Pure Oud fragrance notes
- oud, saffron, copahu balm, amber, gaiac wood, cypriol, cistus labdanum, myrrh, animalic notes
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Latest Reviews of Pure Oud


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It smells like a black leather jacket tinctured into a pool of black tar and then vaporized into a mist of gasoline.
Pure Oud draws a line around itself and stays within it. Real oud oil has a smell that spills messily out over every line you've drawn for yourself; the brazenly-named Pure Oud (it is purely synthetic) is self-contained. But they do share a common denominator both smell other-worldly and somewhat stark.
For me, it is the Western-based oud fragrance that comes closest to mimicking the smell of real oud oil. Not a sour, fermented-smelling Hindi or Assam oud oil, but one of those aged, dry oud oils where you can pick out hints of leather, dried fruit, melting plastic lunch boxes, and smoke.
Caveat: Pure Oud is a minimalist take on a maximalist smell, i.e., it does not approach the complexity or range of aromas of real oud oil. Nothing this obviously synthetic can come close to copying something so rudely natural.
But the experience of using oud oils and attars is not interchangeable with or comparable to using traditional fragrance; one is a quiet, more private experience geared toward internal contemplation; the other is a projection of oneself to the wider world. We shouldn't keep holding up one against the other in a race for authenticity. Prefer instead that benchmark of Guy Robert's: Does it smell good? And yes, Pure Oud does smell good very good indeed.
I find Pure Oud to be very quiet, but long-lasting. Sometimes, to turn up the volume a bit, I re-spray during the day, twice, or even three times. This way, it builds up on the skin in layers of translucent ink leather upon rubber upon gasoline, until it finally pushes off the skin in a sulky swirl of woodsmoke.


While most certainly not what its label would lead one to believe, Pure Oud does enter on a rather enjoyable oudh reconstruction. In its general style the opening parallels Francis Kurkdjian's fine Oud Cashmere Mood and Oud Velvet Mood, with which Pure Oud shares several listed notes. The oudh accord here is initially complex both medicinal and animalic. Saffron and cypriol emphasize the smoky, medicinal aspect of the oudh, while myrrh adds depth and roundness.
Where Pure Oud falls down is in what I tend to think of as the mechanics: sillage and projection are both limited, and lasting power is only moderate. I can see the resentment at having to reapply a scent in this one's price range after only a few hours. The drydown, I must admit, is also something of a disappointment: the oudh accord unravels into a relatively bare ensemble of woody notes.
To its credit, and unlike so many current oudh-themed fragrances, Pure Oud does not lean heavily on rose, and thus has a more individual profile than a number of its niche competitors. Still, at these prices, one has the right to expect more - and can get it, too, from Kurkdjian's aforementioned Oud Cashmere Mood and Oud Velvet Mood, both of which trump Pure Oud in terms of projection, tenacity, and sustained compositional depth.

6,5/10



Even though this is called "Pure Oud," don't let that deceive you into expecting Oud. Although you're expected to pay through the nose, your friend in the middle of your face will never be particularly exhilarated by this pleasant but painless fragrance...
At the end of the day, I just can't get over the name. It's deceiving. I will repeat, it's deceptive. Manipulating and disappointing. All because of the name. It is neither Pure nor Oud. There is no purity. There is no Oud. There is, however, attention spent toward placing a focus on Oud, but it is not prominent, and it doesn't justify the hefty expense.
If you're a salesperson and someone who has never smelt Oud (but has read lots of reviews) approaches you asking for a recommendation -- I can imagine endorsing this if you work on commission, but I would never suggest this to a friend, and I would never pay full-price on a bottle for myself, and even if I received it as a gift, I would never wear it often enough to justify keeping it amongst my few preferred possessions.


Designed by Calice Becker as part of the Arabian Nights Collection for By Killian and launched in 2009; Pure Oud smells woody, leathery, smokey and offers a realistic interpretation of the aroma of burning oud wood chips/incense, as this oud incense smoke might smell if it were bottled as a fragrance. I have been very impressed with the artistic quality of most everything Ms. Becker has created and Pure Oud is no exception. Pure Oud is a standard fragrance by which many other oud scents that have been created since will be measured against.
The smell of Pure Oud on the skin is a cool, dry scent of mossy, oudish and smokey woods that have an inviting nut like warmth to the aroma staying warm through to the base. There are no florals or fruit in the mix keeping this oud recreation solidly in the "leather oud" department, as a type of oud fragrance. Some of the major notes are: oud (probably synthetic) cypriol oil, gaiac wood oil, copahu balm and saffron oil. The smell of this fragrance is not immediately pleasing but it is very pleasing nonetheless, probably more provocative than pleasing. The appeal of a darker fragrance of this type is the recollection of hard won qualities that leave their tracks in time through woods and the natural world. This is a classic fragrance aroma - one of the best of its type in my opinion. Pure Oud lasts several hours before receding into the background, so it is not nearly as long lasting as some and this could be a negative for some, but I peronally like the gentle nature of this otherwise very roughly cut scent. rating 4. / 5.
