Al Mas Amouage 2010

For my readers in the distant future or for the unlikely case that the discerning fragrance-savvy reader has been living under a rock for the past few years: Agarwood, also known as Oud, is currently very trendy. In the category "new and noteworthy," where Parfumo presents eighteen selected new releases, we currently find "Taif Aoud" by Roja Parfums, "Oud Bouquet" by Lancome, "Hand in Hand - Rose & Oudh" by Ramon Monegal, "Amber Oud" by Floris, and "N° 9 Oud" by Trish McEvoy. Even Lip Smacker is reportedly about to release the flavor "Oud Cherry." Okay, okay, that was made up, but the Oud hype has become so extensive that Oud as a lip balm flavor doesn't sound completely absurd anymore. In other words, Oud is simply everywhere.

That would be great if I were an Oud fan. If, said the Laconian, and that is exactly the problem: I do not like Oud. At least, I do not like fragrances with a strong Oud note; I have never had agarwood under my nose in its natural form. In perfumes, I encounter the scent note as woody and strongly medicinal, with a slightly animalistic note. Accordingly, I was initially disappointed that "Al Mas" turned out to be very Oud-heavy - and all the more surprised when I found out after a while that I actually liked the scent.

"Al Mas" is an attar and therefore oil-based, starting with the dreaded woody-medical notes, but the agarwood here is not as piercing as I usually know it, and it is softened by a milky sweetness. I believe I can sniff creamy vanilla, saffron, and raisins, as we leave behind the medicinal impression with the opening, and the Oud note reveals itself from a warm-woody side. A very milky sandalwood note joins in, the promised rose can at most be sensed as a hint and is then gone again. What remains is the idea of a dessert, sweet saffron rice soaked in milk flavored with sandalwood and vanilla pods, sprinkled with pieces of Oud, a scent impression that is somewhere between woody and edible.

With its blend of wood and dessert, "Al Mas" is a distant relative of "Dries Van Noten par Frédéric Malle," which wavers between sandalwood and waffles, yet remains drier and does not approach the idea of a dessert as closely as its cousin does. Nevertheless, "Al Mas" never tips into the sticky; instead, it remains grounded through the woody notes. These are also the ones that linger the longest on the skin, a warm woodiness that ultimately shows a tiny trace of the animalistic note I usually associate with Oud. The dreaded harsh impression is absent, and agarwood instead forms a soothing counterbalance to the sweet aspects of the fragrance.

As delightful as this discovery is, I still stand by my point: Give us something other than Oud already, or Lip Smacker might actually come up with silly ideas. After the long-lasting Oud wave, we simply need some variety. How about benzoin? Or osmanthus, that sounds nicely exotic too. Labdanum, perhaps? Anything!