M7
M7 Oud Absolu
2011

Version from 2011
M7 (2011) / M7 Oud Absolu by Yves Saint Laurent
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8.0 / 10 962 Ratings
A popular perfume by Yves Saint Laurent for men, released in 2011. The scent is woody-spicy. It is being marketed by L'Oréal.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Oriental
Resinous
Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Mandarin orangeMandarin orange Mineral notesMineral notes OrangeOrange BergamotBergamot
Heart Notes Heart Notes
OudOud PatchouliPatchouli RosemaryRosemary
Base Notes Base Notes
LabdanumLabdanum MyrrhMyrrh AmberAmber MuskMusk VetiverVetiver

Perfumers

Ratings
Scent
8.0962 Ratings
Longevity
7.7776 Ratings
Sillage
7.1784 Ratings
Bottle
7.6771 Ratings
Value for money
7.6254 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 04/17/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
M7 (2002) (Eau de Toilette) by Yves Saint Laurent
M7 (2002) Eau de Toilette
Soul by Costume National
Soul
Desert Rosewood by Goldfield & Banks
Desert Rosewood
Silk! Oud by The Nose Behind
Silk! Oud
Tabac / Tobacco, Oud & Vanilla by Aaron Terence Hughes
Tabac
Bianco Puro by Tiziana Terenzi
Bianco Puro

Reviews

26 in-depth fragrance descriptions
8
Scent
Coutureguru

223 Reviews
Coutureguru
Coutureguru
Very helpful Review 9  
As good as ...
All the incessant bleating about this not being anywhere near the original etc, etc are annoying! I snapped this up when brought in by an independent fragrance vendor (it won't be released where I live for months yet ... if at all) and all I can say is " Welcome back M7!!". Oud Absolu is every bit as fabulous as the original M7 was ... perhaps a little more refined and not so 'in your face' ... but it's evolvement has left it pretty much unscathed. Streets better than the reformulation of the clear bottle (I only ever had one bottle of the original) ... let's just hope that this time, it gains the following it deserves. Look no further if you hanker after the original ... Oud Absolu stands it's ground firmly in the face of adversity!!
2 Comments
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
Pepdal

238 Reviews
Pepdal
Pepdal
Very helpful Review 6  
Classy, sophisticated, mysterious.
Only ever tried this iteration of M7 so i have no refernce re original.
This is one of the best smelling oud-dominant designers on the market. I especially love how the citrus-sweetish, chinotto opening develops into a patchouli/oud cooling middle. The trick is that it opens warm and develops to almost a cool minty patch within the first hour.
This i think makes it not just a cold weather scent, but wearable in most spring weather.
Eventually it transitions to a lovely syrupy, myrhh and oud combination.
It is a beautifully composed scent given the minimal accords used.
The one let down on my skin, is that i am luck to get 6 hours maximum longevity. Thus sits close to skin from the outset, and i find myself craving to get wafts of it as the day progresses.
At this point, i'll keep it in my collection because it lasts long enough for evening wear, and reasonably priced enough that i am not going to be stingy with sprays.
0 Comments
7
Scent
ArkangeL

150 Reviews
ArkangeL
ArkangeL
Helpful Review 5  
M7 Tamed Reformulation
I went out of my way to order this considering it could be 6 to 8 months before it's arrival here in the USA, as we saw with La Nuit de L'Homme Le Parfum. I was hopeful that Oud Absolu would be a deeper interpretation of M7. Instead, I found it to be a reformulation in a classier bottle. If you missed out on M7 when it was widely available, this will suffice. Does it have that sillage, projection and longevity it's ancestor had? No, but still a nice fragrance. Think of M7 restrained, harnessed and tamed. Is it necessary to chase after Oud Absolu if you've already obtained the M7 original? No. Unless you're a serious bottle collector. I'll conclude this by saying, I believe the M7 original deserves the title and packaging of La Collection Oud Absolu.
0 Comments
6
Pricing
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
10
Scent
Elysium

869 Reviews
Elysium
Elysium
Helpful Review 7  
The Best Among Designer Ouds
I had the first M7 (2002) Eau de Toilette original, the scandalous one with the solid dark brown bottle, and for me, it was love at first sight. If I think of it, I can recall its smell in my mind. Then all traces disappeared. It seemed abandoned, but no, they relaunched it with new packaging. I have one of the last batches, the one with the clear glass, and I'm unsure if it smells like the one covered in black. Wow... After the first spray, I take a while to recognise M7 in this potion.
I miss that familiar accord of citrus and velvety sweet resins in the opening that characterised the OG. Instead, an explosion of herbaceous, medicinal, and syrupy undertones comes to my face. The scent of hay, and dry grass, with dusty and mineral undertones. Though it mentions at least three different citrus fruits, I need help distinguishing them clearly. A caramelised citrus peel may fill the air. To a certain extent, I get a thick and alcoholic aroma, which is still pleasant, unique, and interesting; indeed, it is very pleasant. However, it deviates from the original M7. If the citrus accord is tamed, the smoky of an incense-like oud in the background is already evident.

After a few minutes, the initial outburst subsides, and something darker, more aromatic, and thicker oozes from my warm skin. There is a lot of fragrant rosemary with a strong balsamic but not too mentholated component, which blends with oud wood and patchouli leaves, the latter with chocolate vibes. M7 was, and still is, a clash of Western and Eastern cultures, where classic woody and spicy aromas meet mysterious oud. We are not dealing with a true oriental oud with faecal or barnyard edges, but rather a cleaned and purified fluid that adds darkness and depth with elegance. M7 Oud Absolu is one of the best oud fragrances among designer ouds and could be the first step to familiarising yourself with the oud note. You get used to it quickly, and then it creates a sort of addiction. The fragrance becomes incredibly balsamic, sweet, and sour in the middle stage.

When the dry-down comes, all the waxy and resinous components take over. The leathery and powdery aromas of cistus and myrrh's sweetish and creamy ones dominate the base notes composed of moss, a salty ambergris-like amber, and a slightly earthy vetiver. And it is in this phase that I recognise many notes reminiscent of the first M7. They are sweetish, powdery, woody, amber accords, with that malice given by the touch of smoky oud wood. Let me insist that the M7 Oud Absolu takes the oud to a level that doesn't flaunt the sometimes cranky putrescent character but alters it with an understated mix of sweetness and mystery. A touch of smokiness appears in the final stage also.

Hence, M7 Oud Absolu is amber, woody, slightly earthy, and somewhat dirty. Not linear; it changes quite a bit from top to bottom. Compared with the OM, it does not have an impressive performance on my skin. It is a fall and winter cologne, better for late evenings and nights. Indeed is a great frag, even in its reformed state.

I'm basing my opinion and review on a bottle I've owned since January 2019 (BC 62PN01L, 2017-11).

-Elysium
0 Comments
7.5
Bottle
5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
6
Scent
Miaw2

339 Reviews
Miaw2
Miaw2
5  
Not very woody, but great!
Wonderful designer fragrance. It's in the same level or even better than other oud fragrances that are "niche".

But i have to say actually this is not a main oud based fragrance. It's a well composed one that plays with patchouli, incense and oud, and also this has a nice resinous smell when dries down.

Sometimes i smell a cherry syrup that's not comfortable to my nose.

Sillage, lasting power and projection are medium-high.
0 Comments
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Statements

5 short views on the fragrance
ElysiumElysium 2 years ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
10
Scent
A clash of Western and Eastern cultures. It deviates from the original M7. Citrus accord is tamed, smoky incense-like oud is clear. Divine!
0 Comments
Topfpflanze3Topfpflanze3 3 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
One of the best wearable ouds. Opens up fizzy citrusy, almost coke like and dries down into a pleasant woody oud.
0 Comments
CumhranfearCumhranfear 5 years ago
1
Sillage
6
Scent
Pleasant, but not the legend it's made out to be. Woody rather than oudy. Fades to a skin scent in minutes.
1 Comment
Nik604Nik604 10 months ago
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
10
Scent
Simply a masterpiece! Stunning smell, execution and inspiration . Very mystical and sophisticated , multipurpose and even sexy...
0 Comments
ZufreeZufree 1 year ago
8
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
7
Scent
I find it to be very similar to Guerlain L'homme Idéal with very subtle differences in the top notes, very tough to differentiate between them.
1 Comment

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