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Your Thoughts On The Oud Craze

post #1 of 45
4/23/12 at 3:13am
Thread Starter 
Everywhere you turn now there seems to be a Oud fragrance been released. I have sampled real Oud oil and find it quite a funky challenging note.

A lot of fragrances advertised as a Oud fragrance that smell good do so not for the Oud note but for the supporting notes. Its as if the perfume creators are burying the funky Oud note under a lot of pleasant supporting notes and slapping a Oud name to the fragrance. lol

So what are your thoughts on the current Oud craze?

Do you think it is just a fad or a note that is a worthy to be added to fragrance compositions?
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post #2 of 45
4/23/12 at 3:22am
Clearly, the frag industry is trend oriented. I think in terms of notes that "play nice with each other." I haven't found an oud frag like that, unless oud was listed but I couldn't detect it. Many seem to like it, perhaps because it does "stick out." Different strokes for different folks, right?
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post #3 of 45
4/23/12 at 3:25am
Oud Dear, that's my thought about it, lol. You know, instead of 'Oh Dear'..lame I know, lol. But ya, that's all I gotta say!
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post #4 of 45
4/23/12 at 3:36am
It is what it is.

Its been around long before western perfumery and will sustain long after.

If you like it, proceed. If not, walk away.
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post #5 of 45
4/23/12 at 3:48am
It's kind of like curry... Some people in the western world find it as a stinky food... Some find it tasty... Same thing with oud
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post #6 of 45
4/23/12 at 4:10am
Oud in its finest form is very expensive, and rightly so. Those who know it and have smelled it, and must have it, will find the funds to buy it. It is worth the experience.

Oud as a trend seems to come and go. Lately, there seems to be a revival or maybe the ones who did not jump on the wagon, are now hurrying to get on. I mean the manufacturers.

After having found 3 marvelous blends, by AL HARAMAIN - Attar Al Kaaba, Haneen and Marwah, I am happy to have these blends. Those are very good perfumes and represent the blends well.

As far as Western houses adding oud to their creations - that seems to be a "hit or miss". They just want to capitalize on the oud trend. Sometimes, successful - sometimes not. For instance, the Bond No. 9 attempts ... only their signature perfume with oud is a success, as far as I can judge. The rest of their oud combinations is sort of feeble, nothing great, forgettable.

The house CARON has come out with Oud and Secret Oud. Both are nice and wearable, but the oud is present and does not shine through much, the notes do. So the scents are enhanced but should not post oud as dominant in a label, rather just one of the ingredients.
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post #7 of 45
4/23/12 at 4:23am
Personally like the oud note in fragrances.
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post #8 of 45
4/23/12 at 4:26am
Double Post
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post #9 of 45
4/23/12 at 4:27am
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post #10 of 45
4/23/12 at 4:35am
The oud thing has produced interesting material for sociologists, but hardly any very memorable perfumes. It's sort of like those shakuhachi samples in 90s pop music, a form of commercial cultural appopriation, where you take a piece of exotic culture out of context, rehash it into something bland and mass marketable but with that tinge of alluring otherness and make a heap of money. And of course, Givaudan, IFF, Symrise and the hoity toity niche firms who use their prefab oud products don't give a fart about genuine middle and far eastern scent cultures. For all the pretentiousness of this industry it's really just Barnum & Bailey these days, IMHO.
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post #11 of 45
4/23/12 at 4:37am
I think the prevalence of western synthetic substitute oud fragrances is a fad but I expect the note to stay and be used with more variety and subtlety in the future.
Frankly I'm not sure if western perfumers understand how to handle oud with enough finesse yet.
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post #12 of 45
4/23/12 at 4:42am
DP......
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post #13 of 45
4/23/12 at 5:10am
It's both. In the west, my guess is that it's a fad that will run its course. But I don't think that that will affect its widespread use (as a "worthy" note) in eastern perfumery -- unless the fad causes real oud to become an endangered rarity.

By the way, Harrod's launched the new Aramis oud perfume on Saturday. I only took a quick sniff, but it was a rose oud with a rose that isn't quite the same as the red, ripe rose that you usually find accompanying oud. It seemed softer and not necessarily totally rose - maybe rose with jasmine.
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post #14 of 45
4/23/12 at 5:13am
I think what we're experiencing today with the oud-crze it's still nothing if compared to what we should expect from the near future. Just wait for when even more poeple who's usually into designers and mass-market fragrances will become more familiar with this note and you'll see...CK One Pure Oud and Oudernity, D&G the Oud, Victor and Rolf Oudbomb, Diesel Ouderdose and Moschino Cheap Oud.
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post #15 of 45
4/23/12 at 5:16am
Keep them ouds comin', I say!
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post #16 of 45
4/23/12 at 5:36am
Well it's something the western world just started getting their hands on and using in what the last decade, theres starting to use it more and more so the craze started over it. While tbh oud has been around for centuries overseas.
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post #17 of 45
4/23/12 at 6:26am
What's sad is that a lot of people are smelling synthetic oud simulators or worse yet, perfumer renditions of oud.
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post #18 of 45
4/23/12 at 8:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

It is what it is.

Its been around long before western perfumery and will sustain long after.

If you like it, proceed. If not, walk away.

YES!

I personally like the oud note and see it becoming just another ingredient in the palette of notes used by perfumers. Some western scents that use oud are more successful than others but in the end, it is just another ingredient that has been around a long, long time. As a note in a perfume I don't think it has to be dominant to be successful. Personally, I look forward to more scents that use this note.

More disturbing to me is the "trend" to watered down "sport" fragrances and the artificial aquatic note that started way back (with Cool Water?). Some of the aquatic scents I like but so many are just rehashing the same old citrus/water composition. Wondering though when there will be an aquatic sport oud...can't be long!

For me, I am bored with bergamot and most citrus notes which are both cheap and overused for a top note.
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post #19 of 45
4/23/12 at 8:56am
If the our is of a good quality (like in Mona di Orio's composition) I think it is a great note; very rich and quite opulent. I agree that this is a challenging note and done wrong, can be very off-putting. In all honesty, I think that if a perfumer is going to use oud (or purport do do so) it should be of high quality, otherwise, there seems to be little point in including it. Of course, this bumps up the price. I was happy to pay big money for Mona's Oud, but not sure I'd be prepared to splash out this much on another our based fragrance. The way that I see it, I've got my go-to Ouds in Les Nombres and vintage M7.
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post #20 of 45
4/23/12 at 9:01am
The Western fragrance industry doesn't know enough to make a real difference (not that they care). Leave it to the masters...
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post #21 of 45
4/23/12 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alfarom View Post

I think what we're experiencing today with the oud-crze it's still nothing if compared to what we should expect from the near future. Just wait for when even more poeple who's usually into designers and mass-market fragrances will become more familiar with this note and you'll see...CK One Pure Oud and Oudernity, D&G the Oud, Victor and Rolf Oudbomb, Diesel Ouderdose and Moschino Cheap Oud.

Those names were too funny! Ouderdose?? LOL! Oudbomb, the Oud, lol. D&Gs Living Stroudoli, Armani Coud, haha. Lol!
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post #22 of 45
4/23/12 at 9:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alfarom View Post

I think what we're experiencing today with the oud-crze it's still nothing if compared to what we should expect from the near future. Just wait for when even more poeple who's usually into designers and mass-market fragrances will become more familiar with this note and you'll see...CK One Pure Oud and Oudernity, D&G the Oud, Victor and Rolf Oudbomb, Diesel Ouderdose and Moschino Cheap Oud.

Whoo hooh - you summed it up quite nicely. Add to that Oudmanity with a fishy smell.
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post #23 of 45
4/23/12 at 9:13am
Haha, Oudmanity..lol. Ouudear..!

I heard Womanity just got discontinued. So, that surely will be it's replacement. Caviar, fig and oud

Marc Jacobs Ouddot&daisies. Wait till you see that bottle design too!
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post #24 of 45
4/23/12 at 9:59am
At the moment, I still need to find an Aoud fragrance that I like.
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post #25 of 45
4/23/12 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kalli View Post

Armani Coud

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post #26 of 45
4/23/12 at 12:26pm
Bring it on. I love the note and love the idea of new interpretations!

Regards,
Steve
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post #27 of 45
4/23/12 at 12:35pm


Belle d'Oud
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post #28 of 45
4/23/12 at 12:43pm
Without distracting from the use of oud by perfumiers as an intriguing element in a composition, I certainly hope the craze for everything oud does, indeed, fade. It is getting so overused and shopworn, somewhat akin to eating ice cream without end, initially very desirous and enjoyable but ultimately gluttonous and nausea-inducing.
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post #29 of 45
4/23/12 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dollars&scents View Post

Without distracting from the use of oud by perfumiers as an intriguing element in a composition, I certainly hope the craze for everything oud does, indeed, fade. It is getting so overused and shopworn, somewhat akin to eating ice cream without end, initially very desirous and enjoyable but ultimately gluttonous and nausea-inducing.

True enough ... but do you know ANY PERFUME that you would NOT get tired of ? If so, which ?
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post #30 of 45
4/23/12 at 12:58pm
I think that like in clothing or other industries, people want something new. Retro at one point, then at some point, the kitchen of the 70's. Oud has struck a chord and now, designers and other perfumers see that this is a new ingredient that can be done up in many ways to seem new. Let there be a new 'scent' come from say Antartica, and the first perfumer meets with success, then many will follow.
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post #31 of 45
4/23/12 at 1:07pm
I'm loving the ouds. Bought Kilian's Insense Oud which I love. Working through samples of his Rose Oud and Amber Oud. And just bought Montale's Black Oud. If you get past the first 20 minutes, it's wonderful. I'm loving all the flavors of oud! It also doesn't seem to cause issues with others around me unlike oakmoss or patchouli, my other skanky favorites!
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post #32 of 45
4/23/12 at 1:19pm
Some of them, like Mona di Orio's and Kilian's Amber Oud, are lovely Westernized takes on the oud note. But the vast majority are just plain silly....
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post #33 of 45
4/23/12 at 1:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ursula View Post

[B]For instance, the Bond No. 9 attempts ... only their signature perfume with oud is a success, as far as I can judge. The rest of their oud combinations is sort of feeble, nothing great, forgettable.

I assume you haven't tried the brilliant Harrods Oud. It's the only oud frag I own, and I've tried dozens. It's also very unlike the rest of Bond's line with its natural, classically structured feel.
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post #34 of 45
4/23/12 at 1:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ursula View Post

[B]For instance, the Bond No. 9 attempts ... only their signature perfume with oud is a success, as far as I can judge. The rest of their oud combinations is sort of feeble, nothing great, forgettable.

I assume you haven't tried the brilliant Harrods Oud. It's the only oud frag I own, and I've tried dozens. It's also the only Bond I own and very unlike the rest of their line with its natural, classically structured feel.
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post #35 of 45
4/23/12 at 1:50pm
I am fine with it as long as it is done right - Bond Harrods, Mona di Orio. But not when it isn't - Royal Dud.
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post #36 of 45
4/23/12 at 11:57pm
Fine by me.

As notes go, I find it to be like vetiver or patchouli, in that perfumes that showcase it, it tends to run the joint and seem fairly samey on some level.

That said, I'll put it this way: I'm glad it's in the pallette of available materials. The more, the merrier, AFAIC.
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post #37 of 45
4/24/12 at 12:09am
I think the growing popularity of oud is a great thing, and my own sentiments echo those around the Bond No. 9 Harrods Oud. It's the only oud fragrance I've ever loved wearing and been able to experience the opulence and luxury of oud.

The Montale Aoud series were the first times I'd tried oud, and while I found the line to be interesting I never found anything from it all that wearable (and still don't to this very day).
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post #38 of 45
4/24/12 at 12:29am
It is worth noting that owing to the simpler use of oud in the lands long familiar with it, the experiments of Western perfumery are quite novel and potentially interesting. One must wait and see.
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post #39 of 45
4/26/12 at 8:51am
My last +$200 purchase a few days ago was an oud, Oud Luban by Aftelier Perfumes. I wouldn't say it's a bandwagon-jumping purchase, but I sampled this stuff and totally fell for it.

I have smelled real oud and there are very few fragrances that replicate that same 'feel' and texture. The Aftelier does. So does the Bond No. 9 Harrods and a few others. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a 'synthetic oud' scent, because I do: Leather Oud by Christian Dior is one of my favorites (it smells more like burning oud chips, not pure oud oil) and it's clearly a synthetic oud. Same goes for Black Aoud and Cuir d'Arabie by Montale - they are delightful but I would argue that they probably contain very little oud. There's even a bit of oud in Habit Rouge Eau de Parfum, which adds real depth and character to an already wonderful scent. Of course, there are a ton of synthetic ouds that I detest and some of these came out even BEFORE the oud craze began. Look at M7 by YSL. It has oud and I hated it the first time I smelled it (pre-Basenotes).

Still, I love the note and every time I read about about someone on Basenotes gushing about a new one that they love, I'm interested. I still have not smelled the Mona di Orio one, neither have I smelled a few of the By Killians or some of those Amouage attars that have oud. Plus one-of-these-days, I want to buy one of those crazy priced Oriscent Oud Samplers, that has Borneo 3000 in it.
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post #40 of 45
4/26/12 at 9:13am
I don't care too much for the trend, as the fragrances produced have mostly been lacklusters with a few gems in between. With the current oud cultivation and the "exotic" interest to the ingredient I believe eventually the actual oud notes will be used to great effect in fragrances.

I'm hoping to see the japanese style incense oud theme in fragrances as well.
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post #41 of 45
4/26/12 at 9:16am
im glad to see so many perfumes houses interpretating this note. about time.
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post #42 of 45
4/26/12 at 9:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarıpatates View Post

I don't care too much for the trend, as the fragrances produced have mostly been lacklusters with a few gems in between. With the current oud cultivation and the "exotic" interest to the ingredient I believe eventually the actual oud notes will be used to great effect in fragrances.

I'm hoping to see the japanese style incense oud theme in fragrances as well.

Here you go:

http://agaraura.com/jinkoh.html

I haven't tried it as it just came out, but I have samples of the previous Japanese incense mukhallats from Agaraura, Nippon Koh and Idiana Dento, and they are worth sampling.
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post #43 of 45
4/26/12 at 9:46am
I like Leather Oud, Fahrenheit Absoloud, M7, M7 Fresh, all supposedly containing oud, so no complaints from me.
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post #44 of 45
4/26/12 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorje123 View Post

Here you go:

http://agaraura.com/jinkoh.html

I haven't tried it as it just came out, but I have samples of the previous Japanese incense mukhallats from Agaraura, Nippon Koh and Idiana Dento, and they are worth sampling.

Thanks for the link. It is still very expensive for a mukhallat of that size, more expensive than assam oud oil from amouage. But it sure sounds nice.
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post #45 of 45
4/26/12 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarıpatates View Post

Thanks for the link. It is still very expensive for a mukhallat of that size, more expensive than assam oud oil from amouage. But it sure sounds nice.

It's worth it... Taha's blends make Amouage's seem cheap and synthetic-smelling, but they do cost more. I'd be willing to bet that mukhallat contains mostly real, high quality oud oil and it uses 100% natural ingredients. The .2 mL sample is good for a few dozen wearings, so IMO the price is reasonable as the cost "per wear" isn't so bad.
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