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Arooq Al Oud Al Rehab Perfume

6.8 / 10 45 Ratings

A perfume by Al Rehab for women and men. The release year is unknown. The scent is woody-oriental. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Woody

Oriental

Resinous

Earthy

Spicy

Fragrance Notes

Oud

Amber

Rose

Sandalwood

Ratings

Scent

6.845 Ratings

Longevity

9.240 Ratings

Sillage

7.634 Ratings

Bottle

8.348 Ratings

Value for money

7.910 Ratings

Submitted by Apicius · last update on 11/04/2022.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Shatha al Oudh

Black Afgano Extrait de Parfum

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/29/2012

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7Sillage

Flaconneur
49 Reviews

Flaconneur

Top Review 6

AROOQ AL OUD by Al-Rehab

Al-Rehab has been creating Arabian and oriental perfumes since 1975, and they are one of Saudi Arabia's leading perfume houses. Their company slogan, "quality at affordable prices for all" seems true, based on their modest pricing structure. This is my first experience with Al-Rehab and I must say, Arooq Al Oud kept my interest.

Arooq Al Oud starts out with a slightly boozy but biting note that is a little hard on the nose. There is a hint at the likelihood of some unidentified floral structure. I cannot recognize the floral note but it might be rose or a slightly bitter orange blossom. There are several florals very popular with Arabian perfumers: rose, hyacinth, lily of the valley, orange blossom or jasmine. Sometimes the use of these florals adds texture only, instead of proclaiming this is a floral scent. The heart note immediately rushes towards a concentrated woody oud and amber. Slightly afterwards, a rich medium density sandalwood comes onto the scene adding warmth and coziness. The sandalwood tempers the over-ambitious, resinous oud and makes it a bit sweeter and drier. Arooq Al Oud is somewhat linear, and there are some subtle changes, but this fragrance doesn't seem to be packed with an endless list of notes to discern. I find three basic elements here, a light floral, resinous oud, and a relaxing sandalwood. This simplistic combination allows Arooq Al Oud to be undemanding and quite masculine.

Arooq Al Oud is not retailed in the USA but can be purchased online. If you are an oud enthusiast, Arooq Al Oud might be worth sampling. I find this fragrance more interesting to wear than By Kilian's Pure Oud. Pure Oud is a little one-dimensional. Arooq Al Oud is oud with a pleasantly surprising western twist and is very affordable. This fragrance has great longevity and sillage is moderate. If others are offended by your love for oud fragrances, Arooq Al Oud will be a pleasant surprise for them.

01/23/2012

9Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Apicius
1328 Reviews

Apicius

Helpful Review 5

Tart Masculinity from Saudi Arabia!

Who says Arabian men only like their perfume amiable, sweet and flowery? With Arooq Al Oud the brand Al Rehab shows us a different way. Arooq Al Oud does completely without any recognizable florals or citric notes - and so it is something special! I do not know many ouds without flowers among the fancy western releases. Only two: Pure Oud of by Kilian – which I do not like that much – and the very expensive (520 €!) and also extreme Intricate by Boadicea the Victorious.

So, Arooq Al Oud is really masculine, maybe not a Charles Bronson, but let's say – Omar Sharif type of fragrance. It is woody and tart, but not unbalanced. Unfortunately, Al Rehab has not released the scent pyramid, so I rely on my own nose. Besides the oud, I smell a decent amount of amber – but not the dry, pale stuff which is the discreet and boring background of so many western perfumes. The note “Amber” as I have found it in traditional Arabian perfumes relates to a much bigger extent to the imaginations I have about burnt natural amber resin. In extreme cases, this can be as smoky as a decent, heavily smoked German Schwarzwälder Schinken (Blackforrest Ham). This may not bother people from Arabia where smoked pork is not eaten – but it is the reason why I dislike i.e. By Kilians attempt “Pure Oud”.

However, Arooq Al Oud integrates the amber note much better than the high-priced By Kilian fragrance. Here, the amber accompanies the Oud by adding just a slight smokiness – by far not as intrusive as to evoke those bacon and ham imaginations.

The third element in it is probably sandalwood. I think, behind this denomination there can be quite different possible ingredients. I guess it's something like Javanol, a rather tart variant of sandalwood. At least, I see a reminiscence to Montale's Amber & Spices or Greyland, where this kind of sandalwood is also included. And it is those two western “ouds” that with their tart and masculine appeal come closest to Arooq Al Oud so far. The sandal note is by the way the one that is still there when after many hours the rest is all gone. The longevity of Arooq Al Oud is sufficient – for a few hours, you have a beautiful accord of four notes. The fourth note is leather or something close to it.

The combination of all that has something of antique furniture, maybe the smell of horse stables and leather saddles – but all those imaginations do not really match. Anyway, the musty and fungus-like smell of oud is hard to come by with comparisons. You simply have to have your own experiences.

Arooq Al Oud starts as a powerhouse, but soon steps back into an altogether moderate sillage. I can wear it at the office, but I do get occasional positive comments.

Something is missing in Arooq Al Oud: it does not have this strange, not very beautiful “hairspray” note that you can find in the head of so many oud perfumes, i.e. most of the Montale ouds – which is good. And due to the missing florals and sweet notes, Arooq Al Oud is not at all overblown or fustian – which you can accuse of many other ouds.

Oud fragrances are hardly light, and Arooq Al Oud is no exception. Exclusive followers of aquatic or citric summer scents will not have much fun with it. But those who have a weakness for strong, tart and unsweetened gent's perfumes might like it. So, if Knize Ten, Terre d'Hermès, Antaeus or any leather chypre is in your collection, do not miss Arooq Al Oud!

Al Rehab is not a luxury brand. They sell every day fragrances that everybody can afford. To be honest, not all of their perfumes are recommendable. If you buy an Al Rehab fragrance, you should be aware that the European IFRA regulations are not valid in Saudi Arabia: no risk, no fun!

In my local Arab shop in Bonn I payed only 25 € (32 USD) for the 60 ml bottle of Arooq Al Oud. For this small money, you get a heavy glass flacon with a solid die-casting ornament with little glass slivers in it (almost Svarovski!). The cap has a bigger glass stone. This is simply a beautiful perfume bottle that one likes to touch. Great value for the money!

Arooq Al Oud is so far my favourite Arab perfume.

07/18/2018

7.5Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

Minigolf
2584 Reviews

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Minigolf

Very helpful Review 9

And forever lures the darkness

I tested this "Arooq Al Oud" in the African shop. And I definitely see the perfume as "controversial".
On one hand, I do love these "dark" scents.
And this one from Al Rehab is not only "dark", it is "night without foreign light", found today only in very remote places on Earth.)
And the myriad stars of the Milky Way are clearly perceptible in the moonless night.
On a lonely hill, surrounded by dense forest.
Only the purplish-red glowing, distant light of a rose seems to shine through.
Otherwise, a great, resinous, bitter-woody silence, permeated by the calls of an owl sitting somewhere in the branches.
I wander further through the warm, soft night.
When will it become morning? No, I like to remain in this mood, no brightly lit city nearby.
And if I stay.... am I then safe?.... But yes...!?
And if I move on?... Will I find my way back?!?
No, I do not want to "pollute" the untouched darkness with lamp light.
Although I have one with me.
I sit softly in the woods on moss and wait.....
And enjoy the scent of darkness.

08/09/2011

4Scent 7.5Longevity

Profumo
289 Reviews

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Profumo

Helpful Review 11

I'm afraid Oud and I will never really be friends...

Oud, this resin that has become so popular in the Western perfume hemisphere in recent years, has evidently found such a ravenous market that the stocks of the agarwood tree have been irresponsibly depleted. Entire regions, even countries and islands, which not long ago were considered typical habitats for these trees, have been stripped bare, with the trees often so mistreated that they died. That the resin can also be harvested from living trees has been demonstrated by Arabs and Asians for centuries, but the hunger, indeed the greed for this fragrance, whose value has skyrocketed due to sudden global demand, has made sustainable management impossible.
Well, just as in the 70s the last elephant was almost shot down simply because everyone was hot for ivory, it seems now that the agarwood tree is in danger, just because everyone thinks they need to slather themselves with a fragrance that, unfortunately, is contained in that resin which the tree secretes in response to injuries or fungal infestations.
(By the way, an interesting documentary on this topic: http://www.filmtrueffel.de/de/adlerholz.php)
As far as I'm concerned, these trees can be left unscathed, because I admit I'm not a big fan of Oud. So far, only a few fragrance concepts that claimed they couldn't do without the massive use of this material have convinced me, and 'Arooq Al Oud' by Al Rehab (Apicius, thanks again for the sample!) definitely does not belong to those. Yes, I must confess: I find the scent terrible.

What comes across as sensual and erotic in Neil Morris' wonderful 'Fetish', fresh and sprightly in Montale's 'Black Aoud' or 'Aoud Lime', and borderline but still pleasantly leathery-oily in Kilian's 'Pure Oud', unfolds here mainly in a dull and such an intensely fecal way that the entire fragrance, no matter how many components it may have, is permeated by it and is simply unpleasant to me.
I have experienced the exact same phenomenon before, with another fragrance from Montale, namely 'Aoud Cuir d’Arabie'. It's quite possible that it's just me (others find the Montale scent absolutely fantastic!), but it literally made me gag upon first spray. However, I am not squeamish when it comes to indolic, animalistic, and, for that matter, fecal nuances. On the contrary, many fragrances only develop their charm for me through a certain odor.
But - as I said - in this case, just like with 'Aoud Cuir d’Arabie', it's simply too much for me.

It could be the combination of Oud and 'Skank', the connection of bitter, almost piercing, smoky, woody, medicinal on one hand and sweet, animalistic, fecal on the other - it makes me feel nauseous. But this is, I emphasize again, my very own, personal perception, which is certainly not shared by others - as one can see. But I also belong to those who no longer have any problem with 'Kouros' (I once had a huge one...), while others turn green at the thought of it. Scents, especially those that - to put it mildly - are a bit precarious, are often perceived extremely differently. With 'Kouros', at some point it clicked, and what I previously found repulsive suddenly seemed attractive, even erotic to me.
Whether that will ever happen with 'Arooq Al Oud' or 'Aoud Cuir d’Arabie', however, I dare to doubt.
(I would have never imagined that with 'Kouros'... so, let's see)

For now, I unfortunately have to pass.

07/17/2013

9Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Jensemann
217 Reviews

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Jensemann

Helpful Review 4

Arooq Al Oud - Complex and Goud!

I have tried several times to find words for this fragrance. Due to the affordable price, I ordered this large packaging with the beautiful heavy bottle from the bay. Just for that, the scent from Al Rehab should have been much more expensive.
But the perfume you get here is in a class of its own. I rarely find myself at a loss for words with a fragrance, but here I am at the end of my rope. The notes only reveal Oud... but several factors play a role here.

"Arooq Al Oud" starts with a fruity aroma, which I have often noticed in Oud fragrances. What kind of fruit it could be remains a mystery to me.
After 10 minutes, a change begins to unfold. The fruity aroma is supported by something woody, so the Oud slowly creeps in from the background. Now it gets really good! It’s not that typical Montale Oud; you don’t get a hairspray note or anything like that here. No, as Apicius mentioned in the headline, it’s something bitter... and above all, something masculine! This is really good.

But to be honest... I really lack words for this fragrance. To me, it is very complex. I have tried several times to write a comment or find words, but for some reason, it just doesn’t work here.
And I do not perceive cow stables, sweaty feet, or anything like that, no matter how hard I try.

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