Bottle Design:
Thierry de Baschmakoff

See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Juste Chic

Oud Shamash The Different Company 2011

8.2 / 10 281 Ratings

A popular perfume by The Different Company for women and men, released in 2011. The scent is woody-spicy. It is still in production.
Compare

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Oriental

Resinous

Smoky

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Ceylonese cinnamon Davana

Davana

Jamaican rum CO2

Pink pepper Saffron

Saffron

Heart Notes

Bay rum

Nagarmotha

Turkish rose

Base Notes

Laotian oud

Cistus absolute

Ambergris

Bourbon vanilla

Dry woods

Leathery notes

Patchouli

Tolu balm

Sandalwood

White musk

Perfumer

Bertrand Duchaufour

Ratings

Scent

8.2281 Ratings

Longevity

7.7216 Ratings

Sillage

7.1216 Ratings

Bottle

7.9197 Ratings

Value for money

7.049 Ratings

Submitted by Dannyboy, last update on 10/24/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Juste Chic collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Sand Aoud

Jubilation XXV Man

Ultimate Seduction Extreme Oud

Lune Féline Extrait

Oud for Love

Un Jour

Reviews

17 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/13/2013

10Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

Top Review 13

Duchaufour's Refined Take On Oud And Spice...

Oud Shamash opens with a gentle mist of fine pink pepper with saffron and cinnamon spice support. As the scent enters its early heart the pepper dissipates but the saffron and cinnamon both remain, now joined by an underlying cedar-like woody accord and very polished just slightly rubbery Laotian Oud rising from the base. By the time the progression reaches the late dry-down, the overall accord turns just slightly sweet as non-powdery bourbon vanilla and cinnamon-like tolu balsam join the remnants of the relatively smooth Oud and remaining spice to give a warming effect to the composition. Projection is average and longevity is good at about 10-12 hours on skin.

Oud Shamash is a very complex slightly sweet, spicy woody oriental that is one of the best things Bertrand Duchaufour has composed to date (and that is a great compliment indeed). It is highly refined, but despite its immense polish it never loses its character. The drivers of the composition are just as much the saffron, cinnamon and tolu balsam as is the Laotian Oud, and the overall effect is all the notes and accords acting in symphonic rhythm and harmony. I do believe the composition contains real Oud, but those looking for its raw animalic qualities will not find much of those here, as the composition uses the note in a friendlier implementation, eschewing some of its more challenging and overpowering facets to allow the rest of the notes to shine nearly as bright. The bottom line is Duchaufour has a masterpiece caliber Oud-centric work here, and it sits right alongside Oud Louban by Aftelier and Les Nombres d'Or Oud by Mona di Orio as one of my three favorite uses of the material in fragrances. Similar to those other greats, Oud Shamash is on the relatively expensive side at $195 for 50ml, but when compared to those other real Oud compositions (and many synthetic ones) it is actually on the inexpensive side in comparison. If you like your Oud compositions more animalic and potent with the Oud playing the monster starring role, then this one may not be your cup of tea, but those seeking their Oud compositions with more refinement, complexity and control should definitely seek this one out for a sniff as it is a towering 4.5+ star out of 5 achievement.

08/01/2025

ClaireV
969 Reviews

ClaireV

3

Soft, sherbety spiced wood-oud oriental

The first spray brings on an avalanche of aromas, all welded together in one dense layer - all I manage to pick out is boozy pink pepper, a leather (or saffron) note, rose, woods, and the alcoholic smell of a fruit on the point of collapse. Within minutes, though, it fluffs up into a spiced haze of sweet-and-sour woods, dry spice, and vanilla that hangs around the body like a red-brown dust cloud. The transformation - the lift - is breathtaking.

The oud in Oud Shamash is also magnificent. It is lightly sour, woody, and a bit powdery, but not in the slightest bit animalic. Only a handful of Western 'oud' perfumes succeed in working oud into the picture without blowing up the frame entirely - and in my opinion, only Betrand Duchaufour, Francis Kurkdijan, and (in admittedly one example) the late Mona di Orio have managed the trick. These perfumers how to work with oud, cajoling it, polishing it, presenting it in a variety of different ways that show off the material's aquiline brutality without allowing it to dominate the other notes. The oud in Oud Shamash is fused with sandalwood, patchouli, and saffron, and sent out into the air on a wisp of sugared woodsmoke. Beautiful.

03/08/2016

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Meggi

Top Review 24

Addicted?

So much greatness has already been said about Oud Shamash that I will focus on just one single aspect, which seems very important to me because it concerns the fundamental perception of the fragrance.

A creamy oud note. The rest is embellishment, of course, giving the center a different twist each time. Directly on the skin, the oud is quite strong and medicinal, occasionally almost leathery. With a little distance from the skin, it sometimes appears downright over-sweetened. Nevertheless, I find it - and with it, of course, the entire fragrance - surprisingly, in contrast to various predecessors, not at all radiant or shining. I feel that Oud Shamash is surrounded by an aura of morbidity, which suddenly reminds me that at its core, we are dealing with the theme of fungal infestation.

The morbidity is not obvious. It is still almost hidden beneath fading splendor, possibly disguised as opulence of over-ripeness. And yet it is there, a kind of noble mustiness in the background that runs through the entire fragrance progression. Even towards the end, about the eighth hour, I notice a sour, fruity note that strikes me as aging fruit, once again over-ripeness; perhaps plum.

Strange. Why do I often have difficulties with the creations of Mr. Duchaufour? Even with Jubilation XXV, the lavish abundance provided me more with a nose-tingling sensation than enjoyment. And with Oud Shamash, I have the impression, even after almost completely using MisterEs' (thank you very much!) generous sample, that I have not really gotten closer to the creator's intentions. I will set aside the remaining portion for quite a while.

10/30/2013

10Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

FLUidENTITY
246 Reviews

Translated · Show original

FLUidENTITY

Top Review 26

Shamash - The Babylonian Sun God

As a religious studies minor, I have also dealt with gods in the Ancient Orient. Shamash is the sun god of Babylon. He is depicted in images with rays of sunlight on his shoulders. He shines brightly, and nothing remains hidden from him. His radiance reveals everything, and thus he was also revered as the god of law and justice.

Initially, he was worshipped as a female deity and later as a male one. At the beginning of his veneration, he was the warm-hearted god, but over time, more and more destructive attributes were attributed to him.

Oud Shamash is a radiant fragrance; this, I believe, is its main characteristic. It shines with an intensity similar to Dior Homme Sport, only even more golden and sunny. OS is an olfactory, pure light. The radiance is overwhelmingly bright. The oud is more of a feminine oud; I do not perceive it as intensely and overwhelmingly as one might expect from other ouds. Montale, for example, is diametrically opposed to OS.

The fragrance pyramid is overwhelming. I only distinctly perceive a few individual ingredients. These include tarragon and pepper. These two notes stand out from the rays of sunlight and are fueled by them. The entire rest is monumentally genius in its interweaving. Just as one cannot discern individual rays in sunlight, one cannot pick out individual ingredients here; they simply create an olfactorily bright sheen of infinitely powerful, gentle, caressing, intelligent intensity.

I would not want to speak of "sillage" here, but rather of "sheen."

OS is onomatopoeically rendered. As onomatopoeic as "shamash" sounds, that indeterminate "sh" sound, which is nonetheless so rich in its tone and, when pronounced, allows the "sh" sound to flow from one's mouth almost doubled, rounded and soft, positively contourless and soothing, so does OS smell.

Sandalwood and patchouli? Never in life! At least not individually. However, I would not be surprised if omitting patchouli, sandalwood, or the rose, or whatever else, would change the fragrance entirely. All ingredients are involved, but not present. I perceive the oud more on my clothes than on my skin. My mom thinks there is something floral in it. I do not smell it directly, but it reinforces my suspicion that so many notes are involved in this wonderful fragrance, yet not present.

Just as Shamash traversed the heavens and withdrew again in the evening (this cyclicality is typical for the gods of the Ancient Orient), OS also rises to heavenly, bright spheres. The magnificent merging of details is at its zenith.
I almost feel reminded of crystallized honey, only softer. I believe I can differentiate the vanilla just slightly, but I do not want to commit to that, as it is all such a densely woven work of art that is too complex to see through. There is no deviation, no detours of the individual fragrance notes. The scent is elusive; it is simply there and sparkles brightly like an exalted, creative sunshine.
I find OS a creation sui generis par excellence. Something comparable is almost impossible to find at the moment, but I still look forward to being enlightened otherwise.

05/03/2017

10Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

NikEy
60 Reviews

Translated · Show original

NikEy

Top Review 18

Where There is Light ...

My first comment on a much-discussed fragrance. I bought it recently, so I probably own the reformulated version. I don't know how the predecessor smelled, so this is only about the current, present version. It is a wonderful fragrance, but more on that later.

This perfume has accompanied me since my beginning on Parfumo; it was part of my first sample order, which sparked my passion for perfume. And it touches me like on the first day. It is the "most perfumy" overall composition I have ever smelled. Of such sublime perfection and a richness of facets that I am surprised anew with every wear. It touches me deep in the soul!
At first, I was skeptical whether a fragrance could really evoke such a profound emotion, such an inner peace. Here, I was proven wrong!

At the center, like a radiant diamond, stands Oud. A soft Oud that is supported and simultaneously soothed by all the other scent materials. The fecal, sweaty, or medicinal side that it can have is not present here. A fragrance for beginners, as well as a polished gemstone for all fans of eagle wood.
The gentle Oud in question is played around by many different components. None of them can be clearly identified. Slightly syrupy-vanilla-sweet notes at the start, but always remaining dry. A radiant desert character, but always underscored by something floral. Spicy, balsamic wood, but always in an ethereal-light manner. The scent notes are so intertwined, and the focal points shift so quickly that no exact classification is possible. However, as it progresses, it becomes warmer and softer.

It should be clear that my perception here is strongly influenced by the absolutely profound effect of this perfume. It is also clear that the fragrance does not have the same effect on many others. But: Inside a diamond enveloped in radiant light, there is no shadow. And so, the current version absolutely does not deserve to lead a fragrance life offstage in the forgotten existence of its predecessors.

To understand the complexity and diversity of the scent material Oud, one surely needs other perfumes. However, if you are looking for a wearable composition with depth on the subject, you are exactly right here. The longevity is very good, and the sillage at a normal dosage is quite office-friendly.

More reviews