Oud Sinharaja

It’s really gray and cold where I am right now. On the subway, everyone seems to be wearing Baccarat Rouge, it’s everywhere. Amidst this, the only natural scents are the earthy smell of wet soil and, oddly enough, kebabs. Reflecting on my time living in Asia, I’m always struck by memories of its peaceful environment. The exotic flowers, fruits, the humidity of the jungles, and the dense woods.They stay in my mind. So, ended up blind buying this fragrance, just based on what it was supposed to smell like. And now, I can’t seem to wear anything else but this and an amber cologne. I’m not one to stick to the usual ideas about perfumes being for certain seasons or genders. A lot of people online, like on YouTube and Fragrantica, say this scent is more feminine, and they often say it’s missing oud or something. But for me, it’s completely different. I might get a bit too passionate about scents I love, but this one? It’s something else. The oud is definitely there, but it’s gentle, mixed with Sri Lankan scents, and has these subtle cereal and ozonic notes. And the flowers in it! The way it opens with this bright grapefruit and then moves into frangipani, jasmine, and just a hint of magnolia, it’s amazing. A kiss from the good old days. What a rockstar you are Bortnikoff. Instagram : @lecheikhboheme

This floral-tropical liquor takes your thoughts to the islands of paradise. A complex scent, a real explosion of light and color transposed olfactory, impetuous, but delicate at the same time, where you can smell from a zingy citrus and spicy cardamom to Sri Lankan oud, which really melts into the composition. Sri Lankan oud has the initial notes of sweet oak, with a soft, slightly alcoholic, low-density bouquet. It lacks animal or spicy characteristics. It leans toward leather, semi-sweet part of the spectrum. Its complexity lies in the interaction between the woody sweetness with the fruity tint and the slightly moldy leather, but it is generally the semi-light category of the oud. Bottom line, there's no skank, no harsh or inky oud in this perfume, it somehow gives a body to the exotic concoction. The floral heart is where this fragrance really shines, and it consists of exotic and velvety frangipani, with slightly almondy, vanilla notes, delicate magnolia and lush sambac jasmine. A tropical lush treat!

Extremely sweet, creamy florals with a woody base. I get the Sri Lankan Oud in the initial blast, but it very quickly takes a back seat to the trifecta of floral notes which sit loud and clear for the duration of the wearing. I don't get hardly any bergamot or cardamom, but maybe a hint of cedar and labdanum. But make no mistake - this is a densely sweet, floral fragrance. At times my nose is fooled into thinking there is vanilla or honey, but it's just the power of the jasmine, magnolia and frangipani doing a tropical dance together. The drydown is a little slice of heaven on earth - still extremely floral/sweet, but now balanced with some of the woody/leathery base notes. I don't get a ton of Oud - just enough to know it's there. Leans quite a bit more feminine to my nose, but I love wearing it. Overall, a very strong release from Bortnikoff.

The oud used in Sinharaja is said to smell like cereal and that's what I smell in this. A strong whole cereal note mixed with tropical flowers and fruits. It is captivating and you can't stop sniffing your arm but unfortunately I always end up feeling it is a tad too sweet for me. Think of a stronger Amber cologne with tropical fruits instead and without the ambergris base... it is a catchy smell, great for summer, but I fear I'd grow tired of its sweetness if getting a full bottle. The 9ml is ideal. Don't get misled by the oud in the name as it has zero resemblance to the funky ouds in the brand. It does share some other aspects though with a few fragrances of the house (frangipani, magnolia, jasmin sambac) but the final product is one of a kind.

I prefer Amber Cologne, but you know what? You don't have to choose. I would get both. AC is lighter, more realistic citruses and tropical florals for a summer perfume (or whenever, currently craving in the dead of winter). Oud Sinharaja could work in the summer, but it's heavier. Both are heavier for the notes I am getting, but OS is definitely more oily, and denser. I get something nostalgic from this one that saves it from my anti-citrus brain. To me, oddly enough, this is the more masculine version. OS is punchier. Did not think I'd be loving this house, but it's doing amazing things with citruses and florals. Their prescription of oud fits right in without being animalic.

Oud Sinharaja opens with pleasant - not screechy - citrus notes. Then transitions to a floral-woody phase where the florals are restrained by a mild oud and perhaps other woody notes. It is a tropical bouquet, mostly Plumeria/frangipani in my opinion but also with a bit of jasmin and possibly other florals perhaps champaca. It's not feminine at all, completely unisex in my opinion. Later, the florals slowly disappear and we are left with resins or labdanum. It is a long lasting fragrance, very well blended and natural smelling. Much recommended!

Bortnikoff always manages to use high-quality ingredients, and they always provide an experience. They don't always actually make great perfume, though. This is an exception, a high point for the line in terms of craft. The sultry tropical florals make a great accompaniment for one of their lighter ouds, and the whole effect is sweaty but radiantly so, like one of those people who magically looks better immediately after a hot yoga class. There is something in the drydown that reminds me of cereal milk, but I find myself enjoying that.

Any one who is Sri Lankan or has a buddhist altar will know this smell. It smells like the mix of white flowers and incense you get when you do "Mal Puja". This is Sri Lanka in a bottle.

One of my top 3 from the Bortnikoff line. This honestly reminds me of Wallimah by Areej Le Dore, but lighter, airy, less darkness more yellow florals. Just stunning.

This is "tropical" done right (and extremely well); this is what I wished/expected some of Areej Le Dore's floral fragrances to smell like!

Really beautiful all around. Love it! Intense florals work well with taming the wild Oud. Excellent.

A pleasing Floriental Chypre style composition. The perfume has a brief opening of cardamom and citruses. It moves to a prolonged firm floral heart of frangipani, jasmine and magnolia. The perfume settles on a base of chocolatey Sri Lankan Oud surrounded by slight hints of cedar and labdanum. Overall this is lovely but not particularly groundbreaking scent from this fine line of fragrances and the least exciting in the new collection. A unisex slight feminine leaning perfume with strong projection and very good longevity. Recommended for floral lovers. Enjoy!

Very sensual. The opening is nice: uplifting, floral, zesty, and a bit oudy. Let it fade and you will reach Oud Sinharaja’s floral oasis. Although they are in another league, there’s a vanillic floral sweetness that hints at something I have smelled before in a Tom Ford, a Guerlain, or MFK Aqua Vitae forte, and it’s just flawless and stunning in here. Gorgeous magnolia, dense yet fluffy jasmine grounding the fragrance’s attractive ethereal surface to its creamy, sweet, pale woody base, and a touch of musky amber. Elegant, smooth, enchanting, and classic.

After testing, prefer Oud Sinharaja over Amber Cologne. There are enough similarities between the two that'll pass on AC. Oud Sinharaja is wonderful and couldn't imagine anyone disliking it. However, I'll place this on the 'want it' shelf instead of the 'must have' shelf... I need to test several more of these Bortnikoff's before making a decision. Strongly agree with DawnBreaker's description below.

Breathy breathy scent, indolic, yellow, sweet, buttery, tropical and humid. The oud is clear in the opening but quickly retreats to the background, where it provides a dark canvas on which the yellow floral core positively glows. It was quite strange to me at first, but spending time with Oud Sinharaja has really made me come around. Wet yellow florals and gentle oud giving a tropical, misty effect.

This sits at the nexus of Coup de Foudre and Oud Monarch, sitting closer to CdF side in the top/heart and closer to Oud Monarch in the base. This is a warm and lovely scent with a creamy, ambered character. The longevity is excellent but projection and sillage are very modest. Recommend for a cozy day at home. Couldn’t imagine any of Bortnikoff’s fans disliking this.

Tropical Asia... Exotica Asia in a bottle with white floral and citrus to lightens the humid & the tropical weather. Frangipani, light woods, magnolia, bergamot, grapefruit, touch of soap and foam. This is pretty light and for those who wants to love oud but afraid of its animalic base, this is citrus oud, not oud white floral clean blend. Beautiful.

Excellent stuff. I do get the comparison with Amber Cologne but this has a more sturdy background from the opening oud hit onwards. Amber Cologne for Summer, this for Spring.

Quite the pleasant white-yellow floral -- frangies and jasmine and magnolias and citrus all blending together. It's pleasant enough, can't deny that, but I just feel it's a little 'safe' -- like, something odd or weird could've been added here to really make it come alive. I don't know, maybe a resin? Maybe a stinky wood? I can't feel a bit of oud in the mix, and I won't say that it doesn't belong, but it's not strong enough to make itself felt, and as such, this scent is largely a pretty floral scent, and not much else. That said, it's still beautiful and perfectly levelled and layered, but it's not spectacular, you know? Still, it is beautiful, and I feel more normal people would love it...!

This perfume opens very fresh with Bergamot and Cardamom which only lasts for 5-10 mins. This is followed by a floral frangipani, magnolia and jasmine which makes this stage lean towards feminine. I was starting to wonder whether I would enjoy this scent. Again this floral scent lasts 15-20 mins. After 30 mins, the Sri Lanka oud takes the main stage, very pleasant more chocolate as also mentioned by the previous reviewer. Longevity was excellent 8+ hours easily with moderate sillage. I do enjoy this scent but it is not a wow for me. Probably not full bottle worthy for me at the moment. Need to try the two other new release.

mostly getting a white floral citrus tropical bloom cocktail with a bit of dusty/chalky oud thrown in down at the back for good measure. it comes across like a floral feminine scent more than anything else, which isn't bad, per se, but with the note breakdown, i was hoping for a bit more bass, stank or funk. so far, a few hours in, it's a little too sweet and pretty for mine. delicious and wonderfully mixed, but too sweet and innocent. The dry down is all benzoin and white floral, mostly benzoin. I love benzoin, and the dry down on this is deep, royal and smooth...

This is so gorgeous. The magnolia shines right off the bat, and then you have frangipani and the right dose of jasmine. This could be a remarkable wedding on an island scent. The quality of the magnolia is mouth-watering. The oud has some gourmandish, certainly brown character to it, it adds texture to the scent. There is some woodiness and some grounding labdanum. Gorgeous feminine leaning scent. This is a really good scent for floral lovers who want an introduction to high-quality ouds. Very wearable for spring and summer.

Sweet orange, frangipani, vanilla, rose, dry jasmine, buttery smooth white musk, clean, very woody oud. Like Amber Cologne on steroids. Absolutely mesmerising but may be too sweet in its drydown for some. Edit: One thing I dislike is the turmeric in the drydown, same problem as with Coup de Foudre. However this is only felt by sniffing very close to the applied area.

A lush yellow floral. The frangipani is very strong with a ripe banana smell. Oud is not strong at all. If you like this, try also Sarah Baker's Jungle Jezebel. It has a similar vibe of yellow florals on a dark base.