Indonesian Oud (Eau de Toilette) by Ermenegildo Zegna

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Essenze

Indonesian Oud Ermenegildo Zegna 2012 Eau de Toilette

7.8 / 10 117 Ratings

A popular perfume by Ermenegildo Zegna for men, released in 2012. The scent is woody-spicy. The longevity is above-average. 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

7.8117 Ratings

Longevity

8.099 Ratings

Sillage

7.6102 Ratings

Bottle

7.9101 Ratings

Value for money

6.529 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 07/17/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was part of the collection Essenze.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Oud Indonesian

Aoud Night

Aoud Line

Indonesian Oud Eau de Parfum

Santal Royal Eau de Parfum

Nero Oudh

Reviews

10 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

7Scent 7.5Longevity 10Sillage

Drseid
828 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

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

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

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

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Meggi

Top Review 27

Specially Shiny Rose

Much truth and comprehensible observations have already been made about the fragrance, so let’s focus primarily on one detail that seems very important to me: the appearance of the rose.

But first, something general. The fragrance is extraordinarily noble right from the start. Quiet, woody oud with a hint of sourness, yet completely devoid of barnyard notes. Nevertheless, it is quite characterful; after a quarter of an hour, it even develops a bitter-stinging note - it smells like modeling clay. This is demanding and considerably more so than I had expected.

And now to the rose. It shines. Very specifically. Namely through clever restraint and a special twist in its appearance. In some fragrances where leather is mentioned, one gets the feeling that it primarily deals with a compressed, thickened, almost oily rose aroma that merely pretends to be leather. Here, however, it works the other way around and, moreover, taken a step further: The rose can be perceived flawlessly, at least partially, in a leathery, oud-supporting manner. In doing so, it somewhat lightens itself. As a result, I find the fragrance pleasantly oud-heavy, and the rose provides me with merely a dark-floral touch that just captures the bitterness a little. I really like that. So I can consider the rose restriction, which others have already desired in various ways, as fulfilled for myself.

Around noon, the lady can be a bit more. A delicate floral scent that, in this context, is again delightful. Soon, softly dusty amber joins in, and by evening, the rose becomes a bit fruity-candy-like, but always maintains its composure. That’s all from the supplementary corner; everything remains gentle and soft. In such an environment, the oud does not need to assert its presence through loudness but can - despite all the character strength that indeed hints at barnyard notes in the final stages - act nobly.

For more experienced noses, this is undoubtedly not new or exciting, especially not at the price point being asked. I can easily imagine someone in the refined atmosphere of a Zegna store trying on their suit one last time and quickly following up the few thousand euros for the fine piece with a relatively small amount for a fragrance that rounds off the overall appearance in a noble-dark manner. This is presumably what Indonesian oud is meant for, and it does that perfectly.

10/26/2017

8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

loewenherz
919 Reviews

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loewenherz

Top Review 15

'May the best one win'

translates to German as: 'Möge der Bessere gewinnen'. The phrase gained both curious and remarkable notoriety during the semi-finals of the 2012 European Football Championship between Germany and Italy, when news anchor Ingo Zamperoni - son of a German and an Italian - bid farewell to the news with a quote from the poet prince Dante Alighieri ('Lo viso mostra lo color del cuore', in English: 'The face reveals the mood of the heart') and a smile that most television viewers considered a bit too broad, at the halftime score of 0:2 for Italy. (Italy did win the match, but three days later in the final against Spain, they suffered a heavy defeat of 0:4.)

'Che vinca il migliore'. No other fragrance combination has shaped the last decade more than that of oud and rose. Like many other successful combinations, the cohort of oud-rose fragrances has established itself over the years from the high-priced niche into the drugstore segment - ranging from exciting to utterly boring, and from very beautiful to terrible. However, what has been lost due to this described spread is the special and new: the oud-rose accord could hardly be more commonplace in the 2010s - and so, anyone who wants to succeed with it today must be good - no: better than good - and better than the others. So: may the best one win!

Whether Ermenegildo Zegna's Indonesian Oud is the best rose-oud fragrance - I wouldn't dare to claim that here. But without a doubt, it is one of the better ones among them. Because unlike many others, who blend these two already strong characters into something that often smells of little more than a cutting-metallic sweetness - which doesn’t have to be bad, but ultimately smells of neither oud nor rose - Indonesian Oud allows both to retain their essence. Their voice. Their presence. The rose is blooming, playful, caressing, while the oud adds its famous glow, which always reminds me of the cry of a bird of prey. The fragrance has a remarkably palpable contour; one can almost effortlessly follow its development and that of each of its ingredients - even bergamot (only very briefly), amber, and patchouli (both more towards the end) are distinctly present. But ultimately, this is a rose-oud fragrance - a particularly beautiful one, in which flower and resin push against each other like in a courtship, provoking and enhancing each other. That’s what makes a good perfume.

Conclusion: definitely a fragrance for someone like Ingo Zamperoni. Conservative enough for a news anchor, capricious enough for a (half) Italian. And although a bit cheeky, you can't really be mad at it.

Updated on 10/27/2017

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