Portfolio Imperial Oud

My first comment on Fragrantica. And here, about Imperial Oud. Since I didn't read Samasama's comment in time, I ended up ordering the perfume from Deloox. :) I also received batch 210924011166 and can confirm that it has nothing in common with the note pyramid above or the older comments below. There is absolutely nothing animalic about it now. I tested the perfume on a blotter strip and immediately recognized the scent—it felt familiar, something I had smelled not too long ago. Then it hit me: it's exactly the same as "50 Years Golden Oud" by Al Haramain! I checked the fragrance pyramids of both perfumes on the official website, and as of February 11, 2025, they are identical! I find it unfair that the manufacturer has released a completely different perfume under the old name. And repackaging the old fragrance in a new bottle while doubling the price? That’s just a dirty game! As for the perfume itself, it is undoubtedly very good. I don't know the old version, but I can't describe the new one as "bland and mute as stillwater". It is a deep, dark, rich, Middle Eastern-style scent with a powerful "oudy-woody" character, where the oud takes center stage from start to finish, never allowing the other notes to overpower it. It’s a long-lasting fragrance with strong projection. More than 48 hours later, I can still smell it clearly from the blotter, and just 2-3 sprays were enough to fill a room for hours. To my nose, there is nothing animalic or fecal about it. I think the new Imperial Oud may appeal to those who enjoy Montale's "Dark Aoud" or "Oud Essentiel" by Guerlain.

Tested this monster two times. First time on a blotter and second - on my skin. The opening is fire - it has some sharp, bitter and even sour spikes which I assume is reminiscent more to an indian oud. The blotter did sucked and kept only this challenging and maybe off-putting initial pungent smell which made me think that this one is not for me. Maybe after a week or so I did tested again Imperial Oud, but this time on my skin. Again the opening was an adventure, but I kept my spirit and determination. I am pretty confident oud fan but must admit that the first hour or so is/was a challenge for me. But let's talk about the secondary stages. After the initial blast the fragrance starts to evolve and develops to a pretty interesting and intriguing product! It is rich, complex and captivating smell. As some other connoisseurs here mentioned it is well balanced, dark, a bit animalic, woodsy and smoky monster. I personally do not get any fecal notes here. For me the overall dominant in Imperial Oud is the smoky incense with dry resinous sweetness which makes it almost sacral, ritualistic fragrance. It is definitely bold but captivating and makes you sniff your hand again and again. From repulsion to must have - that is how this perfume evolved for me!

#1066 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I apparently got a better batch than the previous two reviewers as this is an absolute beast that's been going strong for twelve hours. We all get a bad batch now and again. I do wish that instead of wasting a ridiculous amount of money on an unrecyclable leather and plastic display case, garbage that will just end up in the landfill, that they would have provided a magnetic cap. This scent isn't for everyone. The closest I can come to naming something similar is Amouage "Opus XIII Silver Oud", which also almost put me off with an animalic opening. But give it a few minutes and improves to an oud, incense, patchouli scent with just enough musk to take the edge off. Still leans to the wildlife side, but doesn't come off like deer scat. This is cold weather evening wear. Very masculine. I wouldn't wear this in a car pool, but otherwise you could get away with in the office if you have an open floor plan. It will not go unnoticed wherever you wear it. Projects a good six feet in all directions for hours. I would wear it on a date, but I'm an outdoorsy guy and the women in my life are used to me smelling like it. For me this was a successful blind buy.

The infamous clone house is at it again, this time the Portfolio Imperial Oud is their take on the Laudano Nero from Tiziana Terenzi. The Portfolio Imperial Oud is heavier on Myrrh, Incense, and throw in some faux Oud for good measure, with musk and amber playing a supporting role. This is dark, inky, incensy, and give an impression of Oud, smells a bit stronger than the Laudano Nero. On my skin, the projection and sillage go for 2~3hr, with 8+hr longevity, which is respectable. If you like Black Afgano or Laudano Nero, you'll like this one. Make no mistake, at this price point, this is an entry-level synthetic faux Oud, if you want to know what real Oud smells like get some samples from Feel Oud or Ensar Oud. Real quality Oud oil cost a few hundred of US dollars for just 3ml, Don't kid yourself thinking you're smelling real Oud from this mass-production stuff.

This is without a doubt one of the best oud fragrances I've smelled. The difference in quality as compared to the other affordable middle eastern ouds is unreal. It opens with a blast of an animalistic, slightly fecal oud, that isn't for the weak hearted. To me, it's not an unpleasant oud, just a very smoky, tartness with a very earthy facet. It reminds me of the same oud/muskiness in Electimuss Summanus. I haven't tried Luxor, but this makes me happy knowing I probably won't get a replacement bottle of Summanus when it gets low. The resins and amber in this are very warm and comforting. If you love dark, intense ouds, this is a no brainer. I still can't believe the presentation and quality. I would have thought this was a $250+ fragrance had it not been from Haramain. I managed to snag this on Jomashop for $55ish and now I'm hooked on this line!

Imperial Oud is an authentic oud fragrance with balls. I usually don’t give a damn about gender designation of frags, but this one drips with mojo from start to end. There’s no initial sour/skanky whiff you can encounter with many Arabian oud perfumes here. I‘m getting full bloom of oud beauty tinted to dark brown mood since beginning. The complexity of Imperial Oud embraces many fragrant facets – from mouth-watering aroma of candied fruits to palette of beautiful woodsy tones, typical for real oud, or decent, yet confident somber smoky/animalic shade. Don’t get intimidated by the sheer vigor and virility of it when you first encounter Imperial Oud. Soon enough you might discover its impressive rectitude and warm refinement. A must-try for oud lovers.

I have a sample from fragrancesline which matches perfectly the glowing descriptions below. It is certainly an outstanding perfume that I am obsessed with. HOWEVER, as some comments have pointed out, their formulation must have changed, because when I ordered a bottle of it I received a resounding disappointment. The new perfume, which goes by the same name, has a lighter color to it and smells just like a pile of mulch--which isn't too bad, but not at all what I wanted. It also hardly lasts and you have to practically rub your nose in it to smell it. My original decant, which I have barely a ml left of, will leave its scent on me for an hour after barely opening it. If anyone knows how I can get a bottle of the original stuff, please let me know.

@ben805 first of all Imperial Oud has nothing to do with Laudano Nero and second do not measure every oud in the world with Ensar Oud. What do you think, that only Ensar uses real oud? Is a bottle of wine fake, when it costs only 5€ for example? Is a Ferrari better if costs more than a Mercedes? If one, that is not a shoemaker has to make a pair of shoes and sews them for two weeks and sells them as a super bio vegan handmade boutique stuff for 500€ in order to make his living, would you say that these shoes are better than the 50€ shoes made in the factory? Al Faransi has doubled their prices for the last year. Do you feel that the quality is significantly better? Catch my drift?

This is the oud I've been waiting for. I knew when I saw that incredible, dark amber juice that I was in for a ride. I was not wrong. Animalic, and yes, a little barnyard, but ultimately rich and complex. It's a tour-de-force fragrance that won't disappoint anyone seeking an oud experience far from the safety of the designer's versions. I had this fragrance on and was mowing our back yard. My wife came outside and said she could smell my scent, even outside ... lol. After that, I took a shower to cool off and could still smell the Imperial Oud even after I had showered. That is some good stuff! This is a solid, uncompromising LOVE for me.

Very beautiful, very dark and warm. A perfume for Theda Bara, or a more serious version thereof. I’ve seen people calling this masc? But it would just be silly on a man - I don’t gender fragrances, but I’d have a hard time taking a man desperate enough to wear this seriously, unless he really really loved it (in which case that tops everything...) Lasts forever too, even on my skin that eats everything. Top 20.

Beast mode fragrance, it's an Oud which is amplified with animalic, amber and other notes. The name definitely suits the scent as it smells exactly like you'd imagine an Imperial to smell. Sharp, strong animalic Oud. Projects and lasts. The 3 main notes are: Oud, animalic and warm spicy. Scent: 9/10 (Only for Oudh lovers) Projection: 9/10 Longevity: 10/10

Just got a new bottle from Fragrancenet this week and it’s one of the most animalic fragrances I’ve tried. Kinda smells like a wild animal, like a muskrat in heat, not barnyardy though. Kinda reminds me of Amouage Figment Man or Gucci Guilty Absolute, or a much more oudier/animalic version of TF Oud Wood. Projection is moderate but very long lasting.

Beastly, animalic opening that's hot and dry like a trip to Middle Earth via Mordor with resins and myrrh. It's almost unbearable and most people will probably see it (or sniff it) as so. But hang in there. It becomes lighter, airier with incense and woods with a slight sweetness that wraps itself around the wearer, becoming much more pleasurable.

@Heisenberg711 To say that Imperial Oud smells like Aramis is like to say that Aramis smells like Dior Sauvage. I hope you are joking, right?

Guys the new formulation is a complete different perfume the new imperial oud is literally dehin oud very different

This is the best oud fragrance i have ever experiened......

Animalic indeed! Like a pouncing tiger! But just like all big cats, it's only good for a short burst. Then it calms down to woody ambery patchouli. The oud is a barnyard like animalic oud, similar to a cold damp wooden basement. A rotten wood like smell. I also detect some kind of a rose, even though it's not in the notes, but can't fool me, there's some kind of rose in this. At the price, I'm going to assume that it's not natural oud. But that's ok, it's a pretty good interpretation of oud. In the dry down, the roaring tiger becomes a purring kitten. It's barely animalic and I mostly get the patchouli and rose. The more this dries down, the clearer the musk comes out. The musk is very muted in the entire composition; I only really detect it at the very end of the dry down. This fragrance was not a love, but definitely a like. Very artistic and interesting. It took me on a fascinating ride. Personally I couldn't see myself wearing this much and for 100ml, that is far too much juice that will remain unused for years. But definitely unique enough to want to get your nose on it if you're a fraghead like myself. Price per value, I would not pay full retail for this, but if you can find at a discount, say less than a 100 USD, it's totally worth it. As for performance, it's very beastly the first half-hour or so but quickly clams down after. I would still caution not to over spray. As for occasion, definitely night time for date night. Also if you really want to stand out and be unique, but in a dark and mysterious way, this is a good choice.

Dirty, niche oud. Portfolio Imperial Oud is an oud fragrance through & through. For the whole of its existence, it is accompanied by a strong, dirty, barnyard-like animalic notes combo. Dirty & stinky. Niche note for sure. That accord can easily put off a person if s/he is not into that kind of perfumes. As it dries down, the animalic note dials down just a tad to allow for the combination of incense, myrrh, amber, & patchouli to come out, although shyly only, & give Imperial Oud a spicy Arabic vibe. The smell reminds of Tom Ford's Tobacco Oud but with an intense & skunky animalic note. Niche in quality & smell, Imperial Oud is for the lovers of dirty fragrances. It's priced at ~$130 for a 75ml strong EDP. "Like"

I think something is not right here. What I smell is nothing like I expected. The smell is thin, slightly bitter, and slightly medicinal....and that's about it. I don't smell anything I'd call animalic, and it's definitely not a warm full amber smell. I keep smelling it looking for the myrrh but I can't pick out anything similar to other fragrances I have with myrrh. It's really weird! Oh and if you wondered, Ive had it sitting for the last 6 weeks, so whatever it is it's staying that way. Is my bottle off? Is my nose off? I've only purchased three fragrances in this price range and two of them have been weird experiences like this. I think I should stick to cheapos.

So my sample arrived for some days and I`m still trying this one every single day. At first, I thought it would be more animalic but it`s more ambery-resinous for me, at least. Not a very complex frangrance, also, but a pleasent one, for sure. It does have that ritualistic, ceremonial vibe in it, but not sure it`s worth the price for the smell overall. A sample is needed first, do no blind-buy because some of us will be disappointed.