Launched in 2009 by L'Artisan Parfumeur, Al Oudh heady, mystical scent conjures images of cool desert nights and caravans travelling on the Silk Road carrying riches, spices, food, incense and gold.

Al Oudh opens warm and spicy with caraway, dried fruits, cardamom, caraway and pink pepper. the spices are balanced by sweetness from dried fruits – I smell dried Medjool dates. Orange blossom rounds out the opening and sets up the oud. As I learned that day in Paris, oud can border on harsh, but here it’s linked to a note of smooth leather that softens the oud. Now it's flower time: neroli picks up from the orange blossom and is joined by rose and iris. This bouquet adds a gorgeous floral depth to the oud. Castoreum, carnal and animalic, becomes a smooth seducer when flanked by oud and rose. Saffron helps by adding an intimate softness as incense gives Al Oudh a lovely smokiness. The base is woody from Sandalwood and cedarwood, with wood faceted patchouli adding a dark earthiness. Civet keeps the seduction going as the sweetness of warm, balsamic myrrh brings Tonka bean and vanilla forward. Musk is here to smooth it all out.

The drydown is complex: spicy, warm, sensual, floral, a little bitter and just sweet enough. In Al Oudh, the oud isn’t hidden or tamed; instead, it is embellished in a way that makes it refined, sensual, exotic, and irresistible.

The beauty of Al Oudh is that It's ancient and contemporary at the same time. Now, this is an oud I can love.

Notes: are caraway, cardamom, dates, dried fruits, pink pepper, orange blossom, agarwood (oud), leather, incense, saffron, rose, iris, neroli, civet, myrrh, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, Tonka bean, Virginia cedar and vanilla.