Oud in this house
Les Racines, the roots of L'Arbre de Vie, hold four oud eaux de parfum, composed in house in New Jersey.
Chérie Oud is the gentle way in: vanilla, tonka bean and benzoin over a soft amber oud, woody rather than smoky. Impériale Oud is a rose and oud: Bulgarian rose oil, velvet orris and violet over natural Oud Assafi. Sultanat Oud sets lavender, crisp apple, cinnamon and cardamom over natural Oud Assafi and rosewood, then dries down creamy and powdered, the longest lasting of the house. Royale Oud is the deepest: saffron, rose de Mai, osmanthus, suede leather and styrax smoke, on an oud accord.
Real oud or an accord
Two of the four carry real oud, natural Oud Assafi: Impériale Oud and Sultanat Oud. Royale Oud is built on an oud accord, Chérie Oud on a soft amber oud. Real oud is an oil distilled from agarwood, the resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria tree. An accord suggests it with other materials.
Oud perfume for women
Choose by taste, not by gender: every fragrance of the house is unisex. For rose, Impériale Oud. For vanilla, Chérie Oud. For spice and powder, Sultanat Oud. For leather and smoke, Royale Oud. In the Middle East, women and men have long worn oud alike.
A first oud
Begin with Chérie Oud: its soft amber oud arrives as warmth, not as a challenge. Next comes Impériale Oud, where rose softens natural oud. The whole path is in oud for beginners, and the note itself in how oud smells.
Under $200
All four are under $200 for 50 ml: Chérie Oud at $145, Impériale Oud and Sultanat Oud at $165, Royale Oud at $185. For real oud under $200, choose Impériale Oud or Sultanat Oud. Its source is set out in Oud Assafi, the wild oud of Sylhet.
The oud Pairs
Each of The Pairs holds two 50 ml bottles in two gift boxes, with the Discovery Set. Le Tronc et la Racine, $310: Chérie Oud and Sultanat Oud. Les Racines Profondes, $350: Sultanat Oud and Royale Oud. La Rose, deux fois, $310: Roseé Blanche and Impériale Oud, one rose with and without oud.
Wear them first
The Discovery Set holds all eight fragrances in 2.5 ml sprays, in the order of the tree, the four ouds among them, for $60 with complimentary shipping. The $60 comes back to you toward any 50 ml bottle within 30 days of delivery, sent by email the day the set arrives.
Questions people ask about oud
- What is the best oud perfume?
- The one with the depth you want. At Musk de Lumière: Impériale Oud or Sultanat Oud, $165, for natural Oud Assafi; Chérie Oud, $145, to begin; Royale Oud, $185, for the deepest.
- What is the best oud perfume for women?
- Every fragrance of the house is unisex, so choose by taste: Impériale Oud for rose, Chérie Oud for vanilla, Sultanat Oud for powder, Royale Oud for leather.
- What is the best perfume with real oud under $200?
- Impériale Oud or Sultanat Oud by Musk de Lumière, $165 each for 50 ml. Both carry natural Oud Assafi, wild harvested in Sylhet, Bangladesh.
- What is a gentle oud perfume for beginners?
- Chérie Oud, $145, the gentle way into oud. Madagascar vanilla, Venezuelan tonka bean and Siam benzoin wrap a soft amber oud, woody rather than smoky.
- Is the oud real or synthetic?
- In two of the four, it is real: Impériale Oud and Sultanat Oud carry natural Oud Assafi. Royale Oud is built on an oud accord, Chérie Oud on a soft amber oud.
