Falcon Leather, Sharpened: My Take on MATIERE PREMIERE’s New Extrait

If the original Falcon Leather eau de parfum felt like a perfectly broken-in jacket, the new Falcon Leather Extrait is the glove that grips back. I wore the EDP when it launched as a Harrods exclusive in 2019 and loved its refined bite, saffron-tinged and smoky without showing off. The 2024 Extrait takes that same silhouette and lowers the lights. Less chatter, more stare.

On first spray, Extrait skips the airy opening the EDP gives you and goes straight to the good stuff, a supple but inky leather with a resinous glow. Think saddle room polished at midnight, not at noon. The saffron effect reads denser, the smoke feels smoother, the edges sanded yet somehow more intense. It is not louder, it is heavier, like velvet compared to twill.

Wear test notes:

• Projection: EDP has a brisker halo for the first two hours, Extrait sits closer but carries farther on fabric. The kind of trail that sneaks up on people in elevators.
• Longevity: EDP gives me a steady 6 to 8 hours. Extrait hangs on past 10, my scarf still whispered leather the next day.
• Texture: EDP is a smart suede, Extrait is polished hide with a resin backbone. Neither turns animalic or barnyard on me, both stay urbane.

If you already own the EDP, do you need the Extrait? If your heart beats for leather that behaves at work but smolders after, yes. The EDP is daytime confidence, the Extrait is after-hours composure. I would not layer them, each has its own mood. I reach for EDP when I want clarity, Extrait when I want control.

What I appreciate most is the restraint. MATIERE PREMIERE resisted niche maximalism and instead tightened the screws. Falcon Leather Extrait feels like a director’s cut, same plot, deeper saturation. It is elegant, not bombastic, and it makes me want to lean in.

Spray tips: two on skin for the Extrait, one on a wool collar if you want that private encore. If leather ever felt too shouty to you, this is the grown up, close-quarters version. If you loved the 2019 Harrods buzz but wanted more gravity, here it is.