Here we consider the relationship between the sea and the art it has inspired.
Crabtree uses his grandfather's pen drawings of luxury yachts, his father's library of nautical fiction and his own tattoos as references. Accord of black ink dominate here; west Indian spiced rum; papers lost and found; the familiar dry accords of leather bound books balanced with warm enigmatic notes of vanilla pipe tobacco. All finely based around a dark heart of birch tar and labdanum.
As featured in Elle Magazine: Masculine Notes: A New Fragrance Trend
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a fragrance for close quarters and low light, where its ink, leather and tobacco facets can feel intimate rather than loud. It suits a room with books, wood and a little smoke in the air, projecting the sense of someone composed, self-possessed and slightly dangerous in a quiet way.
How to wear
Best in cool weather and evening air, where the tar, leather and tobacco can unfold without becoming too heavy. Apply sparingly at first; the 30% concentration gives strong presence and good longevity, so one or two sprays are usually enough for a dense, lingering trail.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like smoky leather, dark spice and unconventional, narrative fragrances with a vintage edge. It will appeal to people drawn to ink, paper, rum and tobacco accords, and to scents that feel textured, moody and a little rebellious.
Release year
2015
The nose
Julie Dunkley. Dunkley’s work for BeauFort sits squarely in the house’s early British niche language: dense, atmospheric, and unafraid of smoke, tar and abrasive textures. Her style here is less about polish than narrative force, shaping a fragrance that feels ink-stained, leathery and deliberately shadowed. Within Coeur de Noir, she balances the roughness of birch tar and leather with rum, paper and tobacco so the composition reads as literary rather than merely dark. It is a good example of how BeauFort’s perfumes use strong contrasts and high concentration to create a vivid, memorable trail.
Collaborators
Leo Crabtree, BeauFort’s founder, shaped the fragrance’s concept and visual world, drawing on nautical fiction, yacht drawings and his own tattoos as part of the brief. His role was not just administrative but creative, defining the house’s dark maritime storytelling and the “overdosed” style that frames the perfume.
Beaufort’s story
BeauFort London is a British niche house built around tempestuous, historically charged perfumery. Its fragrances lean into smoke, tar, salt, leather and other forceful materials, using them to evoke maritime adventure, memory and darker strands of British culture rather than conventional prettiness.
Coeur de Noir’s concept
Coeur de Noir belongs to the debut Come Hell or High Water collection and was conceived as an ode to the sea’s relationship with art and storytelling. The image is literary and tactile: black ink on paper, leather-bound books, spiced rum and tobacco, all anchored by a dark tarry core that suggests forgotten voyages and private archives.
Extra info
Coeur de Noir is part of BeauFort’s debut Come Hell or High Water collection and is presented in the house’s square bottle with a black wooden cap and parchment-style label. The name translates as “heart of black,” which suits its ink-and-tar character.
Celebrity connection
Oxana Polyakova of Bloom Perfumery was publicly noted wearing and praising the fragrance, describing it as bold, spicy and unisex.
Here we consider the relationship between the sea and the art it has inspired.
Crabtree uses his grandfather's pen drawings of luxury yachts, his father's library of nautical fiction and his own tattoos as references. Accord of black ink dominate here; west Indian spiced rum; papers lost and found; the familiar dry accords of leather bound books balanced with warm enigmatic notes of vanilla pipe tobacco. All finely based around a dark heart of birch tar and labdanum.
As featured in Elle Magazine: Masculine Notes: A New Fragrance Trend
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a fragrance for close quarters and low light, where its ink, leather and tobacco facets can feel intimate rather than loud. It suits a room with books, wood and a little smoke in the air, projecting the sense of someone composed, self-possessed and slightly dangerous in a quiet way.
How to wear
Best in cool weather and evening air, where the tar, leather and tobacco can unfold without becoming too heavy. Apply sparingly at first; the 30% concentration gives strong presence and good longevity, so one or two sprays are usually enough for a dense, lingering trail.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like smoky leather, dark spice and unconventional, narrative fragrances with a vintage edge. It will appeal to people drawn to ink, paper, rum and tobacco accords, and to scents that feel textured, moody and a little rebellious.
Release year
2015
The nose
Julie Dunkley. Dunkley’s work for BeauFort sits squarely in the house’s early British niche language: dense, atmospheric, and unafraid of smoke, tar and abrasive textures. Her style here is less about polish than narrative force, shaping a fragrance that feels ink-stained, leathery and deliberately shadowed. Within Coeur de Noir, she balances the roughness of birch tar and leather with rum, paper and tobacco so the composition reads as literary rather than merely dark. It is a good example of how BeauFort’s perfumes use strong contrasts and high concentration to create a vivid, memorable trail.
Collaborators
Leo Crabtree, BeauFort’s founder, shaped the fragrance’s concept and visual world, drawing on nautical fiction, yacht drawings and his own tattoos as part of the brief. His role was not just administrative but creative, defining the house’s dark maritime storytelling and the “overdosed” style that frames the perfume.
Beaufort’s story
BeauFort London is a British niche house built around tempestuous, historically charged perfumery. Its fragrances lean into smoke, tar, salt, leather and other forceful materials, using them to evoke maritime adventure, memory and darker strands of British culture rather than conventional prettiness.
Coeur de Noir’s concept
Coeur de Noir belongs to the debut Come Hell or High Water collection and was conceived as an ode to the sea’s relationship with art and storytelling. The image is literary and tactile: black ink on paper, leather-bound books, spiced rum and tobacco, all anchored by a dark tarry core that suggests forgotten voyages and private archives.
Extra info
Coeur de Noir is part of BeauFort’s debut Come Hell or High Water collection and is presented in the house’s square bottle with a black wooden cap and parchment-style label. The name translates as “heart of black,” which suits its ink-and-tar character.
Celebrity connection
Oxana Polyakova of Bloom Perfumery was publicly noted wearing and praising the fragrance, describing it as bold, spicy and unisex.