Lao Oud

BORTNIKOFF Lao Oud (2021) Extrait de Parfum Unisex Bortnikoff’s ouds are quite easy to love but there are four which are more challenging than others. One of them is Lao Oud (others Sayat Nova, Oud Loukoum and maybe Triad for some). The master himself says “the note of Oud has never been so strong and animalic” in his perfumes. I don’t think it’s so animalic (for beginners definitely yes) but it’s very dense, dark and mysterious. Lao Oud is a blend of the exceptional Oud oil, the richness of Lao Coffee, and the Frangipani like sweetness (not listed here though) but it doesn’t remind me of freshly roasted coffee beans. It’s rather a some kind of the most darkest coffee syrap which has aged in the wooden barrels together with spices. There is a whiff of sweetness from which I smell honey and flowers with subtle animalic tones. You can smell a very dark Cacao, it’s not chocolate like but like that dark cacao powder which you didn’t wanted to be used in your drink when you was a kid. The whole blend is extremely sumptuous and unforgettable, it’s complex and addictive. Lao Oud is very close to Indian but it is much softer. Actually earlier I was thinking Oud Monarch to be like Lao Oud is. I was never thinking there is something that easy in Bortnikoff’s collection like Oud Monarch and I was thinking that Lao Oud would be too much for me. This is like a next step from Oud Monarch but there is a huge possibility that I’m just in the next level while exploring ouds, I love very animalic and edgy ones. I enjoy a lot of this masterfully blended piece of art. Top: Pink Pepper, Magnolia Middle: Beeswax Absolute, Cinnamon, Chamomile, Peru Balsam, Cacao Absolute Base: Oud from Laos, Tonka Beans, Crocodile Wood, Coffee, Oud from India, Vanilla Absolute, Birch Tar, Guaiac Wood Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗

Of the 6 Bortnikoff samples I have on hand Lao Oud was definitely the most impactful on first spray, in a bad way. Animal manure, cheese, barn - take your pick, it certainly stinks. It honestly stunned me and I put it away feeling confident that this wasn’t going to be for me. Paradoxically it is now at the top of my purchase list (alongside Oud Hindi). I won’t pretend the fragrance isn’t challenging or polarizing as some reviewers have. My own initial reaction was viscerally negative. I’ve also received mostly negative feedback from the few people I subjected to it. But as with most things, 3 or 4 applications in I did end up growing desensitized to the initial stink and I think once(or rather if) you reach this stage you’ll start picking up on a lot of nuances. I’m not particularly knowledgeable on notes, so the following is largely based on the image that has formed in my head after a few wears. It opens with dirty spice, fermented woods, slightly herbal, certainly stinky(lactonic), but with some very faint floral aspects too. The main thing that sticks out to me as an obvious note at this point(besides the Oud) is coffee. As the fragrance dries down the stink and dirty spice fade slightly and Chocolate along with the other gourmand notes enter the foreground. This is a process that takes many hours on my skin. It is not a linear fragrance and goes through quite the transformation. This is the only Bortnikoff I have on hand you can really say this about and its one of the things I love about it. The main thing that draws me to Lao Oud is the interplay of the challenging and appealing facets and the mental imagery it evokes. If you want a more floral, less spicy, less stinky, cut to the chase gourmand experience definitely try Oud Monarch over this.

Oh là là Lao Oud, what a great surprise! Gorgeous dark oud, long lasting, very appealing, bold but not offensive... very wearable!! I tried not to imagine much as I was reading people comparing this to Oud Monarch (which I appreciate but don't particularly like) and to Oud Maximus (imho the best concept of the line but I already have it...). I definitely see a link to the latter but not much to the former really. It shares some notes with L'heure exquise as well (something beeswaxy in the first 20 min) and indeed with Oud Maximus (imagine it without the orange and with some strong bitter coffee in the background). I am raving over this as it is something I've been looking in the Bortnikoff universe for months: the high quality, strength, boldness many of them share but in simpler blends. Here you get to feel the spices, the bitter full-bodied Laosian coffee is so real it transported me immediately to Luang Prabang cafes by late afternoon, but the king is the Laosian oud in full display. Unapologetically so. I like that idea mentioned below of the rural cousin as it is indeed a rougher version, more direct to the point, totally unsweetened (don't get misled by the notes, this isn't a gourmand) and still distinguishable from others in the line. If you already have Oud Maximus, sample first to see if it is that different for you. For me they are and I may have found my new signature oud. Great job Dmitry!

I have Sans Fleurs and Triad, both of which I love, and find completely dynamic, each wear giving a journey that's never quite the same as the last. Now I have Lao Oud, and it's totally in the same ball park. What's really strange is that it opens like BAM stinky poo in your face, then suddenly drops off to leave a chocolate, honey oud fragrance, which left me slightly disappointed, but actually, wait a minute, it comes back stronger than ever, and it keeps doing this, playing hide and seek, but somehow each time it comes back with more of a vengeance. In the dry down I find it very similar to Sans Fleurs, although smelling them side by side reveals a multitude of differences, but i think it's that they both have the same sort of oud plus little to no floral element, and a dose of vanilla. This perfume is an absolute beast, and now comes just below Triad in terms of scary, monstrous beast frag. This is easier to wear than Triad (due to Triad's epic latrine filled with hyraceum) if you can get past the opening minutes, which I love, but which do take me aback every time. Update: no, the drydown doesn't remind me of Sans Fleurs, the mid does. The actual drydown suddenly reveals a dry, realistic coffee smell, like fresh ground coffee beans, absolutely marvelous and unexpected!

A gourmand with balls. Yes, the somewhat cheesy (but beautiful) Laotian oud is definitely present, but extremely well blended - think cheesecake. The main players to my nose are oud, coffee, cacao, and honey. It smells like a mocha cappuccino with dense woods and birch-tar leather giving it depth. I totally get the comparisons to Oud Monarch, but after several wearings of both, I find Lao Oud to be superior and much more versatile. Oud Monarch, while beautiful in its own right, is a tad austere, formal, and leans more feminine to my nose (I would LOVE to smell it on my wife!). I'm also smelling some L'Heure Exquise DNA with the cacao/bitter woods, but Lao Oud improves on even that masterpiece by balancing the bitterness with honeyed sweetness. It leans more masculine to my nose, but I wouldn't mind it on woman at all. Overall an absolute winner (maybe even my favorite so far) from the house of Bortnikoff that takes elements of his previous creations and expertly improves upon them. 10/10

I love this one, I have a lil Bortnikoff collection, about 6-8 bottles. I can’t believe I just recently sampled this one . A fragrance collector friend sent me a sample of this one from his collection and WOW I really love it, I knew I had to get my own bottle. I have been waiting for a good discount on it but all I can get right now is 20%. That’s not good enough. 30-40% is more like what I’m used to. So I will wait. This one sure is a beauty. I don’t get any barnyardy stink from it.. Maybe on deep dry down. But by then I’ve already reapplied. Most perfumes don’t last but a few hrs on me. Out of the thousands of perfumes I’ve sampled and purchased in my life, only fragrances by Areej Le Dore have lasted all day and into the next . Also MFK Oud Satin Mood extrait, lasted all day and night. Ooh I love this one too. I suppose the more naturals they use, the longer it will last . Of course u must moisturize or/and use a primer like Eccentric Molecule. They actually do work.

I just pulled the trigger on a full bottle of the earlier version. I have Monarch and they have similarities. So it was hard to justify the purchase. But this is more enjoyable and complex than Monarch. The woods alone in Lao Oud are beautiful. - The guaiac wood and Peru balsam. The camomile note I've come to recognize, gives a soft herbal tone. The cinnamon, beeswax, pink pepper and birch tar, are all playing a part in making fragrance accords that keep the nose interested. I notice the magnolia at times. The chocolate is not overdone, just right. This has it all, and all is well blended. It has become my favorite Bortnikoff oud. It used to be #3. Could be my signature fragrance for Winter. So interesting and enjoyable. I was late to the game with Areej le Doré classics, which I use very sparingly. As I paid 2X original retail. This is close in quality and intrigue, enjoyability. Rating: 9.75/10 God bless. Ephesians 2:8.

Sticky chocolate and coffee blossoms! Kind of sticky cloying chocolate syrup, and coffee sugar with hints of spiciness and more vanilla! I don't see this anywhere near "Oud Lakoum" in anyway! not because there are some chocolate in oud Lakoum, both are completely different at least for the first 12 minutes in! I kind of see that 10 minutes of cloying syrup chocolate is too much! i wonder if all this sweetness will go after a while or not! let's wait and see cause honestly 14 minutes in i started to detect some incredible oud coming in & making quite an entrance! (40 minutes in) the Laos oud is out from the cage! amazingly blend it became now! no more clying, no more stickiness, and here comes the animalic Laos oud mixed with an Indian oud and a pinch of sweetness from the coffee blossoms. This blend has nothing to do with "Oud Lakoum" or "Oud Monarch" and honestly it is amusingly beautiful and sexy.

When I smell Lao Oud, I feel blessed to be living in a fragrance era where such masterpieces are available to people around the globe. I love this house and have not been disappointed with any of the ones I own or have sampled. I enjoy this more than some of the well known others such as Majestic because I can enjoy almost all the notes individually and as an overall fragrance. It is not for those who want to show restraint and I would not advise wearing to work or to a low key social gathering. These kinds of beasts are not meant to be gently petted. Let the oud and other ingredients roar. Maybe some would be tired of something this strong over repeated use. To put it in rotation with other untamed beasts seems a way of keeping the surprise and joy it evokes for years to come. It isn't as majestic as Sayat Nova but it is well worth owning.

This is my first time smelling an oud fragrance and I was a little nervous when I cracked my sample. However, it isn’t gross in the slightest! Maybe because I’m used to animalics by now, and I do enjoy them, but wow this perfume is so gorgeous! I get a lot of oud, coffee, and balsam. It’s blended to perfection, and perfectly unisex. The woody oud does a great job at tempering the sweetness. Warm, rich, and piney, it would smell divine in the height of winter. I think it would smell amazing as a candle as well. Lit at a table of adults playing cards and drinking coffee spiked with rum, outside a blizzard is swirling in the dark winter night. Just beautiful!!! Edit: put this on a few weeks later and got nothing but cheesy poopy oud 😭

House Bortnikoff's Oud Monarch is one of my all time favourite perfumes. With Lao Oud you're introduced to it's rural cousin. For the untrained nose, the opening will be challenging. Instead of Monarch's boozy rum/cocoa/clean oud opening, cousin Lao greets you with a full on barnyard, fecal hail. Incredibly skillfully blended, the oud is combined with a cacao-coffee delightfully backed by beautiful florals. Mr. Dmitry is among the oud-distillers-turned-perfumers clearly THE best blender. I can't get enough of his ingenuity and skill when it comes to blending precious ouds with with equally precious supporting/enhancing notes. And I can't get enough of LAO OUD!

Absolutely wonderful! Much prefer this over the Oud Monarch Attar I purchased recently. On first spray the oud is incredibly prominent, however after about 5 minutes the scent turns into an incredibly warm, delightful experience. So many levels in the dry down. I’ll definitely be keeping with Bortnikoff extraits, as the attars - to me, are far too subtle. Very pleasing blind buy and definitely a great reach for cold winter weather! EDIT: I’m in LOVE. This has quickly become my favorite, number one winter reach. I’m definitely on the hunt for similar works.

.. and I love it I have had a sample since it got out, sprayed as soon as it arrived and ... archived. I thought “the usual Bortnikoff perfume” I don’t know why but the sample from my drawer kind of called me the other day for a test... I love it, it’s still carry Bortnikoff DNA and I am thankful for that. It’s a mix between Oud Maximus and Oud Monarch. A perfect match! The gourmand side from Cacao is balanced by the dirty Oud (chamomile and Beeswax enhance this dirtiness) and I feel it as a perfect outcome Will buy a bottle once funds allow me to ;)

This is GOOD. A primary example of Agar. Lao Oud is not polarizing, not even challenging. It is a creamy, rich and pleasing scent. I never thought I would say this about any scent with chamomille in it. I sprayed one side with King Cobra (Zoologist) and the other with Lao Oud. What a couple! I have a skin chemistry that either makes fragrances melt away immediately or have them stay for an entire day. Often, I miss the entire drydown. Lao Oud stays and gets enough hours to evolve. Lao Oud has a supreme drydown. 10/10 overall.

This is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! <3 I've sampled 5ml of: Mysterious Oud. Oud Hindi. Oud Kinam. Oud Lokum. Oud Malinau. Oud Maximus. Oud Monarch. Oud Sinharaja. Sayat Nova. Tabac Dore. Lao Oud and Tabac Dore are by far may fav. Please buy a few sampels with a friend/loved one, prepare your setup, blindfold each other and start smelling without reading/viewing any review and make your own conclusions.

I think there is a lot of artistry and skill by Bortnikov to be able to think of how pink pepper and beeswax can form a cohesive fragrance with Lao oud - I love this aspect very much. There are also milk / lactone undertones which to some may be cheese. I would say that this is more like an artistic piece than something you would wear for regular occasions.

The magnolia and pink pepper lift the senses in the first few minutes, before the combination of beeswax, chamomile, and coffee manages to tamp the growing, only slightly animalic oud assam. So, so good.

I have removed this review because Fragrantica needs to stop encouraging/tolerating racist, queerphobic content but they are too racist and queerphobic to do so. Catch my review on Parfumo or Basenotes!

Too much coffee in this. I see what he was trying to do. But it’s a fail imho. I own quite a few Bortnikoff fragrances but some I don’t like at all.

Мне пахнет облепиховым маслом и свежей облепихой с листьями. Сладкий, с хорошим шлейфом. Добью отливант, куплю ещё. Хочу флакон? - Да!

Deep, dark, thick and sticky cacao with a beautiful oud stank. If you like real oud, this is a masterpiece.

Wow its more Bold, Dynamic, Animalic and Lovely Punch of Lao Oud in it

Let's make it clear: Oud Lao takes no prisoners, and it's going to smell INSANE to someone who's not used to this type of perfumery. It starts off rubbery, humid, fermented and while I wouldn’t call it "fecal" per se, it does have a distinctive agricultural tinge that could be compared to the scent of a barn or a fertilizer, on top of that, it takes its sweet time to dry down into something pleasant in a conventional sense. This is all about the oud, and it’s pretty much as questionable and as challenging as it gets. But somehow I like it? It's tastefully accented by various notes that make it easier to take, while this absolutely doesn't smell like a chocolate cake and while this is about the furthest thing from a gourmand that you could ever wear, it does have a slight cacao & coffee accent, and it's downright addictive once you get past the initial shock. One you get used to it, it turns into an enveloping, cozy blanket and it feels so tangible and full of life, like a living, breathing animal. It's a rewarding experience, the depth is unfathomable, and it could be incredibly attractive when worn by the right individual. March 2026 edit: I’ve gone through a couple of decants of this and I’m absolutely in love with it. This is a snarling beast with a saturnine air of darkness and a beautiful, gentle core. I dread the day I finish off what little I have left of it. I just hope that my wallet forgives me when that day arrives.

Starts off of notes of animalic fish sauce and chocolate. Interesting, authentic and different. From a decant. Reminds me of a Lao grocery market. Perhaps when I was near the cosmetics area. Notice some spice like Chinese five spice and Thai basil. Perhaps I was smelling Lao Oud odors kept in the vault behind the counter. The dry down becomes more spicy with fennel which is a part of the five spice blend, if I am right. The fish sauce animalic parts into the background on the dry down and everything becomes very pleasant. Also noticed on the drydown a nice creamy vanilla appears with a distant chocolate note. I like this! Works! Very intriguing like a great bottle of wine at peak. I think an authentic Lao Oud is captured in this fragrance, and not for the meek and timid. And you have to know when to wear and how to wear with this fragrance. Also I think you have some South East Asian scent vocabulary to appreciate everything going on in this fragrance. Just revisited, man this is just great elixir. Really great work. The strong lactone notes are coconut in nature. The florals on the drydown are great. Thai basil with anise notes are very dominant. Masterpiece and animalic. Hats off to Bortnikoff House. An experience not to be missed!

This one I was taken with when I first tried, so I purchased a sample. Later on, it made me feel nauseous. Now, I'm deciding to try it again. Upon first spray, the cacao and coffee are coming out quite a bit stronger. It is definitely lao oud, though. The name is no misnomer. I don't think I'd ever buy this. Not because I don't like it (I actually don't know if I do), but more because it's more oud than I'd ever need. It does what it says on the label, and it does it well. It's a 'take no prisoners' approach, where there's never any real sign of relenting. It's strong... very strong. The notes breakdown is a little funny, especially when you see the top notes. You might look at the article and think "Oh, it has a floral spicy opening... that's cute!", but nope. This starts with oud and ends with oud. It's not linear, per se, but it doesn't drift from the main focus very often or for very long. The voters say its unisex, and I do agree, but this is one of the first times I've found a fragrance to be slightly more masculine leaning. Bizarre, but effective. Not for the faint of heart. So, TL;DR, it's lao oud ... with a bit of less heavy, but still not exactly "light" notes and accords thrown in. There's complexity, though, no doubt.

Lao Oud is centered around natural oud, cocoa and coffee, giving it a deep, dark chocolate, leathery oud impression, with plenty of beeswax and a touch of herbal-floral nuance of camomile. I don't smell much of the top notes. Lao Oud has character, it's dark, smooth and refined. Blended to perfection. There are perfumes that deliberately and effectively smell like manure (Stercus, Hyrax). This is nothing like it. One can smell the complexity of natural oud. However, Lao Oud is indeed the closest to being barnyard-y out of all the Bornikoffs I've tried. While there are no harsh, unequivocally masculine molecules in there and to my nose, it's perfectly unisex, I imagine Lao Oud would appeal to the male audience more, as there's nothing conventionally feminine about this perfume. Not a safe blind buy, best suited for cooler weather and the nighttime, not office-appropriate, unless you're the boss. Sophisticated elegance, very unique and mature.

This fragrance starts out more similar to Maximus, but has a persistent tartness that I don't care for or feel necessary, then morphs into the Monarch-like sweet powdery drydown. For his most oudy creation to date, it's still surprisingly tame—probably due to the focus on Laotian instead of Indian oud—compared to some other artisanal houses & Middle Eastern fragrances (which do sometimes exaggerate the fecal characteristics). This is not a bad price for the amount of natural oils you're getting, but could be redundant if you already have the aforementioned 2 from the brand, plus there are more dynamic/interesting & complex ones out there.

A thinly veiled beautifully blended Oriental which is primarily a skanky Laotian Oud show from almost the word go, here is a fun perfume for those who like some smelly naughtiness. Yes there are other elements, slight florals (magnolia, chamomile), woody notes (Peru balsam, birch, guaiac) and some gourmandish elements (pepper, cinnamon, cacao and coffee) but they are all secondary to the Laotian Oud here (it softens with time into tonka beans). The slight masculine leaning scent has strong projection and excellent longevity. Those of you who have missed Roja Dove’s discontinued gem Majestic Aoud, here is an excellent substitute. Enjoy!

Very clean, woody oudh here. Such a dense and astringent wood scent that nicely supports the dark chocolate tones. Smelling a little further I distinguish the most cinnamon-whiskey and light dirtyness from the oud, but still, by no means would I call this an "offensive fecal". The scent is deep and sensual and I consider this more of a gentleman's fragrance. I would think this would open most beautifully on a man's skin. Signature material, definitely.

This may sound crazy, but the opening smells like medicinal banana. The dry down retains a faint impression of banana (to my nose), but it's joined by smooth vanilla, oud, and a touch of coffee. Despite the dominance of these notes, it doesn't strike me as especially gourmand. Maybe just a little. It's a pleasant, warm, creamy, summery fragrance. It's fairly unisex. The strength is good. Noticeable, but not loud or overpowering.

Opens 100% dark chocolate with a hint of wet mulch on top of a pile of actively caramelizing (just before burning) rum and a sprinkling of flowers. I wear a dilution of homemade beeswax and propolis absolute underneath to intensify the honeyed bit rather than the cacao. After a few days of trying it I’m enjoying it more and more. I’m female but I believe it does lean male.

I noticed some similarities with Oud maximus, I think it's the Oud and the spices, yet it is slightly more barnyardy. I get bitter coffee grain, and the cacao note is very similar to the one in L'heure exquise, for those who've tried it. It is smooth, warm, don't expect that very Arabian Niche/Designer Oud, that's one for the connoisseurs, for their personal enjoyment.

In a nutshell, this is cocoa and oud; I like it. The clean, soapy scent present in Oud Maximus 2020 and Oud Monarch are also detectable but very minimal. It does share some nuances comparable to Ajmal's Shams but is more refined and natural smelling. I have the 9ml spray and might grab a bigger bottle.

This smells like the meeting point between Oud Monarch and Oud Maximus. If you are a fan of the two, Lao Oud is definitely worth getting your nose on. It’s a nice offering from Bortnikoff, though it does feel a bit redundant given the similarities it shares with previous releases.

I tried a few other ouds from this brand that I really liked but with this one I can’t get past that fact that it smells like dirty baby diapers to me. I tried it a few times but it’s just not for me.

I was initially disappointed with this and called it "just another Oud Monarch flanker" and it is that but this is better than Oud Monarch. It's a gourmand that even gourmand hater like myself has come around to love. Is it good? YES!, it's great!

I’d give it a chance with a long wear test but I don’t want everyone to think I’ve shit myself. It’s..... intense. Not really to my taste.

Still new to oud but I've enjoyed most of what I've tried. This one smells like photo-realistic horse manure. Maybe my nose isn't mature enough but there's no way I would ever wear this in public. Keep smelling again to make sure I'm not missing anything but no.. it's rich, pungent poo.

I think I'll just review Mysterious Oud, Oud Maximus and Lao Oud in one go here as I think all three can be placed on a spectrum. First off, I'm not seeing Mysterious Oud as a lesser brother of Oud Maximus. They do have many similarities but while Oud Maximus is a bit fresher, brighter, softer and creamier, Mysterious Oud is a bit spicier, herbier and more medicinal. Therefore both can stand on their own and I don't think they are necessarily redundant. Though those mentioned differences are not _incredibly_ loud either. So while Mysterious Oud was on the spicier, herbier and more medicinal side of the spectrum, Lao Oud is the exact opposite. It's the most barnyardy and funky of the bunch on the first whiff but at the same time it's also very sweet, chocolatey and boozy, which immediately turns your subsequent impression from barnyardy to some chocolate truffles with orangey, creamy, cognac/rum filling. It's an oddly addicting smell for sure. As mentioned before Oud Maximus fits somewhat between Mysterious Oud and Lao Oud. It's somewhat spicy and herby, yet not as much as Mysterious Oud. So it's softer and creamier but instead of the heavy boozy orange chocolate sweetness of Lao Oud, it's more citrusy and peppery instead. From all those I think Mysterious Oud is the most mature scent. Oud Maximus is pleasantly neutral and probably fits any occasion and weather. Lao Oud is noticeably different however. I don't think it's an offending smell due to it's sweetness and almost edible quality but it's surely unusual. Off all those I think I prefer Oud Maximus because it's fresh enough for hotter days and neutral enough for any occasion and also a good addition to Oud Monarch, which I probably prefer the most out of Bortnikoff's collection so far.

Ahhh yeah!!! Everyone has there opinions and after sampling almost half of them, To me this is the best! It would all depend on what you’re after in a house such as this one. I enjoyed Sayat & Monarch, & remain curious about two others. But as of now, This seems to be the one making me smile the biggest! This starts off with Oud! There’s two different oud’s listed, But couldn’t tell you which is which & then along with that true oudy musty dirty filthy funk at 1st, There’s some strong black coffee happening! Instead some of cream maybe some grounds in your coffee!! People say that this one’s a journey & I can only imagine one full blast from a full bottle of this! It’s not long till chocolate & vanilla absolute along with some guaiac starts in! & just a few min after application & I wouldn’t say honey being I’m not a fan of honey in my fragrances, But thinking that beeswax definitely becomes noticed entering in the mid phase & the oud or oud’s listed lose that funk & become more sharp & the coffee backs off this & becomes really nice “Granted you like oud!” Because that ever so slightly dominates the other notes in this which I feel it’s surely meant to do given the name “Lao Oud” I only tested this with two luckyscent vials because I wanted to get a more solid opinion of some of these before committing to a full bottle and this is stuff is just awesome from the beginning all the way to the drydown! With such a dark juice & all the notes this has. It still somehow be some florals managing to give off a fresh vibe in the far drydown! I don’t understand how, But no complaints! Lao Oud will be my 1st bottle from this house!

You're about to read the least pretentious review on any Bortnikoff offering: 1m of this has arrived. I won't sit here and tell you "Ah yes, much chamomile, very beeswax, wow cocoa." No. Straight up stanky Oud (perhaps the stankiest I've ever come across in over a decade of perfumery, having been exposed to literal thousands of fragrances). Essence De Blue Cheese + Medicinal Children's Vomit. This, ladies and gentlemen, is an obviously expensive used diaper. There's a powdery aspect that hints towards a dry, talc-like creaminess. I know enough about perfumery to know this is bougie as all hell. But I'm still down to earth enough to admit it's mostly unpleasant. The pleasant nuances of it do not override the stank. To its only merit, the stank eventually fades to a point. And you end up smelling like premium semi-gourmand ingredients with an undertone of 'stepped in cow shit'. To those of you with bougie taste, that's probably the point . Love Bortnikoff. Hate this. Bon Nuit.

Fermented, cheesy oud & chocolate, laced with vanilla and coffee. Beautiful composition, im really impressed. The only issue with this one is, when its fully dried down it can smell like a cheap Christmas-spiced yankee candle sometimes :( This is due to too much cocoa/coffee i think? Im sad to find a second bottle with the newer, extravagant, waste-of-money clam-shell presentation (puke) has toned down oud and amped up chocolate.. I need a 2024 edition of LAO OUD with a double dose of the oud + a more rotten, stanking oud & civet on top! fill it out, go big or go home! Bortnikoff please dont listen to teenagers asking you to make more inoffensive citrus freshies, I have almost lost hope in the Bortnikoff brand, its not supposed to be a pisswater designer brand owned by L'oreal mega corporation And can I buy Lao Oud 2024 as a refill in plain 20cent glass screwtop? Climate-friendly Dimitry, we love the earth and its natural ingredients right?!

If you're certain your nose is pretty refined and you're entrenched knee-deep in the nichest of the niche, unable to be phased by any crazy funky smells and accords that are thrown your way by all these conceptual perfumers and houses, come here to ground yourself. I won't say a single negative word about this other than to say it defeated me. I don't think I've ever been hit like this by an oud before so maybe the Laotian stuff is my limit. Wow. Edit: After about 5 minutes it's fine, nice even. The cacao aspects come out along with the coffee (very much a black coffee) and it's wearable, the cheesiness from the opening is gone. Almost disappointed!

I thought EXACTLY what the "This perfume reminds me of" suggested -- a combination of Oud Monarch and Oud Maximus, leaning more towards Oud Monarch. It's the floral elements and the cacao intermingling that does it for me. Beautiful scent, without a question, but it plays too close to Oud Monarch for mine. The first second or two, it's straight outta the Russian Oud family, then the florals kick in and then it's Oud Monarch. The chamomile and cinnamon give it a sweetened floral element, and it works perfectly with the whole scent. All the way. I already have Monarch, so I wouldn't really reach for it anyway, but it's still beautiful...

Lao Oud is my favorite of Bortikoff house and my favorite lately, overall :) it is unique, cozy, warm, cacao, soft, buttery, cacoony. it is ultra niche creation. Lao Oud has this feeling of magic potion ( dark, thick, ...). i tried over 15 perfumes of Bortnikoff. i got few favorites, i do appreciate/love Oud Monarch, L'heure Equise, Triad...these releases have many great reviews, so i was feeling that Lao Oud did not get deserved PR. yes, it reminds Oud Monarch, but less flower dominant, more into thick woody pleasant inviting darkness. it is "peculiar" and characterizing the person that wears it.

Yep -- I still feel what I wrote a few years ago -- a newish Oud Monarch that taps into a lot of the Bortnikoff accords and DNA styles -- it's that deep, regal woody oud, not so much stank, with a buttery white floral and cacao combo that brings it all together. It's majestic, no other word for it, but it's present in a lot of his scents. That's not a slight -- it's not a criticism and it's not a judgment -- it's an observation and I say it with NO malice. I have a few Borts already, and I love each and every single one of them, but the bottom line is a lot of them are quite similar.

This is what I can relate to in terms of oud. This is the opposite of oud al sultan in a way where it dries down to a fecal animalic smell. But Lao Oud opens with the fecal aspect, just not as strong and dries down to a sultry woody and mysterious fragrance. Not bad, I could see myself getting this. Use of real oud is not very common in the mainstream world and can appreciate it when I see it. Even though Bortinkoff is an Independent brand, they have come to be more popularized and known on the same vain as brands like zoologist who would fall under the same category to me. 8.5/10

The people in the comments saying this smells like manure are liars and can’t afford a bottle. This is the most beautiful fragrance I’ve ever experienced. And one thing I’m starting to realize is that they have never actually been to a “barnyard” smdh. I stayed away from oud for years because of the hate train stating it smelled like poop. In no way, shape, or form does this or any oud smell like poop. They just following the leader. Try it out and see. You’re truly missing out.

This is addictive. So I was always on the lookout for oud scents which are non-sweet, non-rose & without any animalic. Lao Oud is Laotian oud with coffee and chocolate. It's delicious. It's certainly not mainstream, but I don't think it's polarizing. You either get it or you don't. For those who do, it's a big love. Undoubtedly it's my most favourite oud scent & also my most favourite Bortnikoff. IG : @scentclouds YouTube : @scentclouds

Leather, lactonic notes, dusted cacao, milk chocolate, tobacco, tart apricot, heavily fermented oud and a hint of sweet liquorice. If you adore Sayat Nova but wanted a more (oud) heavy take with the apricot being more of a side addition then this should be up your alley. Probably Bortnikoff's fermentation heaviest scent. I would've never connected this with Sayat Nova but on my skin it really does have a strong resemblance.