La Collection Privée

Oud Ispahan Dior 2012 Eau de Parfum

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7.6 / 10 744 Ratings

A popular perfume by Dior for women and men, released in 2012. The scent is woody-floral. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.

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Main accords

Woody

Floral

Oriental

Spicy

Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Labdanum

Heart Notes

Patchouli

Base Notes

Oud

Rose

Sandalwood

Perfumer

François Demachy

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.6744 Ratings

Longevity

8.7651 Ratings

Sillage

8.3651 Ratings

Bottle

8.2603 Ratings

Value for money

6.6342 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 07/24/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "La Collection Privée" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Oud Ispahan Esprit de Parfum

Oud Palao

oudTouch

Hammam Bouquet Eau de Toilette

Oudh 36 Nuit

Junoon

Reviews

35 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/09/2013

10
Sillage 3
Scent

Cryptic
24 Reviews

Cryptic

Very helpful Review 15

Unfortunate

Call me morbidly curious. When a close friend with an adventurous and tolerant nose tested Oud Ispahan and found it repellent, I had to see what the stink was all about. To cut straight to the chase, look no further than the oud, or pseudo oud (psoud?), since we all know by now that what passes for oud these days is just another aromachemical.

The specific "oud" found in OI smells to me like the same one that Montale has been using for years. If you find scents like Black Oud appealing, you will probably enjoy OI. In fact, I would rate OI higher than Black Oud because underneath the massive, hulking agarwood is the ghost of a beautiful perfume. The tiny waft of it that manages to escape being smothered is reminiscent of Dior's gorgeous Dolce Vita sans the big peach note. I can just barely detect the same harmonious combination of rose, sandalwood and cardomom that I adore in DV.

I can only surmise that the reason oud is present here in such a high concentration is to justify the large price tag. Apparently, someone at Dior figured that more "oud" would equal more dollars. I will say that OI is good value for money in the sense that the sillage is positively intergalactic. I put some on this evening and a short time later my husband inquired from the foot of the stairs, "Dear God, what did you spill up there?" Unfortunately, I can't comment on the longevity because I was forced to scrub, but not before the fragrance had fully developed. It is fairly linear in any event. To compare the experience to something relatable, it was like being in a surgical suite that had been scrubbed with an industrial cleaner, and then being swabbed with that orangey-brown antibacterial solution -- I think it's called Betadine. The anesthesiologist had just eaten a delicious dinner of Moroccan food and I could still smell it on her breath. She was also wearing a dab of very nice perfume. It probably goes without saying that this is not a good candidate for a blind buy. Big thanks to Dig for an interesting fragrant experiment.

03/02/2021

4
Pricing 9
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 10
Scent

Elysium
888 Reviews

Elysium

Top Review 9

An Aryan Tale Told With A French Accent

Ispahan or Esfahan is an influential city as it is located at the intersection of the two main north-south and east-west routes that cross Iran, formerly known as Persia. It is famous for its Persian-Islamic architecture, grand boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, tiled mosques, and minarets, and it also has many historical buildings, monuments, paintings, and artefacts. Isfahan’s fame led to the Persian proverb “Esfahān nesf-e-jahān ast”: Isfahan is half the world. And Oud Ispahan is the other half, absolutely. Oud Ispahan, named after the Iranian city, follows a traditional path by pairing oud with its beloved partner, the rose. This perfume tells the story of two conflicting Persian souls, rose gold and black gold, or dry rose and burnt oud.

The fragrance belongs to the oud and rose family of blends, and the scent is mesmerizing from the start. It opens with labdanum which is acute, massive, balsamic, and alcoholic, giving it a distinctive note. Its amber and leathery undertones are warm and seductive. It smells so damn raw and rough with hints of an old worn, and smoky leather jacket. Wow, that leather deal was utterly unexpected for me, causing an internal struggle between pain and pleasure. When you wash your hands in the unique bowl, you can smell the oud, a smoky woody fragrance that blends with that of the floral water. The labdanum, the flowers, and the woods give the perfume an almost camphorated nuance.

The oud is more prominent in my decant, while the rose is considerably dryer than either the gelatinous or clerical. As for me, I have only a faint perception of the Persian rose note. Yes, the rose is dried here. Sure, it’s still there, but it doesn’t scream. Some roses first have a fresh and delicate scent and then reveal a peppery appearance, and here it contrasts dramatically with the darkness of patchouli and oud. I find this approach interesting because the trend for perfumes with a heart note of rose is to create a sweet, crunchy, and fresh accord. Here it is dry, smoky, woody, and resinous while maintaining a certain freshness. Instead, I get tons of labdanum on top of patchouli and saffron. Patchouli is soft and complements the scent with an earthy warmth without ever getting lost in that rough, harsh vibe that’s all too common. And the oud is very well balanced. After a while, when the labdanum and rose fade, I am left with saffron and oud, a mix that gives off a strong smell of dirty smoke and firewood. The rose continues to grow on my skin. It is so seductive with soft hints of incense and camphor underneath and gives the perfume a slightly sweetish crease. The middle stage is like lokum Turkish delight that spreads up to the nose.

It finishes slightly dusty and dries to an incredible scent of smoky rose, resin, and incense. Agarwood is recognizable by the animal and leathery smell it gives off when it is burned. It is an intense, resinous, warm, slightly smoky, powerful, complex, aphrodisiac, hypnotic aroma, with few analogues in nature. A wonderful scent filled with incense, resins, and the scent of oriental roses lingers in an atmosphere filled with incense and resins. The oud adds an erotic edge to the fragrance; it is not medicinal, it is not sharp, it is mild and silky, an actual riot of luxury and calm. Its accessibility must be due to the resin added to it. The rose is still there. It never competes with the oud; they both support each other beautifully. There are hints of a mild animalic nuance; I assume it comes from the oud and patchouli blend. Finally, creamy sandalwood and dry cedarwood are very docile, just to add some woodiness and keep the oud from entering unsightly territory.

Although some aspects of Oud Ispahan seemed unexpected and surprising to me, and its elegant fragrance is a classic marriage of rose and wood, this perfume is not for everyone; at least, that’s my feeling. If you shop blindly expecting a natural succulent rose with a dash of oud to balance it out, you will be disappointed. It’s actually the other way around: rich leathery oud with a whiff of sweet rosewater to balance it, but not by much, so the oud is quite dominant here. The fragrance is winter par excellence, and it should be outstanding on summer evenings because it is not at all cloying. If you wear it to the office, spray it lightly, as it has a noticeable trail and longevity. Longevity is excellent, and the projection is lovely, especially in the early hours, and I believe she won’t leave her winter clothes until after a few days have passed.

This review is based on a decant I have owned since February 2021.

-Elysium

03/08/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Helpful Review 7

Glossy oud

Oud Ispahan is another glossy, sophisticated, particularly silky and clean Western oud-inspired scent, with not much left of the original, animalic “dirtiness” and rawness of Far East’s precious (rotten) gem. Here, the oud note is basically only a tamed-down and polished sort of “dark-smoked” woody note, as scary as a piece of cedar in a Halloween dark costume. Not much else apart from the “mandatory” rose note so many oud scents seem to require these days – I guess to make it softer, trendier and more unisex; and a note of patchouli, basically an earthy-dusty flavor of cocoa floating beneath woods and rose. Despite having not much to do with proper agar wood, Oud Ispahan is undoubtedly a refined, pleasant, luxurious scent exuding “contemporary chic”, with just a hint of trendy shallowness – far superior to Montale stuff, for instance, and many other synthetic ouds we’re used to. This smells a bit artificial too, but somehow classier. Oud lovers may want to stay away from this, while it may suit fans of “French luxury” which want to “smell expensive” with a touch of dark exoticism. The price is surreal for the quality but I feel that wouldn’t be a concern of the average “exclusive” Dior’s lines customer.

6,5-7/10

05/01/2013

7.5
Sillage 5
Longevity 7
Scent

Coutureguru
223 Reviews

Coutureguru

Helpful Review 6

More of the same ...

I tried to sample Oud Ispahan in Harrods on a visit to London last May, but it was unfortunately not available at that time. The generosity of the lovely Cryptic has enabled me to try this fragrance ... thanks so much for the sample!!

In the deluge of Oud fragrances over the last few years, Oud Ispahan is a little lost and floundering. Unfortunately it smells like a lot of other fragrances based around the same notes from houses like Montale and Nejma ... even Armani. I doubt very much that the Oud here is authentic ... more an aroma chemical representation of it ... but hey ... if it works for Montale ...
The issue is that the use of this type of 'Oud' simply makes everything smell the same ... the use of the genuine stuff would more than likely be cost prohibitive, as I have seen genuine oil going for as much as $30 000 per 10ml. That doesn't stop every other fragrance house from trying to cash in on the action by using the chemical version ... I guess at the end of the day, if one is a committed Dior fan, then Oud Ispahan will suffice.
Some of the merits of this fragrance are that it is a very smooth wear, with above average sillage and longevity. At the price point it sells for, these things should be the very least of it's attributes.
I can't help thinking that owning a bottle of this juice would, personally, be an incredible waste of money. I have fragrances in this combination of notes that cost way less, and imho are much better than this.

While Oud Ispahan is very nice I'm not going to break my head trying to acquire it ... the sample that I have will do for reference purposes and I suggest that if one is on the Oud trail, seek out the myriad authentic oils which proliferate on the net and can be had at a pittance. I personally feel that the Oud wave has crested and find my collection sufficient.

Update (27/6/13):

The more I've tried this the more I've realized that I can't not have it in my collection ... I've ordered a large portion of a split :) ...

12/18/2012

7.5
Bottle 10
Sillage 10
Longevity 5
Scent

Drseid
821 Reviews

Drseid

Helpful Review 5

A "Me Too" Rose Oud Scent...

There really is a bit of Portrait of a Lady's rose open in Oud Ispahan but it smells not nearly as good... And then there is a bit of similar synthetic oud as is found in many Montales, only less believable... Mix in some of Heeley Hippie Rose's annoying patchouli bomb and many other derivative scents and you have this disappointment in a nutshell. Projection and longevity are both truly exceptional.

I got in on a blind split of this early-on and had high hopes I would like or even love it, but alas it just is too similar to so many rose, patchouli and synthetic oud scents on the market that I can't really enjoy it as much as I would like. That said, it really is not a bad composition, just a derivative one that is rather overpoweringly strong and synthetic. Someone in a Men's forum post mentioned there is a bit of Black Afgano in here too, and I confess I do indeed at least see the comparison (albeit I don't think there is too much similarity)... Just for reference, this is NOT a good thing in my book. I don't think I will be wearing my split ever again as it is just too much, and there are so many much better rose and patchouli scents on the market for similar money, some less (can anyone say Portrait of a Lady?). I give this "me too" rose patch and synthetic oud scent by Dior 2.5 stars out of 5 and a neutral rating. Not bad, but definitely not recommended.

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