Oud Noir Intense

FDB’s interpretation of Tom Ford’s Oud Wood presents a distinct olfactory experience. Upon initial application, the fragrance prominently features the woody essence of oud, albeit with a subtle undertone of skankiness. This characteristic sets it apart from other OW inspired fragrances, such as Oud Wood, Carved Oud, Kredo and Oud Noir. While I personally appreciate the Oud Wood DNA, this particular scent stands out for its distinct cardamom note, which comes off drier compared to other fragrances in the family. This allows the oud to be more pronounced, rather than being merely a woody profile. The fragrance concludes with a subtle musky undertone. In terms of suitability, this fragrance is well-suited for formal and special occasions. While it can be considered unisex, the bolder approach to oud may pose a slight challenge for some individuals to pull off. Additionally, the high price point may deter some potential buyers. In terms of projection, the fragrance exhibits moderate projection, which seems to be par for the course for this category of fragrances. Individuals within your scent bubble will pick up on the scent, but no further than that. This is a reserved fragrance and not a room filler, as the *intense* in the name may suggest. Despite several negative comments regarding poor performance, in my personal experience, this fragrance lasts beyond 10 hours on my skin. However, it does transform into a skin scent at that point. Though I don't know how to track FDB batches to see when my bottle was produced, it bears the batch number 32878/X283A. Fortunately, I have favorable skin chemistry, and most fragrances adhere well to my skin. Nevertheless, given the overwhelming number of complaints about poor performance, I recommend testing this fragrance on your skin before committing to a full bottle. In conclusion, I would still recommend this fragrance, but I question its value for the asking price. Unless you prioritize the authentic oud experience within the Oud Wood DNA, I suggest exploring other options. Personally, while I enjoy this fragrance enough to own a bottle, I would still recommend Thameen’s Carved Oud, which I consider the Crème de la crème of this fragrance DNA.

It’s interesting to read on this page people’s views regarding similarities between Oud Noir Intense and Oud Wood - some think they are similar, others think not. I think some people confuse ‘this reminds me of’ with ‘is the same as’ because although different, there are definite similarities in this fragrance with Oud Wood and Carved Oud. If I smelt this, without reading reviews, I would immediately think this reminds me of Oud Wood but they aren’t exactly the same. I own this, Oud Wood and Carved Oud and this, imho, is the far superior fragrance, certainly in terms of scent - you can literally smell the quality. It’s much more natural, the agar Wood is authentic and the florals add a lovely balance, depth and complexity, whilst still remaining airy. I don’t get any skank in the opening notes as some mention but I do find it more medicinal to start, before the floral aspects soften and sweeten the fragrance and the musk comes into play. In fact I think this fragrance is absolutely stunning with presentation to match. A fantastic mix of spicy woody notes, sweet florals and comforting musk which makes it much softer and more nuanced than fragrances in the same genre, such as Oud Wood. My only gripe is performance. I don’t get beast mode as some mention and although longevity is okay, its projection is close to the skin. It’s subtle, which can be okay but I would like a bit more umph from it, however, that might just be my nose. In terms of performance, my 7 year bottle of Oud Wood is the best performer although it’s also the most synthetic out of the three. Were this not superior to Oud Wood or Carved Oud then I wouldn’t have bought it but the scent is so good that I would happily swap both my Oud Wood and Carved Oud for a bottle of this and I love both those fragrances. It is expensive though, so if cost is an issue then Carved Oud would be my second recommendation. Carved Oud sits between Oud Wood and Oud Noir Intense; it's more natural than OW but lacks the subtleties and florals of ONI. Overall though, I really do think Oud Noir Intense is in another league, compared to the alternatives.

I own Oud Bleu Intense, Oud Orange Intense and Milano and was looking for a high end elegant citrus fragrance to add to my collection. I was on a fence for a long while with Roja Oligarch and Oud Vert Intense, but there were aspects of each that I did not care for. The Roja was a TDH upgrade, but reminded me of salespeople in expensive watch stores (a common Roja vibe for me) and the OVI had the most amazing opening and mid that reminded me of Thai green curries and cactus flowers, but the dry down came to quickly and smelled like freshly cut grass and pesto sauce. I could never pull the trigger on either and eventually bought the FDB Prive Sample pack. I was not surprised that I did not care for Parisian and Heritage (targeted at rich, risk-averse people) or the overly middle eastern Amouage-esque Amber Intense or Sahraa Oud, but my jaw hit the floor when I tried Oud Noir Intense- it was exactly what I wanted but never knew I needed! I have an aversion to Rose Ouds but deep inside knew I needed to explore this genre on some level. ONI opens with a dark opaque sense of something like liquorice, which is likely the oud combining with the other elements. This sharp note fades into a shockingly elegant floral soapy scent that reminded me of a cool mix between Heritage and Kilian Musk Oud, and this continues to evolve until you reach the base of sandalwood and vanilla. On my wrist side by side with Santal Complet it outperforms it by a few hours but also has a more beautiful sandalwood dry down, while showing no sandalwood at all in the first few phases of evolution. The floral-soapy mid is my favourite part. I can see using this in any season as it is not too thick and warm, but also not too thin and bright - a perfect all rounder for date nights and really any occasion - I wore it to the grocery store yesterday in a T with shorts and felt great! All in all this is a masterpiece of no small proportions and I will happily pull the trigger on this and make it my first rose oud

This fragrance was my first experience with an oud note that had some funk (Also, my first Fragrance Du Bois). It's not hard to know whether you like something or not but this teetered on love and hate. It was a strange paradox. My brain couldn't decide whether this smelled terrible or beautiful. The scent from the atomizer was extraordinary but I remember regretting my purchase when I sprayed this on. For the first 10-20 minutes, it seemed to emit a sweaty odor. Not quite what anyone expects to achieve with perfume. It did develop into something more palatable, but I couldn't fully appreciate it at the time as my disappointment over the opening lingered (and the price tag). I stored it away, only seeing the light when I wanted to smell the atomizer but never spraying... Few months had passed when I decided to give Oud Noir Intense a second chance. And wow, what a different experience that was. Strangely, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's as if the time spent away from the scent gave my olfactory time to acquire a taste for the fullness of this perfume. It had won me over. Oud Noir Intense is an elevated scent in terms of opulence and class. Personally, sexy is not a word that has ever naturally come to mind with fragrances, but this was an exception.

Oud Noir Intense is the epitome of a clean and professional smelling oud, perfectly executed. Upon initial spray you’re blasted with a clean cut, refined oud combined with a warming note of cardamom and sharp bergamot. The opening has a somewhat animalic facet which some have described as smelling like cheese - I get where this comparison comes from, but thankfully it’s only fleeting. In the heart, the oud is brightened with a smooth and sparkly combination of jasmine and rose, before settling in to a musky base of saffron, patchouli and sandalwood. However, the oud is the real star here and smells absolutely incredible. This does have similarities to Tom Ford’s Oud Wood, in that it takes oud in a very clean and sophisticated direction - something I can imagine an important business person wearing. I find the name a bit misleading however as to me the scent isn’t very Noir, or intense - it’s actually fairly bright and easy to wear for an oud and the longevity isn’t great either. This is one of my favourite ouds in my collection and a true masterpiece, but only worth it if you can find it for less than retail price.