Cuir Béluga Guerlain for women and men

Such an elegant & intoxicated perfume, I couldn't help to sniffed it time to time as its projection is not good, vanilla in it is so good, it is not too sweet, I enjoy it every minute!

An exquisite composition. A pyramid of all of my favorite notes. While I am not particularly fond of aldehydes, they are not exactly detected here. At least, not to my nose. This is a comfort scent. A soft and supple leather, warmed by vanilla and heliotrope. Immortelle (Everlasting Flower) adds a subtle honey-hay element that never overwhelms this work of art. While leather is an obvious focus, I find that Cuir Beluga is ultimately a patchouli fragrance. It's warm, powdery, sweet and seductive in ways. If you're into layering, Cuir Beluga is a perfect match with Tonka Imperiale (Sadly discontinued). I find this very easy to reach for next to Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Angelique Noir. The entire L'Art et la Matière line embodies comfort and luxury. I must have more of these. Truthfully, I should have acquired this 2 formulas ago.

100ml $395

I got my first whiff of this months ago at the Guerlain counter, and was immediately captivated — but distracted by other popular choices (Angelique Noire, Spiritueuse Double Vanille, etc... all wonderful as well). I kept coming back to sample Cuir Béluga, and couldn't quite place the notes... it just smelled light and elegant and rich and vanillic and mysterious.

Finally I got the miniature set from Guerlain with eight of the l'Art et la Matière fragrances. I can't stop wearing this one. Then I find out Olivier Polge is the nose behind it... it all makes sense.

This is cool girl... and UNIQUE. Sexy, unisex but on the slight femme side (thanks to the soft vanilla and heliotrope). I didn't think I'd adore heliotrope so much!? I fear I need a full size.

Side note: I have had friends say this smells like Eau Duelle — I have a bottle of the EdP, and though I see the venn diagram, these are totally different fragrances!

Sensual is what comes to mind whenever I wear this and catch whiffs throughout the day. It’s rare for a powdery fragrance to also be sexy, but I cannot stop smelling myself whenever I wear this. Isn’t it beautiful when you can actually smell what you’re wearing, and distinguish the notes?… fragrances like this make the spend and the hunt so worth it.

I do not get much leather/suede on my skin, but I do get a stunning vanilla creaminess that’s lightened up by the tangerine and aldehydes. The tangerine is such a playful twist that hangs in for a few hours before mellowing out to just add another layer of sweetness. Another reviewer described this as a “sweet cloud” and I 100% agree. No house does vanilla like Guerlain! Their vanilla always smell so pure- not too sugary or gourmand, or like vanilla extract with all the added alcohol. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of smelling pure vanilla, then you know exactly what I’m describing.

It's okay. I had samples of this and Angelique Noire though, and that one is much nicer! I feel like the leather could be more pronounced and I don't like the aldehydes. That said, as far as aldehydes go, these are at least tolerable. They usually make me physically sick but these are just mildly offputting.

I liked the tangerine to be honest, it's really interesting and unique, adding a freshness that offsets nicely against the richer base notes.

I think it could have been perfect without the aldehydes! With them, it adds a dated, chemically fusty aspect though.

This is the best perfume I have ever smelled in my entire life. You cannot judge it based on a paper tester. You have to wear this on your skin. It is the most magical, gorgeous, fragrant, breathtaking, intoxicating, sexy scent. This is my absolute favorite fragrance of all time!

Yes! Love this! Cuir Beluga is like Shalimar Millesime Tonka but the tonka is replaced with a soft, sweet vanilla (honestly a little *too* sweet for me at times), and a touch of heliotrope instead of SMT's bitter almond for that hint of almond without the overdose and bitterness I find in SMT, which is why this works for me when SMT absolutely does not.

Cuir Beluga is a gorgeous, smooth, and somewhat restrained (I smell the Chanel influence here) sueded leather, no doubt, but it's just so amazingly blended with the other listed notes that it's difficult to describe it properly as the notes are difficult to parse. Don't expect a big hit of patchouli because it's buried in there. Tangerine? Wait, there's tangerine here?? Okay, so *that* and the aldehydes are the reason for the immediate brightness and slight tang just before quickly diving down that note pyramid toward those deeper, richer notes. So yeah, for those of you who might be putting off trying CB because of specific notes, give it a try anyway: none of the notes are distinct screamers, and the dry down is so very good, especially if you were dying for Guerlain tonkas to work for you but they never did (I own a couple myself and they still don't always play nicely on me, either). Also, like others have mentioned, I didn't feel that the top notes smacked me in the face upon first spritz as I thought they would, although I bet it's the aldehydes that keep it from becoming too heavy at first as it moves down the pyramid. For my nose, the slight sparkle quickly moved to a lovely mix of those middle and base notes, absolutely blended to perfection.

Only caveat is that, again, this one is quite sweet. This is no dry, boozy vanilla fragrance, even if the dry down eventually almost gets there. Still a bit syrupy at the end. To my surprise, I don't mind it, though?

Those who mention it being cuddly and closely-worn are spot-on as well, but there's a slight cleanness here that isn't generally present in the typical Guerlain leather. This is no skanky, smokey, dirty, or spiced leather. It's quite elegant, really. I'm not surprised that the current nose of Chanel is behind this one: it's like the offspring of the two houses, combining their characteristic DNA into something unique but paying homage to both at the same time. Elegant but warm; sophisticated but wearable; elevated but human. "Baby Polge" learned a few tricks from his dad, apparently, because Cuir Beluga truly does look back toward those greats during Jacques Polge's reign at Chanel, but he also learned quite a bit from the house of Guerlain during this exercise, too. That leather-vanilla dry down, while perhaps a bit cleaner, is still distinctly Guerlain.

Side note: I own the tall rectangular bottle after testing both it and a branded spray sample from the newer style bottle. As always, the tall rectangular bottle has better juice than the current bottle. It's darker, richer, and much much stronger, although that could be from age, storage, maceration, or whatever and not necessarily from reformulation. With that said, the top notes do come off a little burnt at times. Yet here I am 3 hours later, comparing each on opposite wrists, and yep - the old juice is still going strong while the newer is a faint whisper of a skin scent.

The soft and the sweetest cloud! These are all my favorite notes mixed together in the most beautiful way. Here you have a tender powdery vanilla that transforms into slightly balsamic suede. It’s not very radiant, but it’s still very much noticeable. Goes straight to my wishlist!!!

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Watch out for fakes. There’s tons of these fakes popping up on Mecari and elsewhere.

Smells like old money. The top notes give way to the base almost immediately, and you’re surrounded by a cloud of heliotrope-vanilla on a bed of suede. But a very light suede. Not that strong at all, almost a skin scent on me, though it does persist about 6 hours.

This scent is a guy with family money tooling around in a vintage Mercedes on a fall weekend outing at his family’s “cottage” in Maine. Or a young urban professional woman who lives in a loft with nothing but an Eames chair and a nice piece of art. She wears the Row and believes in a very minimalist capsule wardrobe.

Although I like this I’ve come to accept that I like a more potent fragrance most of the time, and especially at this price point. It surprises me because I think of Guerlain as being bold and unmistakable, at least that’s how they used to be.

First impression after just getting it in and wearing it a day: I grew up in a house that loved old stuff. We passed down and held onto everything. And there was one perfume bottle that was a bit golden and had a bow looking top, and I’d go into my mom’s room and smell that bottle of perfume that was very, very old. Even put it on myself sometimes, and I always wondered why in the world anyone would wear perfume if it smelled like this. And this is EXACTLY what that smelled like on my skin (not from the bottle - the bottle I enjoyed the scent a lot). I love powdery perfume - I enjoy a good suede note. Sweet perfumes are great, and I LOVE vanilla. But this… was absolutely nauseating for me. On me, this is incredibly mature, and I normally am a very old-fashioned kind of person who loves perfumes many deem as “too mature”. I wanted to love this DESPERATELY. I find with most Guerlain fragrances, my first impression is rarely how I feel long term. I didn’t enjoy Neroli Outrenoir at first try (you can see my review over on that fragrance’s page), and now I adore it. I may be updating in a couple weeks saying I take it all back. But for now, I’m going to be done typing this review because it puts my wrists close to my face and I want to be done smelling this fragrance.

This is magic in a bottle! I took one sniff and fell HARD in love 😍😍 feels like the most elegant, decadent, smoothest suede jacket brushing up on my skin and enveloping me in the coziest feeling ever. Truly a masterpiece! ❤️

I blind bought Cuir Beluga in January. How I wished that it would smell horrible in order to justify returning it back to the store....

But I can't. Dammit I just can't!!!

When I sprayed this on my body, I was transported to the most magical place. It was LOVE AT FIRST SNIFF, without a doubt. On my skin, CB opens with the most beautiful almond note dusted in powdered sugar and dancing in a cloud of soft, airy vanilla.

There may be suede note, but it's not present on my skin (thankfully). I have the sweetest dreams when wearing it to bed. I never want to be without this masterpiece!!!

It's sophisticated, and definitely crafted by a master perfumer. Once it dries, it's this wonderful vanilla and suede scent. The suede is spot on and replicated so tastefully and perfectly. I am envisioning this is what the hair of wealthy, trust fund millennial and Gen Z women smell like. It's so soft-but not powdery. I also smell the immortelle and am getting honey and hay, but it's not scratchy or aggressive whatsoever, it's very pleasant. This is probably what a barn in heaven smells like. I'm also getting the sweetness from the heliotrope and the warmth of the amber. It's all blended together so beautifully. It smells like money. I have Velvet Vanilla on the other side of my tester paper and they smell similar, just Cuir Beluga has the strong suede note and Velvet Vanilla has a citrus, fruitiness to it but the vanilla used is very, very similar. This would make a great fragrance for date night or for when you want to pump up the romance.

I'm also interested if anyone is willing to sell a bottle (for a fair price not the ridiculous one)
I got through my sample and Cuir Beluga is definitely gonna be my top 3 fav perfume ever.
Such a classy perfume that smells expensive, buttery, smooth and "confident".
I'm just little bit thrown away how hard is to find Guerlain perfumes from this line.

UPDATE:

Finally I found a bottle for a reasonable price (same one as in the Guerlain boutique) and it's a old design bottle that came with beautiful leather case. 🥰🥰

If anyone is selling a bottle, I would love to buy it

The most beautiful fragrance I’ve ever encountered. Powdery white chocolate, buttery vanilla and the softest, lightest suede gloves. Luxury!
Before I caved and bought a 200ml I tried a few alternatives, and there are a few beautiful sister frags I’m happy to own as well as CB: Cafe Chantant (more cherry), Reve De Cashmere (more leather) and Dans Paris (much lighter/less buttery).

Wonderful smell! Delicious vanilla with subtle fruit notes. Good leather base. Compliment getter for sure. Doesn't smell like a new car. So the leather smell doesn't 'shouts' from the start but slowly appears. In my opinion one of the best of the Guerlain art line.

A very powdery vanilla leather. It oozes quality and luxury and is masterfully blended.
As with all overly luxurious things, it feels a little detached, but it gets better once the powder subsides a bit in the dry down. It has too much of a cosmetics vibe for me to really like it.

Update:
In colder weather that tangerine note really get through it and I can definitely smell it 😍
It’s not dominant but just little bit to fresh things up
CB 10/10 👸🏼

i’m a little disappointed it smelled so nice dryed down on paper but on skin it smells like bath and body works warm vanilla sugar with a more muted vanilla note and more of a rubbery one

Cuir Beluga is a remarkably gentle leather fragrance, challenging preconceptions one might have based on its name alone. Instead of an assertive leather profile, the scent leans into a powdery vanilla essence, subtly underscored by a delicate, soft suede note. The result is a fragrance that exudes beauty and class, carrying an air of luxury.

You don't have to wait for the powdery vanilla with this fragrance. The base notes are dominant from initial application. The aldehydes are subtle and the tangering is fleeting. The mid notes are seemlessly blended into the composition and not discernible on their own.

Cuir Beluga could almost be a Shalimar flanker. It smells most similar to Shalimar Millesime Tonka, not a dupe, but a close sister. Its distinguishing features lie in its smoother, softer, and more refined composition.

Despite its refined character, Cuir Beluga is not a loud fragrance; instead, it lingers persistently. The fragrance projects intimately right from the initial application, creating a discreet but enduring aura that lasts well over 12 hours. This longevity makes it an ideal choice for work environments or any situation where a subtle, long-lasting scent is preferred.

Adding to its allure is a beautiful femininity that emanates a soft, subtle sensuality. Unlike fragrances that demand attention with overt boldness, Cuir Beluga captivates with a more coy and understated allure.

The fluffy vanilla is very cozy, soI would gravitate toward this in cooler weather. Though, it's not so heavy that I wouldn't wear it for a mild summer evening.

Cuir Beluga is a beautiful fragrance I don't imagine I will be purchasing. I have loved wearing the sample I have, but the price point is far more than I am wiling to pay. It is a luxurious smelling fragrance that does deserve a higher price point than your average designer scent. But it's not so much better that I would be willing to pay triple the price. Although, if I come across a well priced tester bottle...

I bought a decant of this and to my surprise, can I just say that this is similar to Celine’s Dans Paris, OMG! I keep on sniffin my arm and only het dans paris. I’m so glad I went to sample a few guerlain’s expensive line first, coz seriously we maybe have something so similar from our wardrobe already. This is just one rank up more potent than dans paris and maybe a bit longer lasting (seriously celine’s perfumes are annoyingly expensive for their performance and sillage)… 😬😅 I find this an all year round scent.

I love it! It smells like old money 💰 and not old lady. It’s lovely and I recommend it

When I first smelt Cuir Beluga I fell instantly in love and bought myself a bottle without doing a proper full day wear test. However Cuir Beluga did not last long in my collection. I wish this fragrance worked on my skin like most lovers of Cuir Beluga but I have to agree with A_Ferrera review. There is something in a Cuir Beluga that on my skin pulls super leathery… almost reminds me of wet leather and it just smells off. Cuir Beluga is a powdery vanilla soft spiced fragrance which resembles the texture of soft cream coloured suede but I can smell full front and center wet leather. It’s perfect for the fall & winter but I don’t recommend blind buying it if you are super sensitive to leather or suede notes. Whenever I visit a Guerlain boutique I always retest Cuir Beluga because I love the powdery spiced vanilla but then I get smacked in face with that leather note and I’m reminded time and time again it’s just not going to work for me… touché touché.

I just tried this for maybe the 7th time over the course of 5-7 years, it is still disappointingly not my cup of me. It doesn't have a subtle leather to find it attractive nor does it have a bold leather to be agressive. It's in the middle where I just don't understand the scent and it is cloying. This is not a safe blind buy even if there are so many people who rave about it. Given the recent price increase in 2022 and the inflation in 2023, please be aware to spend wisely.

This has taken the place, of my beloved Oriental Brulant. There are facets, maybe the powder, leather, I can't tell, but it does remind of OB. So, I know I bought this years ago, I think I had dang near every one from this line. I re-purchased this maybe 6 months ago, and wore it for about a week. It grew more and more on me. I dang near had to tear myself away or the bottle would be gone. I love heliotrope and powder, and not so much leather, and glad I don't get leather too much. I like my leather in a very old worn in jacket, lol. Anyways, I would say if you love heliotrope, powder, vanilla, amber and tangerine, you will love this. So, I will always have a bottle of this as long as they make it. It's a good all year (except stifling heat) fragrance. Wears very close to the skin, but others will smell it when you are in their circle. Do grab yourself a sample though, as the price tag is high. But dang it's so good! Oh, ps and btw; I get no pee or fish smell at all, ever. Thankfully!

This one is definitely my favourite in this Guerlain parfum collection. Suede and powder. Feels mature and extremely feminine. It works magic with body chemistry and projects a sexy aura at the dry down. Not suitable for all and not blind buy safe.

A sweet smooth suede, amber vanilla fragrance! Very nice. The vanilla and amber are all well blended. I like the level of sweetness (from the tangerine) in it to brighten the fragrance. Beautiful 😍

Cuir Beluga. This is the most sophisticated fragrance I own and I officially feel like a grown-up when wearing it. It smells just like the fuzzy soft puffs my mom would use to put on her face powder—the ultimate makeup scent. I get vanilla (of course), heliotrope, and a stealthy waft of undocumented iris. The suede is subtle and seems to my nose more about the smoothness than the literal scent. The blending is divine and so unjarring that Cuir Beluga smells linear in some ways, but from a note that is yet to be created. I have a couple of bottles of Vanilla by Reminiscence which are pretty much a spot-on match, but they are so difficult to find, suggesting them as a dupe isn't really fair as no one else can compare them anymore.

I can appreciate Cuir Beluga and what it's set out to accomplish. Very well blended and composed beautifully. My only issue is there's something in the dry down that somewhat bothers my nose. I think it's the immortelle, it becomes strong and kind of harsh.. and it slightly takes away from the beautiful smoothness of the opening. I don't hate her though; as I can totally understand the direction Mr. Polge was taking here. Since Cuir Beluga is pricey I suggest trying before buying, specifically waiting a few hours after dry down.

I believe I have reviewed this before so I will only add, this is cold in temperature. I agree with another reviewer that it is related to Shalimar, without smoke, which makes sense as to why I like it. But I don’t prefer the coolness. No longer really considering it as a FB buy anymore especially for the price.

What an elegant, layered and intoxicating melange! The vanilla did not overpower, thankfully. Rather it's presence was a subtle softening of the at first sharper aldehydes and tangerine opening.

I've never smelled immortelle, nor heliotrope, but the somewhat floral skin scent on the dry down had me nearly swooning with pleasure.

I selected Cuir Beluga as a sample with a purchase of Mon Guerlain. The scent and price differences are nearly polar opposites. Not at all a bad thing as I would gladly wear Cuir as a private pleasure.

To me this smells like a slimmed down Shalimar in the drydown. I get vanilla and leather, same notes I get from Shalimar, minus the smokiness mostly.
I don't really get aldehydes? I was expecting more, like in Chanel No. 5, but yeah, didn't find that. Also cannot identify tangerine, which I'm not sad about. I do like the smell, but not for the price, even though it seems to be good quality. I prefer Shalimar, since that's more complex on my skin. Still a like, though and I will certainly use up my sample. <3

Cuir Béluga (from russian Белуга, white) is indeed very bland.
It's not a leather, it's lot of suederal and vanilla, very simple, qualitative but without presence or even personality , too light ...after 10min it simply dissappeards to almost zero sillage.
Even if I'm a vanilla lover the price is a joke. I have found a bottle for 80€ but it doesn't even worth the half of that.
The french brand Honoré Payan does amazing vanilla perfumes much more consistent for less than 40€.

Cuir? Not so much.
However, it is a very nice, smooth and luxurious unisex amber.
I detect lots of heliotrope and a bit of very dry vanilla, with lots of musky amber.
I get what they are calling a "suede" note, but it doesn't really remind me of suede, and certainly not of leather. More of a smooth musky note.
All in all, a really nicely-done, very overpriced offering from Guerlain.

THE quintessential Guerlain. My husband doesn’t love it which is why I haven’t bought it yet but I LOVE whenever I actually wear my sample.

Very elegant soft fragrance! Vanillic with some suede notes. It' easy to wear and very likable.

Some fragrances are fleeting or close to the skin, but their fragrance, however brief, is so pleasing that you don’t mind. Regrettably, I don’t find that to be the case, here.

This is definitely classic French perfumery. Its delicate structure of powder and warm base notes are elegant. For me, there’s no hint of leather or suede, for that matter. The warm, powdery softness is quite pretty, though.

I was surprised by what I experienced at the counter versus the score I see here. (And it was Neiman’s, so I know it was legit.) I thought, for certain, I’d smell this and buy it on the spot. The ratio of price to value just isn’t there, for me.

I am glad so many people do get joy from this though! I envy them, because I really wanted to love this.

It is nice, veeeery soft and subtle. I agree i get a bit of play doh vanilla, very faint buttery suede and green immortelle notes. I can barely smell anything though, maybe it is just my sample. Not mindblowing.

Scent- the first 20-30 mins is very harsh and has an excessive amount of that powder note. Pretty feminine opening

Dry down however is gorgeous. It’s like as if silver mountain water by creed had a female version.

Performance- awful. Lasts about 2 hours on my skin with mild projection and after that it’s a skin scent for about the next 8 hours.

Value- 2/10 . For $400 I should expect a beast

Overall- 7.9/10

You know how much I didn't want to fall in love with another expensive musky vanilla amber?? But dammit, this is worth having a type, its a sweet wonder. On my skin it's like buttery soft shearling blanket sprinkled with powdered white chocolate, with just a whiff of patchouli spice. I get floral and fruity notes when I spray on fabric, where it lasts forever btw. And on my hair it smells like marshmallow creme with an ever so slight dry nutty tinge.

Very unisex - based on the notes you think it could be sweeter but it's not. It feels like a very airy leather scent , there is vanilla which makes it smooth and adds to it, but it is not a sweet one, is it more dry. The heliotrope also plays a role, but the overall impression is definitely a dry-leather vanilla that feels light and doesn't have much sweetness. Both genders can pull it off easily

It’s a very good smooth vanilla powdery scent. The powdery almond part probably comes from the heliotrope.

While it is really good and well done, it is overpriced in my opinion. It reminds me a lot of Givenchy Pi, whose opening is a bit synthetic, but its dry down is so smooth and very similar to Cuir Beluga. If anything, Pi smells denser, while being only 15% of the price.

Oooooohhhhhh myyyyyy GOD!!!
The best suede x vanilla fragrance ever, CLASS IN A BOTTLE.

Sampling this now and enjoying it too. Like others have said, it smells like play doh dipped in syrupy vanilla, dusted with faint powder. Initially, I get three major notes: Vanilla, heliotrope and immortelle. The immortelle gently cuts through the sweetness. I don't get much suede or amber but I'll wait for the dry down to see how those notes reveal themselves. My favorite part of CB is that it's not overpowering. It's not a projection monster. It wraps around you and creates a nice cozy, hazy bubble. And even though it's a soft scent, it lasts all day on me. Tip: spray on your clothes. The scent lingers for days!

Drydown: After having worn this for a couple hours, I'm loving it more and more. I get little wafts of mandarin throughout which is lovely. Yes there is musk, amber and a touch of buttery suede in the base but it's not done in a cliched way. There's something in the final stages that makes it mysterious. Maybe it's the "Guerlainard" secret DNA. Whatever it is, it's just another example of why this brand is the master. Final verdict? Beautiful, elegant, warm.

Update:
And I just bought this. My first Guerlain. Stunning fragrance.

I'm currently sampling and enjoying this. My credit card is still recovering from getting SDV last year but as of now this is next on my wish list. I'm a big Guerlain fan, but I never would have picked this up on my own. I got a sniff when I bought SDV in a boutique and it's been in my head ever since. There was a point not that long ago when aldehydes, patchouli, and suede/leather would have sent me running but discovering this was a joy.

This is so soft and well-blended. The opening is almost fluffy. The immortelle was a new note for me but it might be my favorite. Apparently it smells like hay/tobacco/honey. The suede is so light and smooth. Between the suede and immortelle I'm getting luxury equestrian vibes. I am hit or miss with patchouli but here's it's subtle. It is definitely powdery but not overly so. I really love the transparent amber in the drydown. And of course the vanilla is refined and delicate and airy. The only thing that gives me a slight pause is occasionally I'll get a faint whiff of that lemon-y/bergamot-y thing that Shalimar does, so I can see what people are saying with that comparison, but it's not super prominent for me.

Overall I adore it! I'm hoping this will be a daytime counterpart to SDV for me. Right now I'm just testing at home but I do want to wear this out more!

PS - I agree with misswithoutlogic: "Birkin bags, seat of James Bond's car and Queen's gloves." 100%

Buttery vanilla oil spread across a plush suede all dusted off with the warmest heliotrope powder.
Very delightful, love this in the cool/cold weather, very snuggly. Arms' length sillage, not a major projector but wraps wonderfully around the body.
Lasts around 8 hrs on my skin & days on my clothes.

I can't believe no one has mentioned cough syrup. The initial sniff took me back to my childhood when my mom would force me to take Robitussin when I was sick. I know it would probably smell different on my skin, but oh my god, I can't get past this lol.

The most beautiful, softest buttery suede leather

It is very close to the drydown of Shalimar EDP and it does also remind of the the new Shalimar MVP, just not as vanillic. It's very nice, it has the most wearable aspects of Shalimar, without the vintage feel, almost like a modern version. I still prefer Shalimar EDP though, as it is a little bit more rich and full bodied.

When I smell this it makes me think it is THE quintessential Guerlainaide fragrance. Only thing is I could personally do without the slight herbal quality to the fragrance.

Edit: realized this is Olivier Polge’s singular contribution to the Guerlain house. Of course I’d pick the most “Chanel” of the Material line to be my favorite. Even features aldehydes prominently.,.

Mainly vanilla, a very quality one. Smooth, round and subtle, almost milky. Not so sweet. Not a big fan of vanilla but this one is acceptable to me. Powdery at its base.

Upon first blast (spray sample), it is a glorious play doh sitting on top of a chef made vanilla batter cake, but not sugary. Do I get almond, it's heliotrope they say, maybe a bit, as if hiding and peeking on purpose. Oh my gosh, I had this years ago, but my body has so changed since then, that this comforting warm and childlike comfort aroma is so FB worthy now. I love it! It is enveloping my being, and it reminds me of a little girl playing with her doll, all dressed up, Mary Jane's and white bobby socks on, waiting for her mother to call her, as it is time to go to that "dressed up function", for me it would be church.

This, yes, so reminds me of my grandmothers actual smell from a hug, not her fragrance, but her aura. I need this now, in these times of peril. If you like innocent, ethereal, clean warm hugs from above, this is for you. There is nothing sharp or biting, or age, or gender, I do think this is a very comforting scent. So, I actually do not remember having this years ago, but I did, and sent it back. Maybe something is reformed?

I can easily see me switching this up with AN every other day. Wow, please do give this a try! It is a light fragrance, so not sure how it will last throughout the day. On me it smells like this, like I've rolled around in play doh and vanilla cake batter, then found some amber to play with, and the heliotrope was blooming behind me. haha, I get no leather or aldehydes (which I love). Yep, gotta get....Cheers mates! OH, PS, and btw.........This can be either for a man or a woman. It really leans towards your soul.

A beautiful soft buttery suede with a play-doe cakey vanilla. It’s very soft but delicious and so comforting.

I also own Dans Paris, Shalimar Tonka and St DuPont Vanilla & Leather and they all share a resemblance in some way.

Classic Guerlain.

Beautiful scent.

May not wow you immediately, but the wear is one of the most enjoyable, long lasting, buttery smooth suede experiences that exists.

Starts off a touch on the fem/unisex side, but drydown leans masculine as time goes by.

Uniquely beautiful. Love.

Too powdery (not in a good way) for my liking ...

Powdery vanilla with a funky pathchouli leather. Glad i sampled this because it is very much not my style. There's something animalic that makes me think of ambergris in this composition. I am reminded very faintly of Xerjoff Amber Star (the same animalic sweetness is present in that fragrance).

Sample this first because it's not a safe blind purchase.

This is beautiful… just wish it projected better and lasted on my skin.

Everyone has their vanilla perfumes and Cuir Béluga, by far is the best I’ve tried. It is so rich and refined. It has the perfect balance. This is not a sticky, artificial vanilla scent. If you like that road this is not for you. It is not oversweet nor bitter. Seriously this is a gorgeous vanilla. I can see why this one is not for everyone but to me this is the one. I have not tried Guerlain SDV but this one definetely has my heart. Immediately added Cuir Beluga on my wishlist.

Edit: I have had the chance to buy an old bottle. And let me tell you this is still the best vanilla I’ve ever experienced. I have waited that bottle for 8 months and it’s worth it.

I really though this would be a love at first sniff scenario for me, alas, it wasn’t. CB is soft, elegant, a touch powdery, delicate and warm. It is really nice, truly. But I wasn’t wowed. It created a soft pretty skin scent that lasted most of the day. Cozy, sweater weather scent. Maybe it is just too gentle overall for me. I do like a powerhouse with presence after all😅

Definitely sample first.

My nose is getting a very soft powdery vanilla. It's pretty and elegant, maybe a 6 hour skin scent on me, perfect for spring, early fall, elegant summer (but not super sweaty things). The thing is it reminds me too much of Tauerville Vanilla Flash. The powder in TVF is much more bold (maybe aggressive?), so maybe not for everyone, but Cuir Beluga, though perhaps more slightly more complex and refined, made me start missing TVF and the reassuring scent waft.

Update: I found Jimmy Choo Vanilla Love to have a similar powdery vanilla appeal, except it is more affordable and noticeable, though Cuir Beluga is still slightly more complex yet again.

This is a soft buttery vanilla with second skin effect! The longevity is crazy good, it lasts all day long as if you have freshly sprayed. But it is very close to the skin.

I have an almost full bottle to sell, I just prefer SDV more and don’t grab this one enough to keep it.

IG for perfume eyecandy: radia_parfum

This is crazy gorgeous! There is absolutely no play doh here, no vanilla extract either. This is a soft vanilla and very light suede. Vanilla extract smells alcoholic, this does not. I don’t usually like anything leather related for fear of smelling like a handbag but the suede note is so light. This smells edible like some kind of vanilla pastry dipped in powdered sugar. I said light and soft but I keep smelling this from one spray on my wrist as I walk around. Don’t know about longevity yet but I don’t care I love this.

My first impression was "chocolate" over patchouli & amber base. It's very rich and sweet. The suede note is there, but not well pronounced. And I have no idea what Beluga fish is doing in the name. Overall, it is not a "leather" perfume for me.

DinaFrance (perfume reviews on youtube)

A bit too sweet for me. Not my favourite of the line - I prefer SDV and AN.

After the siesta of a long day aboard a spice bazaar train, the carriage tosses you and your well traveled Ghurka Examiner No. 5 bag onto the platform without stopping.

Disheveled, wiping the sleep from your eyes, adjust a sun hat and walk over the sand heaps toward casitas.

Along the way, the sun sets on sweet tangerine groves next to the occasional vanilla castella cake stand.

Indulging in not only the roadside tapas, but also the Txakoli, the dry bubbly white fizzes with tortas vanillas and perfumes your lips.

The leather from the satchel shields searing sunrays from glintzing sweet cheeks.

Gold Prestigium by Mancera has this same suede leather note with white musk, though the opening is a little sweeter with honeyed orange blossom instead of tangerine.

One of the comments below says “play doh dipped in vanilla extract.” That’s pretty much it. It has similarities to hypnotic poison due to the play doh vibe but this is like the grown up, yet softer version. It’s almost nostalgic and even though I’ve never smelled it before receiving a sample- I felt as though I’ve smelled it a million times before. It’s amazing- I can’t wait to get a bottle, eventually.

A really nice ambery leather with vanillic undertones. The only problem is it feels like Guerlain didn't know which direction to take it in creatively. It smells like a bit of every genre that this could be (vanilla, amber, leather etc etc.), because of this it comes across a bit incoherent. However it still smells very nice although the price is definitely too high for what it is.

All I can smell is play-dough dipped in vanilla extract.

On my skin it smells like Obsession by CK after 30 min. Ppl with warm skin, try it and thank me later!

Was playing around with the personalization on Guerlain's website, applying coupon codes hoping to bring down the eye watering price tag, in hopes of one day having some sort of justification for the inevitable splurge. Upon accidently purchasing my custom bottle and realizing there's a no return policy with such items, my fate was sealed, my official love affair with CB is soon to begin and I feel I've already forgiven my itchy fingers. $500 for a perfume is ridiculous but this will be my third from the collection, damn you Guerlain, as for the scent itself, a luxurious aura of amber, suede and vanilla, so delicate and persistent on my skin. Unisex of course. All in all, If you can get past the price, which I have... This is one of the most gorgeous perfumes you can treat yourself to, highly recommend.

I have a sample on my site if you wanted to try this.
Just buy Heliotrope by Reminiscence instead. Dead on dupes!

Cuir Beluga is a luxurious, cosy vanilla-amber-suede scent. Powdery and musky, it is soft, blurry and wears close to the skin. It is one of those scents that is the olfactory equivalent to being wrapped in cashmere. CB makes great use of Guerlain's trademark vanilla note, used to great effect in the legendary Shalimar, not to mention the famed Guerlinade accord. Here, it is a beautiful, muted, realistic vanilla, as befits the House of Guerlain (a welcome reprieve from the inescapable syrupy vanillin that populates every mass-market gourmand). It reminds me most of Maison Margiela Whispers In The Library, a papery, unisex vanilla. However, CB is a superior scent - less flat, and rounded out by expertly-chosen, high-quality ingredients. I have a sample from its initial release, and while vanilla-dominant perfumes are not typically to my taste, CB is one of the best I've tried.

CB is fairly linear scent. It opens with dry, dusty vanilla that is just the right amount of sweet. As it develops, the vanilla note becomes soufflé-like, airy and feather-light thanks to the aldehydes. Heliotrope adds a hazy, almond quality to CB, while a hay-like accord emerges in the background, likely thanks to the immortelle. There is a lovely soft spiciness, lifting the vanilla slightly. Vanilla is king here, but it is enhanced to perfection by the other subtle notes.

As it develops, smooth, buttery suede emerges in the background, complementing the vanilla seamlessly. The vanilla-suede accord is what makes this scent special. Creamy, powdery and hazy, it is beautiful in its simplicity. I get very little patchouli, only hints of earthiness that I would miss if I wasn't looking for it. The amber accord is beautiful - slightly sweet and complementing the vanilla to perfection. It emerges gradually as this scent develops. CB fades to a musky amber-vanilla skin scent eventually. It remains dry and powdery until the end.

Sillage is moderate and longevity is decent, as is often the case with vanilla-heavy scents. In fact, it lingers for so long on my skin that I tired of the vanilla eventually. Feminine-leaning but potentially unisex. Quiet beauty in a bottle, ideal for winter days. For vanilla lovers. 3.5/5.

After reading the review bellow stating that Cuir Beluga smells identical to Karleidoscope Karl Lagerfeld, i got up and looked thru my perfume cabinet trying to locate the bottle of Karleidoscope . I just sprayed a generous spray of it on my arm because i wanted to check out this perfume one more time before commenting (i have only tested this once, 2 years ago when i bought it).
I can say with outmost certainty that Karleidoscope has zero to do with Cuir Beluga. Absolute zero. Cuir beluga, one of my favorites and most complimented ones, is a sparkly, aldehydy suede, whereas KKL is a tea like floral, bordering on eye make up scent.
These two are nothing alike.

Don’t laugh, but I actually blind bought this. I really love it, for the whole two seconds that it lasts!!!! ☹️
I’m so, so disappointed, definitely not worth the price tag.

A powered and smooth vanilla.

On paper this was very soft and a powdery vanilla. The leather and suede makes it soft and creamy.

Upon first skin application, I really wish the suede note lasted longer on my skin. The suede cuts through the sweetness so it's not too much powder and not too much sweetness. This is lovely, however I've already found a leathery vanilla-iris (that's soft, smooth and gives a warm vanilla dry down), which is iris malikhan.

This vanilla does turn play-doh like on me. It reminds me of Dans Paris by Celine

It starts promising then drys down to a weak vanilla fragrance wasn’t impressed by it and I won’t be buying a full bottle it’s a bland one indeed

Testing this, SDV and Tonka Imperiale this week. This is so very lovely. It lasts the way I wish SDV would (thought I haven't given up on SDV). I definitely get the buttery, soft, light beige suede (it's not white in my mind, but it's very light colored), heliotrope, amber, vanilla. It lasts forever - this morning I woke up to a delicious vanilla dry down on my wrist - the suede, heliotrope and amber were gone leaving the delicious warm vanilla. I am torn between this and SDV. This wins for longevity and I don't seem to go so anosmic to it as I do SDV. In my ideal world, I'd own them both. Nostalgic, soothing, soft, rich, beautiful.

Finally got to test this beauty, alongside SDV. Amazing balance of the suede note with the luscious vanilla.

If you love vanilla, definitely a must try. Still on the fence if this is FB worthy. I would describe this as very silky and bold.

This smells delicious. But also clean?
A handsome man would wear this in Edwardian England. He would go to a barber shop with marble and mahogany, and sit down in a suede chair. He'd be clean, fresh, but not too fussy. Sweet and good humored, but not fake. Rich but not showy. A man of quality and substance.

Smooth and warm vanilla perfection. Seems to obviously be a vanilla fragrance over a suede one, to my nose.

This is the most beautiful natural vanilla, very soft and not cloying thanks to the citric wooziness of the opening and the swede note in the mid and base. In my mind it’s like a delicious confection with chantilly, crème patisserie and some tartness without excess sugar. Can’t get enough of this.

Guerlain Cuir Beluga (2005) - vanilla suede - #olivierpolge ‘s precursor to Dior Homme’s old make-up bag smell originated from a commission he did for Guerlain. Starts the perfume with Tangerines, earthy Patchouli and powdery Heliotrope. Then, he transitions to one of the smoothest Suede leather accords mixed with Guerlain’s signature Vanilla and Ambers. The result? An oriental leather that is uniquely Polge, yet Guerlain-esque.

violinplaya is right...I completely agree on this gem: "spicy suede vanilla that feels nostalgic (not dated) and comforting." This perfume is lovely, and usually I don't like strong suede/powder notes, but this one is done right and doesn't make me feel like the suede is suffocating me in front of all the other notes. This is a lovely scent, and perfectly unisex IMO. I used to have Vanille Reminiscence and I don't think this one is completely similar--I remember very much disliking Reminiscence, which felt far too aldehydic if memory serves me correctly. With notes like patchouli and aldehydes, I would have never tried this one on my own (but thank you to another Fragrantican for sharing a sample!)--Guerlain knows how to blend all of these notes into a beautiful, wearable fragrance!!

This reminds me of rich people in the 80’s. I get a spicy suede vanilla that feels nostalgic (not dated) and comforting. I may need a fb unless the performance really is as bad for me as it seems to be for some other reviewers. I really love this.

I second @Ksj's comment below: Beautiful scent. Performance is atrocious.

Beautiful scent. Performance is atrocious.

I was very surprised at how much I love this! Someday I’d love to purchase a full bottle but for now I only have a few treasured samples.
The reason I was so taken back by how much I adore this is because I can’t do leather or heavy suede notes typically. Although I may enjoy the way they smell, they give me a headache in fragrances or even candles. The suede note in this, to me is so buttery and soft and well blended that it doesn’t bother me, I actually crave it now!
I wore this fragrance on Christmas and Christmas Eve and it was so perfect!! It’s a cuddly warm scent that feels so luxurious and has a wonderful balance of spices and softness from Guerlains beautiful, powdery, Vanilla. This to me feels very fall and winter.

Does anyone know where I can buy this *internationally, I’m not US native* 50ml? I can see the 100ml on the guerlain website. But I can’t find 50ml anywhere. ( if there’s even 50 or 30..) Thank you!!🙏🏻

A fluffy soufflé of a vanilla-leather. Powdery fine. At the lighter end of Guerlain's vanilla spectrum and at first encounter you may overlook it.

On my second wearing there was a brief headachy note — aldehydes! — but I discovered I'm more fond of Cuir Béluga than I first thought. It's the classic Guerlain vanilla seamlessly blended with leather, reminding me of the Shalimar base though it leans more in the direction of suede. Projecting quietly up top there's that Guerlain boudoir powderiness but not too much, and a distinct straw note from the immortelle. And finally there's heliotrope, used for its almond-like quality rather than any shrill sweetness. On a different occasion I found the immortelle came through much stronger, almost dominating until the beautifully diffuse vanilla takes over for the dry down.

A superb soft and comforting winter perfume from the house of vanilla

It's a leather scent in the sense that Hermes Bel Ami is a leather scent, not in the sense that, say Tuscan Leather is a leather scent. There's a bit of a suede/leather note in it, but it's more amber and other stuff, mostly vanilla. This is very soft on me - unisex. I like it, but probably not enough to ever buy it. There are too many other frags with much more of a WOW factor for me.

I’m gonna say it…this is one of the best ambers and vanillas of all time. So much so that to me, the cuir is redundant. Could douse myself in this daily.

guerlain's vanilla is in a league of its own: this and similar fragrances elevate the genre of gourmands. a pleasure to wear.

This fragrance has the power of turning a girl to a princess, and a guy to a prince, it's of that caliber. Otherworldly beautiful, and forever a classic, unmatched elegance. Think i know which Guerlain will be my first purchase.

Cuir Beluga has always been and will always be a favourite of mine; not just from Guerlain but as a whole. I recieved a sample in a parcel of the other L'Art et la Matière samples and I didn't need to test it... but I did, and nothing has changed. The only thing keeping me from purchasing it is its huge price tag. I can say that Reminiscence's Vanille reminds me of it... nothing can replace CB, but desperate times and all that.

Cuir Beluga is a creamy, powdery, gorgeous suede-like kind of scent with a healthy helping of heliotrope, and what smells of almonds. The immortelle is in the background but not a main part. Suede is really more a description of texture. Words and note listings can't really come close to describing how glorious this is and it really needs to be sampled to be believed. Elegant, comforting, confidence-boosting, a treasure. Spectacular from start to finish.

Creamy vanilla opening with a hint of suede peeking out from beneath. The suede lends a soft and fizzy, almost cola-like, accord at first before quickly becoming more noticeable, along with hints of the florals: immortelle provides a honey and dry hay accord, while the heliotrope contributes a slight almond accord. Gets sweeter as it dries down but fairly linear. Moderate projection for 2-3hr, longevity 9-11hr.

Cuir Beluga is not at all cuir…. It’s a gorgeous powdery vanilla with immortale flower and a dusting of heliotrope. It’s stunning. Guerlain does vanilla like no one else.

This is a cold weather elegant cozy fragrance for me…. It brings to mind an image of a long ago beautiful Russian princess wearing white furs and suede gloves as she glides over the snowy moonlight landscape in a gilded sleigh. Such a specific image, but it pops to mind every time I wear this.

Cuir Béluga...is an enigma.
To my nose, there’s no leather whatsoever, not even a whisper of it...Though I don’t think it was intended to be a prominent note in this scent, I was expecting a tinge of suede in this but......nothing.
It is beautiful, very well blended and executed as one of the top sellers for this particular line (L’Art et la Matière).
However, on my skin, Cuir Béluga goes from sweet transparent to vanilla powder to amber-y/patchouli whispers and that’s it. It doesn’t stay for very long either. 2 to maybe 3 hours maximum.
Is it luxurious? Yes. Is it beautiful and well blended? Yes. Is it worth the money? Maybe. I eagerly snatched a bottle of this as it is now difficult to find and apparently discontinued but will I repurchase a bottle? No. Not at that over inflated price...

Elegance and luxury in a bottle 🤍

Guerlain Cuir Beluga (2005) - vanilla suede - #olivierpolge ‘s leather is different and some might not find it “cuir” enough. Fruity tangerines, suede covered in earth, powdery violets and ambery Vanilla. Weirdly reminds me of youth and 90s. Round and nuanced.

Though lovely, this has nothing to do with smelling like leather. It's more like the softest, finest suede. It is fairly linear and upon first sniff it smells like the most expensive play-dough. There is a whiff of cherry and almond there, eventually going into gourmand territory with its vanilla base -- powdery with fluffs of heliotrope and the warmth of amber.
This stays close to the skin. Persistently clingy, personal. Not a sillage monster either.
I would find this difficult for a guy to pull off, unless you like doing parody. Or want to strut your stuff -- as a dandy.

A Guerlain, nonetheless. Though the price-point is a tad steep.

The testing continues. Today I’ve sampled Guerlain Cuir Beluga. I love the name. Cuir Beluga. 💖✨

Cuir Beluga has the leathery vanillic base that Shalimar has, and it also has a citrusy opening. The citrus in here has a sort of smoldering, sunset coloured sweetness. Almost like a tropical cocktail based on orange or mandarin. 🍊🍹

After a short while on the skin a savoury, softly dry undercurrent appears and makes me understand the Beluga part of the name. 🐋

The fragrance changes again. A mild floral feeling takes over. It feels almondy, creamy and quite powdery. At first I thought it was iris, but the note list says heliotrope. 🌸

There’s a lot going on in this scent, but the total feeling is still vanilla. A thick, leathery vanilla. A must try for vanilla lovers! 💖✨

Personally I’m a bit tired of vanilla, so even though this is a very well made and interesting take on the note, it’s not for me. 🤷🏼♀️

Cuir Beluga was a blind buy, a gift from my husband for last Christmas. I received it few days prior and opened it right away since December 2020 we had no Xmas tree up (somehow didn't seem right, with all the people dying).
Right away I realized that Cuir Beluga was unlike anything I've smelt before, even though I've spent a lifetime with perfumes.
I wore it once in December, and a couple of times in early January, and regardless of the fact that this perfume had true potential to become my signature (finally, a signature!), something about its longevity bothered me. Sadly, once I decide that perfume doesn't perform the way I expect it to, especially at this price range, I am usually done with it. I either return, sell, gift, or keep it, but all the way in the back of our perfume cabinet. So, back it went.
However.....This is the one perfume I could not stop thinking about. I tried to use Deliria in its place since they both have that sparkly freshness that can rarely be found in perfume, without making it smell harsh or like a hairspray. Deliria satisfied, for about 3 wearings, but let's face it, Deliria is not Cuir Beluga, as a matter of the fact, no perfume smells quite like Cuir Beluga. So finally after 4 months, I couldn't take it anymore, and I just reordered it today.
I have to say that I get almost no leathery vibe from Cuir Beluga, maybe just a tad of suede, but that is perfectly fine with me. I can not wait to put my grabby little fingers on this perfume again! This is absolute love for me!

Vanilla pods and old books, some aldehydes, suede, some resins. Nothing gourmand here. Soft cloud of meditative elegance that stays around you for several hours. The note of heliotrope adds sensuality and powderiness. Very beautiful, I also have Notturno Fiorentino by Bois 1920, they are similar in structure and performance. This not a leather scent, it feels like suede, and millions in the bank...

Nothing to do with leather! (at least not thick, saddle leather in here, why did they call it "Cuir"= leather in French, is a mystery)
This scent is a lovely, gorgeous vanilla, not foody, not bitter like, not old school.
A powdery vanilla with a twist.
The twist being a light spicy base, and a fabulous, stunning, amber drydown.
In the middle, some flowers remind me of a mountain flowery field, I can smell some fresh lavender too.
Very modern, yet very soft and extremely well blended.
Easy to wear, up to date but distinguished from the mainstream.
This is a little masterpiece, now, if only it could last longer and project more. ..

The line "l'art et la matière" just won't disappoint, and this one in particular is a true gem!

Overall scent to me is : 60% Vanilla + 20% Suede + 20% Amber. It is an oriental spicy fragrance, with a heavy dose of vanilla lingering throughout. The vanilla adds warmth and femininity to the fragrance. Reminds me of Diptyque's Duelle, but Cuir Beluga is heavier and has way better sillage. Overall, it's an intoxicating, sophisticated and decadent scent.

Scent: 9.5/10

Beautiful fragrance that’s very easy to love. I was impressed with this one from the very moment I first smelled it. The sales lady recommended it to me after trying a few fragrances from this collection. I took a sample, played with it and decided to get the big bottle. 2 weeks later I’m not feeling it very much. This to me reminds me of Feve delicieuse by Dior just without the spices. I like it but not enough.

This is cold weather heaven. A grown up vanilla, soft, powdery, has a similar vibe to the original Hypnotic Poison-warm, sexy, ever so slightly edgy, untamed- suede's contribution. A fluffy cloud with distinct character, no nonsense, clear point of view. One of my favorite Guerlains for sure. Up there with Oriental Brulant.

this is definitely a leather scent, I disagree with those who say the suede’s not detectable... this is is such a yummy scent though, I don’t think this would count as a powdery fragrance, its texture is more suede-like than it is powdery.. vanilla + suede combination has resulted in a really buttery sweet vanilla dry down with the leather still being the building block of the fragrance... I would describe this fragrance as caramel + vanilla pumped latte, except there is leather instead of the coffee...

Feels plush and warming. sweet, yet the suede accord does a nice job to balance out the vanilla and never let this get cloying

Noble and dignified, it projects the air of an aging widow... she has a vested interested in antiques and is very tasteful overall. She likes to entertain, she is quiet but in her own way, also loud.
Cuir Beluga starts with shy tangerines and radiant immortelle for me, sitting on a carefully balanced base of vanilla and suede. The whole composition reminds me of a very crafty whisky. Every note is so light and so hard to discern, yet it is all there.
Beautiful, sensual, mature.
Elegant, alcoholic-thin, ethereal and grounded.
Oh man, what a scent.

"Bitter Sweet" by George, Gina & Lucy smells very similar. I think you'll like it if you're like me, which means that you dream in Cuir Beluga.

Delightfully soft suede. Light airy fragrance. Not so heavy on the aldehydes thankfully. Drydown powdery heliotrope. -

The comparisons to PlayDoh are spot on because that's all I got from this one. While I enjoy the scent, it's just not something I want to smell like. But as always with Guerlain and the fragrances from this line, the quality is undeniable.

So funny to read Playdoh reviews because that's EXACTLY what I was about to write!
On me, this smells just like musky Playdoh.

I tested it in a store, found it fleeting but pleasant. Got a decant, fell in love. Got a bottle and... couldn't smell it. That was 10 months ago. Now that it's had time to mature and the weather has gotten cold again, CB is glowing on my skin. This fragrance will not fill a room. It is for close hugs and intimate kisses.

Is it subtle? Yes, but richly so. This could be layered with other fragrances to add a smooth, slightly sweet vanilla/leather accord, or worn on its own for an elegant veil of scent. But give it time. This fragrance will not reach its full potential on the first spray out of a fresh bottle. Patience leads to decadence.

It smells like someone dumped a bottle of vanilla extract onto the carpet of a shoe store but not in a bad way. It also prompted me to think about the second half of Glee's first season and for the life of me, I couldn't tell you why.

Is it leather?! Is it vanilla? YES And in the most elegant way possible. The leather is there but so tasteful. The vanilla is delicious. I love this perfume. The house of Guerlain has another Masterpiece.

Bought it yesterday, wore it before going to bed....
Guess who still smelled beautiful in the morning 😍
Guess who got kissed and hugged and... 🥰

Seems like this fragrance is enhanced when skin is warm... by a duvet so I suppose summer heat will also do the trick 😉

Try it too and let us know 😜

I love this scent, and have spent way way too much on two 10 ml decants but even if I had the cash I wouldn't go for the full bottle. It's a lovely vanilla, and very nuanced. I get a feel of suede and love the brief blast of orange, but brief is the word that sums it up for me. It's an extremely beautiful perfume, but it's gone far too fast for such an expensive fragrance. I will spray my little decants like a maniac but that's it for me. Guerlain did a lovely job with this one, as usual. I just want a little more bang for my bucks.

Inside a bakery, waiting for my order of Playdoh to come out of the oven. Love it.

Why do I love this one so much? I hate leather notes and immortelle.
But this scent has me mesmerized. After my 2mil sample I was hunting
down a full bottle . Oh what a beautiful and unique scent. I absolutely adore it

This is such a beautiful, classy, luxurious floral-suede scent.

I fell in love and became entrapped by Cuir Beluga ever since 2012. I was relatively new to the hobby of perfume collection/sniffing etc... and was only starting to discover historic houses and reading more into the history of perfumery and the art itself. So I decided to travel into the city to visit the Guerlain counter and see what all the different offerings from this house are all about.

I ended up smelling everything they had on offer but ended up leaving with L'heure De Nuit in the clear bee bottle. I was obsessed with florals and vintage-styled scents at the time and thought it was a great idea to invest in a modern take of the legendary L'heure bleue. Along with my purchase the kind Guerlain sales woman also gave me a few samples for me to try and one of the sample vials was "Cuir Beluga".

Over the subsequent days, weeks, and years I would occasionally take my Cuir Beluga sample vial and dab on a drop or two, as sparingly as I can to make my vial last as long as possible, whenever I want to be transported into a lap of luxury. The scent makes me envision myself as some lucky young rich socialite in the Titanic era much like Rose herself. Just lounging in the boudoir which had been custom built into the Titanic. The boudoir is adorned by the most beautiful paintings, an expensive suede sofa, and i'm just lounging around in my fluffy fur coat with a piece of vanilla cake and some heliotrope infused tea blend, getting ready to put on my best gown for the grand ball later that night.

It is a delicious and luxury invoking fragrance, I would say its a vanilla-suede scent with a buttery gourmand-like quality to it while also possessing a delicate floral and powdery boudoir charm/quality.

It doesn't smell dated but instead smells universally timeless, my reference to the Titanic has more to do with the unmistakable quality, craftsmanship, and old-school high quality charm of that era, when things weren't as commonly mass produced but rather more bespoke/tailored for YOU. You can tell Guerlain did use the best quality ingredients in this one, the vanilla-immortal flower and heliotrope combo in particular smells most divine and unique !
There are no chemicals or any harsh alcoholic smell that I could detect (even straight after spraying), everything is smooth, delicate, fluffy and velvety just like the name suggests "Cuir beluga". It took me 8 years to finally pull the plunge and purchase a full bottle of the scent and it was a huge splurge but It's so worth it!

Lasts decently long on the skin and extremely-long ,for weeks, on clothing even after washing I can still catch a decent whiff (not just a faint whiff!) of it on my jackets and sweaters. Quality all the way through.

Silage is soft-moderate.
Cuir Beluga is always present but never overpowering, she makes her presence know simply by just being "there" , she doesn't speak much and never speaks unless shes being spoken to first. However when she does speak the whole room watches her in admiration and gives her the utmost respect. She is someone of status and power but she is also soft spoken & kind and never abuses her position of power, she is fair, reasonable and gracious to all. You always know she's there when shes there, she never goes out of her way to demand for attention or respect, but instead the way in which she carries herself and the way in which she treats other people just automatically makes you want to respect her! Quiet confidence! Delicate yet resilient and unbreakable !

This is definitely one of my favourite perfume of all time!
I guess the only down side is the price per ml ... definitely not a perfume you would want to be apply liberally every day or your wallet won't be happy!

This is how i want smell forever!

What’s the definition of Cuir? Does it have to be always “hard” “dominant” or skanky?

I dont get the leather I’m used to in (TF/Aqua di Parma/Armani) but is the name in this one misleading? Vanilla is nice here but again what is the definition of that again?

Slightly powdery/vanille and that retro touch of leather makes this one of my favorites all time. It ain’t always about beeing noticed or so.

Cuir beluga will not leave that trace behind but you will be noticed by someone, not a crowd, but someone will notice you. And that someone has taste!!

Fragrance : 11/10!!!!!!!
Sillage: 7
Projection : 6

This has taken me two years to fall in love with it. At first I hated it, but I kept trying, and then last night-MAGIC!

I finally "get" it. Mellow, soft delicious vanilla mixed with soft suede, slightly powdery heliotrope and barely-there patchouli that peeks out every once in awhile.

This baby LASTS! I am not wearing perfume today because it's still so strong on my arms and on my shirt from last night. Fine with me!

It projects within a few feet and lingers for over 24hours.

Elegant, refined and sensual.

If you are looking for something very similar to CB but more extroverted and noticeable, I’d recommend to try Byredo’s Slow Dance. I find these two close siblings.

Cuir Beluga is a masterpiece. Its smell, predominantly vanilla and heliotrope, is unforgettable. But most notable is its texture, and for me, that’s the quality that elevates this fragrance into the stratosphere.

In my mind, Cuir Beluga epitomizes delicacy. I love encountering a scent that so perfectly embodies an abstract concept. It’s as though the perfumer has conjured from the ether a concrete, olfactory form of the intangible. (Other examples: La Pausa = fragility; Onda = brokenness; Hiris = serenity; Obsession = lust. Now, back to Cuir Beluga, our regularly scheduled program.) What comes to mind when you think “delicate”? Soft, elegant, artfully constructed, handled with precision and care—“kid gloves”? Cuir Beluga feels like all of those. And the “kid gloves”?—they’re made of the most buttery suede. Not the smell of suede, mind you—the texture.

Cuir Beluga feels like the wispiest of clouds around the wearer. But one that doesn’t diffuse into invisibility. It’s incredibly persistent and detectable. Think of Cuir Beluga as being spun from the finest spider’s silk. Soft and delicate, yes—but near impossible to remove from flesh.

I’ll finish the same way I began: Cuir Beluga is a masterpiece.

I still have an older bottle and all I can say is: high quality play doh.
I actually love it and I don’t know if I’ll replace my bottle if the current version is different.

*this is my opinion, on my skin and to my nose.

I’ve been on the search for ‘the’ vanilla perfume, and Cuir Beluga came up a few times in my research as a complex vanilla-based scent, so I knew I had to sample it.

Finally tried it tonight; I was shocked with how powdery the opening was. In all honesty, I was a little put off by it. It reminded me of something I’ve possibly smelled on one of my great-grandmothers.. very “mature”. The vanilla was there but it was really hidden behind that opening. Thankfully after about an hour, the powder started to mellow and I could understand that ‘suede’ feel to it. Very buttery and soft, but still not exactly my cup of tea. Perhaps it’s the immortelle and the aldehydes reminding me of another “vintage” perfume. And the vanilla never seems to do more than play a complementary note (as opposed to come out centre stage).

I asked my sister what she thought of it, and she wasn’t a fan either. Wouldn’t even smell it a second time to confirm.

Overall, glad I could sample this because I know this isn’t what I was looking for. It has a comforting, warm feel to it, and it gets way better in the dry down, but still, pas pour moi.

On first spray enter a bed of feathers, softer than what I imagined soft could be. I feel like I'm dealing with the very opposite of synthetic here. Vanilla is obvious, heliotrope. My nose picks up leather (suede) and a breaching mixture of flowers I cannot separate from one another. This scent is not for me, but I would adore if my woman would be wearing it. Cannot find much to criticize here. It's soft but mighty.

Perfection. That's really all I got.

The leather in this is so buttery and soft, it just melts with the vanilla and the Immortelle flower. Very faint medicinal "Band-Aid" note in the opening but it's doesn't strike me negatively. I suppose the best way to describe it is the note makes me think, but I don't react to it.

Soft vanilla with whispers of a nutty cherry and suede. I feel like this is the bridge between Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Tonka Imperiale. Elegant and cozy.

8.5/10

EDIT: This deserves the same rating as the two aforementioned. UNREAL stuff.

9/10

After I've been testing Cuir Beluga again and again, but wasn't sure about putting the large bottle on my wishlist (purely for econimical reasons), I was lucky to find the 20 ml travel size of this beauty in the Guerlain boutique when I was on holidays in Prague. Of course I bought one.
When I wear Cuir Beluga, I feel like I'm in a fluffy, comforting cloud of the finest vanilla. If a marshmallow could be made of suede, it would smell like this. It's powdery and sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. The heliotrope note adds a cherry-like scent, especially in the opening, that makes it feel a little more juicy. Maybe the tangerine note helps with this, even though I don't really get anything citrussy here. I love how the suede note is done in this, it's clearly detectable, but so light and feminine, like the olfactory equivalent of a jacket or top made of soft white suede. An item so delicate that I would never buy it for myself - but now I can at least wear it as a perfume.
The soft leathery scent comes really through in the drydown and mends beautifully with the Guerlain vanilla. It's a little reminiscent of how some of my mother's things like scarves smelled when I was a child in the 90s, with days-old remains of her then-signature Shalimar on them. Not the exact same smell, just a similar enough to conjure a memory. Anyways, the drydown is velvety, deep and beautiful and doesn't just fade away. This is not a loud scent, but it lasts.
If you love cozy gourmands and sweet vanilla and want something sophisticated, this is a must-try. I'm in love.

I've sampled and tested this one several times and always come to the same conclusion: it's lovely, people like it on me, but it's so faint it disappears within 30 minutes. Why spend so much for something that won't last and doesn't stand out as anything more than a very pleasant, warm vanilla skin scent?

If you want something elegant you can wear every day to the office and people around you will enjoy and not be offended, this is a worthy fragrance. If, like me, you need more art and drama, then give it a miss.

Update 7 months later (winter): Oh dear, I may need a full bottle of this. Testing it again and finding the soft cherry note in the opening is more appealing than the brazen cherry of La Petite Robe Noire. It passes quickly and goes straight to vanilla/suede that feels so elegant and gentle that I wonder why I passed on this one so many times before.

Update with a full bottle: if you're concerned that you can't smell it at all on your skin, spray it where it will touch your clothes. I wear it under my shirt (chest) and long sleeves and I can smell it all day!

I thought I was one of the rare types; I’ve never had a signature scent and like a love never found, I thought I wasn’t destined for one. Recently, I’ve been collecting Guerlain parfum’s and vintage parfum’s. I decided Cuir Beluga would be an interesting addition to my collection of florals and citrus scents because come on, kid leather? I guess the allure and curiosity of a vanilla and leather experience got the best of me. Once I smelled this product though, I was transported to a very cozy, intimate, and heart opening moment. Could it be, love at first sight? This is what perfume is suppose to do to me? This isn’t just some perfume, this may be the one, the one I can wear everyday and appreciate, to rely on, hold close, and never get bored of. I can wake up and go to bed with this scent on, and do everything in between. This could be the one true love I can go anywhere with...and this love was found when I wasn’t looking! It’s a very delicate one - not in a contrived princess way, but in an authentic vulnerable way - it is an intimate perfume, a blind purchase I don’t regret making.

This is a gorgeous but super light scent. It reminds me of something I've smelled before. I'm thinking along the lines of Emeraude from the 1970's. Not sure if this is worth the $$$ because it's so close to the skin and faint to my nose. Pretty though.

Why, WHY do I keep visiting the Guerlain counter?? Now I can kiss goodbye to another few hundred dollars. It didn't grab me initially, but it grew and grew on me. Those types always tend to be keepers for me. Like it says in the description, there are no sharp, animalistic notes, typical for leather fragrances. Is that why so many have said there is no leather in here? It's a wonderful, delicate, kid glove kind of leather. And the amazing Guerlain vanilla, I definitely have a hopeless addiction to that note already. But the combination of the two, oh wow... so smooooth! At first I thought "grandma" each time I smelt it. But that quickly changed to a feeling of "timeless classic". There's nothing challenging about this fragrance, which I would often prefer. Even the leather, which I usually don't go for, is subtle, refined, beautifully done. It's just so easy to like. Oh dear, CB, can you tell I have a crush on you?

Personally, I would wear this in hot weather as happily as in cold. Hot weather makes a fragrance bloom so deliciously.

A beautiful, delicious and elegant fragrance.

Fell in love with it immediately. A sweet (but not overly so) delicious and very realistic natural smelling vanilla with a soft suede leather and a small touch of flowers. Lasts on me at least 12 hours. This fragrance makes my mouth water. I usually have my hair glued to under my nose like a moustache when I wear this perfume (so much for looking elegant) but it's just so gorgeous and comforting I can't help myself. Always gives me a warm hug feeling, very cosy.

I think of the golden hues of crispy fallen leaves on a sunny but chilly autumn day, hearing the crunch of them as you walk down a quiet pretty London street with your hands in your pockets, a cashmere jumper on, a fluffy scarf around your neck and hiding underneath that, a string of pearls.

Was looking for a realistic vanilla fragrance for years, if you're into vanilla, this 100% worth it.

Gourmand Suede Snow

I feel like I am wearing the perfume equivalent of snow when I wear this. It is just delicate and lovely.

No leather found here, just a grounding hint of soft suede, surrounded by honeyed flowers, and LOTS AND LOTS of vanilla. The snowy effect is, admittedly, because I can also smell a play-doh note--yet somehow it translates into a whirl of soft, sweet, sugared snow, not a squishy industrial product.

It's like seeing the sun thorough a cloudy grey winter sky.

So this sounds kind of basic, but I must admit: This is Guerlain Vanilla, and they get a lot of personality into a seemingly simple and sweet composition. I know lots of people have problem with the performance of CB, but I get 12+ hours out of it, and I can smell my lovely snowy sweet vanilla all day just fine.

I think Mr Polge did a very good job.
In my taste this is a creamy, soft and velvety spicy, leathery vanilla fragrance. I am quite surprised that the vanilla amber combination produces this "powdery" illusion.
I happen to like Shalimar and I love Bois D´armenie, so the Guerlanesque olfactory embroidery seems to win me over. I have worn this a couple of times and I seem to fall deeper in love.

Powdery and cozy,smells very "makeup"ish on me. However what's whith that weak silage,it's stays so close to the skin. Disappointing for such a price tag.

Another in the "yummy" category of scents, gourmands. Very vanilla. It's like vanilla was spilled on a ladies' glove. A very nice scent but... very weak. It doesn't last and it doesn't project - and for the money they're asking, it should.

Warm, calm, happy and sunny.

Cuir Beluga triggers some very specific childhood memories: my grandpa picking me up in his car on a sunny September Friday afternoon, he had just bought a loaf of fresh baked white bread and the car is filled with this comforting smell, the sun is shining through the windscreen, it's warm and cozy...
Usually I have issues with vanilla in perfumes, but the solar (immortelle), warm (suede) and subtle sweet (vanilla) aspect in Cuir Beluga make simply stunning mirror-effect of gourmand/sunny/suede-ish car interior from my childhood memory.
Complex, yet fairly linear. Moderate sillage first couple of hours, later skinscent. Excellent longevity (around 12 hours).
Unique, comforting and simply unforgettable.

A super classy scent from Guerlain, but the projection is so weak that nobody can smell it.. Pity!

Wearing Cuir Beluga is like floating on a cloud of warm, sugary air in the land of majestic unicorns.

Buttery soft, suede hand gloves with freshly whipped vanilla meringue, caramelized brown sugar, and warm play-doh. Do unicorns enjoy freshly baked French sweets? They sure do.

An enticing, wonderfully inviting scent that dries down to a warm and luxurious amber.

Reminds me very much of Anne Klein 2. Lovely.

This is wonderful, I'm in love with Cuir Beluga.

I reviewed this back in February, when it disappeared far too quickly and I was unconvinced. Sampling it again, and instead of editing my initial review I must do a new one: as I suspected, this performs so much better in warmer weather.

In cold weather I had a hard time picking up on anything but the vanilla. Today is different: amber and leather are with the vanilla in the opening, creating a slightly powdery effect. A little citrus with heliotrope in the middle, and it stays that way to the end. It's opulent and luxurious.

Not a big projector but I don't want to gas out people in warm weather so it's perfect to wear in Spring and early Summer. This is the vanilla-amber-leather bomb I've been searching for, and I realize I've had it for months.

If you have tried this out in the Winter months and had trouble with longevity, give it another try when the temperature rises. It works for me.

5/10

Fascinating royal scent .. Good job Guerlain ❤️:)

Great Vanilla fragrance, it makes me feel very warm and cozy upon application, while not complex it is a very high quality blend, longevity is a killer on this one think Dior Homme Intense, I can smell it after weeks on my clothes!

I assumed I'd love this so much that I bought a decant without smelling it first.

I had to check the reviews to see if I was the only one who felt like this, and thankfully I'm not, but all I get is a strong Play-Doh smell. It actually annoys me because of that. It's not just in the beginning either but all throughout.

Edit-August 2018
I gave this one another try. It smells SO much better in warmer weather! Instead of just play-doh, I get all the other notes, and it seems smoother and richer.

By just looking at the notes, I seriously doubt I'd be interested in this one. Not a fan for heliotrope, amber, powdery and god knows I detest mandarin, but this is just intoxicated. I have no idea what captures me, I guess it must be what love is like. ;)

I also love how the amber here doesn't leave a nasty aftertaste on me as what usually happened with other perfume with amber as the base. Soft, creamy, smooth almond-ish (could you believe I don't like almond either) vanilla and soft suede, elegant and sophisticated, perhaps a little too soft for my taste, but this is simply too beautiful to miss. Stands besides Cuir Beluga, TF white suede suddenly seems shallow and pretentious.

The only downside is after a couple of hours it turns into a skin scent.

updates:
not sure what makes the differences, I found out some days it does smell like the other reviewers has mentioned: gets eaten up by the skin and pretty underwhelming (baby powder-ish / play-doh-ish), I'm guessing it's probably because the cold weather when my body temperature is lower, unlike the other days when the scent is pretty while fully developed.

I'm not sure how I feel about this perfume...yet. The vanilla dominant opening lasts for about 15 minutes then it turns to a skin scent, an opulent skin scent, but still, given the price tag I'm disappointed.

The only other notes I pick up are citrus and amber, but it's light. This is not a young woman's scent: it's sophisticated and understated.

For many reviewers here, this for cold weather. But i want to try this in the summer. My guess is that when my skin heats up the beauty of this perfume might break through. In a wet cold climate, my skin just eats this up.

I'm hoping this works for me in a few months. Will post an update.

Would it be sacrilege to say that this reminds me of a cooler version of Calvin Klein Obsession? It is very complex and I can enjoy it on a cerebral level but I don't actually enjoy wearing it on a day to day basis. Perhaps a little too much vanilla for me. I would recommend it to anyone who loves vanilla and actually would be good for either gender.

One of my favourite Guerlains. It's a powdery amber-vanilla, with a slight chocolate feel to it. Do not expect strong suede from this one, this is more of a gourmand vanilla-white chocolate than anything else. Not too sweet and such a pleasure to wear, especially during wintertime. Not overpowering and polite, but lasts all day.

Femminile,accattivante,elegante e magnetica pelle scamosciata avvolta da una vaniglia che rasenta la perfezione.
Il sillage non esagerato e' la chiave per l'eleganza in questa creazione amalgamata al millilitro.
Tutte le note che adoro in un flacone solo.

Insieme a tonka imperiale il top della linea.
Hanno entrambi una dolcezza calibrata,ariosa e versatile che ne consente l'utilizzo anche in momenti della giornata dove si ha che fare con i pasti.

Senza mai stomacare.


C'è poco da aggiungere...questo va provato!

Creamy vanilla and suede leather. One of the most elegant and high class fragrances I have tried. Perfect for a subtle evening at a nice restaurant or bar.

Ahh, Cuir Beluga - you and Iris Ganache are beyond my wildest feelings of love. Both of you are top line 'nu' Guerlain which is why it pains me that I can't afford either of you (ebay Iris Ganache and cry with me)

One of the creamiest, most delicious suede/leather scents I've ever smelt. I'm not reminded of the animalic tendencies of either material, but more the creamy and sensual ones. The vanilla and amber really lend some assistance to the heaviness.

The aldeydes at the start I, sadly, do not detect. As an aldehyde lover, I would've loved a bit of that. However, the citrus is definitely there.

Immortelle I also don't detect and having smelt a lot of it yesterday in Eau Noire, I'm definitely hunting it down everywhere. Alas, for me, no...

10.5/10

Wow. My limited experience with Guerlain scents is that they generally are fairly long lasting and have good projection. For some reason, Cuir Beluga goes on almost as a skin scent and lasts about an hour. I smell vanilla and a hint of floral and that is it. It is so soft, that it is very difficult to smell much else.

Just came back to add that this opens with a nod to Play Doh, and it seems I have a kindred spirit! Which came first; Play Doh or the perfume?

Creamy and vanillic just delightful. Analogy: creamy vanillic white leather couch. Rich and enticing. In one word stunning delicate velvety and soft. Enjoy the mandarine ambery opening and imagine yourself on a new white letter couch after just having lit up a vanillic candle..the smoke evaporates from the candle and lingers in the air whilst you can smell the scent from the new leather couch in the back ground. Those two scents blend wonderfully together in one unique and utterly refined way. This is truely a vanilla scent where the Guerlainade dna immediately comes to mind and this is where the scent is truely at its best! Do not miss out on this wonderful masterpiece!

White leather.
When i experience Cuir Beluga, I get a soft, powdery vanilla reminiscent of L'huere blue but lighter in feel. A feather-downy experience. The smooth leather surfaces naked without tge animal musk suporting it as it usually does, and it winks back to the leathery nuance of vintage shalimars of old.
Its well blended as it should be for the price point. I do agree it strikes a balance between LHB and Shalimar but with angel wings. It doesnt impress you with major tricks but haunts you like a comforting whisper.

It's a sweet soft clean leather. It starts sweet with vanilla and orange and then settles to sweet soft soapy leather. Settles to an artificial type of leather material (not the ingredient material but the type of leather it refers too) and not the expensive new bag type of leather or car leather.

I can't deny that it is a pleasant type of leather but leather does differs, as there is rough leather, there is soft and rich leather like "cuir velours" by Naomi Goodsir, and many more so this type of leather that cuir beluga presents is the type that overly used leather replica bag.

It's quite an interesting take, not one of a kind as I have sniffed it somewhere.

The problem with this fragrance is it vanished within minutes. Although some fragrances must be like that (should be soft and vanishes quickly) but this one should've been like this as this kind of leather fragrance should be powerful in order to show it's strength, it's true colors. So with that silage and longevity, it doesn't worth it's price at all.

Besides vanilla & a touch of grey amber, this parfume has a clear and noticeable scent of iris : this can be verified at the parfume organ at Guerlain's rue St Honore boutique in Paris.

I was able to finally sample this one. It's just not for me. The first thing I smelled was Johnson's Baby Powder. That's it. It never developed. Everyone in my family agrees, I smell like baby powder. I put it on over 4 hours ago, and it is still going strong, unfortunately. Oh well; you win some, you lose some.

Soft vanilla with a hint of leather. Then the whole (nothing) scent disappears within minutes. By far the worst offering from this nose and this house that I've encountered.

Nice fragrance very soft vanilla cloud with just a hint of leather. Agreed with some below that it's too soft to be memorable. I just sprayd all over and can't smell a thing unless nose on wrist and even then super faint. What is there is lovely though.

I have 100+ niche samples for swap within Europe - updated spreadsheet of samples on my profile, get in touch!

A soft amber vanilla with only vague nods towards soft buttery leather to my nose. Not what I was expecting - warm, sweet and pleasant but personally I don't want pleasant when it comes to leather. This feels like a walk through the rather sanitised leather bag section at Smith & Caughey's to me (very nice dept store in NZ). Stylish but very new bag/car seat to my nose. Sorry to the lovers out there, maybe I'm just not getting the hype. I like a leather note to be more intense.

Vanilla perfection period.
I can't smell any leather here, maybe just a suede. If you like vanilla, please try it, this is the most well balanced vanilla i've ever tried. Worth every penny.
Should change name for Divine Vanilla.

After seeing that Guerlain's L 'Art et la Matière collection included another vanilla-dominant fragrance (in addition to Spiritueuse Double Vanille), I had to try Cuir Beluga, and on the whole, it did not disappoint.

I'm not sure I have much to add beyond concurring with the consensus---CB is, to me, a vanilla-dominant fragrance with elements of powder, leather, and perhaps even the amber note that is listed. Comparing it to SDV, CB is more limited on projection and longevity, less the burst and chorus of vanilla (that SDV is) and more so a symphony of mixed instruments, the most dominant of which is the vanilla. As others have noted, CB is safer and more work-friendly than SDV for the reason that the vanilla projects somewhat less, but CB is still a strong composition with respect to the performance expectations of a high-end EDP.

Comparisons of CB to Tonka Imperiale have less merit, given the absence of the vanilla overlap that CB has with SDV.

Overall, Cuir Beluga is a fantastic unisex vanilla-dominant fragrance that should be tried by both vanilla-lovers and lovers of SDV alike. Given that I already have SDV and TI, I'm not sure I'd opt for a bottle unless I got a special deal, but even though I love both SDV and TI, I'd still encourage others to perhaps try CB as they may like it more, especially given the cost of the items in this collection by Guerlain.

9 out of 10

I wanted to try out Cuir Beluga after getting a bottle of Reminiscence Vanille and falling in love with that. I'm surprised how very similar they are, enough so that I don't need to hunt down CB at all. I'll be very happy with my bottle of RV.
I think I just heard my wallet smile.

I received a large decant of this and at first spray was an instant 'I need this reaction'. But now I am not so sure.......it is beautiful, soft, sweet and tenacious but it almost feels too safe, too perfect and it's almost at though I'm waiting for more, for something else to come through. I don't get any leather at all, rather it's a just a faint suggestion of suede. I'm just going to sit on this, try it for a bit longer and see if I do in fact 'need' this as badly as I first thought. It's also nagging me that this reminds me of something that I can't quite put my finger on, it may be HP EDP?

On me, in the cold autumn and winter days, Cuir Beluga smells like a rich and fabulous vanilla ice cream! Amazingly beautiful. I love it!

I got a sample of this yesterday from a wonderful friend who knows I love vanilla. This reminds me of a wonderful aunt who wore the original Monteil Royal Secret. It has that same 'bite' to it. It's certainly different and smells expensive. I wouldn't buy it..it's too 'obvious'..

I received a generous sample of this scent from the Guerlain boutique in Toronto when I bought a bottle of Samsra extrait and one of Bois D'armenie. Wow! it is amazing. Smells like play doh in a really good way. It is so classy and versatile and I can see myself wearing this in virtually any scenario. Well blended and smooooooth. Creamy floral suede with absolutely no sharp corners. Unique too. You will smell like no one else. Everyone who I have exposed it to remarks on its appeal. Thumbs way up. I will be adding this one to my collection without a doubt.
On a side note I have to say how generous this boutique was for samples. I left with about 25 mL of sample fragrance, all high end exclusive scents. They will be getting my business for sure!!

I've been sitting on this decant for years. Why hadn't I tried it before? Perhaps fear of liking it and "needing" a bottle because it ain't cheap! Now that I gave it a shot, I find it very lovely, intoxicating for some time, but not as many fireworks as I'd fully expected from a perfume of this price point and also from a Guerlain containing suede--one of my very favorite notes in all of perfumery.

The phases were distinct. Top notes smelled like a really nice Play-Doey, powdery amber. It was ok, but my L'Artisan Eau de l'Ambre Extreme does the same thing for less than half the price. The heart of the perfume is what spoke to me. It was a nice, lengthy phase of a subtle suede accord married with an absolutely gorgeous vanilla and just a wee bit of powder. I can't quite put my finger on what makes the vanilla so exceptional; I want to say that it's a milkiness I have never smelled before--and Heaven knows I've smelled probably too many vanilla perfumes in my lifetime.

So at first I was thinking, "Ya! Totally! I'd spend $260 for this. Mmmm--yaaaa!" It was getting good, and I was expecting this crescendo, but what I got was a diminuendo. The drydown fell flat. A little linear. A little boring [frown of disappointment]. It no longer smelled like a $260 perfume, but became a woody vanilla that I have smelled many times before. The exceptional vanilla was replaced by a common woody vanilla. Still smells great, but not $260 great. If Cuir Beluga were $125 less, it would make more sense to me. I will just enjoy every drop of my large decant.

This is OG Givenchy PI in the 90's with more leather. Nice but when it settles becomes more of a vanilla amber. Eh there are other great frags in this category but definitely worth a try if you like vanilla and subtle leather.

the nose behind this perfume is Sylvaine Delacourte and it is the perfume she usually wears...

Really excited to find another powdery beauty from Guerlain that I love.

Cuir Beluga is something you'd expect from Guerlain - kind of like it is the essence of the house's fragrances in a bottle! Powdery, elegant, smooth, soft, a semi-modern scent with a nod to more 'classic' perfumes. Here, we're looking at a very zen, comforting, pastel, neutral, non-sweet vanilla with depth, instead of something like Parfum Initial, French Kiss or Gourmand Coquin where it's sugary-pink-frilly-all-the-things. I wouldn't classify Cuir Beluga as a gourmand - it is inedible! (Although in my mind I do call it my "antiqued rice pudding" perfume.)

Even after the initial application, this clings moderately close to the skin, and doesn't project too far. Understated, but noticeable. Predominantly made up of a more smooth, cozy vanilla, POWDER, and resting on a base of heliotrope (which amplifies as the perfume progresses. This scent is turning me into a heliotrope lover.) - I don't get an actual leather note, but instead just the texture of suede. Really smooth and fuzzy, powdery in an almost dusty way, and a hint of warmth to round it all out.

If you love most Guerlain fragrances - you will love Cuir Beluga, I think this is probably the safest scent out of their exclusive line, in terms of being inoffensive, or a safe blind buy. It is definitely a new favorite of mine!

This is a luxurious scent, soft and supple. It opens with a sweet and rich vanilla cream supported by a smooth and refined leather accord. The sweetness diminishes after the first hour and becomes a dry inedible vanilla graced with a drop of amber. The leather is still there and it is superb. The sillage and lasting power are outstanding.

I got no mandarin or citrus of any kind from this. I mostly got the creamy, sort of powdery vanilla, with a flowery note, and amber, and a very very faint note of suede. But that's it. I would not buy an entire bottle of this, no. For me it's not worth it. It's nice, yes, but it does not in any way invoke the "Ohh, I'd really like a bottle of this!"-feeling in me.

I think to appreciate this patisserie in a bottle, one has to disassociate from the title. A cuir it is not, although the clever thing they've done with vanilla and immortelle does create a suede-like effect. The pleasant astringency goes in about half an hour, leaving a skin-melting vanilla which reminds me of choux pastry. it IS the ultimate luxury, but not in the sense the name suggests; it's all bourgeois pleasure, not aristocratic chic. The staying power is phenomenal - it smelled amazing on a scarf of mine for over a week, and a tiny wrist spray survived two (!) showers. Bottle worthy, in my opinion.

Quiet perfection.

From beginning to end, this fragrance speaks of luxury. Like white suede chamois gloves or the soft white leather interior of a luxury car, it doesn't get any better than this.

Initially I get a very delicate, sparkling mandarin orange balanced by aldehydes. The soft, vanilla-heliotrope background is joined by the dry, honey-like texture of immortelle flower. Followed by Amber and more vanilla in the dry down.

This is a minimalist composition of only 15 ingredients, this is very different for a Guerlain fragrance (most of which are very rich and complex). I think that whilst this is minimalist, it speaks of quality all the way through.

A beautifully balanced, quiet, sweet and soft fragrance which really lets people know you have taste. In a class of its own, really.

I must be the only person on the fragrance planet who does not think of Guerlain as the perfume nirvana, however Cuir Beluga is a whole new different ball game for me.
Utterly beautiful, ambery, powdery, vanilla, sweet, heavenly scent. This perfume is the scent of angels, of that I'm convinced. I get a faint, almost not there at all, leathery accord and I would say that the aroma that this perfume produces around me, is actually more glorious than the smell on my skin.
I love this perfume because it's easy on the olfactories. One doesn't have to work hard at liking it, (like a lot of Guerlain scents), it's all there from the start. There's nothing pretentious or complicated about this fume, it is just ravishingly stunning.
Silage, longevity, fabulosity, everything = 10/10

This opens with a gorgeous creamy vanilla coupled with a leather suede note. Within this are hints of the citrus mandarin note and I must say this is lovely.

As time passes a amber note gives the vanilla that extra full body sweetness but never overwhelms. Also within this beautiful composition floral notes can be detected. Giving the fragrance a extra layer of complexity.

To sum up a exquisite enigmatic amber vanilla fragrance that has hidden facets of leather and florals just waiting to be explored.

For me honestly I feel at least for now this is the safest bet from this line. Theres nothing offensive about this at all. Its just a nice pleasent smell. But for what this costs.... Although it doesnt smell the same, it gives me the same vibe as YSL la nuit de l'homme. It makes me think of being out doors and nice smelling creamy gardenish vibe. But I got tired while wearing this, after the intial blast it was basically the same thing throughout for me. Its a little powdery, its a litle sweet. But man... almost $300 dollars? Again for me personally I dont think I would even pay for a decant of it. Nice smell dont get me wrong, but theres way to many other less expensive scents that would do the same thing for me personally. For what its worth longevity and projection off hand are less than the more talked about SDV, and tonka imperiale from the line as well that ive noticed.


Because theres no novelty factor, and the smell is just nice and not great. I think this is not worth it for the average joe. This for me is deffintly more for a collector or the more well off.

I just love love love it. its a modern masterpiece. It is like being in heaven floating on soft billowy clouds of not too sweet vanilla dusted with gentle powdery heliotrope supported with soft white/dove grey suede leather. i did not think i would like the leather but it is so gentle and powdery more like suede. This has been blended to created a very high end fragrance and has become my signature frag. i understand the likeness to Reminiscence Vanille (which i also own and enjoy) but this is far superior and worth paying the much bigger price tag for. it is a treat in autumn and winter; with excellent longevity and good sillage. I wore it on holiday and got into a hot tub and one man made an involuntary exclamation saying 'wow what is that incredible smell'- sums it up for me

ashandasphodel was spot on in their review saying that Cuir Beluga was the perfect balance between Shalimar and L'Heure Bleu! That is a great reference point to what this smells like!

I immediately get a warm, powdery vanilla/amber at the top that feels like a comforting hug. The powderiness fades a little and heliotrope is at the center. My skin really amps heliotrope to a salty play-doh smell, but it's balanced enough here to not be too annoying. This lasted all day and the very last notes were a mild, sweet, warm patchouli that was lovely.

Overall this was a warm, deep, sweet, recognisably Guerlain scent. I don't desire a fb because of my heliotrope issue, but I do think most Guerlain lovers would find this beautiful.

Love it!
Just wish it had more "Leather" in it,
It was hard for me to notice the leather even though the name saids "Cuir Beluga", how exotic is the name?

Guerlain lover here.......LOVE this one! This one is a great one! I live in warmer climate in Southwest Florida. Wonder if I should invest in this one. I'm an oriental lover anyway so what do I care? I know this one is great in cooler weather ....any opinions??

i finally got my hands on a sample of this, after smelling it at a retailer several months ago. this may be the first guerlain i've tried on my skin in my adult life. it immediately reminds me of some of my mother's perfume that i would try on in the 80s, but just in it's style/type, not an exact match or anything.

it's all suede, amber and vanilla with a subtle hint of florals. it's definitely not a fresh black leather at all. i love the sillage on this-not too light, not too strong, it just envelops you like a warm scarf.

Have just tried it yesterday at the airport in transit, could not decide immediately to buy the full bottle (EUR 185 for 75ml), but I loved it tough, very cozy, powdery vanilla, moderate sillage, but excellent longevity, could feel it on my skin even after 12 hours.

I don't like Shalimar because it's too much vanilla, and I don't like L'heure Bleu because it's too much heliotrope. Cuir Beluga strikes the perfect balance between the two. The vanilla is like simmering a fresh pod in heavy cream and the heliotrope is like catching the scent of a nearby garden on the breeze. The leather is light and sophisticated rather than animalic. The citrus is gone almost immediately. It's a cozy cashmere scent, in the same vein as Bois des Iles (another favorite) though the amber is less pronounced here than in the Chanel.

I absolutely LOVE this fragrance! It is smooth and rich and very "thick" smelling. By that I mean it smells of the highest quality oils and vanilla extracts. It is a cold weather frag, and since I live in Canada, this feels like a warm sweater and lasts for hours. My 5ml decant from Posh Peasant is almost gone so I'm saving up for a full bottle, which I believe is very worth the cost. Absolutely beautiful! Thanks to Guerlain, once again.

I love this pretty scent, but it is the quietest of skin scents on me. I'd have to douse myself in it to be able to smell it, which is a disappointment. Of course, my experience with the L'Art et la Matiere line is that spraying really is the best course, while my Cuir Beluga sample is a dab on. So, I'll give it another go and order a sample size that can be spritzed.

Integrating the exclusive collection "L'art et la Matière" (art and material) by Guerlain, this fragrance comes to interpret the brightness and the touch of the white leather on the skin.
For those who don't know, "Cuir" means leather and "Beluga" comes from the Russian byeluga, which means white.

The fragrance of Cuir Beluga is composed by top notes of mandarin and aldehydes (chemical and synthetic compounds which serve to give strength and shine to perfumes). In the heart, notes of patchouli and Immortelle, or as we call it around here, in Brazil, sempre-vivas (everlasting flower). Finally, at the base, notes of vanilla, amber, heliotrope (some call it vanilla-flower, because of its scent) and white suede.

But where is the leather?
So, the point is: a lot of people forget that suede is a type of leather without the proper treatment, usually extracted from the underside of the skin of sheep, goats, among others. By being more flexible and having opened pores, tends to absorb more liquid. And was this silky and delicate touch that served as the inspiration for this fragrance.

The result is a creamy perfume, in which the mandarin orange is almost imperceptible, being noted, just for an ephemeral moment, when it touches on the skin. Almost immediately, the nuances of vanilla scream, because of the tone that was extracted from the immortelle, which may present a more caramelized aspect as well as a spicy one. Add the creaminess of vanilla pod itself and even more, the scent of heliotrope. We have, then, many nuances of the same genre dancing, in the shape of a smell on the skin.
The tone of patchouli used is not earthy, but bitter. Now take all this and wrap with a cozy touch of white suede and amber.

Can you imagine the creaminess, almost liqueur, in this creation?

I thought the projection a little bit shy, but the lasting of this fragrance is excellent. And in the cold weather, Cuir Beluga is perfect!

I have this scent and its unparalleled, cant nobody tell me nothing!

This masterpiece is a creation of true art. To be appreciated. In the scent it is attractive elegant scent. It sillage is modest and true brilliance in this creation.
A beloved scent that was created with compassion and love.
It is a fine fragrance. It has nothing loud about it. A smooth welcoming of pure soft seduction.

Alchemist1976 your review was spot on. I agree that this has a wonderful vintage feel and where Shalimar for me is unwearable (Oh the horror!!!), this works. As soon as I sprayed it I immediately thought even if my bottle didn't have a label this is so absolutely recognizable as Guerlain you would know what house created this scent. For me, as with some other Guerlain scents, this one needed 15 minutes to relax a bit. As is typical with Guerlain, this scent is all about powdery vanilla leather. If you love Guerlain and its beloved Shalimar this is sure to move you. I know I always rave about Guerlain (what can I say...I'm a fan) but this scent is blended so beautifully resulting in this rich powdery soft vanilla. Is it FB worthy??? I think only the wearer can answer that question as this will morph differently with each individual. I can say that this is definitely worth a try and one sniff will tell you that Guerlain indeed did not spare any expense!! IMO, I think this would be way to heavy in the warmer months but is sure to please once the weather turns. I also love that they used Helichrysum as one of the notes. Bravo!!! This is very elegant and sophisticated!!