The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Falcon Leather began with a question: what are the two sides of leather? Not one leather, but two, the sleek polished surface and the worn suede interior that develops over time. Aurélien Guichard explored this duality in the original composition, pushing deeper into leather's darker character. The composition was enriched with Oud Assafi from Bangladesh, one of the finest and rarest ouds in the world, adding depth and complexity to the original structure. As an Extrait, it carries a higher perfume concentration and dosage than the original formulation, making it more intense, more persistent, more deliberate. This isn't a fragrance for casual wear. This is a statement made in scent.
The standout material here is Finnish birch tar, the ingredient that makes leather smell like leather, not like a leather accord. It's dense, smoky, almost tar-like. The composition reveals layers as it settles, with benzoin and labdanum doing the quiet work, softening, warming, settling everything into something that feels less like a fragrance and more like a second skin.
The evolution
The opening is all saffron, a sharp, metallic crackle that makes an immediate impression. This is not a gentle hello. Then the birch tar arrives and everything changes. The air thickens. What was bright becomes dense. The leather reveals itself in two directions: the sleek polished surface and the soft worn interior. By the heart phase, the tar-like quality has taken over entirely. This is where the fragrance lives for the next several hours, dark, smoky, uncompromising. The resinous base takes over as the hours pass, with benzoin and labdanum wrapping the leather in warmth until it's no longer sharp but intimate. Almost quiet. The leather has settled into your skin chemistry, it no longer smells like something you sprayed. It smells like you.
Cultural impact
Falcon Leather Extrait represents a more deliberate approach to fragrance, appealing to those who have moved beyond conventional choices and seek compositions that demand attention. It speaks to those who appreciate the nuances of leather and want a scent that rewards patience and close attention. This is a leather for people who've worn enough to know the difference.
The House
Matiere PremiereMatiere Premiere is a French niche fragrance house founded in 2019 by seventh-generation master perfumer Aurélien Guichard. Based in Grasse, the historic heartland of French perfumery, the brand takes its name from the French phrase for raw material, signaling a philosophy built around the purity and provenance of individual ingredients. Matiere Premiere stands apart as the only fragrance house whose founder cultivates his own botanical ingredients, growing Rose Centifolia, Tuberose, and Lavandin on his land in the Grasse region under organic farming conditions. The house has grown from its initial six-fragrance collection to 19 perfumes, spanning core eau de parfum lines and the more concentrated Extrait de Parfum collection introduced in 2024. Distribution has expanded to over 50 countries through approximately 400 retail partners including Harrods, Liberty, and Saks Fifth Avenue. In 2024, Kering Beauté acquired a minority stake in the company, though the founders, including Guichard, Cedric Meiffret, and Caius von Knorring, retain majority ownership. Each Matiere Premiere fragrance centers on a single exceptional natural material, expressed at high concentration to reveal its true character and create a distinctive sillage.
The Creator
Aurélien GuichardAurélien's style could be described as refined and elegant, with a focus on natural ingredients. He often uses roses, a nod to his family's history, but he isn't limited by tradition.
