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Classic Collection III

Russian Oud II Areej Le Doré 2023

8.4 / 10 289 Ratings

A popular limited perfume by Areej Le Doré for women and men, released in 2023. The scent is woody-animal. Projection and longevity are above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Woody

Animal

Resinous

Gourmand

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Deer musk

Ambergris

Heart Notes

Cocoa

Indian oud

Base Notes

Cedar

Resins

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

8.4289 Ratings

Longevity

8.9266 Ratings

Sillage

8.4264 Ratings

Bottle

9.4252 Ratings

Value for money

7.3212 Ratings

Submitted by BenniB · last update on 02/19/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was part of the collection Classic Collection III.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Russian Oud Extrait de Parfum

Iris Cacao - Mysore Edition

Milestones

Habana Cocoa

Sunset in Assam

Lao Oud Extrait de Parfum

Reviews

18 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/19/2023

9.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

DrB1414
281 Reviews

DrB1414

Helpful Review 6

LESS is MORE with this one

With Russian Oud, LESS is MORE. I like to see this perfume as a continuation of Zen and Picante. But this one is the player, the seductive one. Adam toned down the Oud, the smoke, the spices, and the animalics, added dark cocoa, and turned it up to an 11. The result is something truly perfect, brilliant in its barbaric simplicity. Hindi Oud, Resins, a hint of Castoreum, and Dark Cocoa that turns into a molted Chocolate accord. But it really boils down to 3 main players, the Oud, the Cocoa, and the Resins. That's it. But it's more than enough. It almost feels linear, though not quite that boring. The opening is a massive blast of dark, unsweetened Cocoa powder. Like someone just sprinkled some in your face. This opening is fantastic and it literally takes my breath away each time. It wears off quickly and it moves to the heart, where the Hindi Oud is present, quite bold, backed up by resins and a sweet, leathery castoreum. At this stage, the Cocoa envelopes the previously mentioned notes, as these are always portrayed through this Cocoa dust-screen. As it settles into the base, the Oud recedes and the Cocoa together with the resins fuse to create a dark chocolate accord. The woodiness just lingers as a reminder that this is still, an Oud perfume.
This is very close to the original, but I actually prefer this version, as the Cocoa is more prominent, whereas I feel the Labdanum/Resins were more prominent in the OG. Also, there's a more vivid showcase of notes here, and the composition feels clearer. I believe Adam improved upon the original, with this one.
To me, Russian Oud is the best Oud-Cacao blend ever and an incredibly satisfying and comfortable wear. Nothing is off here. Everything fits perfectly within the blend and is dosed accurately. If you are a Cocoa lover like myself, this should be one to sample. Bear in mind though, that this is no plain gourmand perfume, nor the commercially sweet stuff. It has a noticeable Hindi Oud note and Castoreum. I don't really find them to distract much, but I am quite used to them. The way the Cocoa accord is showcased here is my favorite. It has that dusty, velvety quality, before turning into a chocolate-toffee-like texture. For me, this one, alongside Lutens' Borneo, and older iterations of Slumbehouse Ore, reigns supreme in this genre. My Cocoa Trifecta. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Updated on 09/26/2023

01/16/2026

9Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

Omnipotato
496 Reviews

Omnipotato

Helpful Review 3

Agarwood and stroopwafels

A truly gourmand agarwood fragrace, Russian Oud II opens pretty intensely as can be seen from the note pyramid with animalic notes straight from the off, and the agarwood apparent right away. But after it settles, it goes into a kind of toasty-sweet caramellic cocoa that reminds me of stroopwafels. In fact, I remember referencing that specific sweet before in my reviews, I searched for it, and lo and behold, it was another Russian Adam fragrance, Black Ambergris that reminded me of it (technically Anonim's whole schtick is that the founder/perfumer is anonymous, but most people think it's Russian Adam). I personally still prefer Lao Oud Extrait de Parfum for my choco-oud of choice, but this is a fantastic choice for those looking for a sweet approachable take on agarwood.

11/05/2025

4.5Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Stardust23
24 Reviews

Stardust23

3

Not what fragrance is for....

Who am I really, just some uncultured nose on the internet, so take this with an impossibly large grain of salt, and also know this is my first days of impression with Areej Le Dore. Things like this clearly have to grow on you, but I'm writing nonetheless.

Russian Adam (the perfumer) is a world class perfumer who sources and blends incredible materials. His creations are works of art in raw form, but to me, artistry does not always translate to wearability. This perfume feels like it was made to impress other perfumers or collectors more than to smell good on human skin. It might be olfactory performance art, but it's alienating.

Innovation should elevate pleasure, not make it like a freaking endurance test. It's like this aesthetic elitism where if you don't get it, you're not refined enough...well, maybe this scent is just unpleasant?

I do value creativity, but I also value beauty. I do not think this journey needs to be about aesthetic one upmanship where the rarer, dirtier, or more unapproachable the scent, the more authentic it makes the wearer.

For some, this will be a statement piece (as are other Areej Le Dore fragrances), but in a way, one that's not meant for skin or for people. So, if you're new to these fragrances, or fragrances in general like me (I've really only been at this for like 2.5 to 3 years, so again, who am I really), just be careful as these fragrances are not for the faint of heart. I don't anticipate that I'll review the other ones that I've sampled just to say the same thing, and frankly, this was probably the least polarizing that I tried (in relative terms).

06/12/2025

ClaireV
969 Reviews

ClaireV

2

Chocolate caramel oud cake

It's impossible to describe Russian Oud without bringing food into the conversation. If Oud Piccante is a piece of raw steak covered in peppercorns, slapped down into a pan sizzling with lamb fat, then Russian Oud is a dainty piece of chocolate cake laid out on a doily, tendrils of caramel drizzled on top. For something so delicious, it is remarkably spacious and fine-boned. Even in color, Russian Oud distinguishes itself as finer than her rugged big brothers, being clear in color, while Oud Zen and Oud Piccante leave great big yellow-brown oil stains all over the skin.

Russian Oud is clearly a gourmand take on oud. It is very chocolatey, with a sweet, incensey woodsmoke note giving it a nicely dusty texture, and labdanum later lending a toffee chewiness that, in turn, jives perfectly with the smoky chocolate. The papery dryness in the heart gives the structure room to breathe. Actually, in terms of texture, Russian Oud has a surprising trajectory, from dusty to papery to chewy.

At first, Russian Oud reminds me very much of several chocolate-woody-ambery fragrances I've been loving recently, including Ummagumma (Bruno Fazzolari), Dark Moon (DSH Parfums), and meltmyheart (Strangelove NYC), but later on, when the resiny, leathery - almost coffee-ish - tone of the oud asserts its dominance, it reminds me more of the woody gourmands of Parfumerie Generale. In other words, it becomes less edible as time goes on, and more woody-resinous.

The drydown is where the castoreum and labdanum really begin to take over, and to my nose, it is this phase that is most similar to that of Oud Piccante. The castoreum gives the oud and amber a slightly sour, musky undertone that suits the hot, bilious oud. Kafkaesque mentions Ambre Loup (Rania J) in her review, and yes, that's spot on - the drydown of both Russian Oud and Oud Piccante is extremely similar to that of Ambre Loup.

Full disclosure; I sold my bottle of Ambre Loup because I found it to be a mess of contradictions: sweet but sour, delicious but super-heavy, like too much of a good thing, a faintly greasy mixture of animal fat and chocolate and sugar and freshly-tanned leather all melted down together. I liked it, but never wanted to wear it. It felt like the 24th course in a 25-course tasting menu. This is a feature of the oud or castoreum-tobacco accord that Rania uses in both Ambre Loup and Oud Assam. Both excellent scents, but stifling in their heavy, breathy, brocaded sweet-n-sourness. The Ambre Loup effect is much, much softer in Russian Oud than in Oud Piccante, though, and it's one of the reasons why I prefer Russian Oud.

All in all, Russian Oud is a soft, smoky chocolate take on oud, and the refined sister scent to Oud Piccante's brash, big brother. Oud Piccante and Russian Oud are definitely first cousins; Oud Zen, by comparison, is a very distant progenitor, a Romanov offshoot who found peace in obscurity, living a simple but hearty life in a country dacha.

04/21/2025

9.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Majid114
147 Reviews

Majid114

2

Russian Oud ll

Russian Oud II from the High Luxury Perfumery Niche/Indie Areej Le Doré with its base currently in Indonesia is part of 'Classic Collection 2023' is an Extrait Of Parfum Amber Musky Woody Gourmand Shareable. This is a new fragrance, it was launched in 2023 and the perfumer who signs this fragrance is Russian Adam.

Russian Oud ll is the dream of any lover of 'oud gourmand. It is a perfume built around a natural oil of achocolated 'agarwood distilled in India according to an ancient traditional method. All very tasty and pleasant, you will not find difficulties or challenges here. An extract in body spray with soul of attar.

The fragrance is built on two pillars: 'Oud & Cocoa! In the opening we already have two natural ingredients rare in perfumery today and with an absurd quality: ambergris and musk ... has no comparison with the synthetics used on a large scale today. 'Oud Chocolate long-time is already known by lovers of 'natural oud in oil(attar’s).

A unique natural experience provided by the bittersweet ambergris with a more aromatic musk that animalic already blending to the delicious gourmet accord of Indian oud and cocoa, a dose of sweetness but not far from nauseous, I would say a dark chocolate half bitter. In my view a semi-gourmand performed with mastery by Russian Adam.

Towards the drying arrive resins of woody green woods bringing a woody content composition and an air more mature and formal composition. The juice of the perfume is super dense viscous sticky and dark, stains the skin that will tell light clothes; it is a attar bottled in spray form. Despite organic ingredients that may seem at first sight scary Russian Oud ll is zero difficult or challenging, only requires mild temperatures.

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