Essenze - Indonesian Oud Ermenegildo Zegna 2012 Eau de Toilette

Essenze - Indonesian Oud (Eau de Toilette) by Ermenegildo Zegna

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Essenze - Indonesian Oud (Eau de Toilette) (Ermenegildo Zegna)

7.8 / 10 111 Ratings

A popular perfume by Ermenegildo Zegna for men, released in 2012. The scent is woody-spicy. It was last marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.

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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Oriental

Floral

Earthy

Fragrance Notes

Oud

Rose

Amberwood

Bergamot

Patchouli

Perfumer

Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud

Ratings

Scent

7.8111 Ratings

Longevity

8.094 Ratings

Sillage

7.598 Ratings

Bottle

7.997 Ratings

Value for money

6.524 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 11/07/2024.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Aoud Line

Essenze - Indonesian Oud Eau de Parfum

Aoud Night

Santal Royal Eau de Parfum

Nero Oudh

Lonesome Rider

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/07/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

2

Decent Western oud

I hardly think there’s anything Indonesian here, but there’s surely a ton of oud. Synthetic to the bone with very little effort (or skills, or budget) to hide it, but it’s there, and it’s nearly the only thing I smell, paired with a subtle but consistent dark musky rose nuance, and some really sharp, bitter herbal patchouli, which took me some time to detect as it blends really well with the smokier-earthier side of oud. An odd, but quite well-fitting touch of bergamot floats around during the opening phase. Most of all it’s oud though. And it’s, well, a really ordinary, dry, extremely linear, a bit cheap oud note – the only interesting nuance being a sort of alcoholic-liquorish nuance. Nothing animalic or “fecal”, on the opposite it’s a woody-medicinal, smooth and polished note as in most of low/mid-range Western oud scents (from Montale down to Ferrari Oud), with a tar-like vibe reminding me of L’aigle de la Victoire by Rancé, and something similar to a touch of saffron. Quite artificial and flat, but fairly pleasant and unpretentiously classy. I appreciate the general “tone” in particular; despite being a dark scent with some potentially heavy notes, it smells actually really discreet and mannered. Just a bit too dry and linear for my tastes, and a bit cheap too as I said. Overall, aside from personal feelings, I would consider Indonesian Oud a decent fragrance which isn’t really worthy the crazy retail price, but may work nicely as a cheap everyday oud scent if you get it as a gift or stumble upon a (really) good deal.

6,5/10

09/20/2014

7.5
Bottle 10
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Drseid
820 Reviews

Drseid

1

What An Oud Rose Composition Should Smell Like...

Indonesian Oud opens with just an extremely brief hint of near-transparent unidentifiable citrus before quickly transitioning to its early heart. As the composition enters its heart the citrus completely disappears as the starring Oud enters the picture. The Oud is slightly peppery and very medicinal with traces of supporting earthy patchouli and airy light rose never overshadowing it. During the late dry-down the development stays quite linear with the Oud and rose remaining. As time passes the rose gains strength reaching near-parity with the Oud that eschews its earlier potency and medicinal qualities, with relatively dry supporting amber joining the effective co-stars through the finish. Projection is excellent to outstanding, as is longevity at well over 12 hours on skin.

Indonesian Oud was another one of the Zegna private Essenze collection winners sniffed on my recent vacation in Las Vegas at their boutique, taking the "runner up" slot to the masterpiece caliber Javanese Patchouli. During its brief trial on skin there I thought the rose played a more prominent role early, but now having worn the composition a few times the Oud is definitely much more the star than I initially thought and in fact is the focal note for most of the composition's highly linear development. Only relatively late in the dry-down does the rose become more assertive (or maybe its the Oud quieting down, allowing it a more prominent role) with only dry amber adding a new dimension towards the finish. The Oud is near-certainly synthetic, but this classic Oud/Rose/Patch composition is quite well put-together by perfumer Jacques Cavallier, distinguishing itself by keeping the Oud at the fore. One minor item of interest is Zegna mentions in all its literature surrounding the Essenze collection that the compositions all feature Italian bergamot. I suppose the opening citrus could indeed be bergamot derived, but quite frankly it was so brief and transparent that it really was forgettable and superfluous. If this was the same bergamot that played such a major role in the stellar Javanese Patchouli I am dumbfounded... I guess it will have to remain one of the great mysteries... The bottom line is the $195 per 125ml bottle Indonesian Oud represents nothing new, is quite linear and likely features synthetic Oud, but the overall presentation is nicely done with some really amazing performance metrics, earning it a "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 and a solid recommendation to all.

10/05/2020

10
Bottle 10
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

VictorLhv
26 Reviews

VictorLhv

3

Exciting Blend!

I am a rather recent admirer of oud scents, but this is so far the best of them all. It has body, it has audacity, it has strength. There is a blend of oud, rose and spices that goes beyond anything experienced so far. The oud is reliable, the rose is dark, the spices are exciting!

07/19/2018

8
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Meggi
212 Reviews

Translated Show original

Meggi

Top Review 27

Special shiny rose

A lot of truth and comprehensibility has already been said about the fragrance, so the focus is essentially on one detail, which seems very important to me: the appearance of the rose.

But first, something general. The fragrance is extremely noble right from the start. Silent, woody oud with an idea of acid, but completely without a cowshed. Nevertheless quite full of character, after a quarter of an hour it even develops a bitter-tinged note - smells like plasticine. This is demanding and a lot more demanding than I expected.

And now to the rose. She's shiny. Very special. Namely by clever restraint and a special shoot in the performance. In some fragrances where leather is mentioned, the feeling creeps up that the latter is mainly a compressed, thickened, downright oily rose aroma that only makes you feel like leather. And that works the other way around and moreover also turned one step further: The rose can be perceived perfectly at least partly in leather, the oud supporting. With it she de-weights herself, so to speak. As a result, I find the fragrance pleasantly oud-heavy and the rose only provides me with a dark floral swab that just captures the bitterness a little. I like it a lot. So I may just consider the already variously desired rose restriction for me as fulfilled.

Around noon, the lady is allowed a little more. A wafer-thin floral scent, which therefore delights again in context. Soon a gentle dusty amber joins in and towards evening the rose becomes a bit fruity sweet-like, but always maintains its composure. That's it from the complementary corner, everything stays soft and gentle. In such an environment, the oud does not have to ensure its presence via volume, but can - despite all the strength of character that actually hints at stable sides in the last few metres - act in a more elegant way.

For more experienced noses, this is unquestionably nothing new or exciting, especially not at the called price. Of course, I imagine someone trying on his suit in the dignified atmosphere of a Zegna store and quickly adding a relative pocket money for a fragrance that rounds off the overall appearance of nobly dark. Indonesian Oud is probably meant for that and he can do that perfectly.

10/01/2024

6
Pricing 7
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 7.5
Scent

Lauser93
754 Reviews

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Lauser93

1

Am I the Rose Cavalier?

Oh yes...what can I say...I have already tested so many fragrances and with Essenze - Indonesian Oud Eau de Toilette I think to myself: Yes, it's not bad. But unfortunately, there's not much more euphoria. The performance is also really not that intoxicating: I perceive the fragrance on my skin for 6 to 8 hours and the sillage is very modest - nobody noticed me at work.

Unfortunately, I can't score with a top, heart or base note here. The Essenze - Indonesian Oud Eau de Toilette smells totally of rose water from start to finish. In between, there are woody aromas of sandalwood, amberwood and rosewood. A certain oriental spiciness also resonates. Can I doubt my bottling? At least I don't detect any oud, animalic or leather...

The Essenze - Indonesian Oud Eau de Toilette is certainly not bad, but in the end, it's not a real winner... It's a shame, but what the heck... Not every fragrance can carry you away.