Oud Seven

Extremely surprised with this one; this is my 8th from the line, and I love the other 7, all of them with varying degrees of intensity, and I assumed this would be in the same vain. This blasts off with the skankiest, and funkiest barnyard Oud that I've smelled in French Perfumery. I have some really skanky faecal Arabic Oud, and this is not far behind, but I do love that kind of Oud, not always as I do need to be in the mood, but again really surprised to find it this funky in this line that is just the epitome of modern French perfumery (in my books). I simply *love* how he has indeed given the centre stage to Oud amplified, and surrounded it with the 7 other notes that are actually blended very well. This is Oud forward, very forward, and it feels like the other notes revolve around it, and when I say revolve, I do literally mean revolve as in revolving doors. This is simply divine, the skankiness does ease off after about 5 minutes but is still there in the background and wafts about for a good while, so if you are offended by this, I suggest you either sample this or stay away from it, as it does have a *strong* presence, and this is by far something that I would not suggest to spritz and dash out. I'd implore you spray this a good 30 minutes before you place yourself in the presence of others, or you will probably get some odd looks :) In the 'reminds me of' I can see Falcon Leather and OfG, neither of which I would place there, as OfG is pretty tame in comparison and even though FL burns your nostrils out when first sprayed, it's of a different nature. So far I'm not really getting any Labdanum, Amber or Tobacco, there is however something very very faintly sweet that bathes the Oud, making it less sharp and more rounded, it does have the medicinal feel of the Patchouli that I find in Fredric Malle's Promise, I find there is a very slight resemblance to Promise, but it's very very faint. This is a very powerful fragrance and it's projection is stronger (in my books) that some of the Extraits from this line, in fact it sweeps the floor with Encens Suave Extrait (which was a huge disappointment to me). Projection is pretty good and so is Sillage, longevity TBC but feels like it's going to be here for a while, FB worthy? in my books, yes. Versatility, minimal due to the nature of the fragrance, and is pretty masculine leaning, and most certainly not office safe at all, or even in the same confined space of others in the first hour or so. Some people say they like these Ouds in hot weather, me, no so I'd say only colder weather and evening wear due to it's animalic nature. I love this fragrance, in fact it might be the 3rd in line from the collection. Enjoy and God bless :)

Finally spent enough time with Oud Seven to see what makes it tick. This MatierePremiere creation, which remains a Harrods exclusive 5 years after its launch, flies under most radars... and honestly, that suits its personality. The opening is a burst of crisp violet leaf, followed by Bangladeshi oud that introduces a damp-tree bark vibe (almost mushroomy), earthy and just a touch animalic. The first half hour leans into a "soil-rich character", brown but absolutely not fecal. As it settles, the oud smooths out into a greener accord of tobacco, patchouli, and cypriol. There’s still a whisper of funk, perhaps enough to keep seasoned oud fans intrigued. OS' performance is moderate in terms of projection for the first hour, then it folds in close. At that point, it will become a skin scent, hanging around for eight-plus hours. No fireworks, but rather substantial persistence. Guichard has composed something that is clearly not aiming to be a crowd-pleaser, and that’s the point. The violet-tobacco-woody interplay feels masculine-leaning and mature. Compared to the usual oud pairings (think indolic florals), Oud Seven goes earthier, with a soily undertone that feels a bit more unique in today’s market. Bottom line: sample first. If you’re after an elegant, cold(er) season oud with character, and you don’t mind a little funk, you’ll appreciate what Oud Seven brings to the table.

It has a somewhat animalic oud opening but very much a Matiere Premiere fragrance when it comes to overall build and lift. The main body of the fragrance resembles Falcon Leather Extract quite a bit in my opinion, which is not a bad thing as that is one of my favorite fragrances. It does not have the same depth and longevity as the Extrait at all though. I think the animalic oud dies down a little too quickly. I would have liked for it to stick around the entirety of the wear. What lingers is the sweet woody and ambery base similar to Falcon Leather. I blind-bought this from their online store when it stopped being exclusive to Harrods. I do not regret the purchase but I find the performance a bit disappointing.

Gorgeous. Intoxicating. Sultry. Just oozes sex appeal. Even my ex likes this and she's a permanent Debbie Downer whenever I ask her for an opinion. I have to be honest, I'd never heard of this, but I got gifted a bottle by a supplier I buy from very often purely as the box was a bit banged up, and I love it. I'm not really an Oud lover truth be told, but I think the violet in this really sets it off perfectly - but then I adore violet in scents so I'm likely a bit biased. Definitely 90% masculine though, I don't think I'd describe this as unisex. I'm eagerly awaiting winter now so I can actually wear it. Edit June 2026 - I wore this today and it kept reminding me of Babycat, just a smoother version.

This is a light animalic perfume with high quality oud oil, tobacco and leathery note due to the labdanum. It starts very confident, takes the scene and then when it gets my attention the ambery note from the base starts to come to life too. Due to the Assam oud it reminds me a bit of Nouveau Monde from LV, but that one has also cocoa and it ́s slightly playful thanks to the saffron too. Oud Seven is here for business, not playing around, for the confident man which knows what a high quality scent should smell like.