Oud Absolu Cartier 2016

Recently, I tested the Oud & Rose by Cartier, which proved to be anything but tame. When a fragrance from this line is named Oud Absolue, I naturally expect at least a rather dark, but even more so, a deeply animalistic scent. However, for my nose, nothing of that applies to Oud Absolue.

Since no fragrance notes are provided, I can only guess. At first, I smell something citrusy; I would bet on orange. Now, please don’t think that OA is a fresh scent. The orange is immediately embedded in a warm context, as I also perceive the fragrance as quite waxy-resinous, but also a bit ethereal. That could be incense, but it mainly reminds me of amber resin, which I recently burned.

Shortly thereafter, the fragrance develops something that makes me think of a wild leather note. Perhaps similar to the grand, dark-rough one in Cuir Fauve, but much more nuanced and framed by the aforementioned tones.

Unfortunately, this impression doesn’t last long; perhaps it was just my imagination because I desperately wanted to identify what the oud note is supposed to be. As I wear the fragrance a bit longer, it even brightens up rather than darkening further. Now I believe I smell mainly patchouli. Not a rough, musty, or medicinal patchouli. Rather a yellowish patch with a viscous consistency. Such a patchouli note exists in other fragrances as well, but there it is either turned in a light hay-like or a dark chocolatey direction. Instead of choosing one of these directions, the patch here turns in an unusually sweet-fruity direction.

In the longest phases of the fragrance development, Oud Absolue reminds me of a somewhat different version of the Oud by Josh Lee, only with resins instead of vanilla and significantly better performance. The Josh Lee Oud is a go-to for me. It works no matter what I do, when, or where, regardless of the weather. This is because you can’t overdo it (you could certainly do that with the Cartier), but also because it smells somewhere unique, yet still pleasant, cheerful, and more casual than super elegant. This sentence may not mean much to many, but it could be a hint to take a look at the somewhat unknown Josh Lee if you like the Cartier.

Personally, I find Oud Absolue to be a nice, easy-to-wear fragrance. It doesn’t really smell like oud to me, nor does it have a truly human or animalistic quality. However, I also wore a pretty animalistic bomb yesterday, so perhaps that’s why I don’t perceive the human nuances mentioned by my predecessor. Nevertheless, I believe that Oud Absolue can be worn almost anywhere and will certainly not cause irritation.

Overall, it is pleasant, harmonious, and does not smell cheap. But for me personally, Oud Absolue is a bit too "nice." Not because I necessarily miss something animalistic, but rather because I miss tension or a bit more "Absolue."