Oud Zarian

In attempting a reading of this fragrance—juxtaposing the discourse left by the perfumer Cécile Zarokian with the comparative silence of the Jalali cultivators, six generations into a tradition that has drawn agarwood from the Sylhet forests since the sixteenth century—the core of this work converges toward a single act: the reclamation of light. It is an ambitious aesthetic insurrection: an attempt to rescue, from the "animalic gravity" that oud has been made to bear for centuries, a translucent register of resin and fruit that lies dormant in the material itself. In the genealogy of Western oud-driven perfumery, two opposing schools have long coexisted. On one side, the polished, deodorized architecture inaugurated by Tom Ford Oud Wood (Richard Herpin, 2007) and refined through countless niche derivatives—oud as a clean signifier, its fermentative interior evacuated by design. On the other, the unflinching frontality of Frédéric Malle The Night (Dominique Ropion, 2014) and its kin, where the Indian oud's barnyard core is presented unmasked, at full saturation. Oud Zarian belongs to neither school. It performs a third operation: refusing both the cosmetic neutralization of the first and the saturated animalism of the second, it foregrounds a register that the material has always contained but that the dominant production process tends to suppress. What made this deviation possible was a particular material conjunction. First, the age of the source. The Aquilaria trees harvested by Jalali Agarwood in north-eastern Bangladesh are estimated, by trunk diameter, to be approximately eighty years old—an age almost unheard of in modern perfumery. The clarification deserves to be foregrounded: the figure refers to the age of the tree, not, as is sometimes misread, the age of the distilled oil. Resin laid down over eight decades concentrates and rebalances under fungal pressure in ways that no younger, induced source can replicate. Second, and more consequential to the olfactory architecture: Jalali's deliberately curtailed production process. In standard oud manufacture, chipped heartwood is soaked in water from one to several weeks—sometimes months—before hydrodistillation. The anaerobic fermentation initiated in this phase, through bacterial degradation of tryptophan and related precursors, generates the indole, skatole, and p-cresol that constitute the "barnyard" register of canonical Indian oud. The hydrodistillation that follows then typically runs five to fifteen days, drawing out, in successive cuts, the dense matrix of heavy sesquiterpenes—agarospirol, jinkoh-eremol, α-eudesmol, jinkohol—that supplies oud's animalic-woody backbone, alongside the slow-eluting 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones responsible for its sweet, honeyed, incense-like depth. The process undertaken for Oud Zarian short-circuits this sequence. Distillation is curtailed to three days—what Creed CEO Nathalie Berger-Duquene describes by analogy to olive oil's first press: an early fraction, taken before the long cuts that would extract the heaviest sesquiterpenoid matrix and the slow-eluting chromones. The indolic-fecal register that defines canonical Indian oud has been substantially attenuated, consistent with either a corresponding abbreviation of the soaking phase, the inherent self-balancing of an eighty-year-aged resin, or—most plausibly—both. The "red fruit" and "plum" afterimage that rises here is a real facet of the resulting oil; its molecular provenance, however, is not established in the literature. It is reasonable to attribute it to the absence of the indolic-fecal overlay that would otherwise mask such tonalities, combined with retained ester-bearing and lighter sesquiterpenoid fractions in the early cut—but this remains a defensible inference, not a verified chemical fact. To uphold this fruited core, Zarokian has drawn a precise topographic map of resonance. Rose Centifolia Absolute, the May Rose harvested over a three-week window at dawn, supplies a honeyed, soft-petalled floral bed whose β-damascenone and ionone-class facets reinforce, rather than contest, the fruited reading of the oud. Tonka bean's coumarin then arrives as cherry and almond inflections, mooring the composition to a drier temporal axis. Worthy of particular note is the role of licorice root—an element easily overshadowed by the headline triad of oud, rose, and frankincense. Its anethole-adjacent, herbaceous-anisic register lays a translucent ground beneath the sweetness of the fruit and the coumarinic dryness, arresting what would otherwise be a perceptual collapse into the gourmand. The texture commonly described as "creamy" on the skin is, again, not the physical effect of any single material. It emerges as a higher-order perceptual stratification: oud's heavy sesquiterpenoid base, the α- and β-santalols of the sandalwood, and the furanoeudesmane-class sesquiterpenoids of myrrh dissolving and overlapping within a closely shared volatility range, with patchouli alcohol's earthy fixative depth anchoring the whole from below. Myrrh and patchouli, easily underweighted in the headline reading, are in fact load-bearing. Disposed at the opening, frankincense and the spice accord together serve as both overture and strategic rhetorical move. Frankincense's α-pinene-led monoterpene front stages a "resinous solemnity" that tethers the perceiver's awareness to the traditional sacral lineage of oud. The bergamot freshness and the heat-tinged brightness of ginger are likewise a single step on a "rhetorical staircase," tracing the shadow of awe that inheres in the material even as they draw the perceiver toward the fruited-and-resinous core. Yet the instant the resinous smoke clears and the trembling of the spices settles into the warmth of the skin, what appears is not the conventional oud sinking into a fermentative abyss but a new countenance of the material—responsive, life-suffused. One could denounce this as a castration of oud. The objection misses the point. Zarokian's contribution lies in having added a clause—light—to the existing vocabulary, formalizing, under conditions of exceptional sourcing and deliberate compositional design, the delicacy of the early-fraction expression that Western production has long rendered invisible and sacrificed. The aesthetic significance of that gesture is considerable. Within the compass of a single bottle, the vivid expansion this work proposes both resonates with and holds in equilibrium the centuries of historical weight that oud shoulders. 9/10

I'll say this in complete honesty and with an open heart, Creed's Oud Zarian is quite possibly the best fragrance I've experienced to date! It's a bold statement I know, I've smelt thousands of fragrances but this one recalibrated my whole perception of perfumery, it happened on one occasion previously but this was another level! There are moments in all parts of life when something happens or is experienced that becomes a book mark, a before and after moment that is the baseline for which you now base and evaluate everything else on. This is undoubtedly one of those moments for me. It's sounds bloody dramatic but that's what happened! The crazy thing, I actually tried it on its release and just didn't click with it. What was I thinking! I just can't explain why that happened! It may well have been because it was a very hot day, I was already wearing a strong scent and the spray from the counter girl on my hand was compromised in some way! So a few weeks back I was in another department store trying the new creed wild vetiver, which I liked a lot but didn't buy as the longevity wasn't great for me at that price, that's another story. So the assistant said did i want to try another, I went with Centaurus which was better than I remembered and so she then suggested Oud Zarian, explaining she felt it was similar but better! I let her spray the other arm and went for a walk outside to let them dry down. Immediately, I was completely captivated by the latter. I didn't let on as I wanted time to make sure and get a little perspective before jumping in. I walked around and finished shopping elsewhere and found myself constantly accompanied so beautifully by Oud Zarian. A cloud emanating pure luxury, richness and unadulterated opulence surrounded me and permeated my very being! I sat and had a coffee to look up the notes and research a little, to my amazement as I read the many ingredients I was sure I could detect remnants of practically all of them and then none of them, as the blend is constantly evolving so incredibly and intoxicatingly. I pretty much knew from the first moments of application that my bank account was about to take a hit, nothing was changing that opinion in the slightest. I was extra motivated especially as the prices on line were massively more expensive than the price I was offered for the 100ml with a 20% discount, in fact the price I was told was a fair bit over a 20% reduction. I went straight back to the counter and declared I'd have the larger bottle, they only had one left. It went though the till but was far more expensive that the price quoted initially, even with a 20% reduction applied! The sales assistant hadn't realised that this particular product was significantly more pricey than the rest of the range. She apologised and offered me a 50ml at roughly the same price. I declined and walked away genuinely pissed off. I went home knowing I'd still purchase a bottle anyway before the Autumn! I was completely smitten. I awoke at three am the next morning and the first thing I noticed was the Creed fragrance from that one spray was still dominating my personal space. This reaffirmed that I would be adding it to my collection. Power and performance all around, incredibly beautiful scent profile, this is a product that truly has it all for me! I went back the next day and the last bottle had gone! I waited a week or two for a new delivery and the sale price had finished...aaaargh! I visited other stockists and they either had no stock or didn't currently have a sale on. A few weeks later and I was going through my daily on-line sweep to check for a sale.....finally, a retailer with stock has a 20% offer. Wahoo! No hesitation, order placed and I'm now the owner of the finest fragrance I've ever experienced. Ok, the notes are there for all to see. I don't need to go into depth individually. Overall, this amazing creation is without doubt my absolute favourite of all time. The complexity combined with the evolving blend over such a long period of time for each wear is astonishing. It's so deep, dark and completely fulfilling. It's an autumn and winter scent, not for inexperienced noses and definitely not for anyone under the age of 30 at least. It demands to be worn by someone dressed smart-casual as an absolute minimum. This is a scent that I feel can be worn day or night by a man mostly but certainly a strong natured woman too. Buy hey, you do you! I'll wear this almost daily when the temperature drops, 2-3 sprays at most. So do I need to go into longevity, sillage etc! NOPE, it's blatantly obvious this juice excels in every area. I don't understand the low rating? Is it the price, inexperienced scent lovers? It doesn't really matter. All I know is that for me this is the peak of fine perfumery, ultimately that's all that matters. I just know that I've found something that stands above anything else in the cooler months and I own some amazing scents. I'm not a Creed fan at all, but they truly created a masterpiece that somehow managed to become a new staple and benchmark. If you can afford to, try it and then buy it. I'm sure there will be a trillion clones along soon but I just don't think they will get anywhere close to this piece of artistry.....and this is coming from someone who appreciates a good dupe! Look, it's not for everyone but if it's for you then nothing else is going to get close to this. Apologies for the length of this post. There truly was so much more for me to write but you'd all die of old age before I finished rambling. 😆 Thanks for reading and thank you to Creed for making my existence just a tiny bit better purely by bringing Oud Zarian into my orbit.

Outlands vs. Oud Zarian: Which Zarokian creation reigns supreme? Few recent releases have generated as much buzz as Amouage Outlands. Since its release, the hype has been nothing short of intense, and it is easy to see why. Outlands does not feel like a typical Amouage; it presents something daring and new, yet still remains grounded in the house’s Omani identity. At its core, Outlands is a fascinating play on what I would call “muted” or “matte” spices, layered over an earthy, slightly camphorous base. But unlike the dry and penetrating spice profiles often associated with Amouage, this one is remarkably smooth. Omani Hojari Frankincense melts into liquorice and soft, sweet cardamom, while a subtle touch of cumin introduces a refined, slightly animalic warmth. The result feels ancient, grounded, and incredibly well blended. On the other side, we have Creed Oud Zarian, another creation by Cécile Zarokian that received mixed reactions upon release. Still, I would argue it is the more compelling composition for those who value complexity. Creed, a house known for its fresh, airy, and natural style, steps well outside its comfort zone here. Oud Zarian centres around 80-year-aged Jalali oud and rose, supported by a familiar thread of Frankincense, liquorice, and spices. But where Outlands leans into softness and restraint, Oud Zarian feels vibrant and alive. The spices here are brighter and more energetic; cardamom, ginger, and a piney green Hojari Frankincense create a distinct “zing” that lifts the entire composition. This brightness is balanced by a deeper layer of patchouli, tonka bean, and soft woods, adding a slightly chocolaty richness underneath. The contrast is striking. Outlands feels calm, introspective, almost meditative. Oud Zarian feels dynamic, evolving, and full of movement. Even the Frankincense tells a different story: in Outlands, it is smooth and resinous, while in Oud Zarian, it leans into its brighter, piney, and lightly citrus facets. Performance is strong on both, but not equal. Outlands delivers very solid longevity, lasting around 8 to 9 hours on skin with a confident, steady presence. Oud Zarian, however, operates on another level. It pushes into almost nuclear territory, easily lasting 16 hours on skin and lingering on clothes well into the next day. The Verdict: Outlands is a masterclass in smoothness and restraint, and a bold evolution for Amouage. But Oud Zarian explores a wider range of textures, contrasts, and sheer power. For those who appreciate a fragrance that feels alive, evolving, and unapologetically present, Oud Zarian stands out as the more rewarding wear.

I blind bought this knowing it was going to be a challenging fragrance. For me with the high amount of raw naturals listed in the allergen deck it really helps to let this one sit after opening. When i first got it I did get the outlands type gourmand opening. But after it starts to dry down it gets much darker, resinous and smoky and leathery. IMHO probably the best release from this house. You can definitely detect the maltol in it. But every day the scent smooths out. I get hardly any association with Royal Tobacco. But I have a 2022 G batch before the scale up of that house so I am not sure if people are comparing it to the 2023 changes. I would say let the bottle sit. And many of my love at first sniffs quickly became my least favorite fragrances. The ones that have me questioning my tastes 30 years in collecting fragrances are the one that if I like a lot of the scent but I find one part challenging usually if I wear it I not only get an acquired taste for it but it quickly becomes one of those irreplaceable treasures in my collection. For me what was at first IDK is now addictive and intoxicating. As for the rose note. I personally can tell its there but to me it acts more like a structural bridge rather than being a dominant forward leaning note. If you think about oud it is paired with rose all the time. But the rose usually is very feminine and intense. For me this scent is very balanced. Some will criticize it by seeing oud and wanting a very specific type of oud or what they have come to know what it smells like. But lemon is in many fragrances. Some smell natural and some smell like a chemical cleaning agent. Oud can have many nuances to it. And for me this is a floral slightly anamalic oud with a smoky quality as well. I personally love the fragrance and that is from someone who said he would never buy another creed again. Would I pay full retail? No. sure even some discounter prices are still high. But prices are kinda all over the map on all fragrances. Some will say this is too expensive but cant wait for the next designer 1.7 being sold for $206. Prices from all houses are getting pretty ridiculous. Would I say the fragrance is worth the money? For me and what I paid for my launch bottle yes. But its going to last me the rest of my life. If you dont like middle eastern fragrances this probably is not you cup of tea not blind buy safe. And if you focus on the super highly polarizing aspect of fragrances that are insanely challenging for the sake of artistry you may find this one not polarizing enough.

I feel a little embarrassed, and I must get it off my chest. Not too long ago I wrote a popular review on this fragrance explaining why I didn't like it, It was a long and passionate review expressing how this fragrance was disappointing and smelled like an Indian corner store etc etc. The kind of rhetoric that people who haven't given this a proper chance would spout. Some time after that, my nose and my taste in fragrance changed drastically. I started getting more into Amouage, Orto Parisi, Nasomatto, and other more complex and unique fragrances and houses. Things that I used to hate (like thinking Layton smelled like Vapour Rub) became loves of mine and this is certainly one of them. I think my frontal lobe finally developed, maybe I'm a proper "adult" now? This genuinely is the greatest fragrance in the ENTIRE Creed line up. It opens with a strong liquorice, spice blend, and of course...the beautiful oud (which some people can't detect at all in here for some reason?). This is what puts most people off, the dirty facets from the oud and the INSANE spices and liquorice root really give this a kick, and even my gf said that it smells a lot like curry haha. But if you give it just 20 minutes....yes 20 minutes, this will reveal one of the most beautiful oud, rose, spice and amber creations on the market. It surprised me and my partner so much to see how wonderfully this develops. Also, for what it's worth, I'm now rather fond of the opening and entire life of the fragrance. I'm not surprised however, that this gets a lot of hate online, since nobody has the attention span to let something sit on their skin for longer than a few minutes before judging it and scrubbing it (thank you short-form content). Please give this a proper and honest go, Creed has killed it here and I hope that the unjust negative reception doesn't put them off from leaning further into this complex and deep direction for future releases. I also hope they don't massively reformulate it into some watered down rubbish, though I'm not as confident in that regard :/. P.S: Wild Vetiver was also an amazing release. Got a lot of hate for not having enough vetiver but you kinda have to trick dudes into wearing beautiful rose fragrances nowadays. Masculinity can be oh so fragile...

A gorgeous decadent dense sweet in your face fragrance which I am quite taken by! This has sweetness with bite and personality and that is unique. I like to stand out and this does it but it does it with class and distinction. I have Outlands which I also adore and first time I smelt this I commented to the store attendant that it has a similarity to Outlands which it does but goes a much sweeter kind of gourmand way. Other comments below mentioned similarities to Xerjoff Tommy Iomi and Duran Duran Neo Rio which I have both of and have to agree there are aspects of it that are similar. I like sweet frags so this is a no brainer for me. For all of those who keep on banging on about Amouage I bet if this was an Amouage release they would be hailing it as the best thing ever and the best fragrance of the year. People love to hate on Creed and while the price is admittedly high if there is a genuine use of real oud (everybody here has their own opinion about that) then you can if you squint real hard understand the pricing. What Creed has done here is make a unique and interesting fragrance which has balls and tried something different and done really well with it. It may not be a fragrance for everybody and I respect that but it’s a solid release that is different, everybody complains about wanting something “unique” and without knowing a lot of middle eastern perfume houses besides Amouage and more of the western niche houses this is a smell that I haven’t come across before that adds value a collectors library of scents and is unique. Don’t hate just because it’s Creed or just to hate, give it a chance and then make your mind up about it. And for those idiots reviewing without smelling it or rating low and saying it has a small sillage and doesn’t last long go smoke a bong and watch Chech and Chong and stay off this site!!!

I admittedly didn't like this when i first smelled it, but this is one you really need to get a sample of and wear a few times and experience the dry down or spray a bunch on skin/clothes and walk around for a few hours with to enjoy. That licorice note is polarizing, i normally hate it but somehow here after an hour or so i started to enjoy it. I love the fact that it actually lasts long and has great projection. I think this is the ultimate "statement" Creed that you'd wear for a special occasion or an outdoors event where you can wear something intense. Could even be fine for the office with just 3 sprays max. After the licorice note starts to wear it has a nice woody dry down, with a hint of incense and smokiness. Hard to hate it when it actually lasts a very long time which is an issue with a lot of Creeds. I wish it wasn't so costly since after finishing my sample, i want a bottle lol. I plan on getting this someday in the next few years and hope that it isn't reformulated before i do get around to getting it. I would say Royal Oud is more attractive and accessible, but this is the one you wear when you want something more durable. They're different enough that having both makes total sense. In some selfish way I am glad that this one isnt getting the hype it probably deserves since there wont be as many people wearing it, but i do think the price is a bit outrageous for what it is (then again i think it makes more sense here than Absolu Aventus given how much better this one performs, although i do love the absolu's scent) I would give it overall an 8/10 or so. Not exactly a must have but i would get a sample and wear it a few times and see what you think instead of just smelling it on card once and writing it off.

I know fragrance is subjective, but I can’t help but think the people who keep talking about this smells like Indian markets and curry must lack good taste and exposure to the finer things. Based on these reviews and the rating, Oud Zarian is probably the most polarizing release from Creed ever. Aside from Aventus and Aventus Absolu, I’m not a big fan of Creed fragrances. Never understood the hype surrounding them. However, I’m a huge fan of Amouage’s style of perfumery. I feel like Creed specifically made this one for guys like me. Guys who love fragrances like Purpose 50, Interlude 53, and Jubilation 40. Masterpieces like Guerlain’s Tobacco Honey, Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille (before reformulation) and LV Ombré Nomade. This one is for men who think in systems, and own assets... The man who wears Oud Zarian owns stocks, real estate, and businesses. Or at the minimum, is actively pursuing them. He’s lived, he’s learned, and knows he’s the leader of the relationship he chooses to have with the world. He’s very calculating, intentional, intelligent, and disciplined. Yet he still has a warm side and considers others under his care and leadership. That’s who I think this fragrance represents. That being said, this is my daily driver. I wear it all year around because it matches my mindset all year around. It’s a masterpiece. Definitely not for everyone, but it’s definitely for me. I’m on my second bottle and will most likely be on my third by the time 2027 rolls around. That’s how much this fragrance resonates with me. It’s probably my favorite fragrance of all time at this point. 11/10 rating and off the charts in every way possible.

Tried again on skin and dissected it well for hours and hours: First hour, very oily spray with a roasted coffee bean opening. For some reason there’s a coffee bean trend happening. Here it reminds of the new Hermes Terre edp intense and D&G devotion A LOT, to the point that I thought there’s no need for Oud Zarian with those. There’s also a burning plastic vibe going on that I attribute to the frankincense note. The oud (or the oud accord) is not the regular moldy, leathery or gasoline type, it’s a dry wood chips with an aldehydic vibe. This part appears around the 30mins mark until the 2nd hour. I can see this being the oud they mention so much because I haven’t smelled this type before. 2 hours in and it smells like Outlands with roses and a very nice sandalwood, with the licorice in Outlands and everything. Now I can smell the roses lol, and apparently there’s real rose oil here because it’s in the ingredients list on the box. Anyways, Outlands with roses but less sweet and vanillic, which I prefer.. I’m not a big vanilla fan. 3rd hour in: Amber, myrrh and roses with some oud. What does it smell here like: Oud Satin Mood. It goes on like this for over 8h. Very strong fragrance, very very complex, even more than Outlands, I started to like it more now. If you wanna grab people’s attention, good or bad Oud Zarokian, I mean, Zarian, is a good option. And yes, the perfumer is Cecile, even the name Zarian is because of her. Btw, the bottles at the Creed store are literally boiling under the lights - everything I tried with these conditions smelled bad. I told the rep and she grab another tester for me to try it.

Cecile, will you marry me? Finally, a Creed I can get down with! Reading the reviews I implore you haters to go find yourself a genuine Oud seller and familiarise yourself with the vast spectrum of ouds. Remortgage your house if necessary and start an amazing journey that will last a lifetime! I have Amouage Royal Tobacco and also Outlands and they do share similarities and if nobody told me that this was Creed I would have guessed it was Amouage all day. The opening is pretty savage, full of fiery spices, fenugreek, licorice (root) not candy and the Oud is subtle and exquisite. Do not spray this and shove your nose in because you will not like it! Spray it on someone else, give it 20 minutes and only then start your analysis. I absolutely adore heavy, spicy and polarising perfumes and this is for me one of the very best in my collection. Once you get past the initial assault on your senses after around an hour this really starts to shine. I am picking up something that smells like very expensive handmade writing paper - maybe a love letter with a single rose on top. I can attest to the similarity with Royal Tobacco because of the licorice root that gives celeriac vibes but that is where they part company. I'm also getting whiffs of the dense vanillic amber from Outlands but this is more rugged than cosy. Overall this is a very well executed oud/rose/spice fragrance that dares to raise a middle finger to all the usual renditions. I love it, and Zarokian is a living goddess!

Do you know that fragrance influencer thing where they show you certain lifestyles or types of people, then recommend perfumes that are supposed to smell like that? Well, this is the perfect fragrance to symbolize luxury and wealth. This smells opulent, rich, spicy, and warm, but not in a suffocating, hostile way like other heavy, spiced scents. No, Oud Zarian manages to remain smooth and elegant, while still being complex and intoxicating. This is what Jubilation, Grand Soir, Ombre Leather, Oud Wood, and all other scents marketed towards rich and powerful men wish they would be like. It is "old money", effortlessly classy, elegant, and intriguing, while all the others are just nouveau riche, the parvenus and snobs, that try so hard to look sophisticated, it instead makes them look vulgar. It is perfectly blended, so individual notes are not discernible to my nose. It just smells warm, spicy, strong, and smooth, so smooth. The performance is beyond nuclear, this is a hydrogen bomb. One spray on my jacket sleeve and everyone around me could smell it for hours. Even a week later, if I wear that jacket, I still get the smell, and it's so strong it seeps through the fabric and sticks to my arm. Definitely a night, and winter or very cold autumn smell, this would be too much anytime else. And, like usual for Creed, way overpriced. Yes, it is an amazing scent with insane performance, but no scented water is worth this kind of money.

I don't understand all of the unnecessary and slightly racist comparisons of this fragrance smelling like Indian restaurants or grocery stores...there are spices, florals, incense, woods, and resins but it's so incredibly well blended, that no single note stands out over the others. I love how smooth and warm this scent is. It's remarkably comforting, like wearing a cashmere sweater by a fireplace. It's deliciously sweet and dense, like molasses or barrel-aged maple syrup, which I was not expecting based on the note breakdown. I don't get smoke, but rather toasted spice, which adds to the richness of this profile. I love wearing this fragrance while out to dinner, and I love the complements I receive from others. Projection and longevity is great with just 4 sprays, and the in-air smell is nothing short of opulent and attention grabbing. Within the hour, my nose begins to pick up a tinge of rich, highly macerated oud that's simultaneously dark, sweet, and nutty like an aged tawny port. Oud Zarian is luxurious, refined, unique, and regal. It's worthy of the pricetag, but for goodness sakes, please find it for much cheaper via an online discounter. 9.8/10.

I’m not a Creed fan at all, because I’m usually into big oriental/amber compositions and Creed for me was always a white suit wearing, suburban freshie “Jeremy Fragrance” type brand. I was super surprised, then, when I got my nose on this and absolutely fell in love with it. Don’t let the “oud” in the title put you off. This is an amber fragrance, darkened and deepened with a beautiful myrrh accord. In fact, the biggest note in it is myrrh and it’s the myrrh that makes it mysterious, leathery and dark from about minute five, right through into the dry down. There are indeed challenging spices in the top, but they disappeared pretty quickly. I think they are needed to anchor some of the rest of the composition down. And to stop it being too sweet in the opening. It’s not listed in the pyramid but there is vanillin in the base, which is what makes this such an addictive amber-monster. I guess this is not a safe composition for everyone, but if you have a little mystery about yourself, you like wearing black, and you’re not the kind of guy I described in my opening paragraph, you might just love this. I think it’s incredible.

After 3 wears, I finally identified what I'm smelling when I wear this, that is to say, the prominent note. Celery seed. That's not to say this isn't a sweet, softly oudy, rich fragrance that develops as you wear it, it's just that certain notes seem to jump out at you with this fragrance. Also, it seems people are falling into groups with this one making it a polarizing option. Certainly the price doesn't help that stigma. Got my 100ml for a shade over 400 and I'm ok with it, price wise. Fragrance wise I find it interesting with good sillage and fantastic longevity. This is definitely not a safe blind buy, it's really riding the line between difficult to wear designer and niche in my opinion. If it works with your body chemistry you're probably going to absolutely adore this fragrance, if not I cannot see it being pleasant for you or those around you. On stick this was a hot mess in my opinion, it needs YOU to make it work and that's usually not a great way to get high sales at stores.

For me, this is everything I need in a winter fragrance. Opening starts with an incense bomb and it's my least favorite part of this fragrance. After 30 minutes is when this fragrance really shines for me. The incense is dialed down, but still present. The rose and smooth oud combination come along very nicely acting as the spine of this fragrance. The oud and tonka are blended together to perfection. A liquorice note is also very much present, making it boom. This is not a barnyard type of oud, but a smooth, likable interpretation. As time goes by, I get hints of vanilla and caramel. It is hard to describe this fully as it is everything at once: gourmand, floral, incense-y, sweet and warm, oriental, boozy... I could go on Longevity is eternal, performance is excellent. You will be noticed. This is an experience not produced for the faint-hearted. Probably the best in my collection in terms of build quality and craftsmanship. Kudos to Cécile Zarokian for producing my favorite scent! :D

Disclaimer: I'm just into a couple of wears of my sample I don't quite get the hate for this. This definitely is giving me Amouage vibes, but with Creed's refinement. Best to describe this as "Amouage-lite". If you simply can't enjoy most of Amouage offerings but you want some of that Frankincense/Oud combo this may be your answer. This feels like a crossover between Royal Tobacco and Outlands. To my nose it leans more like Outlands but it's a bit more refined, more rounded. I personally prefer this over Outlands, and to my wife this is a lot more attractive/cosy. I think the lack of love for this perfume is probably due to price and the general hate around Creed since they are considered as "sellouts" since being acquired by blackrock. Clearly overblown, I don't get why people are so hard up about being brand loyalists. Let's not forget this is the work of Cécile Zarokian, who is the perfumer of many great Amouage and other niche perfumes.

I get it. It's cool to hate on Creed. But if this was part of FM's Desert Gems collection, or LV's Oud Collection, this would have been labelled a masterpiece. If Creed were to release an airy freshie scent, they would be labelled as boring and predictable. Yet, when they release Oud Zarian to challenge and finally create a distinct scent compared to their existing collection, fragheads say that they are just pretenders and trying too hard to be Amouage. Don't get me wrong. The opening is indeed challenging. However, if you are just judging this based on opening that you completely miss the point of what Oud Zarian brings. Let it settle for 20 mins, and go easy on the spray and then you'll get to see the magic and vibe this creates. This is not simply a scent. It's an experience. If you are looking for a simple nice scent then this won't be it. This is a 10 out of 10 for me.

This smells VERY......Indian? I don't know if many people can/will relate but here in the UK we often have several small shops in local areas filled with Indian and Pakistani herbs, foods, spices and cheap incenses. My family goes often to buy said things and whenever I do a grocery run the air is filled with this specific scent that you can always find in shops like this and Oud Zarian smells exactly like that. That might be your thing? If you're in the US where said shops are maybe less common in your area it might even sound and smell exotic to you, but here...it smells kinda cheap, common and it just isn't something I would like to smell like. It isn't necessarily an objectively bad smell and I can see it appealing to some people but again, I already have a strong association with this smell and would rather not smell like the local Delhi all day.

This is Creed’s magnum opus. I can’t get enough of it. It’s surprisingly versatile for a “winter” fragrance. I’ve worn this with great results throughout the last 3 seasons. I live in a hot climate too. I’ve worn it during the day, at night, to the office, date night, dressed up, dressed down, to bed, on vacation, at the mall. It’s currently my favorite fragrance of all time. I get dopamine hits when I smell it wafting off my skin during the day. Not to mention, it officially qualifies as an eternally lasting, high performing fragrance. It’s very pleasant and very present. Yet, it’s never overbearing. It’s masculine and deep, but comforting while confident. I sprayed it 15 hours ago this morning at 6:30a. The sillage is still going strong. My shirt will smell like it for at least a week. This is what fragrance is about. The experience.

With Oud Zarian, Creed reclaims its throne in high-end perfumery. It is a masterpiece of royal darkness: the incense and ginger opening is cold and sharp, evolving into a creamy, ancient Oud that is completely free of any 'barnyard' funk. Thanks to the liquorice and tonka bean, the drydown feels dense, dark, and almost chocolatey. Performance? Monumental. The sillage is a dense, elegant trail that commands the room without being loud, while the longevity easily exceeds 12 hours on skin (and is eternal on clothes). It carries a steep price tag, but for those seeking an experience that transcends the ordinary, it is an investment worth making. If Bois Impérial is a futuristic katana, Oud Zarian is a golden throne in a desert palace! A sophisticated, nocturnal scent that perfectly balances Middle Eastern opulence with European class.