Oud Candy Borntostandout 2025

I love this scent.
My strongest fragrance in my collection, it lingers on clothing for days, and I can easily perceive it on my skin for a whole day, if not even longer. The sillage is TOP.

At first, it is very strong and has a lot of oud, but the fragrance then develops into sweetness, while the oud remains, which is also what makes the scent so special. You don't often smell something like this, and it really stands out, just as the brand name suggests.

I think the branding of this fragrance has led to many rather negative reviews. When you hear "Oud Candy | Borntostandout," you expect a cotton candy scent complemented by oud; however, what you actually get is something completely different. The branding is not optimal in this respect, but the fragrance itself is by no means as bad as it is sometimes portrayed, just different from what one might expect. Before I reveal too much, let's get into it:

- The fragrance starts, contrary to the expected sweetness, not really "candy-sweet" in the top note, but primarily with a lightly sweet, burnt sugar note that has a good nutty touch, which doesn't make it really sweet (except for the first 10 seconds, it feels), but rather nutty-spicy, almost smoky with a slight sweet undertone.

- Very quickly, a woody accord comes in, which is very present; I have the feeling that the dry cedarwood here, along with the oud and leather accord, are the main players, with saffron also being distinctly noticeable. Unfortunately, caramel gets completely lost in this combination and is swallowed up; yes, a certain sweetness does emerge after countless hours, but only towards the end phase. I think the fragrance would have received much more appreciation if caramel and vanilla had been more pronounced. It could also be that the oakmoss brings in this inky, gray, and dry texture, but yes, I can't assess that because too much intertwines.

- Longevity and sillage are brutal, typical BTSO Extrait...

Overall, for me, it's a typical BTSO powerhouse that promises one thing; presence and dominance. Does the name fit? Absolutely not, or only to some extent; for me, the sweetness is missing in the drydown to make the fragrance more appealing to the masses, but that's exactly what makes it so exciting from my perspective, this dry-oriental aspect in the drydown, with slight sweet touches.

... definitely test it beforehand... it's too special for a blind buy :)

For me, a shock - super synthetic for the first 3 hours and I don't smell any of the notes mentioned above (especially the top and heart notes) - almost like "burnt" yet still special. The sillage definitely has a recognizable quality - you sit in your cloud.
After 3 hours, I perceive more leather, oud, and caramel, and I like the scent a bit more.
For me (or on my skin), it's not a fragrance as expected and liked (also in comparison to the other 3 fragrances of this edition), but definitely a special and strong scent with recognition value.

BTSO's Oud Candy is a real powerhouse. The name definitely lives up to the fragrance. So far, I haven't smelled anything else quite like it. To me, candy and oud are a very unusual but also very successful combination. Sweet, striking, and not something you forget right away.

What impressed me in particular is how the fragrance combines its sweet, almost candy-like side with oud.

Whenever I think of oud, I immediately think of those heavy, dark fragrances…. In this case, it's exactly the opposite.

The first fragrance I've tried from BTSO, and it certainly won't be the last.

To be honest, I'm finding it a little difficult to warm to this fragrance. On the one hand, it projects really strongly and is very noticeable to the people around me; on the other, to my own nose, it smells just okay. In my opinion, the name Oud Candy is somewhat misleading, as I don't really find the fragrance sweet. I only notice the slight sweetness in the drydown, and even then it remains more in the background. The longevity is truly outstanding, and the projection leaves nothing to be desired either. All in all, a great fragrance that should be especially interesting to oud lovers. However, anyone expecting a sweet gourmand fragrance might be a little disappointed.