...Omnipotato@Apicius it seems as though @Cardea got to the crux of the issue and that "oriental" in English and German not only mean different things, they are used in different ways (referring to objects/culture vs referring to people). Is it possible to simply "translate" the word "oriental" in German to "ambery" in English, instead of having to change the German site to accommodate? @Omnipotato: I currently have no idea how we could do this without a rework of our fragrance notes directory. A few years ago, we had a project to classify all fragrance notes in a hierarchical way. Please take a look if you haven't seen it yet:https://www.parfumo.com/Fragra...So, we have one classification for "Amber" and one for "Oriental notes". The classification was done based on our personal experiences with fragrances and their fragrance pyramids, and so, the decisions we took may surely be debatable in many cases. Actually, I played the most part in it because my personal situation allowed me to put some time into it.I identified amber notes generally as something dry and smoky, maybe synthetic. You will find many synthetics in this category that the aromachemical companies described as amber-like. The single notes can refer to more than one category.Dry and smoky is something different than oriental. An oriental fragrance can either be something with ingredients related to the Arab tradition (i.e. Patchouli), something broad along the tonka/vanilla line or in its broadest meaning something that is not fougère. I think in our global world, we should not have country-specific classifications. I would love to see a rework done in the future, maybe in collaboration with professional perfumers who have a better experience with single notes and the synthetics behind them, or maybe with a more commuity based approach.So, do we really have to throw these two different cassifications into one pot?  Perception of fragrance notes may be subject to change over time, but as for now, I would like to wait for the impact of the BSP initiative, or if it has any impact at all.

...Parfumo has been asked by a user to remove the term „Oriental“ from the fragrance notes database and replace it with the term „ambery“. This proposal goes back to an intiative promoted by the British Society of Perfumers to ban the word „Oriental“. They see it as „outdated, and in some contexts, offensive“.https://bsp.org.uk/wp-content/...https://www.perfumerflavorist....I would like to open the discussion of this topic with our statement. Please feel free to join in, we are curious to learn about your opinions!At Parfumo, many people are volunteering in creating the world’s most complete fragrance data base with the most precise fragrance notes. The note „amber“ is already very difficult to handle. In some languagues –such as German – it has two different meanings: amber resin and ambergris (glandular secretions of a whale). This can make research complicated since sometimes our sources are not precise on it. Now we are going to face further confusion, and we are not happy about that.As for now, we arenot planning any changes in the fragrance notes database.The terms „Orient“and „Oriental“ are used differently in different parts of the world. In my country (Germany) the Orient roughly extends from Morocco to Afghanistan. Thus, an Oriental fragrance contains notes typically used in the Arab perfume tradition. I have learned that in the USA and maybe other places, it is common to include India and Asia in these terms - an ignorance, that indeed may be perceived as offensive in some contexts. So, instead of imposing a new worldwide social taboo, can we please work on improving the geographical knowledge in the USA?At the moment, we see many new users coming over from Fragrantica. They complain about homophobic incidents there. I see the proposal of changing the database in this context of having a „safe space“ for everybody. As a German gay man, I would like to state my personal attitude towards this wish:When I had my coming out back in 1982, there were discussions on how we should call ourselves. At the end, we all agreed on the German term „schwul“. At that time, this was an extremely derogative word, and you wouldn’t find it in the dictionary. Today, it is not. „Schwul“ comes from „schwül“ and refers to the discomfort of hot and humid weather. „Schwul“ is exactly what we are since we sometimes cause such discomfort to some heterosexual men. We have come a long way from criminal prosecution in the 1960ies to formal legal equality today. We can take pride in what we have achieved by simply coming out as „schwul“ - but we would not have achieved much by politely asking society not to use rude and offensive words on us. Maybe, other people can learn from us?Gay men in Germany took an offensive term away from the haters and are continuing to do so. I am not willing to grant any song, any fashion, any perfume, or any fragrance note to those who hate. We should all work on giving neutral meanings to formerly offensive terms, and not vice versa.Denouncing formerly neutral terms such as „Oriental fragrance“ as offensive is a trap. It feeds the haters with new words that they can use. And even worse, it can mark those who continue to use these terms in good will as offenders.I think it is clear that we will not allow hate speech on Parfumo. On the other side, we have to ask you for tolerance towards each other, even if you read something that may occur politically incorrect to you. People are different, and not everybody is eloquent or educated enough, or just willing to obey to the latest social standards that somebody has announced.

...Tabac Original After Shave or Pre Shave (The Cologne and EdT are a bit different)

...Some BigBand Jazz, some New Orleans Style, then Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday. It is a nice present!

...A glimpse back to the 80ies - a Jazz vinyl record as a promotional gift for the launch of the perfume Jazz.I wonder who the first owner was, and on what occasion he had received this record.

...Royall Vetiver - simple but good!Grey Vetiver EdT (Tom Ford)Vetiver Exreme (Guerlain)Vétiver (Annich Goutal 1985), discontinued

...I think that Ambroxan is very present in Agar Musk by Ramón Monegal. This is a very tart fragrance and probably not for everybody.A highly recommendable alternative to Sauvage is Bottega Veneta pour Homme Eau de Toilette.It may not have Ambroxan listed but I think it follows the same approach and style.

...As soon as a site on the net starts growing and gets more traffic, the costs increase as well. More traffic, less speed, and so you need a better server. At this point, webmasters have to decide if they want to make a profession out of their hobby. If so, they need a business model that includes an income for the webmaster. You will need lots of ads, and / or make the users pay for what the site offers.Parfumo is run by volunteers, including the webmaster. For me, this is the main difference to Fragrantica and Basenotes. It allows Parfumo to have a focus on the user, not on the income in the first place. The costs of Parfumo are covered by the user's donations plus a few Google ads that are only displayed to the not-logged-in users.Parfumo ows its existence to a happy coincidence: a gifted web developer who took interest in perfume, and in running a perfume community site. If you look at areas of interest other then perfume you find that the possibilities to build a good site are very much limited by the technical capabilities of the respective enthusiasts. The opportunities to say something substancial and get noticed are very much limited. You can drop a few words in a Facebook group - that will be out of sight for the public within hours. Or you can go to Wordpress and Blogspot and create your own page. But then you may find that your page will be listed as no. 7,234,234 at Google statistics.Some people manage to successfully set up a forum with a standard software. But once their forum is running for a few years they don't have the capabilities to migrate its content to a new and better solution. Many forums on the net look ugly and outdated nevertheless the contributions deserve a better presentation. What I appreciate here is that my contributions will not be valid only for a few hours or days. Even my oldest reviews are read, and I still do get answers to perfume reviews that I wrote some years ago. It makes sense to me to put some effort into a review if I know that the result will be permanent, like a good book.

...I do not agree any longer with the statement that perfume is not gender- or age-related. Even though the perfume industry does not explicitely say who a new perfume is aimed at, they are well aware of their targeted audience.Sense of smell and sense of taste are closely related to each other, and both seem to change during a person's life. Most children and teenagers have a sweet tooth. A teenager can feed upon a huge amount of jelly bellies that the same person would find nauseating some years later. Ask a teacher about the pupil's perfumes and you might hear him or her ranting about perfume sweets like Joop! Homme, One Million, Le Mâle and their cheaper copies (usually overapplied).

...Dorothy, it is easier for the team if you add all perfumes of the respective brand that are still missing.One proposal for each fragrance is needed.

...Hold out, Briarthorn! If your body sends you such signals, you should not ignore them!All the best for the time ahead!

...The strangest note we have in the database is maybe the Eel-infected sea water in a Violette Market perfume ("Nagini's Curse").But if you a are looking for strange notes you just need to scan through the Comme des Garçons fragrances. They deliberately make fragrances with synthetic smelling scent notes. I can confirm that the smell of Dusty light bulb is indeed in "Odeur 71".And while numerous perfumes imitate leather, they have "Series 6 Synthetic: Skai". Skai is an artificial leather substitute or imitation with a strage chemical smell.

...Great idea!Here is my no-office list:Monday: "Jasmin Rouge" by Tom FordTuesday: "Oudh Ma'al Wardh" by Al HaramainWednesday: "Tabac Original (After Shave)" by Mäurer & WirtzThursday: "Fleur du Mâle" by JPGFriday: "Joop! Homme"Saturday: "Cuir Venenum No.03" by Parfumerie GénéraleSunday: "Korrigan" by Lubin

...ScentedSalon: Have you tried Cartier's Oud and Oud? Though Western, I feel that there is real oud in it.No, I haven't.There are numerous oud perfumes around that user the synthetic oud blends as offered by IFF, Givaudan and others.There are only some very rare cases of high-priced oud perfumes by Western houses where they seem to use natural oil instead of substitutes. I would say that Xerjoffs "Oud Stars - Zafar" could be counted in. My impression of Zafar was that some good quality oud oil was stretched by other woody notes. Given the high price tag I think one can get better value for the money elsewhere.Since you describe Cartier's "Les Heures Voyageuses - Oud & Oud" as having a barnyard smell it might very well contain natural oud oil. Actually many perfume lovers dislike natural oud perfume when they find out that it has a fecal aspect.I suppose the Cartier Ouds are aimed at the Arab market and will stay extremely niche in the Western world.BTW, if you prefer (natural) oud as a spray instead of oil, the Dubai based brand Ajmal has good and reasonably priced offers. I can recommend their "Dahn Oudh Al Shams". I wear it quite often.

...I'd like to draw your attention to an offer that I received via mail today:Oudh.co.uk is offering a sample pack of drops of 3 different oud oils for 20 £. It is one of the rare occasions to get to know natural oud oil without having to spend lots of money.Some years ago, I ordered a sample pack from this site and I was very satisfied with it. It gave me the opportunity to find out about the "real thing" and get an understanding that oud oils can considerably differ from each other.http://www.oudh.co.uk/en/perfume-samples/pure-oud-samples/newly-arrived-pure-oudh-sample-pack

...I have tested a few but so far none of their perfumes made it into my collection. The MH perfumes are high quality niche perfumes but like most you should try before you buy

...To be honest, I prefer soaps and body washs that are not strongly scented. I don't want them to interfere with the perfume that I will be wearing.It is quite difficult to find products that aren't scented at all, so I go for somethimg that smells nicely, is discreet and without lots of longevity. I feel very much at home with Speick.

...@ BriarthornIf you like a honey touch I guess some of the Micallef Ouds would be for you: Aoud, Aoud Gourmet and Night Aoud. There is also a "Rose Oud". Their "Arabian Diamond", however, resembles the classic rose/oud combo. Personally I don't have a special favour for honey so it all depends on the perfume if I like it or not.And their "Rose Extrême" gets the price fpr the most splendid perfume bottle, with Svarovski stones covered all aver the sides!I remember the Saffron in Aoud Safran was less noticeable than expected. I get more saffron from Micallefs "Aoud".

...Rose and PeachPresumably the most beautiful fragrance of this kind is Guerlain's "Rose Barbare". I have it, I love it but I find it difficult to wear.Rose and SpicesBesides the 2 Montales mentioned above I would like to point out Il Profvmo's "Touaregh". For some reason it always brightened my mood when I wore it. Unfortunately, natural rose oil which I believe is in there seems not to be very stable, and so my Touaregh has lost a bit of its charm after a year or so.Roses for MenRoses that lean more to the masculine side are ambitious projects. There are some around:- "Flowers For Men - Rose" by Neil Morris: a wonderfully laid-back rose, just the right fragrance for a chill-out in a hammock.- "Black Tie" by Washington Tremlett: a very dark rose, somehow oudish although oud is not listed. Beautiful piano lacquer black bottle with a big silvery cap. Gothic but sophisticated: a Vampire's rose.- "Domenico Caraceni 1913": very noble rose and incense cologne. Seems to be discontinued- "Geranium pour Monsieur" by Frédéric Malle: I always count in geranium as a rose fragrance. Geranium oil is processed from a pelargonium species, and one can consider it a less expensive substitute to rose oil or a facet of rose fragrance that stands for itself. Many people are attracted by the combination with fresh mint in the top notes.- "Rose d'Homme" by Les Parfums de Rosine. This house exclusively sells rose perfumes, and they also have a few for the gents. I tested Rose d'Homme some years ago, it is okay but I missed something in it that would make it special.- "Shiloh" by the Belgium house Hors Là Monde: rose with herbs, quite opulent and maybe a bit difficult to wear. It is something special, a true niche fragrance.

...Great topic!That reminds me that I could wear a rose fragrance again which I haven't done for quite a while. Actually, there is so much to be said about this topic, so please excuse me for being wordy.Montale: Rose and OudWhen it comes to rose oud combos, Montale's Black Aoud is the role model for the whole group. Over the years Montale has launched numerous variants of that classic combination. I think they can be arranged along a line from dark/masculine/oudish to bright/feminine/flowery, and so here is an (incomplete) attempt, starting with BA:- "Black Aoud"- "Steam Aoud"- "Aoud Safran"- "Aoud Flowers"- "Louban"...- "Aoud Sliver"- "Orange Aoud"- "Aoud Melody"...- "Aoud Queen Roses"- "Deep Roses"- "Royal Aoud"- "Aoud Shiny"- "White Aoud"Personally, I'd prefer Steam Aoud over BA. It has less rose, but it also misses a certain roughness. I find it more balanced. An absolute rose and oud feast is Aoud Flowers, and I would have it if I hadn't bought Washington Tremlett's Black Tie before, which is similar.Louban is an interesting green rose oud: just imagine Morticia from Addams family switching off all the blossoms from the rose bouquet she had received and arranging the wonderful stems in a vase!The "in between" ouds are very wearable. I used to wear Aoud Sliver quite some times, it actually resembles an Arabian Mukhallat (blend) but is of high quality. The newer releases Orange Oud and Oud Melody are remarkably discreet for a Montale oud.I only had some brief sniffs of some of the very flowery or powdery Ouds that I would classify as ladies' only fragrances.Whereas the fragrances in this lineup very much follow the classic rose oud combo, Montale has released perfumes where they tried to bring together a rose/oud fragrance with another classic fragrance direction from Western or Arab perfumery:- "Wild Aoud": Rose/oud blended in a very average mainstream ambery gent's cologne or sport fragrance.- "Aoud Forest": Montale goes Pino Silvestre and Acqua di Selva!- "Greyland" and "Amber & Spices": Two spicy ouds for gents who like Halston's spicy colognes, a decent Bay rhum or Hermès' spicy chypre "Equipage".- "Aoud Cuir d'Arabie" and "Aoud Leather": Aoud Cuir d'Arabie is the scent of a shiny new leather jacket with oud, very strong, and no rose. Aoud Leather is less strong and more suede than enamelled leather.