“'I went for a modern, transparent leather that has some gravitas in the animal department but also has that clean, butterscotchy smell of expensive leather gloves,' [D.S. & Durga founder David] Moltz says.

Leatherize can be worn alone—it delivers a smooth, quietly elegant smokiness when spritzed on bare skin—but the real revelation is its endless versatility as a playmate for other perfumes.

'Leather is like frankincense—it always smells cool, no matter what,' he says. 'You might have a fragrance that you like, but it can be a little cloying, or maybe you have a rosy fragrance that’s a little too mom. Leatherize will give a dark, cool edge to it.'

That, he says, is the ultimate secret to the note’s enduring appeal: 'If you add leather to anything, you just inherently make it more badass.'”