Quick answers
History
Black Currant Extrait applies the Matière Première philosophy: every perfume is built around a single central natural ingredient, used at the highest possible dosage, whose facets are revealed without drowning it. Here it is French blackcurrant absolute.
Aurélien Guichard, a Grasse native from seven generations of perfumers, picks blackcurrant as a bridge between French and British cultures for this exclusive made for Harrods. French blackcurrant absolute opens the composition, dense, fruity and almost animalic.
Indonesian patchouli, rose oxide and a leather accord form the heart, Bangladeshi Assam oud the base: a chypre architecture, dark and textured. The extrait gives blackcurrant a rare depth, far from the surface tartness of the fruit.
Fragrance notes
Matière Première builds its perfumes around a central ingredient.
From the absolute to the oud, everything leads back to blackcurrant, from sharp to dark.
Scent profile
Black Currant Extrait opens on blackcurrant in full truth: French blackcurrant absolute, green, biting and almost sulphurous, far from a sweet liqueur. This is a frank blackcurrant, green and alive.
The heart thickens the material: Indonesian patchouli and the leather accord darken the fruit, while rose oxide lends it a metallic facet. The fruit turns fleshy, almost animalic, without ever slipping into syrup.
The base anchors it all: Bangladeshi Assam oud gives blackcurrant a dark, textured depth. Longevity is excellent, as an extrait should be, the sillage sustained. A unisex fruity chypre for the cool season, to wear at night.
"Every perfume is built around a single central natural ingredient, used at the highest dosage, whose facets are revealed without ever drowning it."Aurélien Guichard, founder of Matière Première
Key characteristics
When and where to wear
Black Currant Extrait is a cool-season fruity chypre. Its density, its leather heart and its oud base call for cool air and the evening; it is an extrait of character, to wear sparingly.
How to wear it
Seasonal fit
| Season | Fit | Critical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ★★★☆ | The green blackcurrant finds its place. |
| Summer | ★★☆☆ | Too dense and dark for summer. |
| Autumn | ★★★★ | Ideal season for this fruity chypre. |
| Winter | ★★★★ | Leather and oud reach their full range. |
Context fit
| Context | Fit | Wear recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Evening | ★★★★ | The fruity chypre shines. |
| Formal events | ★★★★ | An extrait of character, made to make a mark. |
| Office | ★★☆☆ | Too concentrated for strictly professional use. |
| Everyday | ★★☆☆ | Reserved for chosen moments. |
Similar perfumes
Black Currant Extrait's fruity chypre has relatives among niche fruity chypres and blackcurrants.
| Perfume | House · year | Why it is close |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsouko | Guerlain · 1919 | The reference fruity chypre, built on peach. |
| Coromandel | Chanel Les Exclusifs · 2007 | An ambery patchouli, the same woody depth. |
| Oud Wood | Tom Ford · 2007 | A smooth oud, a cousin of the extrait base. |
Frequently asked questions
See also
Sources
- Matière Première, house official site (no page for this perfume, a Harrods exclusive)
- Now Smell This, Black Currant Extrait
- Harrods, exclusive retailer: Matiere Premiere Black Currant Extrait de Parfum, 100ml, notes pyramid (accessed 17 September 2026)