Noisette d'Asie

At first spray, Noisette d’Asie gave me hope: a beautiful blend of hazelnut, tobacco, and a chocolaty touch that leans almost toward caramel. It’s warm, smooth, with a nicely crafted woody base. The Thai oud adds a good balance of sweetness and spice , honestly, the opening is really well done. But then... things change. On my skin, the fragrance quickly shifts into something that instantly brings me back to childhood: the exact smell of Play-Doh modeling clay. It’s synthetic and a bit doughy, which completely breaks the initial magic. A real shame, because the idea and the first impression were solid. Already disappointed by Oud Damascena, I was hoping this release from Katana would win me back, but unfortunately, it didn’t. The concept is interesting, and I respect the direction but the drydown and overall wearability just don’t work for me. Might shine on someone else, but this one’s not for me.

The opening smells nutty with a prominent bitter chocolate note. after ~10 minutes falls into an almost mono-oud scent, which is not bad at all, given that Thai oud is already very fragrant and nuanced on its own. According to the brand, the specific variety is called Prachin (or Prachin Buri) oud, after the Thai province it comes from, near the Cambodian border. Interestingly, Cambodian oud was also used, but it appears more clearly in the base. can't help but think how these two geographically close ouds have such different scent profiles: bright, spicy, chocolaty Thai oud, versus the mellow, bittersweet Cambodian one. Occasionally, I get a clear grape smell, though I suspect that’s only because I saw it listed in the notes :) Overall, I’d say this is a dry, deep, almost bittersweet oud fragrance. sits close to skin, creating a comforting, subtle aura, natural and softly woody.

The oud smells like a clean chinese plantation oud i tried before. hazelnut (accord?) smells a bit sweet, cloying, not realistic. smell is ok, price is no way.