Tuscan Leather Type

I came across the formula for Tuscan Leather shared by @perfume.archaeology, and I wanted to give it a try. The challenge? I was missing several key materials from the original like Lilial, Cis-3-Hexenol, Ambrettolide, Guaiacol, Isoamyl Acetate, Splendione (Methyl Jasmonate), and Lilyflore. So, I built it the best I could with the materials I had on hand. My first attempt came out a bit flat. The musks were too dominant and diluted the character of Tuscan Leather. So I pivoted: I decided to create my own version, guided by the original formula but tailored to my palette. I began with the Raspberry-Leather Accord from the original formula, swapping Damascenone for Beta-Damascone.

I added Birch Tar EO (Rectified) as a 1:1 substitute for Guaiacol, along with Olibanum EO (Oman) and Jasmine Absolute (India). After some trial and error, I settled on levels that gave me a dark, leathery, smoky-fruity accord with a faint white floral backbone. This became the absolute minimal core structure for my version of Tuscan Leather.

From here, I added Norlimbanol (instead of Amberketal), Vanillin, Labdanum Abs, Muscenone, and Cedarwood EO (Virginia). At first, I overdosed the Labdanum (2.5/1000), which overwhelmed the top, so I pulled it out temporarily. The scent became more complex, slightly powdery, and had a sharp, dirty-animalic edge I liked.

I began experimenting with Thyme ct. Thymol EO (France), which introduced a dry, phenolic herbal note reminiscent of the original. Combined with Safranal and raspberry elements, it added a distinctive edge. I reintroduced Labdanum Abs, but at a much lower concentration to maintain balance. Then, I added Ethyl Maltol to sweeten the raspberry-leather interplay and improve diffusion, along with Ambrinol S for its rich, ambery-animalic dryness.

To open up the scent, I added a touch of Ambrox Super, Hedione, and Iso E Super. These helped with lift and diffusion. I also included Florol and Mayol for a light, gray-white floral texture I pick up in Tuscan Leather.

By this point, I had the opposite problem: It was too strong! So I brought back some musks from the original: Galaxolide, Ethylene Brassylate, and added Exaltolide, based on a GC/MS breakdown someone had shared on Reddit. These added a smooth, white musky base and helped round everything out.