!
dimon.net55 – :
Cuiron is now available for purchase at the official Helmut Lang website. As are the other two perfumes!
122687 – :
This stuff is Incredible – dunno how they let the Helmut Lang brand in perfumes die
3335299 – :
*** UPDATE ***
There’s a new issue of this available! Amazing. I never thought it would happen, but it has. I have not yet tried it, but early reports generally say it is pretty true to the original formulation, just a bit shorter on longevity. But for any Cuiron fan, this is a time to be jumping for joy — Cuiron is back!
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Understated and so dignified. It comes across to me as rather dry. Not a soft supple leather at all. But it’s not harsh either, despite there being a slight synthetic quality present. I could see wearing this with a tuxedo or business suit, while equipped with the finest leather accompaniments.
It has a very clean and subtle leather/suede/tobacco accord accompanied by some citrus undertones. There is some complexity here, but it is hidden if you’re not paying attention to it.
Unfortunately, this fragrance has been long discontinued and has a kind of cult following. Whatever remaining inventory becomes available on the marketplace is immediately pounced on with feverish bidding. Expect to pay around $4 per ml on average. For those prices, I’m steering clear of Cuiron. Why cultivate an appreciation for something that is destined for extinction in the very near future? For me, this fragrance is not compelling enough to develop such an expensive dependency. I’d rather spend this kind of money buying other high quality fragrances within closer reach.
mumsfildittee – :
Avant garde!
among comme des Garcons and escentric molecules.
Here a new vision of leather theme much contemporary,
with dry peppery and a subtle harsh tobacco.
another collector item
pure innovation
10/10
Smoortagori – :
I agree with alfarom; this is stark and a bit “chemical”-ish, in somes the opposite of the “80s power” scents. It smells nice and lasts a long time with at least reasonable projection (“sillage”). There is a simple but effective dynamism and it doesn’t smell too “synthetic” to me. I imagine this is a good fragrance for others to smell on you, but I don’t find it complex enough, and that’s not a “deal breaker” for me unless there isn’t really good dynamism. Here, the dynamism that exists just can’t make up for the lack of complexity. I can see why this is popular, but it doesn’t provide what I’m seeking in a fragrance. By comparison, Popy Moreni is also rather simple, but the coffee/vanilla/brem accord has great dynamism and lasts for hours (it’s got richness and depth, unlike Cuiron). You may not like the smell of it, and so I’m not trying to say you should buy it and avoid this one (as if you could find it anyway), but I’m trying to convey my reasons for not liking Cuiron all that much. That’s why I chose a very different kind of fragrance to compare with it.
UPDATE: Try Heir by Hilton is you want a very inexpensive scent with a similar idea (the leathery part is lighter though). However, with Heir you have to wait for the nasty opening to dissipate. Then there is Amsler’s Prive for Men, which is sort of a light version of Cuiron, though not being a fan of these, I am probably less particular than “hard core” Cuiron fans.
dedan – :
I found Cuiron to be particularly compelling if you’re into minimalistic / stark type of fragrances. The leather note is anything but lived-in / luxurious / animalic / challenging / smoky or whatever adjective may be appliable to certain types of leathers a-la Knize Ten / Cuir De Russie. It’s a subtle, clean suede note with unripe fruity/citrusy indertones that shares much more similarities with a brand new black leather couch with chromium-plated details than with a lived-in armchair in front of the fireplace. Extremely modern and chemical (which in this case is as good as it is for many compositions by CDG). A dry to the bone structure that perfectly reflects the style of this house. Discreet luxury opposed to ostentation. Hidden details, square cuts, no logos/monograms. Often classified as a woody chypre but, personally, I don’t get much wood out of it. A must have.
Rating: 9/10
ohp501speagoessenda – :
Of all the scents I wear this is the standout in my wife’s view. I also love it, and it is something I wear to work or out for the night in Manhattan without hesitation. More versatile than most I own.
Higgibs, my wife may disagree with you and she is an accomplished chemist AND nose! This is also supposedly one of George Clooney’s favorites, if that matters to anyone. I did notice him trying it on in Intolerable Cruelty so maybe there is some truth to the rumor.
MNurik – :
hm,, right now, i have it on my wrist, and i must admit,,it s quite nice, but for me nothing extraordinary at this moment…hm,,,it reminds me of tommy bahama for men a little,,,maybe i need to spend more time with this one, but right now it doesn t wowed me as much as i would expected..but i like it anyway!!
pyata – :
This is perhaps one of my favorite leather fragrances out there. It is a citrus and spicy leather, clean and dry the entire time. It resembles Timbuktu and Comme des Garcons 2 Man in its woody dryness. In fact, I’d say, if you remove the smoky candle note from 2Man, or the soft powdery note from Timbuktu, and replace it with leather, you have Cuiron. The leather note is there from the beginning but gets more prominent as it dries down, much like the way luggage gets heavier the longer you carry it, until you must switch to the other hand, and Ah! isn’t that better!
It opens with a strong citrus note that lasts for quite some time during which spicy and woody notes gradually make their appearance. The spiciness only gradually disappears too, leaving the wearer of this fragrance with a sweet but dry woody and leather finish, like drinking excellent champagne from a leather flute from the cedar balcony of a chalet on a pleasant southwestern summer night. As odd as that sounds, it works, it is wonderful, and I highly recommend it. It is very disappointing that this fragrance has been discontinued. Although the Helmut Lang design house has produced only a few fragrances, I have found all of them to possess high quality construction and worth tracking down.
Алексей68 – :
I bought this for my husband once and when we were at the theatre I kept catching this wonderful gentle woody smell that was clean and powdery but low, gentle and warm – really delicious and inviting and I discovered it was from him!
I must admit that I would steal some fairly often and then it was gone.
Can’t find it anywhere now and I would definitely buy it for myself this time!