Natural perfumer JoAnne Bassett has garnered many titles in her career, “Queen of Roses, “Master of French Perfumery”, but with her latest offering, The Leather Collection, she may also well be the “Purveyor of Punk”. The assemblage of leather scents inspired by countries of origin, each presents a different face of a genre known for creative chaos, unabashed individuality and the spirit of what makes one a rebel.

Pussy Riot Moscow

Russian Leather is an olfactory call to arms, and presents an accord which does not shy away from what leather IS: meat. Opening with a birch tar which, for myself, is the repulsion/attraction of a scent so similar to something petrochemical. This burning tar gives way to a singed tobacco and the burnt leaves of clary sage still sparking with cardamom. By far the most challenging and obsessive of the collection, it speaks to the power of punk and it's in-your-face sociology. Consider Pussy Riot, a Russian female punk band, whose demands for equality rocked the world and landed them in an unfair and prejudiced jail. JoAnne captures the raw voice of these women which cannot and will not be silenced.

Notes: birch tar, Bulgarian tobacco, cardamom, clary sage, St. John's wort

Tawacore

Arabian Leather is the oud and palo santo powered call to prayer, and if you think prayer isn't punk- then you don't know about Taqwacore- the Muslim world's musical scene which fuses both traditional values with the churning world of the West. We are given both holy cedars and frankincense and dual floral/spice spike of cassie.  JoAnne speaks to the divine moment between prayer rug and amped guitar; the sacred balancing act these musicians walk everyday.

Notes: Cambodian oud, frankincense carteri, frankincense freana, cedarwood, palo santo, cassie absolute

Christian's Death

Italian Leather is the classic brown bomber jacket of the 80's, starting with a cistus as sticky sweet as the goth scene was alive and thriving with bands such as Italy's Christian Death. Vintage jasmine and wild orange brighten the tobacco and light patchouli and is easily a go-to aroma full of nostalgia and warmth. JoAnne touches upon a memory, where the underground scene for a moment surfaced and gave notice to the outside world.

Notes: cistus, wild orange, vintage jasmine grandiflolium, Bulgarian tobacco, light patchouli

Pedro Almodovar

Spanish Leather is a leather tinged by fur or wool lining with a crystalline salvia lavendula (Spanish sage, with a strong lavender leaning as the name suggests) and this sage/lavender/near menthol is a hyper clean straight-edge punk. It speaks of the perfection as pathology, a beautiful if not cold anthem in the films of Pedro Almodovar. Grounded with ambrette seed and sandalwood, there is a softening- a resolve which happens even in the most outrageous of Almodovar's work.  JoAnne could be scenting the scene or certainly a character from the list of gorgeous actors who populate the Spanish director's films.

Notes: Spanish sage, cistus, dark patchouli, ambrette seed, sandalwood

French Leather is familiar herbaceous leather, full of French countryside and the polite and proper guaicwood and copaiba balsam give distinction to the classic lavender and benzoin. Being punk doesn't mean you have eschew everything in anger but instead you simply say it as it is. Serge Gainsbourg may be an unlikely punk choice, but with songs like “Harley Davidson (S.O.B.)” and “Lemon Incest”, he is deservedly a revered French rebel. Reframing her Classic French Perfumer  moniker, JoAnne delivers the easy pret a porter leather in the collection.

Notes: copaiba balsam, benzoin, wild French lavender, guiacwood, incense cedar

-Einsof, Natural Perfume Editor

(my samples were provided by JoAnne Bassett for review.)

*Editorial Note: As a musical genre, I have taken great liberties with what may be defined as “punk”. Because I understand music is as dear to the heart as aroma, I ask the reader use as broad a sense of the term “punk”- beyond the classification of music to the spirit of revolution and boundary breaking.

 Thanks to JoAnne Bassett Perfumes,  a  registered US reader has  the chance to experience the entire line with a sampler collection  of 1ml x  5. or a 2ml sample sprayer of your choice To be eligible please leave a comment with which of JoAnne’s leathers appeal to youwhat you enjoyed about Einsof’s review and your favorite punk band along with your choice of sampler set or sprayer You must live in the US and be registered to be eligible. Draw ends 6/21/2017

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