Oud Yusuf Ensar Oud Pure Parfum

I must confess that Oud Yusuf is the most beautiful oud perfumes I have ever smelt. The high concentration of essential oils gives it an unparalleled texture, and the fragrance it produces, a fusion of fruity and woody aromas, adds more to its lure.

Yusuf is called the most “feminine” of Ensar’s offerings. I would still call it unisex, if not slightly masculine. It packs a powerful birch-punch that balances the tangy grape juiciness. The camphor perennially shimmers over moist, trodden tree bark rotting fragrantly on the jungle floor.

This review is for the OG Oud Yusuf Pure Parfum.

Oud Yusuf Parfum. A benchmark Oud perfume. The oil is a different story. Not my style, as I prefer "wiser" Oud Oils for my swiping sessions. For me, the parfum version delivers what the oil could not. And going back to what Ensar said, if there was one oud oil to be used in a spray perfume, it was Oud Yusuf.

If I were to keep one Oud perfume, it would be Oud Yusuf.
If I were to recommend one Oud perfume to anyone, it would be Oud Yusuf.
If someone tells me they hate Oud with a passion because they were lied to and olfactory assaulted by the commercial Oud junk accords, I would enlighten them with one spray of Oud Yusuf.
I would have them close their eyes, spray it on their wrist, and have them inhale with their eyes closed. And just like that, witness how their whole Oud world built on lies crumbles. They see the light and are reborn. I'm considering doing this experiment, as I am sick of hearing nonsense about how Oud smells like this and that from people who never tried something as pristine, as Angelic, as Oud Yusuf.
One doesn't need to be versed in artisanal oud oils to appreciate this beauty. It would appeal to anyone who loves all things fragrant. Like walking into a well-kept garden full of flowers. It's something that would find appreciation even among people not initiated into the art of olfaction.

Oud Yusuf parfum is a benchmark Oud perfume. For one, it was Ensar's first true Oud perfume. Second, it came on the market offering an alternative universe to what all the other Oud perfumes offered, and still do today.
Now, even though the main star of the show here is Oud, present front and center, clear as day, throughout the lifespan of the fragrance, it is embellished with a very well-chosen mix of aromatics that complement its profile. They never distract from the main character, only help to showcase its facets further. And I feel here is where the Parfum triumphs over the oil. The latter is great, yet in the parfum, the oud opens up more, and due to the aromatics used alongside, it paints a more colorful picture, brighter, livelier, and full of buzz. Something the oil never did for me, not in the same way, for sure.
The opening is lush, bright, and juicy. Ripe apricots and peaches, juicy citruses, and warm spices embrace you in a golden-hued aura and immediately transport you into the middle of nature. Pure, pristine, naked.
The heart showcases various floral accords such as Lilacs, Tuberose, Jasmine, Frangipani, and Osmanthus. I pick up facets of all these florals. There is also a prominent green chord running through the heart of the perfume alongside the florals and the oud. You're in the Garden of Eden, and oud is flowing from its fountains.
The base is deep, brownish, thick, and oleoresinous. Oud, oud, and more oud for many hours to come. Even after the flowers wither and the juicy, sparkling fruits and spices disappear, the oud continues to push further. Deep and resinous, highly satisfying.

As I said before, this perfume is all about the oud. The other elements are minor embellishments. It is an oud-forward perfume, make no mistake about it. Anyone familiar with neat oud oils would easily recognize that.
One of the best EO perfumes in my book. A legendary one, for good reason. If I could marry an oud, it'd be Oud Yusuf.

IG:@memory.of.scents

A terribly qualitative perfume...

In any case, Ensar Oud has accustomed us to release perfumes of this type, the house has nothing more to prove
It is a pure Oud that will necessarily please lovers of oriental

There is still a certain sweetness, its animal side does not go in the direction of the smell of stables, it is much more distinguished, it probably comes from vanilla and iris root
A very nice discovery, which may hurt very much the wallet

10/10

If I were to recommend a fragrance based on real oud to someone so that they would know what it really is, it would definitely be Oud Yusuf. Seemingly linear, but with lots of flavors that are constantly released from the skin.
A beautiful, clean oud scent. I also know him from an oud sample that Areej once added to The History of Oud series.
A deep scent that lingers beautifully on the skin.
Masterpiece!

2010 was the year my love for perfumes was ignited - 2010 was the year I first smelled "Oud Wood" by Tom Ford at the KaDeWe in Berlin.
The box of Pandora was opened.

Over the years, I got to know many oud fragrances,
over the years, I learned to love many oud fragrances.

But when someone asked me, "What does oud actually smell like?" I couldn't answer that question.
In one of my countless nights, I set out on a quest - a quest for oud in its purest form. I found it in "Oud Yusuf".

I have spent a lot, a hell of a lot of money on perfume, but 27€ for just a few milliliters?
I had never been so excited about a fragrance sample.

When the fragrance package arrived, I sat down at our kitchen dining table, opened the shipping bag with reverence, removed the small cap of the sprayer, and smelled "Oud Yusuf" for the first time.

...

I had never been so confused.

My first thought was, "The sample must be off."
What hit me was...beastly. Not animalic, but beastly.
Disappointed and confused, the sample went into my refrigerator.

Time jump. Several months later.

Since Monday, my girlfriend and I have been in quarantine - and I finally had time to delve deeper into perfumes after months.

In the end, I had the sample of "Oud Yusuf" in my hand. And I was determined to understand this fragrance.
I took a clean, pure white cotton cloth and sprayed two sprays onto the cloth.
It was the first time I had liberated "Oud Yusuf" from its sprayer.
I should have done it sooner.

At first, that beastly scent hit my nose again - I smell nothing fresh here, only darkness. Absolute darkness.

Over time, the picture became clearer. And the fragrance more fascinating.

In my mind, I tried to put the scent into words:
Heavy, oily, leather.
I had a rainy autumn day in my mind.
Not one of the beautiful ones, but one of the sad ones.

Suddenly, my girlfriend pulled me out of my thoughts, "What smells so much like an old man?",
I held the cotton cloth out to her
"Yuck, what is that? It smells like an unkempt old man in a thick leather jacket with a penchant for excessive whisky consumption!".

BINGO!

I couldn't have put it into words better myself.

However, that is only part of the picture.
The other part is that this old man is broken. Broken by life.

There is nothing friendly, nothing beautiful about "Oud Yusuf" - and yet this fragrance has so much to tell us. Just like the old, broken man.

Will I ever wear "Oud Yusuf"? I hope not. The reason would not be a nice one.