Oud Dukhan

Al-Dukhan

Régime des Fleurs 2021

Al-Dukhan is one of the latest works from Régime des Fleurs. It was created by Dominique Ropion. I greatly appreciate the works of Dominique Ropion and his pursuit of perfection. Al-Dukhan means, when translated from Arabic, "The Smoke." It is also the 44th Surah of the Quran. The title "The Smoke" refers to verse 10. It is written there that the heavens will open and smoke will be sent to the earth as a sign of the resurrection of the dead and the end of the world. One thing should be said upfront. It is by no means that bad..!

Al-Dukhan
Al-Dukhan begins fresh, light, and almost ethereal. Fine molecules of dark pepper float around. Relatively quickly followed by ethereal-fresh, green cardamom. The perfume lingers in this state for a while before it merges with an extremely pure, cool, and very bright incense. A bright and also very clean white musk supports this but does not weigh heavily. Only in the final phase does Al-Dukhan reveal its true face. One of the cleanest, purest, and almost crystalline oud notes emerges. Noble, fine, smoky, and delicately woody. Surrounded by filigree smoke and transparent, dry amber. Now what Al-Dukhan represents becomes clear. A glowing piece of noble-woody oud on a black, cool marble slab. At least that is how Régime des Fleurs describes it. And that is how it smells. Cool and at the same time smoky-delicate…!

Conclusion
Nothing, absolutely nothing, in Al-Dukhan is loud or unpleasantly noticeable. All notes have been reduced to their true essence. So to speak, crystal clear and almost flawlessly puristic in composition. Al-Dukhan is light, semi-transparent, and almost crystal clear like delicate smoke or a filigree veil. It has a very aristocratic and noble charisma. Quiet, reserved, discreet, and elegant. Its aura feels cool, floating, and sometimes even distant. But still very attractive. Only in the base does it show a gentle-warm glow surrounded by bright smoke. Those expecting a biting-smoky oud creation will be disappointed. Quite the opposite is the case here. Here, noble restraint is called for. Although I do not like to assign perfumes to a gender, Al-Dukhan is, for me, more suited for gentlemen. This is significantly due to its almost cool, masculine, fougère-like, pure nature at the beginning. The longevity is about five hours, and the sillage is close to the body. As mentioned at the beginning, Al-Dukhan is not the wrath of God. On the other hand, I can very well imagine it on a masculine, angelic, heavenly, and elegant being with subtly hidden eroticism.

This, in turn, with more than good intentions..!