Oud is a precious and often expensive ingredient prominent in some of the best fragrances around. Yes, oud perfumes tend to give off a really luxurious quality—and, as somebody who loves woody perfumes the most (and let's face it, all luxury perfumes) , they really are a bit of me.
Sometimes spicy, sometimes a little smoky, but always with a luxurious quality, oud perfumes tend to catch people's attention. Adding a lot of depth to a fragrance, the note also makes for long-lasting perfumes, with that woodiness still detectable on the skin hours after you’ve first applied it.
In this guide I’ve shared my thoughts on nine very different oud scents, including both long-time favourites and newer discoveries, to help you find a new addition to your perfume collection. One of the below is sure to have those in your company asking: What perfume are you wearing?
1. Byredo Oud Immortel
This perfume is a great example of why I love spending time trying new scents. When I first spritzed this Byredo number, I wasn’t sure it was for me. But once it settles onto the skin with the initial cardamom and incense, it develops into this tobacco-y, woody gloriousness that I’m now a bit obsessed with, if I’m being completely honest. It has good staying power on the skin, and I think it’s one that I’ll keep coming back to—Super Cedar is probably the closest I've had to a signature perfume and this might just join it.
2. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood
The name behind the famous TikTok sensation Baccarat Rouge 540, Maison Francis Kurkdjian has many other luxurious fragrances that are also worth your time and attention. I’ve tried both of the closely-related Satin Mood and Silk Mood, and this is my favourite of the two. Silky is a perfect way to describe it—sophisticated and light yet long-lasting, it’s got a subtle freshness thanks to bergamot with all of the woody depth of rosewood, guaiac wood and, of course, oud.
3. Kayali Oudgasm Cafe Oud 19
If I had to describe this fragrance from Mona Kattan’s fragrance brand (which sits under Huda Beauty) in just one word, it’d probably be addictive. It’s spicy, gourmand and a little sweet, with notes of cappuccino and rose alongside white musk, vanilla and oud. The combination is very unique and attention-grabbing—in the best way—and I could still faintly smell it on my skin more than 12 hours after I applied that first spritz.
4. Creed Royal Princess Oud
Creed’s Royal Princess Oud is a very 'femme' oud perfume—a little fruity, a little floral and a bit woody. Initially feeling fresh, it's light, elegant and very wearable with a kind of classic feel to it. I’d say that it’s a particularly good choice for those who don’t want oud to take centre stage in their fragrance but to still be detectable.
5. Mizensir Original Oud
To me, this has everything you’d want from an oud perfume. Opening with geranium and cardamom and wearing through into white woods, sandalwood and oud, it’s sophisticated, long-wearing (I could still smell a trace of it on my skin more than 12 hours after I first applied it), elegant and neither too sweet nor too intense. If you like oud perfumes I can’t see an obvious reason why you wouldn’t like it—I can imagine that it’ll layer really nicely with others in my collection, too.
6. D.S. & Durga Notorious Oud
Interestingly, I find that Notorious Oud smells almost leathery after the initial spritz, which soon makes way for this earthiness alongside the uniqueness of oud. Opening with aromatic notes of saffron, camphor and white galbanum, it makes an impact without being too much—spicy, woody and ever so slightly citrusy.
7. Initio Parfums Oud for Happiness
Oud for Happiness is the perfect name for this fragrance, because it’s luxurious, cheerful and uplifting all at once. Described as “a puff of freshly-cut narcotic grass”, it’s a little sweet but quite unique. Bright and fresh bergamot and ginger make way for hints of licorice and vanilla alongside musk, oud and cedarwood. However, it’s also incredibly expensive, so not accessible for those with smaller perfume budgets.
8. Jo Malone London Velvet Rose & Oud
This scent just so happens to be one of my favourite scented luxury candles and as a perfume, it’s ideal for that non-traditional rose scent. What I mean by that is that it has all the elegant, velvety powderiness of rose but none of the sickly, cloying quality that might remind you of old-fashioned soap. I find that it doesn’t last as long on my skin as some other oud perfumes in this guide, but it’s a lovely fragrance nonetheless.
9. Tom Ford Oud Wood
A classic oud perfume, this Tom Ford Private Blend is often described as a 'masc' fragrance, but it’s very much a universal one (as all fragrances should be considered, really). Starting with a slight freshness, it's ambery and a little sweet with tonka bean alongside that all-important oud—and is one that lasts for several hours.
