Bel Respiro
Eau de Parfum, Chanel (2016)

There is NO leather in this scent. Nor was it ever described as such by Chanel when I purchased it.

Fresh air clean smell. Pleasant. Smells grassy and herbal with its rosemary and galbanum. It is a unique scent in my collection. I’m very pleased to own it.

As an outdoor lover, this one captures the breezy scent of spring. I love the way Sycomore captures fall and I enjoy wearing this fresh breath of green spring air.

I think this is seriously underrated. I have the Exlusifs discovery box and love the fresh green quality this scent encapsulates. I am so glad I got the big bottle, not because it has longevity issues (it doesn’t) but because I love it so much! I get about 6 hours wear and beyond as a skin scent.

From the Chanel website:
Composition- Featuring the green, aromatic notes of galbanum and rosemary, the scent conjures the essence of spring and its fresh grass, emerging foliage and gentle breezes.

Leather is not mentioned and I don’t see how it could “conjure the essence of spring, etc”. I certainly don’t smell leather and I believe this is an error.

I agree with the previous reviewer that Bel Respiro is a laid-back scent. It's not the deepest or most complex green floral out there, but it has a valued place in my wardrobe as an easy-going fresh green floral and it's a favorite for the summer months.

I also think Bel Respiro is a great 'gateway' green fragrance for people who don't know how they feel about green florals or galbanum; though unfortunately it doesn't come with a 'gateway' price tag.

Lovely elegant green floral, perfect for spring and summer. It's a bit laid back while still feeling sophisticated and refined at the same time. I definitely get an opening blast of green notes and some nice soft florals that are blended but again feel sort of fresh and spring like. It is a bit on the drier side for a spring floral too, it is green but not super dewy and not sweet. There is some nice depth here too though with a nice vetiver and the leaher. It's not strong leather note, but it is a touch animalic, I think and definitely provides a nice slightly richer base to this perfume. So pretty.

UPDATED 2016:

The change from an EDT to an EDP has done wonders for Bel Respiro. The aquatic and laundry chemicals have been turned way down, leaving the focus on a charming mix of leafy greens, cheerful lemon, pretty powder, and a full chypre structure, leaving a drydown that's a mix of soapy vanilla, chypre greens, and vetiver. The end result is smart but fun, cheery and youthful without ever smelling dumbed down. Bravo!

FOR THE RECORD, MY OLD REVIEW OF THE EDT:

It smells to me like Bel Respiro is Chanel's entry in the "aquatic floral" genre, typified by mixes of melon and lily. As a genre, these are usually fairly simple and often quite similar, but Bel Respiro breaks the mold by adding in a lot of intricacy. For a start, there's citrus on top, as well as a pinch of tomato leaf for added green. It's a bit peppery, and the florals are much more nuanced that the simple lily mixes that usually characterize this style.

There's also a strong chemical component to the smell - both an undertone of fabric softener musks and a thick "watery" sheen that's almost the star of the scent. As such, Bel Respiro isn't very literal - it's an abstract expression of a shaded pond surrounded by flowers, or maybe an Elizabethan garden on a hot morning just after its been watered and everything is dripping wet. Not that it smells like these in a specific scientific sense, but more in a theoretical sense.

All in all, I think Bel Respiro is an intelligent, artful perfume, very much deserving of a thumbs up, just for its artistic and symbolic complexity, but I'm not really a fan of melon and I don't particularly enjoy smelling like weird "limpid watery" chemicals, so it's not really the perfume for me.

Nice and soft, green and floral plays nice together. Daffodil notes saunter up after a good hour of wear. Agree with Bavard that Bel Respiro would be a well chosen intro to a major house perfume as it's light and can't find a single fault. Hard to overspray with this one. Longevity is the only issue in terms of projection, but Bel Respiro still clung tightly to the skin.

Chanel does CK One.