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.

My God the opening is so powerful and addicting. It’s like a gin and tonic served in a bed of hay. For the life of me, I don’t know where I will wear this, it is so strong and unique. But I am absolutely in love stays on clothes for days. Definitely not a blind buy. I love Oud but this is so dirty and animalistic. Does not perform well in the heat on me. Patchouli gets really sharp.

Ooh no, initially this smells like poop-on-a-stick wrapped in myrrh that’s being roasted over a campfire. There’s a under-lying sweetness that’s just wrong given the first description. To start with it’s simply sinister as I’m just not ready for this realistic oud experience. But as it dries down, it refines and I now get ancient mummified bodies smoking cigars against their resinous leathery lips. Ancient, ritualistic, masculine and foreboding. But I’m actually enjoying how it’s mellowing-out into a smooth, hallowed antiquity against my cautious skin. It’s becoming dreamy, creamy, smooth and gently crackling like the very end of a quietly smouldering bonfire. I now get luxury Imperial Leather soap with dried fruits and cigar leaves. Damn my love-hate experience with this surprisingly well done fragrance. Niche fragrance lovers, come hither to experience this tremendous journey of scent.

Doesn't smell at all similar to Luxor. The oud is obviously artificial, has that rough woody quality that faux oud has when smelled up close. Genuine Oud feels sensual (and yeah sometimes fecal, or dirty). But in the air it's quite nice. Not amazing, imo, this is severely overpriced, but it's nice enough. Better than say, a Versace Oud Noir.

This fragrance has, unfortunately, been watered down tremendously. It has the same scent profile as before, but it is probably only 10% as potent as it once was. Very sad, as it was a favorite of mine. I'd say the value is no longer there even at a hefty discount.

This perfume is such a disappointment to me. I had high expectations because of the reviews. All I can smell is invasive tobacco and incense. Old musty wood smell, feels like I'm inside a Cathedral. Nope.

The performance is extremely weak. @aidanbx is right. It’s gone in about an hour. It’s not worth the money, especially not the current batch.

Dont buy this from Deloox (edit: or Makeupstore), its a new bland formula that has nothing to do with the old animalic amazing longlasting one (ambrarome etc) Unfortunately it has been officially reformulated, or should i say REBOTTLED cause on the official website there is no register of this animalic version (but i do have a decant of the old one) And no its not that the fragrance is new and i have to let it oxigenate: it has NOTHING in common. Bad/wrong/new batch and ingredients: 210924011166 ingredients:ALCOHOL DENAT 80Vol AQUA(WATER) FRAGRANCE CITRONELLOL GERANIOL CITRAL CINNAMAL CINNAMYL ALCOHOL ALPHA ISOMETHYL IONONE AMYL CINNAMAL Notes as per Al Haramain official web: sage thyme black pepper clove rose balsam patchouli dehn al oud amber sandalwood vanilla oud musk Edit: like Ombre above said, this is Golden Oud juice unfairly rebottled into Imperial Oud’s bottle. This is outrageous cause all the resellers have the old notes, which means Al Haramain didnt even update any of the vendors. Its even more outrageous for their customer service to outright lie to my face on Whatsapp saying nothing has changed, and when i presented them with evidence of the different batchcode pictures (previous 2023 batch even listed 60% alcohol denat instead of 80) they poorly apologized saying yeah we changed it (?!?!?!? No shit sherlock) More episodes coming soon since customer service is literally dropping ONE sentence per 2 days. Definitely not buying anything Haramain or Orientica again, but i still want my bottle of this (original) (yeah its that good) Edit 2: yeah folks, not even a 07/23 batch 60% alcohol volume is the real one. Well i should have been smarter and realized that the old one would never have the same ingredient list as the new one, but i thought the alcohol volume discrepancy would justify something. Vendors also will skip their responsability saying you cant return or get fully refunded based on wrongly advertised reformulation. Dont go chasing waterfalls. RIP.

First of all, Al Haramain is NOT a clone house, its a classical Arabian brand that is highly respected in the Gulf countries and has a much longer history than any of the Western niche houses it's commonly associated with. Of course like many other classical ME perfumeries (Ajmal, Rasasi, Arabian oud etc.) it has recently diversified it's portfolio (no pun intended) with more western style perfumes which often are just more affordable clones of western style big sellers, but at it's core it remains a very Arabian house with a very diverse offer of oud oils, attars and oriental perfumes, most of which are light years away from the low quality, tacky clones we know them for in the West... Sry, just had to get that off my chest. Now as for this perfume, it somehow feels like it doesn't really fit anywhere. The line itself has become known for the two (higher quality but still) clones of Pegasus and NP, but Imperial oud hardly has anything in common with them as it is neither a clone, nor does it feel like it was aimed at the western audience. On the contrary, it's dark, animalic, slightly fecal and completely unmitigated by any floral, citrusy or aromatic touches which gives it a very distinctive ME feel. While it's definitely a challenging scent, it's far from the downright barnyard-y feel often associated with arabian ouds as the main player here is actually myrhh, with a hefty dose of incense (which feels similar to the Amouage's incense, although their perfumes smell nothing like this) which both help balance and sweeten the initially slightly fecal and strongly woody oud. The blance between smoky, almost tobacco-like woodiness (not the dry kind, but rather the deep, jungle log style wood) and gentle, dry resinous sweetness is honestly done beautifully and feels very comforting. Dark, mysterious, but comfy. Funny thing is, I can actually draw parallels between IO and an European niche house as it smells (to my nose at least) a tad similar to the two SHL 777 woody/resinous perfumes, Oud 777 and to some extent also Black Gemstone. I'd say the type is more similar to the former, but Oud 777 comes off as less woody and smoky but more leathery in the drydown, with an almost bitter tone that makes it less pleasant to wear, however the openings both share similar resinous/animalic feel. BG on the other hand is sweeter and smoother than IO and lacks the earthy, animalic notes, however there are some similarities in the way the incense and raisins round up the woody base. Nothing too similar here and it wouldn't be hard to tell them all apart, but they are in the same ballpark and just the fact that SHL 777 is the best comparison to this perfume should tell you something about its quality. Performance is flawless, projection is strong so overall a must try for fans of the style.

Just got this. Bear in mind this one is not cheap for haramain which is a clone house. This is not a blind buy. This is not like other ouds. I must have 20 or more oud fragrances. I am not an oud novice, maybe not an expert either. This one is different. I would not say this is animalic, not fecal, not barnyard. It does have sort of its own odor. It is for sure masculine. One could say it is interestingly pungent and woodsy. The oud comes across quite woodsy. Oud is a wood. Overall I like it. It is not everyday wear. I am guessing would be best in all seasons except summer but I will try it in heat just to see what happens. It is a strong performer. I used two sprays. This can be overpowering in an office. Overall they did a great job. I know of nothing this is a clone of. This is different for sure in a good way. Haramain gets it right lots of times. This is sort of a Asian/middle eastern fragrance but then again not so much so. Again I blind bought it and am pleased with it. I think all the haramain portfolio line is pretty darn good. I have several. The neroli is super good. The Royal stallion is the Pegasus clone and is superb. This one is kinda like the floral sculpture which is also quite unique, they do not smell alike. Different yet very good. Hope this helps.

I’m def no pro when it comes to oud. I know enough to know I have couple different types in a diff fragrances I own..None of which is the major serious stuff...I seen this was said to be like Laudano Nero & I own that one & although everyone’s nose is different I have to say No not at all! Not even a little! This is tho so much like Xerjoff Luxor to me which is much more smoother & much less pungent than this one..I’ve had this fragrance for awhile now & never even wore it till now & although less smooth it’s a lot more powerful and more stout & where I will spray Luxor quite a bit. This only needs one small spray on each wrist, that’s it! & you will know it’s there...Again to me similarities are def there along with a tinge of gasoline when smelled up close. But notes stand out more with this, While not necessarily making it better. Just happy all of a sudden to know I have it. This is one that has more possibilities of being offensive... I like it!

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite scents. People use the word fecal or whatever, and there is truth to it, but it’s buried beneath some beautiful scents of real living nature. The punch of that gets lost amongst so much beautiful resinous nature and becomes beautiful animal in the wild. Dirty as in dirt, soil - yes. And yes, kind of barnyard. But Cuban cigars have the same vibe before being lit. There is a gorgeous, rich, rose-like blending of the balsamic, incense and patchouli notes. Mother Nature shines warmly, sensually here. It is all somehow “sweet” to the nose — but not at all sweet. And speaking of beasts, for a very natural smelling fragrance, performance is beastly. It’s a fascinating fragrance and I will be rebuying eagerly when the time comes. It is challenging but I adore it.

Not the stinkiest of ouds but definitely up there in the animalic / fecal-sphere. A warm sweet kind, with plenty of furry animalic goodness to boot. Quite strong too - I would not recommend wearing this on occasions where you may be called out for over-spraying as one spray will give off that impression for sure! Only dabbed on my finger and it's a bomb. There is a nice resinous amber / myrrh beneath all of that which makes it really enjoyable for me on the drydown, along with a nice natural patch that is present throughout. The furry musky feel also. This kind of reminds me of PG L'ombre fauve with an added kick of animalics and oud.

I have About 600 Bottles in my collection and I do love Ouds. This is One I Absolutely Love. It Sticks to my skin, Last great. As for it being a GENUINE Oud..I doubt it has any. But the Perfumer did an amazing job..I'd prefer this over Oud Wood any day.I bought this on Amazon a few yrs ago back when it was like 89 bucks..I really love that little dirtiness in the opening I wish it lasted. I almost get a Cypriol note in the drydown. If I were recommending a nice MASCULINE Oud this would be a a great recommending. Especially since it doesn't have Rose..Im so Rose Oud'd out. Thanks Fred Fredsfragsnthings

Pretty much accurate takes on this one below, Then spill a little gasoline on you and there you have it!! I love it! But could def see why others would not!! Seems this precious little jewel popped back up recently for cheap & going to have to jump on it!! May be appealing in the air, Or may not be. I’m always too close & unable to smell it from afar..It’s challenging when on the skin & I love it..Smells like something expensive

I have no idea what 'literally dehin' means - has it been reformulated into a weaker and/or very different version? So many scents are getting neutered these days after starting out great... I'd love to try this stuff. But I'd really rather not buy something that isn't what it once was. Can anyone with a newer batch confirm whether it's still as described? Or is it 'dehin?'

@Redfordead1001 Imperial Oud is a totally different perfume than Royal stallion. Royal stallion smells like PDM Pegasus but Imperial Oud smells like a very animalic oud with loads of incense and woods in the dry down. In the "This perfume reminds me of" section whoever mentioned that Imperial Oud smells like Pegasus is just confused. 27-Aug-2019

@eclecticsynergy He is probably referring to "dehn al oud" using an alternate spelling. Generally, this term refers to straight Oud oil if I'm not mistaken.

Smells like a coniferous forest