Dahn Oudh Al Shams

I use this as a reference point when sampling other oud scents. I've encountered a lot of niche houses that charge higher prices for the particular scent in their line that uses a tiny touch of Hindi oud to add mystery and intrigue. These scents tend to function as the dark, daring, divisive fragrances within their respective lines, and they tend to carry an elevated pricetag as a result. The psychology of those scents is one of "setting yourself apart," from the crowd because first you have to appreciate something that's an aquired taste, and then you have to pay an exclusive price, thus arriving in squarely rarified (read: gatekept) territory. To people unaccustomed to the note, it's easy to say "look how exotic this is, and therefore costly." But this scent profile is only really outrageous and unique from an American/Anglo perspective, and in the interest of not getting high-balled for faux exoticism, it's helpful to remember how affordable a perfume with this scent profile can actually be. For me, Dahn Oudh al Shams is nice to have around for that basic purpose. It's barnyardy for sure, and you could say it's one-note, but that one note is multifaceted in its own right, if that makes sense. I'm surprised there aren't more comments about how fruity the opening of this is. Then, as many have already mentioned, it basically settles into a prototypical funky, smoky oud that balances animalic funk with aromatic, dry woody notes. Having encountered plenty of scents where this basic note exists alongside various other supporting elements, I don't find this offputting, but it definitely may be somewhat eye-opening for those experiencing the note for the first time. If you've smelled Rogue's A'Oud Ancienne, this lands in a similar ballpark. Not worthy of a blind buy if you don't know what you're getting into, but a great example of a perfume that does quality oud at a fair price.

Having tested, recently, a fair number of Ajmal creations around the oud(h) theme, I feel pretty confident to say that they all share the same type of oil. I do not have the knowledge to define this particular oud oil or designate its origin (natural or synthetic), but it is fairly obvious that in its primordial state it is extremely potent and as close as it can get to the real thing. Ajmal, being a true artist, subsequently decides how this oil is morphed in each and every perfume he makes. In Dahn Al Oudh Moattaq, for example, he chooses to use rose, herbs & spices while in Mukhallat Shams his preference lies around floral & musky notes, in order to manipulate the oud's animalic personality. Well, Dahn Oudh Al Shams seems to be all about oud. A sort of "solioud" type of perfume that opens extremely potent attacking the wearer relentlessly with all of oud's badass features. "Fecal", "barnyard", "cow dung", "horse stable", "cat piss", "pigsty", "skanky", you name it ! I cannot even imagine the look on the face of someone unfamiliar with oud actually testing this. It could even be a great idea for those "candid camera" type of pranks. The word "oudh" in Ajmal perfumes is nothing like "aoud" in, say, Montale's fragrances. An entirely different concept. After the initial blast, the oud note starts to soften, retracting its claws much faster than initially expected. As time passes, DOAS starts to gradually turn more woody, earthy, herbal, musky & warm creating a kind of primitive carnal aura around the wearer. It is purely subjective then on, whether this opulence will be perceived as sensual or repulsive. As much as uncompromising & challenging this pungent ingredient may be, it is an olfactory wonder to my senses. 8/10

WOW, I’ve finally graduated in my perfume game lol. This is the real effing deal. After getting hints of oud in Mancera & Lattafah fragrances, I wanted the real deal. My appetite would not chill until I smelled genuine, infected wood!! Finally!! This stuff is funky! Lmao the stank face I had was unavoidable upon first sniff. I tried to remain as objective as possible, but it is absolutely fecal and challenging; straight farm vibes. Even at this stage, so intriguing! Like, who even thought this would make a lovely scent? The peak of perfumery... is smelling like a disease? Lol I digress; this scent is “alive”. After around 45 minutes the barnyard goodness chills out to an extent. On my skin the dry down leans into the leather and continues its beast performance. You don’t even have to move and this aroma finds your nose. It has a powerful projection, & its duration is eternal. My crazy ass wore it to work as a layering weapon, and it worked lol. It’s so strong, you have to tame it by spraying veryy sparingly under layers of clothing. As you’d expect, it’s extremely polarizing (in the long opening). This is not for the gourmand lover, or the blue-scented folks. You have to like rich funk, in any kind of capacity. Blind buy this only if you are mature with an open mind. Superb value for the amount, authenticity, and experience. My Americanized nose just left the country, from the house. This scent makes me feel wise, noble, & patient. Thinking about it...this scent is all about patience, & understanding. I see why it’s spiritual!

A quality oud perfume can be reasonably priced. All of my reviews of Ajmal - when positive, of course - will begin this way. It’s a point that begs repeating ad infinitum with today’s oud craze. Dahn Oudh al Shams fits. Ajmal has been doing this thing for nearly 80 years, which in itself is very noteworthy considering how few Westerners know of them. Originating in India in the early 1950s, they moved to Dubai in the 1970s and have been there since. They are the largest perfume house in the UAE, and they know what they’re doing. Dahn Oudh Al Shams is just an oud. Period. Plain and simple. Nothing else. It opens with crystalline aldehydes and a big, bold, bracing hit of fruity medicinal and oily wood - like rotted tongue depressors at a long-abandoned doctor’s office, or a strange super glue/epoxy type material. You want fecal barnyards? You’ll get it. Hot, fresh manure still soaked with acidic digestive fluids makes the tongue depressor note feel dangerous to your health. As these health and safety warning signs start to depart, a leathery woody aroma breaks free and carries us through to the end. Though not mentioned in the pyramid I’m quite sure I smell some castoreum layered in here to amplify the effect. In keeping with Ajmal’s style for this particular line Dahn Oudh Al Shams wears lightly, smooth, breathable, and effortlessly. Good stuff. Cheap, simple, smooth, and well done. For those wanting a good quality oud that can be worn often without making your wallet worry about it, look here.

There should be a 😳 classification on fragrantica for fragrances like this one. I guess real oud REALLY does make you flinch the first time - i flinched. It is absolutely crazy that our brains actually evolved to adore something that smells like ANIMAL FECES?? Im genuinely intrigued as to why this happens. I own several medicinal and synthetic ouds and i do love them but this is crazy. It is exceptional, of course, im just shocked how something so repulsive by default can be so enticing. THE ULTIMATE layering tool. Might make you want to go back to the comparative simplicity of a Dior, but it shows you the world - a bit like glamorizing a country before you actually visit it and then getting slapped in the face by the reality of the people, the place and the daily life. Usage: one spray for the whole upper torso. Dab it like an attar - trust me. Layer virtually anything on top and watch it explode. Stupendous.

So funky in the opening but strangely satisfying with a complexity that keeps me sniffing in a way only a real oud can do. When someone says fecal, dirty diaper, or barnyard you would seriously question why anyone would want to smell this, but it’s like the pleasant aspects of those things with dusty woods thrown in. That sounds odd and it is definitely something most people will need to learn to appreciate with experience. As others have mentioned it’s a good layering tool because it is basically just oud. I was surprised how quickly it disappeared on skin (dropped off after an hour and then by 4 was almost undetectable), but it does last days on clothes and the smell becomes softer and actually comforting without the funk.

al Shams is my first foray into real Indian oud, but I must say: this stuff is amazing. It opens with an astringent medicinal note that makes me think of freshly-cut cedarwood: pulpy, cooling, aromatic. After an hour or two, I get a very pleasant mix of aged leather, wet tobacco, and dried fruits. The most enjoyable part of the journey for me. It dries down to a slightly dirty, woody finish. I enjoy this fragrance as a reference note for Indian Oud. For real oud at this price, 10/10. EDIT: two weeks later, I cannot overstate my love for this fragrance. I apply it almost every night for personal enjoyment. The perfect intro for oud lovers.

Man this is the real deal! It such a divine fragrance. I own some of the best Oud oils in the game. The Oud in here is Natural to death! It’s a steal for what ajmal is asking for. This is such a good company. Just Indian Oud one note it’s enough. It’s so amazing that I’ll get 2 back up bottles. This is better than the mukhallat Al sham I own! Only down side is the tacky plasticy bottle, but who care when the juice inside could cost way more than what I’ve paid. I’ve found out in Dubai this only cost 70dollars I’ve paid 120 here in Canada. I wish I can buy more from the Middle East with extremely low prices.

This is a bold fragrance. If you want to try a genuine, Hindi Oud fragrance of high quality then this is one you should consider. I’m rather new to perfumes and there are so so many out there of varying quality. This is not a “western” type Oudh fragrance, it is the most lovely, rich and funky barnyard scent I’ve smelled in a perfume. This is something I imagine George Clinton and Parliament Funkadlelic would have worn in 1977 if it had been around, as this kind of funk is for real. I like to layer it with Ombré Leather, they just smell great together.

This is a perfect compliment to your oud oil collection. As everybody knows, pure oud oil is very expensive and Dahn Oud al Shams is an alternative if you want an EDP that really smells like oud. The first hours it can be to strong for some ppl. At the beginning a woody, light medical oud take place. But it fades away after a while and left is just a natural scent of woody/spicy/leathery oud from the Indian spectra. I prefer to spray it on my clothes the night before using them. It will stay for a week on clothes and at least 24h on the skin.

i have used over 15 bottles of this perfume.extremely strong and rich oud scent, coming from a middle eastern person I love this perfume its my signature during winter.i spray this perfume on my clothes and forget about it 2 weeks later and the smell is still projecting more than any fragrance I have.i can go on and on about why I love this perfume but 1 negative is that it will stain anything that isn't black so I recommend spraying it on you neck and wrist. you only really need 2 sprays of it anyway.

Truly captures what authentic and raw dahn al oud smells like (with an added fermented smell) but in a sprayer at a great value for the price. Not at all similar to the mukhallat (garbage). I believe they cultivate and harvest all their oud in house so that's a plus 👍. Dahn al oud qadeem is quite similar, but swaps the fermentation for the aroma of a bonfire woodiness (VERY slightly smoky, more so focused on aromatic wood), not my thing but it is very well refined.

At the risk of redundancy, I have to add: Ajmal's "Wood of the the Sun" is unmatched for the price. There's nothing in this fragrance but funky Assam oud, yet I find it a sort of olfactory retreat for the nose: layers upon layers of resinous wood. Nothing distracting. So relaxing, meditative, and layered. A 30 ml will last a long time if used sparingly. Western audiences will neither appreciate nor understand this scent, so exercise caution. A hidden gem.

Fresh animalic woody Indian Oud Ajmal Dahn Oudh Al Shams is Indian Oud oil made into a spray. For the first 30 minutes, you would get a strong barnyard animalic funk smell, resist to take your nose into it to smell it and allow the smell to carry through the air to your nose. After 30 minutes it becomes dry fresh wood, herbal and musty. Would be good for layering with other perfumes. This is perfect to use for meditation, religious gathering.

I love this fragrance, if you can buy one product from Ajmal, this is the one, if you are into oudh of course, as it is definitely not for every nose. The way to use it as it was explaned to me by Ajmal representative is to spray yourself/clothes the night beforeas the drydown very mild and smooth... but I like to use it before I go, it is a gorgeous fragrance indeed, sorry ya'll oudh haters :)

When I first got it I did not understand and I hated now I love it, I cannot have enough of Dahn Oudh Al Shams Ajmal it is best to layer with other fruity oud's. I sprayed over dry cedar in my room and my bedroom feels amazing! At night my room smell like fresh and decaying mangoes in a forest, delicious and addictive. Oudh is a learning experience not for the one night stand types.

Scent: 9/10 medicinal for the first few minutes then you’re left with pure oud Quality: 8/10 no harsh materials experienced, easy on the nose Price: 10/10 around 50 usd Longevity: 8/10 more than 12 hours on clothes, much less on skin Projection: 5/10 projects heavily on the first couple of hours then becomes closer

I just wanted to write down a review on this one, but then eye read the Adam's one and I can't add anything further. A pure Hindi Oud mixed with spices. In diluted form the Hindi Oud smells almost like ripe fruits wrapped in a leather. Welcome to another dimension!

strong strong oudh in its unadulterated form. initial spray with perfume (also available as oil) hits you with alcohol spirit but that vanishes in around five minute mark leaving behind oudh in all its mighty glory.

Wow, this oud is something else! It's so pure and intense, like walking into a luxurious Middle Eastern souk. The spicy notes add a warmth that makes it perfect for cooler weather.