The Other Side of Oud

Continuing my exploration of the house of Atkinsons brings me to The Other Side of Oud, a fragrance that suggests a slightly different interpretation of one of perfumery’s most recognizable materials. Oud is often presented in dark, smoky, and intensely resinous compositions, frequently paired with heavy woods, leather, or incense. Here, however, the name itself hints at an alternative perspective, implying a fragrance that explores a softer or more unexpected dimension of oud. On paper, the composition blends warm spices, floral touches, roasted coffee, vanilla, and oud, suggesting a scent that balances richness with aromatic complexity. The presence of both coffee blossom and roasted coffee beans is particularly intriguing, hinting at a contrast between delicate floral sweetness and darker gourmand depth. Altogether, the structure suggests a fragrance that may bridge spicy warmth, floral nuance, and deep roasted richness around a woody oud core. Let’s see what waits on the other side once it meets the skin. Opening: The opening is spicy, sweet, and warm. The primary notes I get are cardamom, roasted coffee, cinnamon, and geranium, with cardamom and roasted coffee clearly leading the composition. Cardamom arrives immediately with a rich aromatic spice that feels warm and slightly sweet rather than cool or camphorous, leaning more toward the style often found in fragrances like Dolce & Gabbana The One. It gives the opening an inviting and softly spicy character that sets the tone for the fragrance. Roasted coffee appears alongside it with a dark, gourmand bitterness that feels distinctly toasted, almost as if fresh coffee beans were being roasted nearby. There is a subtle sweetness within the coffee accord as well, balancing its bitterness and reinforcing the fragrance’s warm, indulgent atmosphere. Cinnamon sits just beneath these two notes, contributing a soft powdery spice that blends seamlessly with the cardamom while further warming the coffee accord. In the background, geranium introduces a fresh and lightly rosy floral nuance that adds a touch of brightness and prevents the opening from feeling overly dense. The result is a rich and inviting introduction where aromatic spice, roasted coffee warmth, and subtle floral freshness come together in a balanced and cohesive way. Dry Down: The dry down is woody, warm, and sweet. The primary notes I get are oud, cardamom, roasted coffee, and vanilla, with oud and cardamom taking the lead in this stage of the composition. The namesake oud begins to emerge more clearly as the fragrance settles, introducing a dark, dry, and earthy woodiness that anchors the scent. It does not lean fully into the intensely animalic character of natural oud, but it also avoids the overly smooth and sanitized style often found in western interpretations, instead resting somewhere comfortably between the two. Cardamom continues to play a prominent role as well, carrying forward the same soft spiciness from the opening while now revealing slightly more aromatic and faintly camphorous facets. This subtle shift adds complexity and gives the dry down a gentle aromatic lift against the darker woods. Roasted coffee remains present as a supporting note, still recognizable as the same bittersweet gourmand accord from earlier in the wear, though now softer and more blended into the base. The roasted quality remains noticeable, lending a smooth toasted warmth beneath the woods and spice. Vanilla rounds out the composition in the background, contributing a creamy sweetness that feels deeper and more resinous than a typical vanilla note. The use of vanilla absolute gives the sweetness a darker, almost balsamic character that integrates naturally with the oud and roasted coffee. The result is a smooth and cohesive dry down where dark woods, aromatic spice, toasted gourmand warmth, and rich vanilla sweetness settle into a balanced and inviting finish. Performance: Projection opens at a strong level, reaching out to roughly six feet during the first hour and establishing an immediate presence. Sillage matches that strength, leaving behind a heavy and clearly noticeable scent trail that reinforces the fragrance’s rich and warm character. After approximately three to four hours, performance remains largely unchanged, with both projection and scent trail maintaining much of their initial intensity. As the fragrance continues to develop, projection gradually softens, settling to around two to three feet at roughly the eight hour mark. The scent trail becomes lighter at this stage but remains noticeable while moving. Eventually, the fragrance transitions into a skin scent somewhere between the ten and eleven hour mark. The overall result is a fragrance that maintains strong projection and sillage for several hours before gradually tapering into a softer, more intimate presence later in the wear. When to Wear: The Other Side of Oud is best suited for fall and winter, where its warm spices, dark woods, and gourmand undertones can fully develop in cooler air. The fragrance feels most natural in the evening, when its rich and cozy character aligns well with quieter and more intimate settings. Its depth and warmth make it an excellent choice for special occasions such as date nights, where the combination of spice, roasted coffee, and oud can create an inviting and memorable atmosphere. At the same time, the fragrance carries enough complexity and refinement to work in more formal environments, provided the application is kept moderate so the stronger projection does not overwhelm the room. However, its darker and heavier profile makes it less suited for casual daytime wear or office settings, where something lighter and more understated would generally be more appropriate. Blind Buy: The Other Side of Oud is not a safe blind buy. With oud featured prominently in both the name and the note pyramid, many people may approach the fragrance expecting a composition that leans heavily into a natural, oud-forward profile. While the oud does emerge more clearly in the dry down, it does not dominate the fragrance in the way some might anticipate. Instead, it shares the spotlight with the persistent spice of cardamom and the bittersweet warmth of roasted coffee, creating a balance between woody, spicy, and gourmand elements rather than a singular focus on oud. This blended approach may surprise those looking for a more traditional oud experience. For that reason, sampling is strongly recommended before committing to a full bottle to ensure the balance of oud, spice, and coffee aligns with your expectations. Final Verdict: The Other Side of Oud proved to be a very enjoyable wearing experience and feels appropriately named compared to the other Atkinsons fragrances I have tried so far. Rather than opening with an overwhelming blast of oud, the note gradually eases into the composition, allowing the surrounding notes room to develop without being buried under intensely woody or animalic tones. This measured approach keeps the fragrance balanced and approachable while still delivering the depth one would expect from an oud-based scent. The blend of cardamom, coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla introduces a distinctly gourmand warmth that contrasts nicely with the darker woodiness of the oud, creating an engaging balance between sweetness and depth. Performance is also strong, opening with powerful projection and sillage before gradually softening over several hours and ultimately lasting around ten to eleven hours on skin. Considering that performance can sometimes be inconsistent within the house, this was a welcome surprise. All things considered, the combination of smooth blending, gourmand character, and reliable performance makes this the first Atkinsons fragrance I could realistically see myself adding to my collection. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 9/10 Versatility: Average Compliment Factor: Gender: Unisex, leaning masculine Value: Fair

The most beautiful box I have, and the bottle is also beautiful itself. In the middle it is transparent glass so you can see the liquid, the other parts are covered in golden. Feels luxurious. So far I used 2 times because the weather changed to warm very fastly, and I regard it as a colder weather fragrance (or at least not above 25 celsius). Immediately became one of my favourite ones; the vanilla with oud creates this semi-sweet cloud, with added coffee (tho its not as strong as I hoped), powdery, refined, rich. I am not an oud expert at all, honestly this is my first fragrance with oud, and I chose this because I wanted an oudy vanilla (plus I like coffee in perfumes) but without rose. Performance is quite good, not nuclear but detectable, not juvenile type. I am already thinking to buy another bottle, since I got it at a reasonable price, maybe it will be discontinued? On the offical site I can't find it. Of course, I will wear it more often in the Autumn, until than it will macerate, and I will be able to discover all of its faces. But as I use I cant stop sniffing my arm.

When I first sprayed this one on it made my stomach turn. I don't really like coffee in fragrance and the coffee and I guess the geranium was awful. But after five minutes, it started getting good. And after 15 it was great. By 30 minutes I loved it. This is excellent rendering of cardamom, cinnamon, coffee, ginger, western oud, and vanilla. Still testing but so far this is my favorite from the house. Longevity and projection was about average, but well above average on smell. Far better than Burberry from what I remember. Scent 8/10 Performance 5/10

Whoever believes this smells like 1 Million, or any other high street designer release must have only tested this on a card... and then left the card alone for a week and then tried it again (it does last that long on a fragrance card). This is a fantastic fragrance, where the coffee note delightfully plays inbetween the other notes. Whilst far from a masterpiece, this is an awesome fragrance and in my humble opinion, well worth buying a full bottle.

No idea why some are voting the performance down on this fragrance. I sprayed an official tester once on the back of my hand, and could easily smell it some twelve hours later. I will be ordering a bottle of this, and will write a more in-depth review once I have worn it for a few days. The oud is very slight, and simply adds a thin animalic theme to the roasted coffee note during the drydown.