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Arabian Nights

Pure Oud Kilian 2009

7.0 / 10 120 Ratings

A perfume by Kilian for women and men, released in 2009. The scent is woody-resinous. The longevity is above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Woody

Resinous

Oriental

Spicy

Smoky

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Saffron

Heart Notes

Oud

Copaiba balsam

Base Notes

Cypriol

Gaiac wood

Labdanum

Amber

Perfumer

Calice Becker

Ratings

Scent

7.0120 Ratings

Longevity

8.392 Ratings

Sillage

6.978 Ratings

Bottle

8.590 Ratings

Value for money

5.813 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 12/18/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was part of the collection Arabian Nights.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Gao

Oud Cashmere Mood

Oud Velvet Mood

Nuvolari

'Ilm

Armani Privé - Oud Royal

Reviews

18 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/26/2012

7Scent 5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

1

Real Oud, But Not Real Wearable...

A relatively positive recommendation on Pure Oud from me. It has a rubbery, slightly medicinal Gaiac heart mixed with real Oud that I find intriguing and is keeping me interested in smelling it throughout its development. Amber, and maybe a hint of musk join the Oud to form the base of the scent. I have to give By Kilian some points for using real oud in its composition, and keeping to the scent's name in spirit. Projection is above average here, but longevity is only average. This is not the easiest scent to wear, but still nice on the whole. I would say 3.5/5.

If this more straight Presentation of oud scent is too much for you, then the other By Kilian Arabian Nights oud scents may be more appealing to you... Rose Oud for a Rose dominant oud, and Incense Oud for a reference incense scent that may not contain much or even any real oud, but smells incredible nonetheless.

07/31/2025

ClaireV
969 Reviews

ClaireV

1

Not Pure Oud but captures some of the dark, smooth beauty of aged, woodier oud oils

Pure Oud is the racehorse of the Western oud-based fragrances; all sinew and nerve, and not an inch of fat to spare. Kilian could have easily named this Oud Noir or Dark Oud, because Pure Oud really does convey the inky, matte darkness of a moonless night sky. It smells like a black leather jacket tinctured into a pool of black tar and then vaporized into a mist of gasoline.

Pure Oud draws a line around itself and stays within it. Real oud oil has a smell that spills messily out over every line you've drawn for yourself; the brazenly-named Pure Oud (it is purely synthetic) is self-contained. But they do share a common denominator - both smell other-worldly and somewhat stark. For me, it is the Western-based oud fragrance that comes closest to mimicking the smell of real oud oil. Not a sour, fermented-smelling Hindi or Assam oud oil, but one of those aged, dry oud oils where you can pick out hints of leather, dried fruit, melting plastic lunch boxes, and smoke.

Caveat: Pure Oud is a minimalist take on a maximalist smell, i.e., it does not approach the complexity or range of aromas of real oud oil. Nothing this obviously synthetic can come close to copying something so rudely natural. But the experience of using oud oils and attars is not interchangeable with or comparable to using traditional fragrance; one is a quiet, more private experience geared toward internal contemplation; the other is a projection of oneself to the wider world. We shouldn't keep holding up one against the other in a race for authenticity. Prefer instead that benchmark of Guy Robert's: Does it smell good? And yes, Pure Oud does smell good very good indeed.

I find Pure Oud to be very quiet, but long-lasting. Sometimes, to turn up the volume a bit, I re-spray during the day, twice, or even three times. This way, it builds up on the skin in layers of translucent ink - leather upon rubber upon gasoline, until it finally pushes off the skin in a sulky swirl of woodsmoke.

05/01/2020

Ovaissaleem
61 Reviews

Ovaissaleem

Pure Oud

Notes: Saffron, Copaiva Balsam, Oud, Amber, Cypriol, Guaiac Wood and Labdanum

Perfumer: Calice Becker

I love Oud and really enjoying Pure Oud by Kilian. Yes, the Oud here is on the synthetic side. This is a pretty linear scent, Smokey, a bit Spicy oudy woody fragrance.

01/08/2012

1Scent

Gerry
7 Reviews

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Gerry

Top Review 24

Chemical Works Kilian

Gasoline, used oil, nitro thinner, burnt rubber, acetone, burnt wood … no, my nose can't take it anymore. That's enough!

Is this perfumer's art or the result of a chemical accident?

I recognize this scent mixture. Lolita's comment reminded me of it again.

I know this from the time when I worked in a steel mill - at a rolling mill for rail profiles. When "building" or repairing rolls, we were up to our elbows in a sludge of old oil, bearing grease, and tar pitch.

Afterward, we scrubbed our skin in the washroom with harsh hand cleaner and soap to get rid of the dirt and, above all, the smell. The work uniforms went into the washing machine for two cycles. After the first cycle, they looked clean but still smelled of oil and solvents.

Do I want to smell like I just had a grueling shift in the rolling mill? No, why would I.

Pure Oud is sold in the "Arabian Nights" line. I don't smell any Arabian nights here. I have to say, the theme misses the mark. "Steelworkers night shift" would have been more fitting.

08/26/2010

8.5Scent 10Longevity

Profumo
288 Reviews

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Profumo

Top Review 18

Sean Connery as an oil-stained mechanic with a whisky in hand

Hats off, Mme. Becker! An Aoud fragrance that even I like, although I am not a big fan of this often overpowering material. Generally, in my opinion, it tends to trumpet with a high falsetto voice over the orchestra, in a penetrance that I find rarely bearable. But there are exceptions: 'Black Aoud' by Montale is one such exception - a beautiful, almost intoxicating blend of rose, geranium, and Aoud, or 'Fetish' by Neil Morris - a fragrance that emphasizes the rubbery and leathery facets of Aoud, while simultaneously charging its medical coldness and stiffness with a good dose of erotic vibes.

And Pure Oud by Kilian is also an exception, and what an exception it is!
Gone is the falsetto voice, replaced by a deep, organ-like bass - what a relief! And the often-criticized haughty, medical tone: also gone - another relief! No more aseptic-arrogant chief physician with a piercing falsetto voice, instead, an oil-stained auto mechanic, wafted by the fumes of whole stacks of tires and canisters full of lubricants.

This fragrance has something irresistibly distinctly masculine about it - I like that.
However, it does not gain its masculinity through the popular enrichment of aromatic fougères in the 70s and early 80s with an excess of animal secretions, which gave so many fragrances of that time either a sweat or urine note, or even a mix of both. No, Pure Oud avoids that unpleasantness. The mechanic has showered after getting up and then put on fresh underwear. His distinctly masculine scent is solely derived from his environment soaked in oil and turpentine. One searches in vain for flowers, as well as fruity and spicy notes: they simply do not exist, not even hidden (aside from a hint of saffron, but saffron doesn’t really smell 'spicy', at least not in the classical sense, but rather bitter-woody).
But resins, and plenty of them: labdanum, myrrh, and amber - all without sweet embellishments - and oily balsams. However, not those that maintain the suppleness of human skin, but rather those that weatherproof untreated wood.
And as much as this fragrance smells of a workshop, it would suit a well-groomed man of mature age, wearing a well-fitted suit and perhaps holding a smoky whisky in his hand, a man like Sean Connery, fantastically. This fragrance could also unfold wonderfully on a woman who wants to emphasize her masculine facets - the contrast makes it! But, as mentioned: Pure Oud is absolutely not sweet (yet warm and sensual), does without a floral bouquet, and is hardly surpassable in its oily and heavy earthiness. It is an assault on our sense of smell, an assault from an unexpected side: grounded and unpretentious, upright, honest, and humorous, in contrast to all that over-refined, cerebral, and artificial. This fragrance is real, it is truly 'pure' - and that makes it so irresistible, at least for me!

Thanks to Maharanih for the sample! It is quite possible that Pure Oud will be the first Kilian fragrance in my collection (despite the outrageous price...).

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