Oud de Burgas Santi Burgas 2015

Oud de Burgas is a striking stinky scent, and one worth trying for anyone hunting oud fragrances that also appreciate a slight departure from sheer filth in the drydown. However, I'm not entirely sure just how usable it is as a standalone fragrance, as to me it seems more fit for layering rather than single use.

The first thought that comes to mind when smelling Oud de Burgas is a herd of sheep, high on rocky peaks, passing through rough terrain in the lookout for green pasture. The fragrance opens poisonously cheesy, holding hands with a bitter medicinal accord. There's even a prominent rubbery vibe which hints at saffron, even if not listed as a note. There's a clear barnyardy warmth enveloping everything listed, but it's not barnyard filth or overly animalic.

And as it dries down, it's all the more manageable. The fragrance departs from the sheep herd and enters an old and rugged forest, with a charred, smoky woodiness attributed to Guaiac. The cypriol boosts the woody and smoky accords, while also appending a dirty, earthy undertone with subtle spice. And speaking of spice, some warm but not too sharp or pungent clove is sprinkled on top of the dry woody structure, adding a little more lift. Also working in the background is the gurjum balsam, which is responsible for the warm, resinous, balsamic facets which are well integrated as a pillar of the whole composition and become more prominent further in the drydown. Now, I do not get much or any orris, and I anyways didn't expect to spot it given the substantially stronger notes overpowering it. But I can sense some sort of softness, almost powdery, that is hidden in the shadows of the towering woods which I would tie to orris. Regardless, it's hard to tell.

And what is harder to tell is the use case of a fragrance like this outside layering. It's hardly the most challenging oud fragrance out there, but it's also still quite limited, as you'll be smelling like a shepherd who spends the majority of the time in a cheesy, barnyardy atmosphere. If that's something you like to be perceived as, then spray away. But otherwise, maybe layering this with other fragrances, say Opus XIII - Silver Oud, could add an extra layer of stink and maybe some extra pushing power without smelling completely like a sheep.

On its own, Oud de Burgas also didn't impress in terms of performance, at least on my skin. It was largely gone around 7 hours in, and apart from the first hour where I'd leave a pretty prominent sillage and get people wondering if there's a barnyard nearby, I wasn't making anyone tear up. Just from time to time I'd get another whiff of it 3 hours in, but for those around me, they'd have to get quite close to sense it. So I guess some extra points for versatility?

Regardless, this is clearly not a fragrance for everyone. Only people truly invested into oud juice will appreciate it. But I think even those hardcore oud fans will find Oud de Burgas not as 'oudy' as it might initially strike. Because once it dries down, it's mostly deeply woody, not oudy (big difference), with some remaining oud stink from the start and balsamic support. As a whole, it is a little bit one dimensional, which is why I feel that it would serve layering purposes best. But even for solo wears, there's much more unapologetic fumes out there that make Oud de Burgas seem like a lamb in comparison. So I can see it work on its own. The only question remaining is: does it justify its €320/100ml price tag? As far as I'm concerned, not entirely.

Overall Rating: 6.3/10

Oud De Burgas by the Catalan House of Perfumery Of Niche Haute Luxury Santi Burgas based in Barcelona in Spain is a 'Oud Woody Spicy Resinous' perfume. Oud de Burgas was launched in 2015 and is part of the White Collection; the noses behind this creation are Santi Burgas and Chris Maurice. Fragrance already opens with a strong nuance of blue cheese by the very natural indian oil that will unfold into a striking enamelled animalic woody 'oud barn. And in the first 30 minutes it is breathtaking, one of the best if not the best spray interpretation of a real 'oud centric perfume i have ever felt, it reminds a little of Ajmal's Dahn Oudh Al Shams which is an EDP spray of pure indian 'oud. A brutal start! Which scares and displeases many users, especially beginners in the niche or unaccustomed to true 'oud.

The perfume remains spicy and very resinous, slightly ambery and extremely woody, like a wood loaded with an enameled varnish because it is permeated by the animalistic woody barn facet of this very present indian 'oud. And that unfortunately softens after the first half hour on the way to drying, it has phases during its evolution that can cause some strangeness, disgust and even discomfort to the unaccustomed. It was an excellent surprise to find a composition with real 'oud from an unpretentious Spanish House and deliver practically a legitimate unimaginable bottled Attar (Oil) coming from a European brand. This fragrance is for true lovers of realistic natural 'oud. Perfume 'Oud woody resinous spicy excellent. But its beginning could last longer, it would be perfection!

Even though the supporters of real Oud may wrinkle their noses at me and see me as a fragrance philistine, I absolutely cannot relate to these obviously natural Oud scents.

I struggle with the idea of smelling like a cow barn, a freshly fertilized field, a compost heap, or a petting zoo after using a perfume. And no amount of high price, an exclusive bottle, or the opinions of highly regarded commentators can change my mind about this.

The only place where I would want to endure such smells would be on a farm.

If expensive rotten wood is to be used in perfume, then I would prefer it to be the medicinal variety, which can also be of synthetic origin for my nose.

Unfortunately, the Oud from Santi Burgas falls into the first, more specifically the cow barn category.

Even though other fragrance components are listed here, all I smell is cow dung, and at a nearly breathtaking intensity. A small spritz had unforeseen consequences!

My husband, after I had entered the living room "scented" in such a way, looked a bit strangely out the window and asked me if I didn’t find it unusual that the fields were being fertilized in November. His face became even stranger when I held the source of the smell on my arm, right under his nose.

I was promptly sent to wash it off in the bathroom!

Well, unfortunately, it didn’t help much, as this Oud could not be easily removed, and I was kept at a distance for the rest of the evening with the words "You stink."

If a scent has such a negative effect on my partner, who is not exactly scent-sensitive, then it’s clear that in such a case I must say no to organic.

FranFan, thank you for expanding my fragrance horizon, even though in this case it was a boundary experience.

This fragrance unfortunately has so many negative reviews that I need to elaborate... and share my perspective.

THE BACKSTORY:

It all started with a very simple sample order. I bought countless decants for a buddy and myself, ranging from very fresh scents to heavy oriental perfumes. Especially unknown and some extravagant new releases that sounded good were just tossed into the cart...

...when the package arrived, each decant was first sprayed on paper; the OUD DE BURGAS was immediately set aside!!! The beginning seems to be marked by the clove (which is listed), I can't explain it any other way. It has an almost piercing smell! Like a country road after a thunderstorm, amplified a hundredfold. That's why I set this one decant aside... the bottle was completely full. It then went to my good buddy because he is used to a lot and is not as sensitive as I am.

THE ACTUAL ENCOUNTER WITH REAL OUD (SUYUFI OUD FROM INDIA; after many attempts I got this info and I suspect it too...):

It was a Friday night and we both met to go out a bit; to a nice club.
When I picked up my buddy in the car and stopped in front of his house, I almost fell out of the car when he sat down next to me. He had applied the entire bottle to his neck and hair! The entire drive was unbearable due to the smell; for about half an hour. Many people looked at us strangely as we passed by them... some really turned around...

Now to the actual scent...!!!!!

Although my friend smelled like a pig; it was as if he had put on a new perfume... an absolute dream scent after about an hour. That typical barnyard note was completely gone and transformed into a warm, attractive, slightly vanilla/coconut-like spicy scent. It's hard to describe, I have never smelled anything like it in any other fragrance. That slightly dirty aspect was still there but at the same time not disgusting anymore... it was just very soft and had a slightly sweet note alongside the whole animalistic touch.

Since I was so overwhelmed, I sprayed it on myself one evening and of course had to show some toughness at first, and I was almost embarrassed to quickly run into the gas station to grab something to drink; yes... those are the moments that stick in your memory.
It took about half to three-quarters of an hour for it to soften. The strong animalistic aspect was there, but you could smell fine fruity facets in the background that flashed and then disappeared. Gradually they come back and then unfortunately remain hidden. The strong animalistic base note stays, and then a nutty-creamy note comes in... but only as a shading or facet, if I describe it correctly. Unfortunately, it only lasts very briefly. Especially this slightly fruity note that occasionally sneaks in is liqueur-like, a glow... always just very far away. I also smelled this in Oud Alif by Shay & Blue at the beginning, and it has great quality, which is why I suspect a pretty good Oud here. Time passes and the Santi Burgas simply becomes softer, warmer, more delicate. No trace of zebra herds, hay bales, or the like. It shows many facets especially at the beginning - middle, because towards the end it became linear.

In my opinion, this is a pretty good Oud scent. And indeed Oud as the main component and everything else that is there to perhaps highlight, refine, round off, or something like that. The important thing with this fragrance is that you must not throw in the towel right away due to the opening and definitely do not take more than one spray!! This Oud or the fragrance itself probably develops quite badly for some and extraordinarily for others. For my buddy and me, it was definitely extraordinary, like nothing I have ever smelled before, and I have already smelled quite a bit when it comes to Oud. As I believe I mentioned above, there is real Indian Oud (Suyufi) in here, from what I would say is a somewhat higher quality.

Even if it doesn't work the first time, then try it a second time and give it a chance; because if it develops like it did for me, then it really is a dream, and you could spray it on before going to sleep.

For all Oud fans ----- A test is a must!!

Help! When you, like me, spray Oud de Burgas from the innocently looking sample with the white label unprepared for what awaits you, that is probably the first, obvious thought. In the initial seconds, it smells like a cross between Zafar, Dahn Oud al Shams, and Co. A bit of cheesy foot, a bit of cow barn - everything that exists in animalistic oud facets. I really wasn't in the mood for that at the time of testing, and I have to curb the reflex to run to the sink - and I'm rewarded. Because after just a few seconds, this impression fades, leaving behind an authentic and relatively un-animalistic oud note, characterized mainly by an impression of used oil, wood, and earth. Just how a solid, normal oud quality smells.

And here lies the problem. Oud de Burgas smells like an oud that I would judge as a good fragrance component, but not good enough to wear it pure. It lacks a bit of melt and especially complexity. The oud note is blunt and hardly changes, whereas a good oud shines with thousands of facets.

The interesting thing about the fragrance is the modern synthetics with which the oud has been combined here. It gets a somewhat fluffy vibe, is lightened up, and the softness that the material naturally lacks is created by a distinctly synthetic veil, which is quite interesting.

After about 2-3 hours, I can even smell the oud only in the background, and what remains is mainly Iso E Super. I am sure that other modern chemical building blocks were used as well. Maybe a bit of Cashmeran? At least that was my first thought. But the base mainly smells of Iso E Super, through which oud occasionally shines through.

Exciting! Of course, Iso E Super harmonizes with woody notes, but in this combination, it is new to me. Yet the oud connects to surprisingly many olfactory touchpoints. The slightly sharp, fruity, and woody facets are perfectly captured, and everything enhances each other here. Iso E Super also has a certain silkiness and lightness that oud lacks, but which it gains at least in the base through this harmony.

I am not a fan of monothematic oud fragrances. For me, that simply is no longer a perfume. If I just want to smell like oud, then I buy an oud that hasn't already had much of its character taken away by alcohol and get a better quality for my money.

But if you want oud as a dominant note in a sprayable fragrance, then I find it beautifully interpreted here and strongly recommend a test to all fans of this direction.