UAE Oud Taif Al-Emarat

Taif Al-Emarat is not easy to come by; at least in the DACH region and from my perspective, still too underrated. The brand is strongly present in the UAE and known for its creative original creations, but of course also for creations or fragrance compositions that have already been implemented. You can't always reinvent the wheel, and yes, there are certain fragrance styles that are simply good, and a little twist can make all the difference. Let's be honest, successful recipes are often used in today's commercially driven fragrance scene, and the number of possible combinations eventually runs out. There are plenty of brands that come to mind in the high-priced niche segment, but that's not the topic now.

What I find cool about the brand is that it completely forgoes alcohol. Not that it matters to me; but it is often thrown around that the performance is automatically poor with water-based fragrances. Definitely not the case! I can underline this with the "UAE Oud | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات". Alcohol is just a carrier substance that is needed at the beginning, so it's quite innovative and for people who might want less alcohol on their skin. Another fun fact: The fragrances come with a fragrance oil concentration of 42%, at least with the "UAE Oud | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" that's the case. You can gladly compare these concentrations with Amouage fragrances and their pricing policy.

Before I digress, I want to focus on this masterpiece, and yes, of course, it goes in a certain direction that some fragrance connoisseurs will recognize:

- The scent starts off really animalistic; and you have to like Cambodian Oud; especially in the opening, a certain barn-like association hits you - like with "The Moon | Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle" - as a newbie, you would probably give up here. BUT: This barn-like association is only that extreme in the first few minutes, as the opening then receives a bit of vanilla that balances everything out a little. The fragrance thus becomes slightly sweeter, more balanced, and beautiful. Of course, "The Night | Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle" is a tad more intense in the opening, but the difference is not really that huge. You have to consider that you get 75ML for around 250 EUR here, while with "The Night | Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle" we are already at nearly 750 EUR for 50ML. I once smelled an old batch of "United Arab Emirates | Roja Parfums," which has also been somewhat diluted and changed, and it went in this direction as well.

- After that, a dreamy rose comes in, the animalistic aspect slowly recedes, and the fragrance culminates on a woody-earthy base, which plays perfectly together with the rose and the oud. The balsamic character of the Cambodian oud remains until the drydown, and the musk takes on a similarly subtly bitter direction here.

- The sillage and longevity are both extremely high. The fragrance lasts all day and holds up accordingly!

In summary: a true masterpiece for oud lovers and for anyone who enjoys well-executed rose-oud fragrances. However, you really have to appreciate/love the initial phase and/or be able to endure it for others :)

PS: The packaging of the Taif Al-Emarats is simply grandiose, especially from the GCC collection and the Emirates collection, under which this one falls.