Vibrant Leather Cologne 2019

Vibrant Leather Cologne by Zara
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7.8 / 10 76 Ratings
According to EssenceVitae Research Team A popular perfume by Zara for men, released in 2019. Furthermore The scent is fresh-citrusy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Fragrance Notes

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.876 Ratings
Longevity
6.772 Ratings
Sillage
6.572 Ratings
Bottle
7.578 Ratings
Value for money
9.428 Ratings
Submitted by ExUser, last update on 11.10.2022.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Dior Homme Cologne (2013) by Dior
Dior Homme Cologne (2013)
Mercedes-Benz Cologne by Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz Cologne
From Paris to New York by Zara
From Paris to New York
Vibrant Leather Summer by Zara
Vibrant Leather Summer
Jimmy Choo Man Ice by Jimmy Choo
Jimmy Choo Man Ice
Blue Hole by Zara
Blue Hole

Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Pricing
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
6
Longevity
8
Scent
MNGR

10 Reviews
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MNGR
MNGR
2  
Sacrilege or blessing?
The design of the bottle alone hints at what might await you here. In some ways, this approach can certainly be called pretentious. On the other hand, the "original" is paid tribute accordingly, which is probably also reflected there in the sales figures.
To answer the question posed in the headline, right away: both.

It is probably obvious that Zara has ventured here very close to Dior Homme Cologne. Maybe even so close that it's just legal. I can very well imagine that Demachy and Epinette are smirking about it, but that the Parisian fashion house Dior has very well considered taking legal action against it. But let's put the conjecture aside.
I told you both were true. That is, there is truly something sacrilegious about this fragrance, but at the same time something very beneficial. Because on the one hand it is the copy of something, the imitation, the imitation. On the other hand, it is so well done that presumably even trained noses would be hard pressed to detect significant differences in a blind test. But if we disregard the sacrifices in durability and sillage that inevitably come with a Zara scent, this is extremely good, both fragrance-wise and dupe-wise. And at the price, one can own gladly also times two or three bottles and deposit them everywhere, where a Nachsprühen could come into question.

I'm also a friend of when good fragrances, in an unconventional way to a, usually younger, audience are made accessible, which might not otherwise have come into contact with it. Of course, Zara is primarily pursuing a marketing approach here, in that inexpensive fragrances tempt people to buy one or two more items of clothing. That's okay. That's how the market works.
On the other hand, I can imagine only too well that this fragrance is quite capable of animating the wearer to deal with the "original". Especially when the environment speaks to you about it and possibly adds an insinuation: "Man, the Dior Homme Cologne suits you but particularly well. Fits you."
If the wearer then asks himself, what it probably has to do with it and read here and there, so he comes quite quickly to the fact that fragrances are perceived very subjectively, because the label is nowhere obvious to read. So it sometimes happens that the copy on one or the other smells more original than the original itself. Of course, this has a lot to do with construction and association, but somehow it's an uplifting thought. There's something about democratization, anonymity, and masking. This mysterious something puts the drive into a thing and causes it to be talked about, or as in this case here, at least written about.
1 Comment
10
Bottle
7
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8
Longevity
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Scent
MonsieurTest

29 Reviews
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MonsieurTest
MonsieurTest
Top Review 36  
More than nice, Mr. Epinette! Zara's bergamot-mandar-ginger Cologne refreshes colossally - and enduringly
The lively start is a minute of mixed citric freshness, followed by 6 hours of moderately radiating tangerine-bergamot-ginger steam, lined with restrained cedar-musk vibrations. All this looks round, pleasing and not cheap at all (unless you think of the pocket money friendly price).

But how does a perfumer who is no longer quite young come to Zara? And why so late? I'll try to explain. About 10 years ago, I once entered a branch of the fashion chain on the other side of the country, and I had already heard a lot about their rapid expansion and their smart clothes. I didn't notice any perfumes there (my attention was on the clothes); and after a few minutes it was clear that it wasn't mine - especially since the textiles and therefore the whole store smelled strange. As an armchair fashionista I accompanied the unstoppable rise of the fashion chain and its owner since then only by reading the style and business pages of European newspapers. But in recent times, while vagabonding through EssenceVitae.de, I have often come across positive reviews of Zara fragrances; most recently, especially those about the vetiver grapefruit from Zara's Jo Malone Emotions Collection. By information of other provenance, from behind the scenes, as it were, on the production side, the Zara fragrances also came to my attention.

What does the fine nose Jérôme Epinette actually do when he's not developing fragrances for Atelier Cologne, Byredo, Vilhelm or &Other Stories, i.e. for the finest, niche fragrance houses? What is Jo Malone, who has long since sold her name-leading company to Estée Lauder, doing when her new brand Jo Loves is not working to capacity? And what do the factories of the esteemed fragrance giant Puig (from Barcelona) produce when they're not coordinating and brewing Penhaligons, Prada, Comme des Garcons-, Gaultier-, Rabanne- or Herrera-scents as well as the few classics sold under their own name? Yes, what do all these esteemed addresses of fine perfumery do then?
-- They build, they brew & churn out cheap and occasionally pretty good fragrances for the fashion company Zara!

So the decision matured to get one or the other scent of this chain. All the while these hectic fast-fashionists&perfumists are also organizing sales and offer you some water as reduced six-packs, it was nolens volens some more than expected. My impression is that these fast perfumists obviously create a lot of fast rotating fragrances - more precisely: have them created: by the Puig professionals. Some of them then keep them in their program for years (classic care), while others sell them off and bury them in a flash. Which stupidly triggers the perfume's archiving and retaining reflexes.

But now for the first spoils of my affair with the dashing floozy Zara. Vibrant Leather Cologne is a bright, refreshing summer water, which has already been praised by others and compared to famous siblings. Jérôme Epinette designed a modern, slightly sweet tangerine-ginger cologne, but with a lot of persistence.

In clear contrast to the screeching lemon and the rather dull ginger in the Lemon&Ginger-Acqua Colonia of the traditional brand 4711, which I actually appreciate, the ginger in this Zara Cologne appears fruity, pleasing with minimal pungency and medium sweetness, like candied ginger: delicious.

Zara and the Puig assemblers succeed here in creating a tasteful, refreshing and long lasting light water, whose endurance was probably inflated by various synthetic ingredients; which (to me) is not unpleasant. There is a great similarity to Zara's Vibrant Leather Summer, which is called EdP - but contains pretty much the same and equally enduring ingredients as the Vibrant Leather Cologne. Whether there is a proximity to Dior Homme Cologne, as often noticed here, I cannot (yet) judge. It reminds me a little bit of the CK-One-like unisex airport PACO by Paco Rabanne, the one in the splendidly simple tinplate can sprayers; only the tangerine-heavy Zara Cologne lasts longer and instead of tea it has this slightly hot ginger note on board.

The name 'Vibrant Leather' seems rather absurd and misleading, as there is no leather or at most only a minimal base, which has a soft, cedar-like scent in addition to the permanently pleasant, fragrant mandarins and could possibly be mixed with a hint of musk and vetiver. The leather that the name refers to is more likely to be the wearer's pelt, which may start to vibrate a little in the face of such welcome refreshment.

In my opinion, this fragrant water is suitable for young and old, for men and women alike, as it is a fairly well-balanced modern cologne: moderately sweet, moderately ginger-spicy fresh and discreetly flowery, the fine mandarins (along with added bergamot notes) are accompanied by a subtle floral note. This modernized cologne accord lacks the neroli tips and also the rosemary&lavender spice of a Farina colognes. In addition, this Ensemble-Modern-Cologne, which is now allowed to perform regularly with me in addition to the 4711 Musica-Antiqua-Cologne, has a durability that is closer to that of a solid EdT.

I love the heavy, transparent, well-proportioned glass flacon. And the blue suction tube as a functional eye-catcher seems to me to be exemplary modern: Here, Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers have convincingly transferred the Centre Pompidou principle, which emphasises the functional tube, into the world of flacons. The solid plastic cap only slightly clouds this excellent external appearance.

Once again, it shows that the Spanish cologne brewers know how to compose refreshing waters that must have a soothing effect when exposed to heat. This refreshment, which is as light as it is adhesive, from the great nose of Jérôme Epinette is hereby recommended for testing.
25 Comments
8
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6
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6
Longevity
7
Scent
Timboeck

8 Reviews
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Timboeck
Timboeck
2  
Scent twins?!
The similarity to DHC is unmistakable, but I find DHC even finer balanced. AHSC is for me however clearly before the two to place. It is somewhat more complex and has a fine herbaceous note which the Vibrant Leather Cologne mMn completely lacks.

To the fragrance:
It opens very citric with a slight synthetic note that weakens slightly over time. The fragrance is rather linear and not very complex.

For the summer a good and very cheap citrus freshener. I learned to love him.
0 Comments
9
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7
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7
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9
Scent
Elysium

822 Reviews
Elysium
Elysium
Very helpful Review 2  
The obvious when it’s inimitable
First thing first, this is not a Vibrant Leather flanker, yet a new edition of From Paris to New York. I'd like to express my real impression of this brand new Zara's release. Albeit the name and the box look different, the smell and the description on the box are the very same. The opening is strongly citrus and closely akin to Zara Blue Hole, as many reviewers stated, yet they take separate ways as soon as the heart starts beating and the dry down approaches. Definitely, BH has a clear heart floral note, bright jasmine that turns to an earthy and woody accord akin to patchouli and cedar, it reminds me of CD Homme Sport 2008 to be exact, instead, VL Cologne is more seasoned, the ginger is hot and chilly in the heart, and it turns into a neat musk, this one evoking me of CD Homme Cologne 2013. Since I own both Zara's and CD's fellows, I had an opportunity to study all of them side by side on my skin, they all smell quite apart as both CD Homme Sport and Homme Cologne do. Oftentimes, people are too hasty, they quit and conclude on the first impression, but scents are alive and take their time to develop and reveal their heart and base.

Back to VL Cologne, the opening is a blast of strong citrus fruits right in your face, and once the intoxicating fresh lemon juice soothes down, a sweeter and smooth mandarin orange stands, I definitely get that strongly in the opening alongside the lemon, together with a bitter note of grapefruit, maybe not from the juice or peel but from the blossom or leaves, there is some greenish herbal and leafy accord in there. The opening is so fresh, so manly. Love its bitterness when the lemon finally sits. I absolutely love it. Great refreshing and bright zesty fragrance in the style of Dior Homme Cologne and Allure Homme Cologne.

In the heart, both sparkling ginger and a kind of soft lemon-like greenish herbal are very present up close but from arm's length ginger really dominates. It is spicy, sharp, bracing yet light, and pairs well with citrus notes. This heart aroma lasts quite a few hours before unhiding the backbone notes.

The drydown has woody, spicy and citrusy nuances, the zestiness lingers in the base with the musk and a nice ginger kick. Despite the dominance of the musky accord, I notice a sense of vetiver, rather creamier, lemony, and greener than earthy or rooty, which reminds me of Cacharel pour Homme, the vetiver vibe and trail is similar.

I am really glad to have this one in my collection, you can't go wrong with it. Performances are awesome for this kind of EDC. The bottle is also very nice, heavy and has a blue straw. It is fresh yet elegant, positive, uplifting, bright, sparkling. For more or less any event when you just want to smell nice and clean. You'll get compliments with this one, seriously. I can imagine this fragrance would perform fantastically well on hot and sticky summer days and evenings out.

-Elysium
0 Comments

Statements

5 short views on the fragrance
PedroCabralPedroCabral 2 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
Outperforms its closest relative, DHC! Sharp bergamot on the top with the freshness of Ginger and a woody base of cedar.
0 Comments
Danieln1971Danieln1971 5 years ago
8
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
7
Scent
This is just Zara From Paris to New York or Blue Hole in another bottle.
3 Comments
Ch03npCh03np 2 years ago
you know what? the ginger in this makes this a surprise hit. the citrus notes in here are fresh as well. wearing this brings me joy somehow
0 Comments
JoaoMartinsJoaoMartins 5 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Scent
Pleasant perfume similar to DHC. I think this is the same formula used in From Paris to New York in a different package and different name.
0 Comments
ElysiumElysium 5 years ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
I surely love it. Great refreshing and bright zesty fragrance on a musky base in the style of Dior Homme Cologne and Allure Homme Cologne.
0 Comments

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Lily Roux

Hello! I'm Lily Roux, a passionate perfumer with over 20 years of experience crafting unique scents. I specialize in creating personalized perfume impressions tailored to your desires. This site is where I'll be sharing my love for perfumes and everything fascinating about them. Welcome aboard, and let's embark on a fragrant journey together!

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