'ilm

KEMI BLENDING MAGIC Owner Sergio Momo Nose: Chris Maurice Discontinued Relaunched under Xerjoff’s K Collection, they differ (at least these ones) from the original ones. There seems to be even less the real Oud if any and for example one of the main notes - Caramel - is not even mentioned in the notes of Kemi in K collection. Some perfumes which I love in summertime. I know, the most of the people don’t wear these kind of heavy ones in hot but on my skin these are best on warm weather. 🔥 KEMI(released originally 2014) Top: Cedar, Laotian agarwood (Oud) Middle: Gurjum Balsam, Caramel, Castoreum, Civet Base: Sandalwood, Vanilla, wood notes I have some obsession with caramel notes in summertime and in this concoction, I just can’t resist it. It’s so amazing now when it melts on my skin. This smells exactly how you can imagine because of the notes: woody, oudy, sensual, animalic, soft, sweet and addictive. It’s well blended and enjoyable. 🔥 ‘ilm (2014) Arabic word for “knowledge” Very challenging and barnyardy Indian Assam oud Oud from Bangladesh Oud from Laos “It is an unfathomable combination of different types of oud wood with their heavy, brown, earthy, and slumbering smell, evoking a sense of age and wisdom. ‘ilm opens with the fruity dimension imparted by the loudness of oud wood. The fruity dimension also imparts tobacco-like features to the solid and mystical oud and makes it enchantingly mysterious. Dark, yet bright and promising, heavy, yet full of passion, like knowledge that is unattainable, which once possessed bestows to its bearer all the secrets of the universe.“ ❗️And no, I don’t believe or think that this is real Oud. There is a little hint of those and the rest is something else but I enjoy it regardless. Real Ouds and synthetic blends are totally different categories for sure. My thoughts on “Ouds” is well said in Ensar Oud website: “The perfume industry has flooded the market with synthetic oud aroma chemicals, watering down and convoluting the legacy of oud with their shallow and linear plantation ouds. To be blunt, most brands starting to use the term are just milking the cash cow that is the growing trend and vast market of wealthy Arab and Middle-eastern nations given their affinity towards everything oud, and nothing to do with appreciation of the fine aromatic. The use of oud as a term has never been more widespread, nor has the quality ever been so low. For commercial purposes, oud is any ratio of the lowest grade ‘agarwood oil’ in combination with any other oil, be it of natural or synthetic origin.” Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗

Kemi’s Kemi and ‘ilm layered (In depth reviews later): 🔥 ‘Ilm’s exceptional bold and edgy character is balancing Kemi’s sweet and a bit gooey Caramel. This combination is brash! It’s all about oud with sickly sweet synthetic Caramel but it works. 🔥 Notes of ‘ILM mentioned earlier (and now from Xerjoff’s web page) TOP: Aged Indian Assam Oud (Gurjum Balsam From Thailand , Australian Sandalwood , Oud Buaya From Laos) MIDDLE: Bangladesh Oud (Cedar From Atlas , Ambergris , Oakmoss , Oud Buaya From Laos) BASE: Laos Oud (Amber , Oud Buaya From Laos) This mine is really Oud, Oud and Oud and it’s hard to believe that the scent would be totally same. I’m so curious to get the samples of new ones and compare them. 🔥 And KEMI TOP: Cedar from Atlas, Laotian agarwood (Oud) MIDDLE: Gurjum Balsam, Caramel, Castoreum, Civet BASE: Australian Sandalwood, Vanilla from Madagascar, wood notes Mentioned notes differs now surprisingly: There is not anymore mentioned Caramel at all which is so strange and there is Cedar From Atlas in the middle notes as well. Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗

Great smell, sad performance in this old version of Kemi: 'ilm. If there real oud? I think so, but the oud diluted perfumes can easily left forever on the skin. I have a bottle of it and also sample the newest realist of 'ilm from K collection (new design of bottle), and I realized there is even less real oud in the new one (none??? For my nose I don't detect any drop in the new one), but with much more supporting notes that I don't detect in the old version. It is a special scent anyway (with real oud only or with supporting scents, I'm still wondering, so if someone actually distinguish that please confirm). They are totally different. My recommendation? If you want personal enjoyment for a while (1-2 hours at home, it doesn't project neither), the old version it gives some zen idea. I have this bottle for the personal delightness with this beautiful cap, nothing more. It's finally more collectable weak scent than to be really used as a perfume. By the way if you want only oud smell, you buy pure oud oil from FEEL OUD or ENSAR OUD. Even their organic cultivated ones would stun you more than this one, speaking of the price.

In some sense there really isn't all that much to say about this masterpiece. It contain 3 kinds of Oud (as Rajesh has already said). And that's it. I guess I might compare it to some of the 'simple" tricks David Blaine does. His tricks are so stunning because they appears so simple, yet they defy scientific laws. This scent conjures up a magic that seems to defy what defines a top of the line scent. Just Oud. If you do not believe this one is magical, then I encourage you to purchase a sample (the original is very hard to find). Every time I wear it I shake my head in wonder. Do yourself a favor and immerse yourself into this magical world. It has good silage and longevity. I think it can be worn year round.

Got a sample of this from my friends at Lucky Scent. It's a lovely, soft oud mixture. Nothing but 3 kinds of oud. I get none of the animalic, barnyard like smell here, just a beautiful soft oud wood. For me, it doesnt project much, more like a skin scent, and longevity is average. I would say this is safe to ware to the office, which is something I cant say about most oud based frags. I do wish it was a little more forward. This is more subtle and laid back. If you are looking for a soft oud frag., give this a test run. Very nice indeed.

An Oud lovers sensual delight, this perfume whose name translates to ‘knowledge’ is about the pure simplicity of beautiful agarwood. Composed of just Oud sourced from three sources (Assam, Bangladesh and Laos) the perfume is shimmering in its radiant simplicity and linear beauty. Unisex, beautifully blended with moderate sillage, projection and good longevity, this perfume is just Oud, Oud and more Oud. Many similarities to Abdul Samad Al Quraishi’s Dehn Oud Ateequ which is also all about Oud. Simple and beautiful. Enjoy!

I think this perfume along other perfumes is a prime example that we need to write different types of oud as notes. In this perfume you can smell the different types of oud from top notes Indian till you reach the base Because each type of oud smell different from Indian, Cambodian, Lao, Bangladeshi, and etc. i believe the fragrance community now aware of this. It will help track your favorite oud perfumes along the way. Regarding this perfume , it’s superb quality oud animalic.

'Ilm to me is a very good and not too difficult to wear Oud fragrance with quite some development from start to the very end. It opened quite strong and sort of animalic but mellowed to more greenish, damp, earthy and woody shortly after. The base was actually much more gentle, slightly balsamic and elegant and lasted very long although the scent remained closed to my skin. I will not classify it as a horse dung kind of scent but certainly not for everyone.

Notes: Oud Assam, Oud from Bangladesh and Oud From Laos Ilm is Arabic for "Knowledge", it's absolutely beautiful and breathtaking fragrance. An oud lovers delight. From the opening till the drydown you will only detect Oud but Oud itself has many sides. I do detect leathery nuances, sweet woody accord of Cambodian Oud. For my taste it's still is soft and wish it was a bit more potent but nonetheless I had a great time wearing this one today.

Arabic for “knowledge”, ‘iLM carries the mystery, multifaceted and aristocratic aroma of one of the greatest raw materials in niche perfumery “OUD” Loaded with a tridimensional overdose of agarwood from laos, Assam and Bangladesh. ‘iLM showcases the many different facets of this precious material, It packs a carnal animalic punch, leathery nuances, is rugged with a narcotic sweet woody foundation of biblical proportions.

One of the beastlies highest quality ouds out there, three types of the top quality ouds in one fragrance, really complex and expensive smelling fragrance for the most special occasions

This is real oud. Not the synthetic crap you get from most modern "oud" fragrances. Really good and at the same time very wearable. Great for layering.

A real oud fragrance! A slightly animalic scent, nice after drydown. Agarwood(s) appear to be of good quality.

Oud from top to bottom with nothing to get in the way of the oud. Well done but admittedly, not for everyone.

A great one for oud lovers. Honestly, the beginning smells like oud mixed with fresh berries, like how patchouli can smell like apples. Then it settles into a very nice oud for the rest of the time. You have to be an oud fan to like and wear this. If you're not, it's going to smell like a barn, and you'll hate it. But it's not as barn-y as other fragrances with real oud. Moderate all around. Versatile. I don't like it as much as Hayat from the same brand, which has the same real oud smell but with a little more traditional Western complexity. But it is cheaper, so that's something.

Guys it has been some time i felt like writing my view on this release from Kemi xerjoff universe kindly bear with me as i am little upset - I had great exectations from ILM with official declaration of top, heart and base notes of Hardcore oud i hunted down a bottle after an year of fishing but friends Xerjoff disappoints me this sense of being let down is further accentuated when one considers this comes from ultra niche line of Kemi : chris morris should have been more careful in his concoction and also naming it ILM ( knowledge ) it is like not finding Ilm ( knowledge ) at the Harvard one starts wondering why not study in middle eastern simple madarsah of likes of Ajmal or Abdul Samad Al qarshi than bleeding money effort and emotion at chris morris’s Harvard

Baby diapers. Ruined a frag-meetup almost. The most authentic unrefined oud I have smelled in perfumes. Ever.

I purchased a bottle from Xerjoff and got this as a sample. It is pure oud, needless to say at this point, but as another mentioned, oud has many faces. For the most part, 'ilm is a dry woody fragrance. The common pungent and sometimes fecal elements in other Chris Maurice fragrances are absent here, except maybe, slightly and briefly, in the first minute or two. The leather is also noticeable, but an old, worn leather like saddle leather or well-used boot leather. It's not the freshly opened Italian loafer scent you get from Tom Ford. Today I was bombarded with fruit notes. Strawberry, peach, grape. It was quite nice. But surprisingly, the performance of 'ilm is very poor. It is almost unnoticeable on me after 2 hours, clothes or skin. This is also in stark contrast to Chris Maurice's other fragrances. I own 7 of his fragrances, and this just isn't in the same league. I will say that, as Kemi was his project before Xerjoff, certain elements from here show up in his later work. The oud in 'ilm smells very similar to the versatile oud in Zafar, except that Zafar has the added (and heavy) punch of cedar. In a very simple essence, take the oud from 'ilm and the cedar from Roja Dove's Harrod's Aoud or Creed's Royal Oud, and you get Zafar. Oddly enough, voters are eager to send cedar to the top of the note pyramid for Harrod's Aoud and Royal Oud (despite their names), but refuse to acknowledge the heavy cedar presence in Zafar.

As a huge fanatic of oud and oud oils in general, I must say this is definitely for real oud lovers. This fragrance brings out the best of 3 types of ouds: Indian Oud which has barnyard profile but dries down to a hay-like quality, Cambodian which has a sweet berry-like smell on the top with a mushroom type of drydown, and then Laotian which is a musty mushroomy and wet log type of profile throughout. Upon first spray you smell the fruity quality of the Cambodi in the sillage, but up close you get a barnyard smell coming from the Hindi oud, it is absolutely heavenly and pure oud smell. The fruitiness goes away after an hour or so, but the Hindi oud (being the strongest profile of all ouds) turns into sweet hay, it becomes soft and mellow and very alluring, this hay-like quality lasts for a very long time, I get this same hay-like quality in Frederic Malle The Night, but The Night likely uses a much higher dose of Hindi Oud as it is extremely powerful. In fact, if you find The Night too pungent Ilm will be perfect daytime counterpart as it's much softer and tolerable, but still retains true to oud. Just magnificent!

I asked the man at Scent Bar about his favorites and he handed me this bottle while rhapsodizing, but not before warning me about the barnyard opening. Oud is so trendy that I've come to equate it an incense-citronella smell but now I've been advised that this is a true oud. The animalic opening was challenging in a way that I like, and the dry down was amazingly earthy and grassy with tree bark. It takes guts to formulate and package a fragrance that takes you down this path, and I have to say that I really appreciate it. This one feels like digging your toes into fresh soil.

A Sheep while eating candy. in top it’s a extremely animalic oud with a overripe fruits after that somehow the fruits get better and the animalicness decreases in this faz my picture is a sheep eating candy and believe me, I love it xD in dry down You have a heavy, stylish, deep and undoubtedly luxurious scent of a combination of ouds and fruits . On the heavy subject of science(علم), I can say that this perfume has done its best and has been very successful, but in my opinion, it is still far from the real scent of science ... overall : 6/10

An absolutely breathtaking fragrance. The opening is very reminiscent of Zafar which I love. I don't get any blue cheese or anything related to excrements, animal or otherwise. It is a smooth fragrance which somehow smells like a wooden chest. I can detect the sweetness of Cambodian oud. It is enveloping and warm on my skin. The duration is about 6-8 hours with a somewhat soft to moderate projection. I wish somehow it was a tad stronger. For those of you who like Zafar, I would highly recommend this. Not recommended for a blind buy.

I have really been blown away by Kemi the quality ingredients, the cost on the discounters, this has real oud in it. If you look on the packaging it is mixed with other aroma chemicals probably to enhance the ouds natural effects. I’m so sad they brought this line and mixed it into the xerjoff line. I can’t speak to the new formulations but the old formulation definitely have real oud. No other niche brand can claim the level of natural oud. And Kemi/xerjoff doesn’t even flaunt it’s real oud thumbs up beautiful woody perfume

I have a deluxe sample of this that I just tried today, along with several others from the house, and while I do like this one, I prefer Elixir to satisfy any cravings for oud-based fragrance. This is not at all a cheesy, barnyard type of oud. It's a soft, dry, somewhat dusty, earthy-type wood scent.. Projection is on the softer side. I would even call this "safe" for who are turned off by loud, barnyard, cheesy-type oud perfumes. It's nice, but not my favorite from the line.

This is never oud only, it has the french type of oud with slight vanilla sweetened. It is quite a soft oud rather than the loud strong Arabian type of oud. This is for the ones who seeks soft oud fragrances.

Its not for faint of hearth. Ver pungent authentic aoud my partner hates it so i wear it soldemly. Projection and longevity is of the scale for sure try before you buy. Smels animalicc and fecal

Beautiful indonesian oud. I guess there are other woods to soften the pungent oud odor. It's a great sensorial experience for everyone, although it's a linear scent.

I like this. However it’s by no means animalic, daring, or hard to wear. It’s woody and a bit fruity and quite nice but lacks projection.

Opening was an interesting oud, but then it just got kind of... well, boring. Same old thing on repeat until it fades away?

Interesting oud base fragrance but not for me...poor performance

Red berrys and cow manure,that is exactly what I smell.

iLm more closed to indonesian oud less rose..