Leather Smell
Everyone knows the pleasant smell of old leather. Nowadays, you will find hardly any leather that releases this beautiful smell. In earlier times, leather was tanned differently and vegetable tanning was the main tanning method. The tannins and regreasing substances used in this method gave the leather a special odour. Nowadays, most automotive, furniture and clothing leather are chrome tanned. The result of this kind of tanning is more or less odourless. Such leather only has a slight odour. The use of some of the odour-forming substances are now banned. In particular, some nitro-musk substances that characterised the strong smell of leather.
Some new leather bags, belts and jackets have a strong unpleasant odour. This occurs if low-grade fish oils or other malodorous substances are used in the manufacturing process. Therefore, it is important to test the smell before buying leather objects. This phenomenon is more common in cheaper leather goods. Unfortunately, this smell in most cases cannot be removed. We recommend not to buy such goods or claim in time.
Some leather get a bad smell caused by incorrect storage. Mostly its mold caused by humidity. Please refer to our information "How to treat moldy leather".
For customers who have odourless leather or where the old leather smell has vanished, we have a leather smell created specially by a perfumery, the COLOURLOCK Leather Essence Kit. The Essence is applied with a sponge (included) on the piece of vegetable tanned leather (included) or directly on a leather. You can also add a little amount of Essence to COLOURLOCK Leather Protector.
If the essence is applied on the sample leather piece provided in the kit, place it in a hidden area. The odour intensity depends on the applied quantity, the air circulation and temperature. The warmer the temperature inside the car, the stronger the pleasant smell.
Recommended products
Leather Protector
From
US$22.69*
To maintain the surface, we recommend our Leather Protector. It contains antioxidants, which stops the leather's decay, and its UV filters protect the surfaces from colour fading and will make them supple once more.Amount: 150 ml. This is usually sufficient for the one-time treatment (minimum) of a complete car interior or a set of furniture.; 1litreApplication: Always test any products first on a hidden area in case they affect the colour!Use COLOURLOCK Leather Protector when the leather has dried completely from cleaning or colour refreshment, ideally on the following day. Apply with a soft cloth and let dry without polishing. One application is sufficient. Strained surfaces (heavy use or in sunlit areas) should be treated every three months. Clean before use to prevent dirt sticking to the surface.These products are also suitable for "Cool Leather/SRT (SunReflective Technology) Leather"!
Leather Essence Kit leather scented freshener
US$45.69*
There’s nothing like the smell of new leather but, after a while it loses its distinctive scent. For our customers who want to recapture that new leather smell, we have developed a leather scent in cooperation with a perfume specialist: The COLOURLOCK Leather Essence.Contents: 30 ml leather essence bottle, application sponge and small leather pad.Application areas: Car Leather, Furniture LeatherFor: Artificial leather, Aniline leather, Refined aniline leather, Pigmented leather, PU leather, Pull Up leather, Semi-aniline leather, Suede and nubuck leatherModern tanning methods mean that leather doesn’t smell for as long as it used to. Previously, vegetable tanning was the main method. This, together with the use of moisturizing agents was what gave the leather a special aroma. Some of the old compounds, such as nitro-musk which influenced the scent, are now banned. Today most car, furniture and garment leather is chrome-tanned. The result is more or less odour-neutral as the leather’s own scent is relatively weak. Sometimes, new bag, belt or jacket leather can have an unpleasant smell where low-quality fish oil or other odourous substances have been used to treat it during manufacture. This tends to occur in low-end products, which are best avoided if possible. Some leathers will give off a bad odour if they have been stored in a damp place and been attacked by mould and mildew. Please see our instruction on mildew removal.Amount: 30 ml setAlways test any products first on a hidden area in case they affect the colour.Apply the essence with a sponge, either on the small leather pad included with the set or directly onto the leather. The Essence can also be mixed into the COLOURLOCK Leather Protector. If using the included pad, place it in an invisible area. The intensity of the scent depends on the amount used, air circulation and temperature. The warmer the environment, the stronger the scent.