White Linen Oud Legacy

Like some kind of astrological omen of death, all external things go against this scent. It's a synthetic (faux) oud, it's a bastardisation of a much loved classic (White Linen, with which I was already quite familiar and really enjoyed), it's crazy expensive and it was released after Frederic Malle already disappeared into a puff of smoke. And yet, against my better judgement, I actually rather love White Linen Oud. It's everything that characterises modern (contemporary) perfumery, being an aldehydic woody-amber-incense as it is, but I find it so much smoother and easier wearing than most of this genre. It does have a strong, soapy, mildly floral White Linen-like background, but within that a spicy-ambery accord swims which drags the whole thing into the territory of a masculine perfume desperate to be noticed. It does not, however, assail one's nose with overdosed, blunt or screechy synthetics - here the woody ambers are used with remarkable skill to essentially create a kind of "Black Linen" effect. Imagine you're hanging out freshly washed laundry to dry, but it's black bedclothes instead of white, as the sun goes down and crickets begin singing. On my skin it's a fairly linear blend of clean, soapy bubbly aldehydes and a pungent animalic musk - indeed it reminds me of Roja Dove's Musk Aoud (but less ambery than that) and Guerlain's Oud Khol (also oud and aldehydes, but this is less smoky than that). I find that when I try to suspend all outside factors I really enjoy this as an animalic soap scent, and I think it embodies actually the very best qualities of 2020s perfumery without any of the downsides (e.g. the sharp, screechy or nauseating effects woody ambers can have). It's really a creature "of the moment" though - it will within a decade or so smell extremely dated to the time of its release. Probably the best woody amber I've ever smelled, a revelation that this genre isn't totally without hope.

This fragrance is very difficult to find due to the poor distribution of Estée Lauder's own perfumes worldwide. Even in Paris, I was only able to find it at my favorite Parisian department store Le Bon Marché on Rive Gauche. I suspect that most of the negative reviews are from people who haven't tried this scent at all, but formed their impressions of it based on reviews and comments. And that's a big mistake! I want to share my opinion with anyone interested in this fragrance who can't imagine the fusion of crisp aldehydes and lingering oud. The prefix "Oud" to the name of a classic fragrance may seem shocking to many, but in fact, it's not the heavy or dirty oud you might think. The oud here is dry, with a leathery aspect, somewhat fresh and airy, and by no means draped over the fragrance like a dark cloud. This dry and "clean" oud, along with vibrant hints of rose and incense, beautifully complements the fragrance's original aldehyde character, without overloading it with sweetness or oriental overtones, but rather enhancing its sensuality. Ultimately, I got exactly the White Linen I always wanted—less feminine, soapy, and floral, and on the contrary bolder and androgynous. It lasts beautifully, enveloping you in an invisible veil. This fragrance truly reinterprets the legend and (finally!) allows men to wear White Linen—but note, it doesn't become masculine; it's a truly versatile scent. I'm very pleased with the purchase and recommend you find the opportunity to discover the magnificent White Linen Oud!

Once, in a desperate bid to imagine what La Myrrhe by Lutens might smell like, I sprayed White Linen and Colonia Mirra by Acqua di Parma on a smelling strip and hoped for the best. It turned out rather beautiful, smoky and bright, soapy-citrusy and tart but also darkly sweet and balsamic. So when I saw something called "White Linen Oud" appear on my timeline, I was hoping it would smell similar to that weird little experiment I did, despite my weariness toward Lauder and basically all their decisions in the past 15 years. My weariness was more correct than my hopes, as usual. It's not particularly White Linen-y, nor is it profoundly Oud-y, it's more of a Caléche with some woody incense adornments. It has a certain pallid beauty, dusky and faded like an old polaroid, but it's too washed out to be a worthy successor to White Linen. Could be an acceptable masculine for a guy who wants to dip into floral orientals, but at that point he could simply wear L'Envol and move on to greener pastures. The fact that Lauder is spending their time on stuff like this, essentially minor experiments in attracting the Emirati market, instead of re-releasing their actual masterpieces like the Beyond Paradises (both the men's and women's) or Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, is a letdown.

Opens up like White Linen and something a bit putrid (oud I guess?). Then an intense geranium scent. The last phase is dry and woody. So White Linen for men I would say. I do like the new "legacy" White Linen. This I'm not sure about, it's okay, not a love.

@ae49, your comments are bang-on. The executives at EL are scrambling for a cash grab and targeting the Arab market again, where they already failed about 12 years ago with Amber Mystique and Wood Mystique. And then, a repeat FAIL with their so-called "Luxury collection" that was aimed at the Asian market, never taking off due to cheap-looking bottles and labels, vapid scents with uninspiring fragrance notes and even more kitschy names (Infinite sky, Desert eden, really?) The company got too big, stockholders have to get paid, they just aren't modern enough to compete in today's market, have a terrible marketing team, and their stock performance is all over the place, hence the cheapest bottles for their tried and true (yet reformulated and watered-down) House collection (all the greats, Cinnabar, Azuree, etc.) The bulk of their business is not fragrance anyway, at least not their original ones, and re-vamping the classics such as this by adding the grossest of all ingredients, Oud, which most Americans and Canadians liken it to poop, it is a disgrace. No longer a respectable company in my eyes. My sister worked for EL for almost 20 years, and saw the products decline, the market share go down the toilet, and now they are making overpriced garbage. Today I am wearing vintage White Linen, and once that is gone, I'm moving on. My stockpile of EL favourites is dwindling, and I won't re-order. Things change, that is to be expected, but in the case of Estee Lauder, not for the better...

@violettesucree, thank you for that accurate review.I`ve also worked for EL and it used to be a great company with quality products. I really wonder why they`re making these stupid decisions for some years now and ruining the brand. Is that the purpose? WL Oud is an example of how to miss the costumers Taste and have one more dissapointment for real WL Fans.. The "Luxury Collection" is already discontinued after only 3 Years. I have all the Classics in the Original Perfume Version and they`re amazing. The Legacy Collection will probably fizzle out too. Schande!

In what world does this make any sense? Haven't smelled it but this is full on marketing MadLibs. Praying there aren't more coming..... Seems like a completely misguided move from Malle. Price (250 GBP - USD is still TBD I believe) is also antithetical to what White Linen was conceived to be: accessible luxury.

I've tried it, didn't like it. Yes, the newer White Linen + dry oud. Aldehydes and oud don't go together very well, the fresh white linen impression, laundry impression is now intertwined with earthy oud and it just doesn't make sense. Couldn't scrub it off soon enough.

Tried it at Selfridges. It smells super good. Light, a little rosey and creamy base. I as a man would wear it.

now how do oud and aldehyde go together? i cannot even imagine...