Cuoium by Orto Parisi

Smoky, green, animalic leather with a slightly sweet base; nothing groundbreaking but very addictive, with plenty of body and character. I love it in every way. It’s not as challenging and unusable as they say; if you are a leather lover in a more animalic and assertive version, you need this perfume.

On the opening it smells like a medical amphitheatre, can you place the plum actinide? Just the same, but very intense. It’s not wearable at all, but it’s not unpleasant. The dry-down changes completely: pure leather and lots of ambroxan, it smells hollow. The dry-down is similar to Le Labo Patchouli 24, which I see as more challenging and of better quality for leather enthusiasts.

Think of the traditional way of softening leather with dung or urine (careful, it’s not unpleasant); I find that reminiscence on the opening. Then it evolves into a smoky, musky base. It’s hard but not challenging, ideal for nights, winter, and characterful styles. As for longevity and projection, I put a 0.3 ml decant on my arm and people around me noticed it immediately.

Of the chords that steal hearts. Cuoium by Orto Parisi seems to me a very rough yet sensual perfume, where the accented and somewhat smoky (or incensed) notes stand out -delicious-. With sweet points, an opening almost like petrol, which in its dry-down becomes elegant and realistic, like aged leather, with plenty of body that enters to mark territory. I’d say it’s quite bold. It handles animal, accented, and smoky notes, so the mixture becomes exquisite, a bomb 10/10, of those I smell and never forget. If you are a woman and you like intense and powerful aromas, it could be a good choice (sorry, it’s totally unisex; for people with a lot of character). In my opinion it’s ideal for layering; I don’t think I’d dare to wear it alone, but 100% layered with other perfumes (like Chanel Coromandel, Dior Dioramour, Gucci Eau de Parfum by Gucci; the list is endless).

Cuoium is not a perfume, it’s a manifesto. It doesn’t smell, it roars. I discovered it as one meets a wild beast in the middle of civilisation: dirty, hairy, smelling of leather soaked in sweat, a live stable, skin, dried blood, and history. The first time I smelled it, I thought: ‘this will stink to half the world’. And I was right. But I also thought: ‘this belongs to me’. And that was even more true. It doesn’t come to please, it comes to impose itself, like a storm that drags memories of ancient stables, of sweaty horses, of men hardened by the sun and silence. There are no concessions here. No pretty flowers, no fake sweetness, no citrus to make your life easy. Cuoium attacks you from the first second with that animal accord, almost varnished in tar, as if they had caught the soul of an old, tanned, majestic bull and distilled it into a bottle. It reminds me of freshly worked leather, but sweaty, mixed with something wild and sacred. Like a temple built in a pen, with incense, dung, and redemption. Sometimes it smells of living human skin: with imperfections, heat, desire, and decadence. It’s like an untamed creature, sleeping, mythical, typical of legends no one believes until they pass in front of its cave and inhale the magnificent stench of that beast waking up. I use it when I want the world to know I don’t come to be liked, but to exist with presence. And although many flee (literally) from the aura I leave, I love it all the more for that. It found me blindly, it’s my second favourite perfume, but the first one that looks me in the eye. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 9.7/10 Sillage: 8.8/10 Versatility: 0.5/10 Compliments: 2.0/10 Originality: 9.5/10 Olfactory Rarity: 9.0/10 Average: 7.07

Clarifying, it’s not a perfume as they paint it that smells like hell, burnt stones, or burnt leather; those comments are from three-for-the-price-of-one TikTokers who only seek views and cause hype where it isn’t. Cuoium is not entirely complicated or ugly; I’d say it’s relatively easy and people like it. It’s animal, tarred, sweet, leather, salty. Its opening is sweet, tarred, dusty, animal, but it’s not a very intense animal; you can smell it’s animal, but that combination with the sweet makes it very addictive, even intoxicating. In the dry-down it still smells sweet but the sweetness decreases, the animal persists and the dusty violet comes out. The tarred persists and a leather comes out that smells somewhat cold; I wouldn’t say it’s raw or burnt leather, it’s a supremely delicious and addictive leather. In the dry-down the leather smell persists but something new comes out, a salty leather is felt. I’m sure Cuoium has ambergris; what I notice most in the final is that the animal persists with the tar and that salty leather. I think it’s a supremely delicious perfume. Don’t pay attention to those comments that it’s horrible because it isn’t. It’s very similar to Nudiflorum, but honestly in my opinion Nudiflorum is more complicated. Leaving that aside, Cuoium is not that perfume talked about on social media; it’s multifaceted. In my opinion it has super strong projection to the point of being a megamare, but with Cuoium you have to be careful with sprays; with 2-3 you are more than enough. I put around 10 sprays to go to the club and I become uncomfortable for people around me. I got good compliments, more with the ladies, and if they asked what perfume it was, a lady told me it was a perfume she had never heard of and it seemed very masculine to her; she loved it. I’ve also used it for university and it’s very well received; teachers asked me what perfume I was using when they passed by, and girls asked me too. I was surprised how well Cuoium works with women; I thought it would probably be unpleasant, but nothing like that. Nothing more to comment: an excellent perfume with a duration in my case of 24h projecting about 8h. It’s unreal but in my case it is so; every skin is a world and not all of us will react to perfumes the same way, just as with olfactory fatigue. PROJECTION: 100/10 LONGEVITY: 100/10 SILLAGE: 10/10

Smells like nothing less than falling asleep in a kennel soaked in petrol. If this is intentional fragrance, I’m going back to the designers. 😂😂😂 Far too strong for my untrained nose. I had to shower twice to get rid of that nauseating scent, and there’s still a hint of burnt rubber left.

I love the scent. The opening smells of a fur fair, and the dry-down to burnt rubber, yet it doesn’t smell bad, just strange. It is very peculiar and exclusive. If you wear it, you look like a wealthy gentleman of high standing. Personally, I absolutely adore it.

Either I have a broken nose, or I am standing before the best leather perfume ever created. It always brings to mind a cow giving birth in stifling heat, causing my old leather jacket to release a scent that, combined with the animal aroma, is what I perceive at first. It sounds awful, right? It drives me mad, yet it is totally wearable. Alessandro made a risky bet that paid off: a scent that reflects the story behind it, the bottle leather is magnificent, and the marketing is on par with Nasomatto. Discussing performance is unnecessary for OP, but it lasted 14 hours on skin perceptibly, with very notable projection, especially in the wind. It is an experience worth trying. I understand those who wouldn’t wear it even if given it, but I believe it is the best leather base I have ever smelled.

It has a scent unlike any perfume I have tried. It was my first niche fragrance; I tested it for three days in perfumeries before buying it. I asked people to try it, and everyone smelled something different. DO NOT RECOMMEND BUYING BLINDLY. On me, it was perfect. It easily lasts 12 hours and soaks into clothes. It smells sweet, of quality incense, leather, and wood. When they talk about animalic, it is that special touch that gives it a unique identity. If you want an olfactory experience, this is the one. If you want to go unnoticed, better NOT to use it.

Yesterday I could smell this fragrance. I consider that my nose is not yet prepared for this. It is powerful, penetrating, leaving you breathless. A slap of leather that left me without a sense of smell for a few minutes. I could not handle it. I tested it on blotter paper and it was a resounding NO due to my hatred of leather. From what I perceived, I imagine the longevity and trail are incredible. I had to throw away the paper because the scent pursued me even though it was just a spray in my pocket.

Gualtieri remains my favourite perfumer. Brutal potency, epic longevity and projection that reaches metres. For me, one of the best scents on the market. It’s a powerful, realistic leather with an animal touch and a hint of floral, but what really hooks you is that wet earth note – a ‘dirty’ earth that, together, is muuuy pleasant. Like all his work, it doesn’t smell clean; it smells potent and intriguing. Everyone will ask what you smell like, and your answer will be ‘a boss’. Take advantage while it’s available… as it’s scarce for long periods. If you’re going to an executive meeting and want to be remembered, use Cuoium; you’ll surely achieve it!

Undoubtedly one of the worst perfumes I’ve ever heard. I truly feel it’s impossible for anyone to want to spend so much money on this fragrance.

An alpha male fragrance, for those 30 and over. I barely notice the incense. The animal part disappears in at most 3 or 4 hours and what remains is exactly the same base as Terroni/Black Afgano (sincerely, I dislike that two perfumes from the same collection have so much in common) which is also noticeable from the start. On my skin it lasts less than Terroni, so I don’t recommend it if you already have Terroni, as is my case.

I understand the hate this perfume has generated: yes, it has a bit of Terroni (which in turn has a bit of B. Afgano), yes, it has a bit of Nudiflorum and yes, it has a confusing opening. To talk about this wonderful perfume, to my nose, of course, I must go back a few months ago when I first encountered it. As I mentioned, the opening is strange if you’re not used to the leather note in its aspect as a cleaning product. This caused immediate disapproval in me, but as I’ve learned on this journey, the blotter should be saved to return to the scent at later hours. When I smelled it again after a few hours, I realised its resemblance to Terroni and I was disappointed. Another Afghan flanker, I thought. Months later, life put me in front of a bottle again and this time everything changed; the love was immediate and I realised my nose was understanding the notes better. What happened in between? I smelled and used any quantity of perfumes with Oud: The Night (FM), Ceylon (Xerjoff), King Masarat (Xerjoff), Noctambule (Givenchy), Carbon Sapphire (BdV). Does this perfume have Oud? Of course not! But oud, like mathematics, gives abstraction and develops a muscle. My sense of smell had changed and then I understood that rough, almost alcoholic opening: it was the leather. I understood the middle phase (passing 15 minutes): it was a Terroni with an elegant leather. Finally, to my surprise, I understood the last phase of the perfume (passing 4 hours): An ambergris mixed with an amber and suede. It’s a very original combination of salty and warm. Good heavens! What a good perfume! Referring to the written and video reviews, I noticed there was controversy regarding its performance. On my skin, Cuoium is much more than Terroni, almost at the level of Black Afgano; perhaps it doesn’t travel as much in projection, but it is notable. The trail you leave is wonderful. I recommend trying it if you’re interested in this house; it seems much more purposeful than the Best Seller Megamare. Grazie Gualtieri!