Aoud Cuir d'Arabie – sexy and sensuous and intimate

Photo: perfumeniche

My introduction to MONTALE Paris fragrances was many years ago at their shop on the northern edge of Place Vendome in Paris, where Pierre Montale sold his fragrances. Montale is interesting because he has two distinct perfume lines: a line of regular perfumes and one based on ouds called Oud Parfums Montale. This is the line he’s most known for. Visiting that shop for the first time was thrilling, especially if you are drawn to oud notes in perfumery as I am. That day, I bought Aoud Cuir d’Arabie, and it’s still a favourite of mine.

Oud is a fragrant dark resin that forms in the heartwood of Aquilaria trees infected with mould. The resin is harvested from the trees and used to make perfume oil and incense, which have been used in religious ceremonies in Christian, Hindu, and Muslim communities for thousands of years.

Demand for oud is high worldwide, and the quality varies depending on factors such as the tree's age and geographical location. It has to be treated right, or it can be too medicinal, harsh, and pungent. In my opinion, you have to be choosy when it comes to oud scents. So, what made me choose Aoud Cuir d’Arabie? Two words: leather and oud – OK, technically that’s three words, but it’s really just two important words.

On me, it opens with a strong leather/animalic note. To me, this is the smell of sweaty, dirty, worn leather, and it smells wonderful! It’s matched with a gorgeous cold, medicinal note of oud. The leather stands up to the pungency of the oud here, giving the scent a skanky character right from the start. Just as it starts to get to the outer limits of ‘skank’, a note of tobacco shows up. It’s rich, warm, and herbaceous, with a bit of sweetness from its caramel aspect. It reins in the skankiness and adds depth and plushness to the fragrance.

As it blooms, Montale’s signature rose note appears. It’s soft, floral and opulent and the classic pairing with oud. At the drydown, the leather morphs from raunchy to refined, and the oud softens, becoming warm and resinous. They complement each other in this phase as they do in the opening so that they both shine.

Aoud Cuir d’Arabie dries down to a sexy, sensuous, intimate scent that stays close to the skin. Ideal for cooler weather, but I love the way it stands up to summer heat.

The MONTALE Paris shop on the northern edge of Place Vendome in Paris is long gone, but Aoud Cuir D'Arabie lives in my house now.

Check out Aoud Cuir d'Arabie in our Shop.