Mukhallat Shams

The first time I sprayed Mukhallat al Shams generously over myself, I muttered 'oof' under my breath. The opening strikes immediately with a cheesy, fecal note sprawled across a dense bed of fermented florals. Fortunately, the rose (which I don't really like in fragrances) remains subdued, blending into the earthy mass, as if it had been ripped straight from the ground with a shovel. The texture is raw and unfiltered, like damp, unprocessed wool, coarse and abrasively rough against the skin. The barnyard facet dissipates quickly, making way for an unexpected mid-phase reminiscent of an old-fashioned paint shop or drying, oil-based paint on a weathered wooden panel. The psychological gap between the first ten minutes and the latter creamy drydown is enormous. If someone endures the opening, they signal a willingness to push through discomfort in pursuit of depth. The fragrance unfolds through multiple discernible phases, ultimately settling into a musky, fruity-woody base. Apricot and peach nuances emerge, anchoring the composition in a softer, more cohesive balance. While the opening is brutally animalic, the overall scent profile is not overtly feral — only the beginning is extreme. Projection is absurd. A single micro-spray on the forearm lingered more powerfully the next day than a t-shirt that was resprayed with another fragrance and worn throughout the day. Longevity is equally staggering; clothes sprayed in the morning still smell by evening like a concentrated oud-infused, tree-shaped car air freshener. The bottle is ugly, and the cap is cheap, but why should I care? 'Al Shams' means 'the sun', which suits the bottle's design. In terms of similarities, Rasasi Faqat Lil Rijal bears some resemblance but lacks the same depth, incorporating a broader spectrum of notes. Here, the composition is minimalistic yet astonishingly rich in its restraint. Rasasi Dhan al Oudh al Nokhba shares a similar DNA, but its fecal note proves insurmountable, weighed down by excessive strawberry jam sweetness. This is an incredibly unique, hyper-realistic, acidic olfactory experience, though it won't make my personal top tier. Comparatively, Al Haramain Oud Cambodi Intense, which I love, is equally wild yet still (barely) wearable in public, though it has swapped the pronounced fecal note in favor of a raw, untamed animalic quality. In Shams, the fecal aspect fades quickly but never entirely disappears, hovering subtly — which people unfamiliar with oud fragrances might perceive as a faintly disastrous mishap, like stepping in dog crap or an unfortunate wet fart. In a European setting, the wearer must either be oblivious to or deliberately unconcerned with social palatability. This is like a brutalist, '60s or '70s Middle Eastern-themed monument in olfactory form — unyielding, monolithic, and indifferent to comfort, built to impose rather than invite or please the eye. A true test of willpower. With its drydown transforming into an intrusive, all-encompassing loud ambient drone track, infused with avant-garde free-improv jazz elements — deep, pulsing frequencies replacing the initial chaos — this is not a fragrance for those seeking validation. If compliments are the goal, look elsewhere — perhaps towards PR 1 Million. Opening note: 9 Sillage/Projection: 10 Drydown: 9+ Longevity: 10+ Blend/Composition: 10- Versatility: 1+ Uniqueness: 10- Value for money: 8 Bottle design/Aesthetics: 4 Overall experience: 9+ Blind-buy rating: 0+

True to its name, “Mukhallat” is a complex mixture of contrasting notes. There are florals, ambers, resins, oud, woody notes, fruity nuances, incense, and musk. It captures the experience of burning an oud bakhoor to a photorealistic level. Opens extraordinarily complex; floral, fruity, woody, and resinous. There is a bit of a medicinal note and a very sharp animalic barnyard note as well, akin to cow dung. But do not fret! The animalic and medicinal notes do not linger and after about 10-15 minutes on skin, they’re completely gone. In the middle, there are complex (and quite natural smelling) floral notes (including Damask rose), fruity nuances (akin to red berries), resin (mostly myrrh), and a warm smoky incense. Finally, a clean musk softens it up and brings it out of the darkness. As it dries down, the incense and resins fade away, followed by the fruity notes. Then you are left with mostly floral, some woody notes, and musk. So where is the oud? The oud is always there in the background, from open to dry down. But Oud is never center stage in this fragrance, the composition is a complex mixture of notes and their interaction with each other. You smell the oud as it changes and mixes with the other notes at various stages of the fragrance. Masterfully blended! Oud lovers will find this fragrance fascinating for sure, but Mukhallat Shams is more complex than just oud by itself. I think people who like Orientals, middle eastern, or even animalic fragrances, would also enjoy this fragrance. The quality this fragrance brings to the table is mind-blowing! It’s the quality of something I would expect from Amouage or Louis Vuitton. It just smells so natural, and realistic to the real thing! But at the price I got this ~50 bucks, I just cannot fathom how they could have achieved this level of quality. I have to give credit where it’s due, low-cost middle eastern brands, as much as they are known for dupes, we forget that they themselves have the capacity to produce some ridiculously high-quality originals. Performance is particularly good, but not nuclear. It is a strong performing fragrance, but I expected beast mode performance from this thing based on all the reviews here and on YT. It’s plenty strong but can be tamed. You do not want to overspray. Also maybe spray this an hour before you go anywhere, so that the animalic notes have thoroughly dissipated. As for blind buying, if you like authentic middle eastern or Indian fragrances, enjoy natural resins, or have a liking for animalic fragrances, then this fragrance will be a treat for you! If you are curious about how natural oud smells, this is a great starter for a realistic animalic oud. If you only like mass-appeal designer style fragrances, then you might find this fragrance a bit much. I would say try it before you buy it!

A quality oud perfume can be reasonably priced. All of my reviews of Ajmal - when positive, of course - will begin this way. Mukhallat 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. Here we have a standard oud rose, and there is not much more to be said about it nor any comment to be made on novelty. The rose in the opening sparkles and glistens with some crystalline aldehydes, but immediately settles in for a long haul of oud and rose. The rose accord itself is a bit non-descriptive; it’s a woody damascone used with a heavy hand that cannot really convince you of naturalism but not so synthetic as to feel empty and off-putting. It’s handled well. Then there is the oud of a proper Indian variety: medicinal, fecal, barnyard animalic, leathery, deeply resinous woody, and all of the other characteristics we want and hope for out of a proper oud accord. This is going to smell achingly familiar to those well acquainted with brands like Montale in its simplicity and template following presentation, but what’s notable in Mukhallat is that it is noticeably smoother and less rustic than a Montale, and despite the proper presentation of oud and its naturally heavy and challenging characteristics, Ajmal keep it lightweight, breathable, diffusive, and full of space for it and your nose to move around. While wearing this I always get the impression - and a frustrating reminder for myself - that it wears like a cologne, and that I should be wearing this more often across seasons and occasions. But I, like most of us, associate this accord with cool weather and formal presentations - not warm weather or wear-it-for-the-hell-of-it applicabilities. But I can! You can! We should! The dry down reinforces this interpretation as it goes to an animalic musky and floral sandalwood aroma with the oud still wafting about and peeking its head out in brief little flitters. Mukhallat is a bit short on longevity, but there is nothing wrong with that either; again, a rose oud cologne - it doesn’t need to, nor do I necessarily want it to off-gas like warfare throughout the entirety of the day. In warm and humid weather the longevity noticeably increases by a significant margin. Easy. Simple. Fun. Just plain good. It’s hopeless to not like Mukhallat. Sure it’s derivative, and sure there are better oud roses out there especially if you want to pay the premium. But you don’t have to; you can wear a good oud rose with abandon without guilt or concern since you got it for a very good price, and just have some good fun doing it.

Update 3 months and 3 weeks in So, yeah this fragrance has improved even more now as the florals seem to have gotten a bit more prominent and lasts through the life of the fragrance (now). Also, Ive come to realized that if I sniff this scent even somewhat up-close, it'll ruin the experience for me COMPLETELY! So, last night I was curious about how its coming along and I spritzed a couple sprays on my arm, but fought the temptation to sniff my arm at any point during the first hour or so. I then realized that what was wafting up to my nose smelled really nice, and did NOT smell like "Stale, Fermented beer" whereas before it would just smell awefull the entire time! So moral is, DO NOT sniff Mukhallat Shams anywhere up close at any point after the initial spritzes, wait about an hour atleast to do so. Also layering with Floral or Fruity fragrances mixes SUUUPER well with this Authentic Oud fragrance😉 ----------------------------------------------------- ***update 3 months in*** So that "Stale fermented beer" thing has really been tempered by the Florals which have become more prominent now after letting this fragrance "Maturate" over these last three months. As it get further into the dry-down the florals seem to fade a bit and this slight "Burnt Rubber" smell takes over. So I guess that is why these Clone And Niche (Initio's Oud for Greatness) have that rubber smell when they use that synthetic Oud, its obviously because they're trying to emulate what certain types of real oud smell like! Now it makes sense. So since this dries down to that "Burnt Rubber" with just a light touch of florals its great to layer with to give any fragrance that Oud touch. I would NOT wear Mukhallat Shams on its own bc it just never really becomes pleasant, but I layered it with Lattafa's Ajwaad tonight which is also a very strong fragrance that can keep up with this Ajmal. Ajwaad contains fruits, rose and just a touch of soft vanilla and imdeed, after layering one spritz of Mukhallat Shams and one spritz of Ajwaad over it. It smells REALLY GREAT! The oud most definately peeks throw Ajwaad and mixes PERFECTLY. Im getting that "Natural Oud Rubbery nuance" along with Ajwaad changing the whole composition of both fragrances! Thanks Goodness Mukhallat Shams has its uses!

one of the most wonderful mukahalats ever made by ajaml and other companies its one of their flag ships its been in production for almost 20 years and still is going strong for it is a classic mukhalat with a refined edge.. a mukhalat means a blend usually a blend of oud rose amber musk and some saffron or other resins ..this blend is a very special one it can be used all year round its full creamy smoky almost incensy and some one mentioned the faecal part its is not anywhere near the real faecal real oud its a very faint deep smokey opulent almost sweet and floraly yes it is oudy yes it has that characteristics oud smell but not the black utterly faecal one you just need to use it spraigly just a spray or two will last for days its an excellent base for layering its a winter perfume that can be worn all yers round its a classic refined oud blend that is not as offensive yes it is pungent strong but all in a timid manner compared to other Arabian oils that is..this mukhalat is a royale mukhalat this smell is smelled everywhere in roule weddings and celebrations it almost smells like the pure agar wood incesne mixed with bakhour and a hidden resinous sweetens almost molasy almost velvety oily deep balsamic..i personally have many of those botles and i keep collecting them every couple of years i do smell the difference but they are all wonderful wearable and extremely niche for the price of non niche i believe its about 45 us $ for a 50 ml extremely long lasting jute...i dont like to refer to any perfume as fecal just as in the indolic jasmine can turn fecal repulsive ..oud is an aquried sent that people need to learn to appreciate its not the easiest of scents some might love it some might not some might take time to appreciate it,,but in shams mukhalat its a blend rather than a straight up oud which is much easier appreciated..so for the non oud usesr s i would advise them to start by choosing mukhalats which means blends of oud just as what u smell now adays and for the past ten years in the markets from main stream designers making oud connotations..but in the arbian markets you don't get much synthetics and you get more pure oild and longevity and sialge for less that quarter the price..

I am someone who enjoys 'fragrance journey' wherein fragrances do not only take me back to the past but also teaches me now how to be more open minded to a large degree. I say that because fragrances or scents have meaning and Ajmal fragrances for me is no doubt a beautiful cultural experience with regards to Oriental fragrances made by and from the Orient. Oriental is also subjective. What is defined as an Oriental fragrance in Dubai might not be in London. I love woody scents, always been drawn to sandalwood and incense fragrances because they reflect my S.E. Asian culture. It brings me back to humid days in Asia, wherein temples are filled of scents of flowers and incense -- Bali. I also love oud scents, the best ones comes from Cambodia. I have a few mainstream designer oud fragrances which I define as pleasant and I have a few bottles of Ajmal perfume -and this is my first bottle of opulent oud. I say opulent because as some reviewers wrote that if you are not familiar with oud scents, then it can be a assault to the nose. Do not use this if you are drawn to designer perfumes that prefer to be 'liked' (at times to be liked becomes banal), this fragrance needs a mature person to wear who is confident - this is not for the faint hearted. Spraying one, maximum two- this Mukhallat opens into this strong leatherish scent. But patience is the key. This fragrance evolves into a real Oriental (Arab gentry) oud and floral notes. This is a very warm fragrance that last very long with only a spray or two which lasts for 8-12 hours. If you are interested to know how Oriental fragrances are made by the Orient, then this will take you to that journey. I love this! After wearing this fragrance for two days I realised that this is better worn on fabric. The gorgeous oud and floral notes becomes very prominent and last for 24-48 hours!!

I'm not sure where to start with this one! I think the last time I went into orbit over a perfume was with Patou's Joy which has a very similar feel about it. I love oudh with a passion and I'm already picking up 3 different ouds in this one. It's indolic, floral, polished and very, very well put together. Opens with a little cheese over a beautiful tar note with the florals sitting squarely in the middle. Will update later on full performance but I can already tell that this is going to last forever! It has a gorgeous animalic musc too that makes it hover off skin - feels authentic (I have a bottle of genuine Siberian Musk that has the same effect). I'm going to wear this a lot so I'm off to see if I can find another bottle at a good price. This is high art, but you must love and appreciate oud in all it's glory or you might end up trying to jet wash it off! OK, I applied this on top of Ajmal Dehnal oud Cambodi oil and 10 hours later this is still going hard. It now has a beautiful smoky edge and the florals are really popping. I will update again when I go to bed - I don't think anything is going to shut this down. Probably the best £35 I've spent this year! Well I'm about to go to sleep, 13 hours and I can still smell this from around 15cm off my skin. This has to take the crown in my perfume collection for both performance and the way it plays off my skin. I'm still getting the odd whiff of florals and the oudh and musk are dancing along briskly. If this goes 24 hours then I'm hiding it somewhere. My precious! 24hr update - has become a skin scent but a strong one. This is magical juice!

To be honest a very well composed Oud blend (Mukhallat) where you get proper transitions of Hindi Oud barnyard-sour-sweetness where you get all the Oud facets with hint of florals ,with salty/earthy undertone , but main player is Oud with slight creaminess/woodiness of sandalwood keep in mind. Not sure if there is actual Oud but to me the quality is like original Oud is used, not like westernized so called Oud accords in the name of Oud by mixing cypriol/pathouli etc that sells for 5/10x times and more over they only try replicate a particular note or phase of Oud, you don't get the whole experience after paying shitload of money like LV Ombre Nomade (It's not whole Oud experience so even if you love ON you may not like it) same for Oud Maracuja, Gladiator Oud, Tom Ford Ouds, Xerjoff, Creed oud zarian, Oud Satin Moon/Silk mood, even i would dare to say Roja's Ouds may be using actual Oud but not having full spectrum of Oud. If you get Areej La Dore or Bortnikoff , Ensar it's different story because they are original even MFK Oud Cashmere mood too some extent is great. All in all if you want to experience Hindi Oud in budget and you are starting your journey into Oud look no further, may be next would be Dahn Oudh Al Shams (Perfume) and then, DHANUL OUDH KHALIFA / RAASHID / AMIRI (oil) .. all from Ajmal. then you will have a good idea about Hindi Oud. Then onwards you take your journey through Areej, Ensar etc. Performance is average not sure about older batches: Longevity is good about 7-8 hours in high heat-humid condition Projection is about arms length for 1-2 hours , I would say soft

Recently i fell in love with ouds and Arabic perfumes. First I received a sample, Didn’t think this one was special at the beginning I even washed it off the first time I’ve sprayed it on my skin. till I bought some wild aged artisian Hindi ouds I’ve realized this one contains real oud unlike most synthetic oud on the market Went back try it again and ordered the full bottle right away. A EDP smells exactly like pure Hindi oud really excites me. The formula is created around building the elements of Hindi oud imho. funky opening like barnyard but quickly fades into a leathery fruity vibe with deep oudy/woody /musky at the background, ambergris blends in nicely. If you have never smell Hindi oud pass this one. If you like Hindi oud, get it if you can you will appreciate this one. Love love love. It’s a good value since there is real oud in here. Same quality luxury niche houses real oud frags will cost you 5-10X more of the price.dry down turn in to floral fruity scent rose and jasmine plays the main role, I also get lychees here. This is nothing like the moon or the night(my favourite oud frag all time)maybe some vibes in the dry down but FM is on a another level. This one more versatile than those, Tackiest bottle in my collection looks super cheap I have to hide it at the back of my collection, but I do love the juice inside a lot. After 3months 50% is gone! I have a lots of fragrances and sample I can’t stop using this one! I need back up bottle now!

A little story on how I got to blind buy this fragrance. I was in a niche perfume boutique a few months ago and by "accident" I got my nose on Boadicea the Victorious Nebulous and absolutely fell in love with it. The opening in that one is pungent cheesy fecal (dare I say now, real) oud as Mukhallat Shams but it dries down absolutely superb. Now, the price for Nebulous is obscene, around $1500 so that story ended. Upset that I cannot scratch my itch I started researching real oud fragrances that I can actually afford and I ended up seeing a video by Russian Adam from Areej le Dore speaking on Ajmal. This fragrance was one of his recommendations for entry level real oud. As this is only around $45 I said I would blind buy it as there is no place I can try it. What a surprise, boy oh boy !! First few sprays, really close to the pungent harsh fecal opening of Nebulous. Yes, the brain scratches it's top thinking why would I knowingly apply this smell to my hand but easily it gets used to it and then it opens it's 3rd eye and start loving it. For people who willingly have opened up to the smell of oud, I cannot recommend enough this fragrance. I'm thinking of going even deeper and purchasing Dahn Oudh al Shams which is even simpler indian oud. This is intoxicating, insatiable and addicting. Going down the rabbit hole.

Want oud?! Moukhallat Al Shams delivers. Just a warning: you'll need to get used to that opening... it's sort of fermented and somewhat musty. Don't judge it by that, though, because this turns into a beauty. that beauty is oud, and pretty much just oud. There is a very faint syrupy sweetness like plum or prunes that makes this one friendlier, although it's not listed. I don't get any florals from this. To give you an idea of what Mukhallat Al Shams one turns into, think a combination of a hefty Tom Ford, mixed with something from the 70s or 80s. You won't remind anyone of cologne guy or your older brother wearing this frag. I would classify Moukhallat Al Shams as a dress-up, or going-out winter fragrance. It wouldn't make sense with a t shirt and shorts, and super hot weather wouldn't make it shine. Longevity is eternal and sillage is healthy, though I would say this is a subtle fragrance. It won't shout that you sprayed on a fragrance, but rather that you might have put on some sort of body oil, or it's just the smell of your home on you. Mukhallat Al Shams is reasonably-priced, but pricer than the lesser-known middle-eastern brands, and it doesn't seem to be as widely available. I highly recommend this to the collector that loves oud.

At the very first sniff, i felt like i was in a barnyard. But it's also very natural, rustic and there is some kind of sawdust smell, which make me feel like i'm in a jungle, and there are some trees are sawed down, and the sun is burning the ground. Sometimes, i feel like i'm in a countryside farm in a very hot summer day, surround by trees and bush. The Barnyard, animalic smell soften down after 1 hour and the scent is very nice, flowery, woody and surprisingly bright. Even though this is Oud scent, i don't feel any dark in it. It's bright, like a sunny summer day. Maybe it's the reason why the bottle design with the shape of the Sun is shining I adore this scent, from the very opening animalic, barnyard smell to the very flowery sweety in the end. But sometimes, i feel like i'm a farmer when wearing it, so funny For everyone who are considering, in term of collecting perfume, this will definitely give you a very new experiment of perfume. In term of normal use, this may not what you expect if you are looking for something like M7 oud, Versace oud, Tomford Oud Wood ...

Mukhallat Shams is One of my Top 5 Favorites Perfumes from House of Ajmal. Number 1 Mukhallat i smelled so far . Hats off to Ajmal Perfumes. All Notes are well placed especially Oud is Good Quality & Slighty toned down to reduce Burnyardish Smell which is there for few minutes then it turns to show its Magic. Sandalwood also plays v good role in this perfume. The Top begins with a Floral-Woody note followed by a Woody-Spicy and base of Musky-Woody. Mukhallat means Mix of Ingredients in Perfume or Mix Notes. Beautiful combination of Oud & Wood with Musk, Floral & Spices Well Blended. One of Signature Scents in Winter, Spring & Autumn. In Summers i avoid Oudh except on Fridays when i used a lot Oudh Oils (CPO) Perfumes Can be Worn in All Seasons & Occasions But Ideal for Winter. Projection & Longevity are V Good. Presentation is also V Good. My Rating for this Perfume is 4.9 out of 5.

Oh my goodness, this one took me aback. I love Khallab and Dahn Oudh Al Shams, and I was expecting this one to be quite tame compared to DOAS, having read all the comments here, but it's actually a massive, bombastic, sour rosey, cheesey rose oud explosion. It surpasses The Night for me (I have 2016 batch The Night, which is apparently the be all and end all, nope not for me it isn't. It's lovely but not special). This is spectacular and the ambergris smells real. How do they do it for the price? I'm guessing it can't be real, but it's magical, natural smelling oudstravaganza. M. Malle can take their extortionate prices and reformulated AF perfumes and fuck right off. Ajmal is the king of the genre. Amazing. As it starts to dry down it also reminds me a lot of Promise, which is fine by me, as I used to love that one until the reformulations killed it completely.

The most debatable fragrance note, in my opinion, is oud. It must be enjoyable for both you and those around you. This one received several compliments. Just be sure to wear it around those who will appreciate it. People started asking me what I was wearing after I wore mukhallat alshams in an office and other formal settings in a middle eastern nation. It's excellent. Yes, it is powerful and strong. However, the price is quite good. Try it first; sample it before purchasing. This needs to be sprayed on the clothes a couple of hours before you leave the house, according to Perfume Guru (Nikhil Sharan Sir).

Damn... what a scent. The opening is a bit artificial, chemical and super putrid - animalistic in a way, but it's like that only for a couple of minutes and then it's fine. This has this muskiness which is either love it or hate it, and the oud-like appeal is something that I was looking for in a perfume. Really takes time to get used to it but once you start enjoying it you love it. Beautiful composition, uncompromising, assaulting. Lasts for god knows how long. I'd say this is a summer/fall scent but I think most people would see is as something you'd wear for the colder months. Love it!

An interesting experience. The initial Roquefort-like accord is quite powerful, but it soon settles down and you get a more wearable scent. It’s definitely animalic and I get a lot of dry wood. I would not be surprised if there is som hyraceaum in there. Also dried mushrooms and a soft smokiness, which is very pleasant. The listed floral notes are never at the front, but the get noticeable after 30 minutes or so. Not one for the office, but I will certainly enjoy it around the house. Surprisingly high quality, considering the modest price tag.

This is like bashing down an ancient barn door and getting smacked in the face with the sharp end of animalistic oud. It's a challenging scent and I think genuine Oud lovers will like it. I managed to bag a bottle for £30 and I'm in love WHEN it's layered with something sweeter. The acrid Oud remains and fights through. I'm getting about 5-6 hours on my skin, but my skin never provides a long-lasting home for scents. Dry-down is interesting, but I don't get the florals others are mentioning. It remails farmyard for me.

Lovers of hindi oud, rejoice! If you don't like hindi oud, run away, and if you don't know what hindi oud is, you're either going to love it OR you're not going to be able to wash it off fast enough. This is basically a single note hindi oud, with great performance. It's a little bit more complex than that, sure, but the oud is really elbowing any other players out of the way. Not much else to say really-- it's excellent, strong, and damn near identical to the real thing.

I blind bought this one based on reviews and the fact that I already have its sibling Oud Al Shams. I love it, even the opening which I got used to pretty quickly. Nevertheless, my family hates it, especially the "cat piss" opening. So I wear it almost everytime we have a family dinner. I love my crazy family ;-)