Oud Palao Eau de Parfum

This is a great realistic oud fragrance. I heard about fecal smelling Oud. My first impression here was, this smells like crap, not interested :) Then a couple minutes after spraying, it calms down and the other notes come in to make a very pleasant accord. It reminded me of Acqua di Parma Oud, but this has so much better quality of notes, and very distinctive. I am 61 years old with a mature taste, and this is bottle worthy for me because it is so well blended and distinctive. The Oud is genuine and raw smelling, with a nice smoky quality. I never liked this kind of rose note, but the Oud is so good, I can live with the rose which isn't so strong. There is a smooth and warm sandalwood here, which softens the coarser Oud note. In the opening there is a pleasant medecinal accord, the raw oud with the rum I think it is. This is for more mature, or seasoned tastes perhaps. Without looking at the notes my first impression was that there are some fresh citrusy notes blended in. This is fresh, maybe the camphor which blends into a nice accord with the Rose and rum. The rose is allmost imperceptible to me in the opening; But the nuance of rum and rose add a bit, for a slightly sweet freshness. This is just a bit sweet, mostly dry. Nice smooth sandalwood here, and some nice green camphor, not too much, and not very boozy. You never loose that distinctive Laotian Oud as the unique center piece. The quality rum and camphor accord really nicely balance the darker, earthy, dirty Oud/ Patch/ Tobacco accord. Allso Diptyque lists frankincense and Labdanum, very smooth. Although the Oud fades some, and it evolves to become more noticably sweet, the rum and rose become more evident. This is kind of an aquired taste, but a really solid quality fragrance. I don't add to a large collection unless I have nothing similar, I will some day get a bottle because it is so unique. This reminds me a bit of MFK Oud Satin Mood, which I couldn't wear as the rose is to feminine. With Diptyque Oud, the openning to mid mid, it leans masculine, then late mid too drydown it's right in the middle, or very slightly feminine leaning. The best fragrances blend contrasting aspects, like MFK Lumiere Noire. Diptyque Oud Palao does it so well; the raw, dark and dry oud, with the floral, green camphor and slightly sweet rum on a smooth creamy sandalwood base, awsome ! I have sampled MFK Ouds, Cashmere and Velvet are their eastern type of ouds, as is Oud Palao. The MFK is nice, but the Oud smells sharp and synthetic. Our Palao is better than Amouage or MFK Ouds, for me. PS: I wrote my review in the first hour when the Oud is still skanky, and I liked it. It does evolve to a slightly feminine, sweeter, more typical oud/ rose combo. So I may not be getting some soon, unless I find the older formulation that stays skanky longer. After my review from a 2 ml sample, I have received a 10 ml Dyptique vile, and the rose does stay more hidden throughout, making this allmost perfect for me, and will be in my top 5. It has a similar construction as Creed Royal Mayfair, where the rose stays hidden. Maybe the 10 ml vials for sale on eBay may be from older formulation, 2015. An eBay seller was able to give me the batch code, and I was able to purchase the older formulation with less rose. 2015. Rating: 8.5/10 (new formulation with more Rose) 10/10 (old formulation with less Rose) God bless. John 3:16

Oud Palao is an earthy oud-tobacco-rose with all thorns intact, plus some venom for good measure. To experience Oud Palao is to feel like the brambles and undergrowth of an enchanted forest have come to life, wrapped around one's ankles, and pulled the wearer along the ground into a potentially malevolent wood elf's lair. But instead of trying to resist, one can’t help but let oneself be pulled into the belly of the beast. Not that one would want to escape, even if one could. It opens with an enjoyably bristling oud, like something pulled from a splintered tree trunk. It mingles with dry, woody tobacco effect, made jagged by a camphorous edge that lasts from the opening to the drydown. Rose notes take their time to unfurl from between the brambles. Once it opens on the skin, it softens the composition with its overripe petals, already beginning to melt into the forest floor. One can practically taste the drip-drip of petals melting into a decidedly woody sap. However, despite this ‘melting’ texture that arises during the drydown, Oud Palao does not turn into a sweet rum-tobacco scent as many perfumes that list those two notes often do. Instead, the composition remains balanced by retaining its slightly bitter, prickly wood character throughout. Some of the reviews below indicate that they find this to be a challenging or 'unwearable' scent. However, I find its brashness to be the central part of its charm. To borrow Mario Praz’s term, I would liken Oud Palao to a type of 'Medusan beauty', wherein the grotesque mingles with the beautiful to create a dangerous allure that overwhelms the senses and ensnares the subject--the subject, in this case, being the wearer of this perfume. I wouldn't change a thing about this perfume, least of all softening or smoothing its burrs. To do so would spoil its appealingly saturnine, Byronic elegance. Intoxicating and utterly ravishing. I’m addicted.

Review for EDP: The name is misleading, because the main player here is an 'in-your-face' rose, definitely not the oud. Furthermore, the scent pyramid is also misleading: no laotian/cambodian oud, but - a simulated - oud from Palao (as the name indicates, similar to the ones of Papua, very floral and linear, not dark/warm and multifaceted like the laotian ones). That said, this is a nice rose/tobacco/sandalwood/camphor fragrance, with a synthetic oud that the most trained noses may possibly detect in the back. Given the floral scent of the oud from Palao, I think that the use of rose is useless, and uselessly taming the floral expression of palau oud - in the improbable case that there is real Palao oud oil present in this juice, probably the reason why they had this strong rose. I think that what most people describe as 'oud' in this fragrance, is just the mix of sandalwood/tobacco/camphor. That said, given the current honest price tags online, and the overall decent quality and performance, it may be worth a full bottle for women (cannot imagine a man wearing that, even the most metrosexual ones). On a side note, I wouldn't like my gf to smell like that, as this gives me the image of a more 'experienced' woman. May please someone who has no idea of oud, but if you know what it smells, and if your're looking for an oud fragrance, go elsewhere, as here oud is just a tiny part of the blend and you may only be disappointed. (still a good rose frag if you're not targeting oud). In my opinion, overall ok but overhyped, and I am tired of those rose/flower bombs covering the oud... Just covering, really? Or hiding the low quality and/or amplifying the low amounts of real oud oil in it? I made my decision :) Women 40+, Fall/Winter Edit: 2 hours in. Had to wash it off, as it was making me nauseous. (I m a 40 yo male, and hate strong rose).

Very pleasant Rose/Oud combination with a creamy drydown. Oud Palao starts of with a suave nudge towards Oud Ispahan before showing its individual character. I'm not an Oud expert by any means, but I can tell the utterly synthetic (Montale) from a better crafted one, and Palao stands somewhere between MFK Oud Satin and Oud Ispahan. The opening is a deep red rose with a smoky leathery Oud. It's not medicinal, nor does it have that band aid smell so typical in other Oud combos. Instead the smokiness perfectly combines with the rose to produce a very nice opening that lasts around an hour on my skin. Slowly but linearly evolving towards the heart, the labdanum adds a piquant animalic warmth without overshadowing the main notes; instead it enhances them. The drydown arrives 3 hours in, and I mostly detect the earthiness of patchouli with a very creamy and slightly violet tinged vanilla. This lasts for the rest of the day on my skin, with sudden whiffs of Oud and rose. The sillage is above moderate, persistent without being excessive, giving of whiffs during the day, along with a very long lasting longevity. It doesn't feel new, but given the fact that it is well made, it's an excellent introduction to Oud for a beginner as well as pleasing someone more into this genre. Sillage and longevity above average for Diptyque with nods to other well crafted fragrances and with attention to detail and ingredients. If anything, it feels like a middle eastern perfume seen through a gauze, without falling to western cliches. Right now I'm wearing both Palao on one arm and Leather Oud on the other, and I'm smelling Palao. Unfortunately the clearly reformulated Dior is nowhere to be found. Thumbs up Diptyque; late to the party but attending with an ace up your sleeve!

Oud Palao currently sits in my top 5 list. I remember smelling it for the first time in a Nieman Marcus when I was still quite 'green' in this hobby. My first thoughts were, "Uhhh ok. Feces and manure." I think I sort of chuckled. I knew straight out of the gate that this was an unabashedly dirty, (ok maybe sophisticated) French, perfume-y perfume. Oh how my nose pallet (and appreciation for dirty, sophisticated, French, perfume-y perfume) has changed and matured. Oud Palao, IMO, has all the character and development you could really want and expect in a fragrance. It's dirty, but actually quite clean. It's challenging, but actually quite pleasant. It's OUD and ROSE, but actually quite complex. It's just brilliant. That dirty, challenging, fecal oud softens rather quickly. It wears much closer to the skin than you might think or expect or realize. One day while I was wearing this gorgeous creation, I had a friend smell the back of my hand after describing to him that it is a rather "fecal, skanky, oud-y" perfume. He didn't think so at all. Mind you, he isn't 'into fragrance.' Granted, this was after it had dried down 3-4 hours. Still, I was surprised. I imagine a lot of folks that describe this as an "uber poopy-poop fest" haven't actually worn it much, if at all. Even though it is a strong oud and rose perfume, it still dries down into that soft, close-to-skin, Diptyque-like character. The rose and oud burst onto the scene like wild bandits, but then one hour in, two hours in, three hours in, slowly backs away after a standoff with the brilliant blend of labdanum, sandalwood, rum, (tobacco?) camphor, patch, and vanilla. This is my experience anyway. Scent: 8.4/10 Uniqueness: 6/10 Offensiveness: 6/10 Seasonal Versatility: 2/10

Diptyque is one of my favorite houses, but most of the times they make scents vastly different from this one. I didn't think this one plays to their strengths but, apparently, I was wrong. Oud Palao is phenomenal. I can't say I got too much rose, if any, from this one. On my skin, Oud Palao is pretty masculine, with a fine oud note combined with pipe tobacco and sandalwood. It opens more chemical, but that settles down quite quickly into a smoky, balsamic oud note which progresses to a tobacco-heavy heart. This oud-tobacco combination is very nice and it projects fairly, before it meshes with sandalwood and a touch of sweetness(some kind of vanilla maybe?). As I stated, Oud Palao has quite a decent projection in its earlier and central phases, whereas the more woody drydown stays close to the skin. On my skin it lasts for good seven or eight hours. I see this one as a very viable choice for the upcoming winter, but it can be worn in fall or colder spring as well. This is an elegant scent and I don't think it bodes too well with too casual or, God forbid, sporty style. In my experience, this is a somewhat new take on agarwood in a sea of oud-based scents. It is more on the masculine side - but I haven't spotted even a trace of rose on my skin, so take this with a grain of salt. Unlike many Diptyque scents this one is heavy, oriental(as the notes and name imply) and complex(but not too much, definitely). A must try, in my opinion, for both the oud-beginners and connoisseurs as well. 9/10

A little over a year ago, when I was first exploring the genre I tried a few of the popular ones. Oud Wood, Royal Oud, Oud for Greatness, Haltane and Ombre Nomade. Haltane was the only one that I found palatable at the time. Due solely to it's praline sweetness. Overall, I concluded that I simply didn't like oud. Apparently Oud Palao is far from how animalic oud can be. But it is the most discernably animalic I've ever smelled. To me this comes across as natural and elegant without dilution or pretense. Realistic is one of the words that comes to mind when I smell this. It doesn't seek to hide it's expressions but puts them forth in an artless way. When sniffing this from the atomizer its very animalic. Even more so on paper. But on my skin it takes on a different aura (duh! right?). Still animalic and natural smelling, but even more upscale, elegant and balanced. Ive worn it twice. I'm not sure about the projection but I can detect it and its long lasting. I don't know enough about oud to discern if Diptyque used real oud here. But THIS in comparison to the others mentioned above, is the farthest leap out on the oud sea I've ever been. I reguard Oud Palao as my official authentic oud experience. It's one of the most fascinating things. Forewarned of its potentially off-putting nature. I wasnt completely blind sided by this blind buy (that non-recommended practice). I never thought I'd be saying this, but I love a barnyard oud! Lol.. and that, from the first sniff.

When I first sampled it I didn’t smell it before. I got a sample with my purchase in the shop and decided to use it at a new year dinner with colleagues. I got a little whiff of it when I put my nose to the sprayer, I loved the vibe of it, so I thought it would fit me. Before we left the work place to head out to the restaurant I sprayed myself quite generously. Ok, that was strong, seriously strong... One colleague came with me by car, and I swear, he was barely breathing. I asked him multiple times if he was fine, and if the scent wasn’t overbearing, but he assured me it was great. I wasn’t convinced. When we arrived I took off my sweater and another colleague complained about the waiter, who just passed, his overuse of heavy perfume. I told him it was me, and he laughed it off. Ok, second person who was clearly offended by the smell. Then while eating another colleague smelled it and said he could never wear this, way too heavy. Third strike. Im absolutely in love with this scent, and I’m pretty sure I’m buying a full bottle, but do realize that a lot of people who are fine with mainstream offerings like One Million, or Eau Sauvage Extreme will not have the nose for this. It’s probably going to offend quite a lot of people, judging by the first impressions I got wearing it today, but to my nose it’s a beautiful incense fueled , musky, honey-toned beast, and I’m loving it a lot.

two words- “Beautiful, Beast” It’s dirty, raw, rugged but also... classy? I smelled it, didn’t like it but couldn’t stop smelling it, started liking it, bought a bottle, returned it, couldn’t shake this smell, it stuck with me, months after I got rid of it I could still remember exactly how it smelled, got another sample and realized how much I loved this scent, bought another bottle and it’s going to be a staple in my rotation going forward. This is a grower, it gets better and better, I love this more every time I wear it. This is one VERY polarizing fragrance, it took me a long time and many wearings to get where I am now with how I feel about it. It’s been a roller coaster. Not just another rose/oud combo. This is dark, earthy, woody, floral and animalic. I really wish I could be more descriptive as far as note breakdown but this was s one of the most difficult scents I’ve got my nose on. The only advice I can give is don’t dismiss this too quickly if you don’t like it, you may not come around to liking it but you may do a complete 180 like I did. Over the last year or so, Diptyque has become one of my favorite houses and still rising on my list. Philosykos, L’Ombre Dans, Eau Mage, L’Autre, Benjoin Boheme, the list of loves keeps growing the more time I spend with this brand. You get the niche quality scents without the disgustingly ridiculous price tag.

I am not the most knowledgeable about fumes.. but I know what I like and I like this! I also tried Dusita’s Oud Infini, but, although I prefer her name, I think I prefer this perfume. Gonna do another side by side though.. Also this perfume can be had on Ebay for $55! $180 in Nordstrom! Can someone please explain? How am I getting non-counterfeit frags so cheaply? Anyway I love the oud note- the smell that smells “barnyard “ to people smells more “cigar box” to me- a note I enjoy. Then this fragrance, as someone said, has a little bit of everything- love the touch of camphor, various resins, rose and vanilla! I think I’m gonna get a bottle as soon as my sample runs out. I am curious to smell the other frags that this smells like according to people.. Never smelled anything by Dior for example- for many years I was simply a Chanel #5 girl, then last winter I had a new fragrance I was obsessed with “Myrrh and Tonka” by Jo Malone but now I am on a rampage. P.S.: This morning I sprayed on some Hanae Mori Butterfly 🦋 (obsessed) and just now when I sniffed my wrist I can still smell my Oud Palao from last night, through theButterfly!!

I was looking for Reckless Leather from my samples today but I seem to have lost it. Instead I decided to try this. Well, that's kind of Reckless Oud perhaps? Or maybe not because it has been tamed with some dark rose, at least at the beginning. The dirty oud is really enjoyable. It would be nice if poop smelled like this (a reference to other reviews here) but it isn't, it reminds me a certain old house's basement a bit. If such scents are used in tiny amounts (or layered) it can smell unbelievably good to others. Even though "it's not for everybody" goes for every single scent out there (so the suggestion doesn't make any sense), the fanbase of this is probably much smaller than with most other scents. Edit: it's still on my hand 30 hours later... It also stayed long on shirt. My hand turned to a wooden log that has been in a smoke sauna for a decade or more. I had a feeling like I was in such sauna because of my hand. What an experience! I guess that is what people call nuclear in the scent world. My small tester's liquid was actually red, deep and slightly cherry, not yellow as on the picture, I don't know why.

Mmmmmm. Rich, exotic, enveloping wood and deep dark rose, with a surprisingly butch oud kick. This is one that makes its presence felt: much, much bigger sillage than is usual for Diptyque, and reasonably long lasting too (still detectable on skin after 5-6hrs). It's definitely womanly rather than girlish; I usually dislike sweet and floral things, and the rose is almost too much for me, but it's got enough skank and grunt to be human and sexy rather than plastic-fantastic feminine. If this smell were furniture, it would be a huge, well-upholstered chesterfield sofa in deep crimson velvet ... and you'd just want to collapse into it and stay there all day and all night. The one that sent me down the oud rabbit hole... Also worth noting: as other people here say - the longer you keep it, the more the rose mellows and the oud deepens and sharpens - making the 'fume even more decided and characterful overall, in my view. I've had mine about 18 months and the change is noticeable (just was well I like the direction it's going in!) - I don't know what longer wait times would do for it.

I purchased a sample of Oud Palao after getting curious about heavier Oud fragrances. I was also on a big rose kick at the time, so I was excited to try it. As soon as I smelt the atomizer off the sample bottle I knew I loved it, and I’ve now owned a bottle for a year or so. It’s first 10-15 minutes are pretty screechy. I wouldn’t say it’s pleasant. Medicinal, animalic, and overwhelming. After the initial sharpness dies down it begins to reveal itself. The Oud is strong and masculine, the rose is big and jammy, and the tobacco and vanilla work together to give a slightly sweet, creamy texture. Throughout the wearing experience there’s a slight bit of smoke that weaves around the other notes lending itself to a sense of mystery. It’s a fine balance of intensity and elegance. Performance is as intense as the scent itself. It’s a one, maybe two, sprays kind of fragrance. Lasts 10-12 hrs, often more. And it projects pretty heavily, especially in the first 2 hours or so. I don’t recommend anyone blind buying this, but it is certainly a must try. Well done, Diptyque!

This perfume, to me, is the "The tenderness of Uncertainty". It leaves room for so many interpretations and in that way it is kind, tender. It does not say "this is me", but gives you a chance to sense it, without imposing an answer. This tenderness, is rarely appreciated by many, because most people prefer to have the answer clarified. It has so many faces, that it seems that this perfume could be "the in-between" of all these aspects. Young, old, desire, contentment, approachability, solitude, attachment, surrender... This perfume will allow you to be anyway you choose to be at a certain moment. energetic or calm and still, lustfull or abstaining, setting your priorities and working to get there or going by the flow, this perfume shall soak your mood like a chameleon and change color. A meditative scent, that amplifies whatever state you're in. Perfectly unisex, easy to wear, strong sillage and longevity (two spays are enough to create a cloud around you that lasts for hours). Looooving the faint vanilla in the drydown.

I'm fainting with ecstasy right now. Oud Palao is just so magnetizing. My first sampling of this fragrance was a little challenging, but I think that day I had been sniffing light, girly frags all day and this jarred me out of my seat at the time when I overapplied. Tonight, Oud Palao has seduced me, opening with a beautiful, rich oud entangled in a mesmerizing vein of camphor -- narcotic, aromatic and penetrating. Rose then meets these opening notes and in this iteration, it's masculine, spicy, robust and velvety, perhaps a little dusty but not overwhelmingly floral and perfectly accented with a musky labdanum. The base notes are dry and woody: aromatic light rum aged in oak coupled with a swatch of plush patchouli. Tobacco is not discernable to my nose. Oud Palao is truly remarkable with an enthusiastic nod from the husband who is a Chanel Bleu type of guy. Guess what you're getting for your birthday honey. Our first full-bottle worthy Diptyque. And yes, you have to share (sneaky, sneaky).

performance is about as good as you can ask for these days, right up there with other very strong rose ouds. a tame beast, wears most if not all day on skin, 3-5 days on clothes price isn't amazing, but it's better than e.g. oud ispahan or ombre nomade there is an obvious similarity to oud ispahan; i am comparing sprays of each on the back of each hand, and perceive the big difference as: oud palao is strongly camphorous and subtly fruity-sweet with the jamminess of the rose, plus noticeably (nothing extreme) more animalic; ispahan is a bit drier and a more floral-y rose, cinnamon spicy accord pops out from the saffron, and a pronounced cigarette ash accord to me from 30mins in to end. ispahan a bit more "pissy" in its animalic-ness, palao more "barnyard"; again, overall palao is the more animalic, but neither one is extreme in that regard. anyway, back to palao itself: a strong love for me, one of the absolute best oud-roses out there, if you're into the genre i would say it's a must-have

If you: (i) are a fan of semi-sweet rose; (ii) enjoy skanky, animalic oud; (iii) appreciate a bit of a camphorous medicinal note in your ouds; & (iv) are impressed by fragrance performance to the point where you will express dislike for scents that do not project mightily and endure eternally, then Oud Palao is the fragrance for you. The price point is decent given the quality and performance (which will cause you to use less of this juice at each wearing unless you are into fragrance terrorism; so the bottle will last a long time). I am not performance obsessed where my fragrances are concerned, but the rest of the traits I listed above definitely describe me and I absolutely love this fragrance. This scent will prove divisive, so smell on your skin before deciding on whether this fragrance is for you. Unisex. Not what I would call a youthful scent. Sheer beauty is on display here. Highly recommended.

You're roughing it in a thick forest, setting up camp with your loved ones. It's late fall and it had been raining for the past few days, so your campsite is still damp all over. It's also dense with rotten, fallen tree trunks and dead leaves, which give you a thick and organic atmosphere. There aren't too many mosquitoes out, but you decide to plant some camphor candles to repel unwanted insects from trespassing. The ladies, who hate that smell, put out some tiny vanilla candles in an attempt to mask it. You shrug, wondering if that defeats the purpose, and you start to get to work on making a fire. You leave camp and quickly give up, disappointed in that you can only find damp logs and branches. After returning and dropping off your findings, you decide it's time to take a break. You unfold a chair and sit down, pull out a cigar, and run it under your nose. Oud Palao by Diptyche.

By far my favorite oud fragrance from any house. This oud has a nice balance of woodiness and muskiness. It's got that classic motor oil sort of thick smell that high quality oud scents tend to have. The rose, rum, and vanilla all help support to oud to make the fragrance last and smell a bit sweet, but they don't overpower the entire fragrance. Since it's an oud fragrance, the sillage on this is insane. I had someone smell me from about 6 feet away and ask me what I was wearing. It also lasts incredibly long, I sprayed this a month ago on a hoodie of mine and I can still smell it today. Definitely a must buy if you're looking for an oud fragrance, but if you're looking for something less heavy this might not be for you.

There are some geniuses cooking the pots at Diptyque. All their fragrances are superb. Oud Palao obviously is a Oudy fragrance...a oud/rose combo, as to rose/oud combo. It has a base of my skanky Laotian oud which is heavenly to my nose. Many say it has close similarities to dior oud ispahan and I must agree; in fact I would say better. The ratio of oud to rose and the type of oud used made the difference for me. A beast of a fragrance but manageable with appropriate sprays. Bulgarian Rose, tobacco, labdanum, patchouli, vanilla, rum all mixed up in the the most unique way for the one who would dare to try. There are different surprises at each stage but the oud and rose are still king. Absolutely worth trying.