The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Vantablac arrived in 2018 from perfumer Emma Jane Leah, with a composition built around almond, oud, leather, suede, and guaiac wood. Its central idea is visible in the materials themselves: sweetness placed against dark woods, softness cut with grain. The listed notes give the composition a layered structure, with almond and suede introducing a gentle register before leather, oud, and guaiac wood add darker depth. Together, they create a fragrance that balances contrasting textures and tones, moving from a soft introduction into a drier, more shadowed composition. The attraction is structural.
The unusual part is the friction between polished and untamed materials. Almond is rounded and generous. The combination of leather, suede, oud, and guaiac wood gives the composition a shifting character, moving between gentle textures and deeper woody notes. Each material contributes a distinct impression, and their contrast gives Vantablac a layered presence rather than a single dominant direction. As the scent develops, the darker notes become more apparent, while the softer facets keep the composition from losing its intimacy.
The evolution
The first impression draws together almond, suede, and leather, establishing the composition's central contrast between gentle sweetness, supple texture, and darker material. As Vantablac wears on, the middle notes give more emphasis to oud and guaiac wood, shaping the scent into a deeper and drier expression. The listed materials overlap rather than separate into distinct stages, so the fragrance can feel rounded in one moment and more shadowed in the next. Its trajectory is defined by that changing balance, with almond, leather, suede, oud, and guaiac wood gradually redefining one another. Vantablac remains composed throughout, revealing different aspects of its woody, leathery character as the scent settles.
Cultural impact
Vantablac offers a contemporary interpretation of leather fragrance through its combination of almond, oud, suede, leather, and guaiac wood. The materials share a focus on contrast, allowing familiar notes such as almond and leather to occupy a more expressive composition. Rather than presenting leather in a single, conventional register, the scent lets sweetness, grain, and darker woody character coexist. This makes Vantablac appealing to explore as a study in material contrasts: each listed note contributes a distinct dimension, and their changing interaction gives the composition a character that can be revisited as it wears.
The House
Michael Paul FragrancesMichael Paul Fragrances presents the work of Michael Paul, a magician turned perfumer and founder of Day Three Fragrances. His compositions move through contrasting olfactory territories, from the honeyed softness of Rose + Honey to the polished woods of Jet Black Mahogany and the restrained floral naming of Ktoret 144 Bloom. The catalog spans eau de parfum releases introduced between 2018 and 2024, alongside perfumes shaped by perfumers including Clément Gavarry, Elodie Durande, Frank Voelkl, Hamid Merati-Kashani, Ilias Ermenidis, Roger Howell, and Wessel-Jan Kos. The name Day Three carries personal meaning, tied to Michael Paul's faith and family inspiration, giving the house a distinct origin outside conventional fashion-fragrance storytelling.
The Creator
Emma Jane LeahLeah brings both natural and synthetic materials into her work, drawing on her dual qualification. Her background in commercial industrial perfumery gives her formulas structural integrity, while her natural perfumery training grounds her in traditional craftsmanship.
