I'm a perfume snob, but I receive compliments on this classic 'men's fragrance' every time I wear it

As Executive Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK, it is my job to hunt down the best perfumes for women. I spend my days spritzing and smelling everything from light, floral perfumes to deep, woody perfumes in a bid to highlight the very best out there. However, there are often times when I really want to shout about a particular men's fragrance—like Tom Ford Oud Minérale.

I'm going to be brutally honest here, when it comes to men's fragrance I am a total snob, and it takes a lot to impress me. While there's no doubt that Tom Ford men's fragrances (which, by the way, are totally gender fluid—I'm just using this term as a way to separate the scents which are, typically, most popular amongst men) are some of the best around thanks to their punchiness and longevity, it's their popularity that puts me off. You see, Tom Ford is one of those fragrance names that is just about everywhere, particularly when it comes to men's fragrance. Despite the garish price tags, it's hard to walk down the street without smelling at least one Tom Ford fragrance.

However, while firm favourites like Oud Wood and Ombré Leather might be everywhere, I have been gatekeeping one particular men's fragrance in the brand's line-up for years. Oud Minérale is, in my opinion, one of the best men's fragrances ever made. It is strong, punchy and long-lasting, but has a marine-like freshness to it that keeps it palatable, wearable and versatile in a way that no other fragrance in existence can compare to.

Oud Minérale has existed for many years in Tom Ford's iconic Private Blend collection, but over the past couple of years I found it increasingly difficult to get hold of. It would remain out of stock for most of the year across all retailers, but then I would find a few bottles of the eau de toilette sprinkled around the internet (of which I'd buy in bulk). When it came to buying my Christmas presents in November, I had lost hope that Oud Minérale would ever be available again. But then, just as I had given up, I received an email to inform me Oud Minérale was back for a relaunch, this time in the brand's Signature collection. I rejoiced.

On the first working day back of 2024, I tore into the Tom Ford package that had landed on my desk, eager to see if this Oud Minérale was the version I have always known and loved. The first thing I noticed? The bottle is different. Very different. Instead of being housed in the iconic Private Blend square bottle, Oud Minérale has been rehomed in a rounded, bronzed bottle for its new place in the Signature collection. Upon showing the bottle to the rest of team Marie Claire UK, it was decided that our take on this design is that it is far more masc. "It's very Magic Mike. Like big muscles and oil," said one colleague. My issue? The bottle doesn't quite match the juice.

Because the beauty of Oud Minérale is that it is inexplicably wearable and in no way polarising. Both my fiancé and I love to wear Oud Minérale, and we have done for years. It's an unbelievably fresh, marine scent. It's salty, peppery and aquatic—like waves crashing onto rocks opposed to tranquil waters. But where other fresh perfumes falter in longevity and luxury, Oud Minérale excels. One spray lasts all day and the subtle wafts of oud (which, I can assure you, are in no way divisive) keep things smelling luxe and undeniably expensive.

I could, in all honesty, write a thesis on why this fragrance is up there with the best ever created. I am asked by both men and women what fragrance I'm wearing whenever I spritz it, receive countless compliments on it and all of my fiancé's friends have started wearing it since first smelling it on him. Am I overjoyed with the new design choice? No. But overall, I'm just so pleased it's back in my life.