Aoud Damascus

Aoud Damascus is one of my fave Montale together with Aoud Queen Rose. I first smelled these two and Aoud Rose Petal. This last one I couldn't bear because it's too pungent and it smell like concentrated lemon dishwashing powder! Aoud Queen Rose was my choice, I bought it and never regretted, although is not a well understood scent in my surroundings. Aoud Damascus is a different story... I own some samples I need to smell from time to time. It's a very warm, enveloping, wooden rose that strongly reminds of Middle Eastern. It smells very heartly, still aristocratic and a little on its own, not of the crowd. I imagine a richly dressed, strong-minded, generous person in it. I see a window in an oriental palace, dark room on a sunny day and this person looking through on his/her land. I consider this a feminine scent according to our culture, because of the strong rose note, but such a person could be either a woman or a man. For sure Aoud Damascus is a scent od distinction. Perfect for an elegant evening and for intimate life, I wouldn't wear it everyday at the office, mostly because these scents are very expensive and my surroundings during the day are not very fond of perfume in general. and I hate my lovely scents to be eaten up by air conditioning!

This was my fragrance of choice after sampling a slew of Montales from the perfumed court. I sampled Roses Musk, Black Aoud, Aoud Queen Rose, Crystal Flowers and Velvet Flowers. But this had just the right balance of rose and oud. This, to my western nose, smells like a beautiful, exotic Arabian perfume. This is the 'essence' of that middle eastern culture- the right accord that I was looking for. But at the same time it is gentle enough to not overpower with the medicinal aspect of the oud note. The oud is spicey and velvety. I must give this several more wearings in order to properly learn its nuances. And I will possibly update then.

Whoa.... this one took me by surprise. In fact, this is my first personal encounter with any aoud fragrance and it's DEFINITELY something that I can get into. I can detect the aoud in this and I love it with the incense. THIS is THE rose fragrance I've been looking for. I only applied a few swipes onto my index finger and everyone that I've come into contact with has been in awe from this beautiful scent. It doesn't take a genius to know high quality when he smells it. I will have this one. Special thanks to Gojira for the sample....

This is my favorite rose from Montale! (Highness Rose 2nd & Intense Roses Musk 3rd) To me it's quite different from Black Aoud and more in line with MFK Oud Silk Mood (but better), or even Eternal Oud by Kilian with extra rose and almost no musk, and yes, quite similar to Rasasi "Mukhallat Oudh" Al Mubakhhar (NOT "Oud" Al Mubakhhar) in the middle stage.

Montalе perfume is of course every girl's dream. Oriental scent, I do not smell the scent of a rose, it is overridden by the scent of agarwood. Persistent fragrance, I think this perfume is suitable for autumn, because the smell is very strong

WOW!!!! One of the most beautiful and noble fragrances that i have ever tried!! Love it in the beginning and ADORE it after half an hour - wood and spices are melting into something soft and sexy on my skin! Mrrrrrr....

very oriental rose , great lasting power i love it, a dark rose with something sad and nostalgic, maybe this description is very personnal but it still scents like something old and precious

Montale Aoud Damascus opens with a moderate projection of sweet, oud, and roses notes. The opening is mild, elegant, refined, inviting, and polished. The oud and roses are the two most noticeable notes. The oud is a tone down oud, not pungent or animalic, not excessively dark, it is a very fine wood-like oud. The roses are also noticeable but not intense, it is a feminine, sensual, slightly powdery, sweet, and floral accord, evocative of pink roses. The olibanum is a step behind the oud and roses, a sweet, honey-like, fresh, incense, resinous, green pine, woody, and spicy peppery note; it comes accompanied by the Gurjan balsam, a resin, fresh woody, and spicy touch. The safflower is a faint light floral touch in the far back of the fragrance. The fragrance is linear, all featured notes come up as soon as the fragrance is applied and continue into the dry down. Once Montale Aoud Damascus EDP has reached its full dry-down, it can be summarized as a moderate projection, sweet resinous olibanum, mild oud, rose, and woody fragrance. The fragrance feels elegant, floral, formal, gentle, high-quality, mature, mild, modern, natural, resinous, refined, slightly sweet, unisex, dark-woody, and pleasant. BATCH REVIEWED: 2020 WOW RATING: 6/10. A tone down oud and roses fragrance, pleasant. DISLIKE RATING: 3/10. The oud and roses are prominent accords. UNIQUENESS: 5/10. Oud and roses fragrances are very common. MASS APPEAL: 2/10. Oud is not among the crowd-pleasing notes. PROJECTION: 5/10. Good, about 5 feet around the wearer. SILLAGE: 6/10. Very good, about 6 feet behind the wearer. APPLICATION: 4 atomizations. LONGEVITY: 7/10. Excellent, about 7 hours, it projects well for over 4 hours. SEASONS: Winter, spring, fall, colder days, daytime, nighttime, and climate-controlled environments. OCCASIONS: Formal events, outdoor gatherings, office, business, casual, holidays, clubbing. This is an office-friendly fragrance. VERSATILITY: 8/10. A great, mild, sweet resinous, oud and roses fragrance. GENDER: Unisex. The oud is traditionally a masculine note, the roses are traditionally a feminine note. Because of this contrast, some women will find it masculine, and some men will find it feminine. AGES: 30 and above. RECOMMENDATION: Montale Aoud Damascus can be found for about $60. It is a high-quality, tone down, sweet resinous, mild oud, and roses fragrances, ideal for those that enjoy these notes. It is a nice-to-have. BLIND-BUY: No, sample it first. SIMILAR: These are examples of fragrances that feature oud and roses among other tones. • Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomade is a great, intense, mildly sweet, dark oud, smokey incense, sweet resinous benzoin, and spicy saffron fragrance. • Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood Extrait de Parfum is a great, intense, roses, oud, and sweet vanilla fragrance. • Mancera Black to Black EDP is a great, intense, sweet, roses, oud, leather, amber, and saffron fragrance. • Mancera Gold Prestigium EDP is a superb, sweet, vanilla, orange blossom, leather, and oud fragrance. • Tom Ford Noir De Noir is a great, mild, roses, patchouli, oud, vanilla, and truffle fragrance. • Montale Aoud Damascus EDP is a great, sweet resinous olibanum, mild oud, rose, and woody fragrance. SUMMARY: A moderate projection, sweet resinous olibanum, mild oud, rose, and woody fragrance. The fragrance feels elegant, floral, formal, gentle, high-quality, mature, mild, modern, natural, resinous, refined, slightly sweet, unisex, dark-woody, and pleasant.

Being a huge fan of Montale/Mancera fragrances, I was excited to discover this. Aoud Damascus had such an intriguing list of notes that included many personal favourites (Rose, Oud, Olibanum, Gurjan), especially with others mentioning that the Oud in this was very animalic. I should note here that my most loved fragrances are rather masculine, and Black Aoud is my signature (even though some don't find that to be masculine, I do); so in blind buying this fragrance I was stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit and taking a risk (but what Oud lover wouldn't take a risk when potentially discovering a new funky agarwood scent). Well, animalic and funky this is not (at least with the batch I received, which featured the gold bottle as opposed to the blue one I have seen as well), in fact I was surprised by how powdery and, yes, feminine this scent is. I also tried layering this with a more masculine scent, however, I did not have success with this and ended up gifting it to my girlfriend. The scent itself is a very nice powdery, gentle take on the classic Oud-Rose combo with some added depth from the resins and safflower. While some may find it unisex, I really do find this to be very feminine, not in a girlish way, but more mature and austere. Quality is great, and I got about 7hr longevity when wearing it. If you enjoy more masculine scents and were thinking of giving this a try, learn from my mistake and definitely sample before going for the full bottle. To my nose, it would take an extremely confident man to pull this off, I'll happily stick to Black Aoud.

Thought I would try another Montale fragrance, as I am in search of an affordable, resinous, "dark rose" (with oud, which I like a lot but not as a stand-alone note) fragrance. I guess I am missing something because I do not get what all the excitement is with Montale fragrances but this is just another "no-go" or "meh" for me. I agree with a few other reviewers that Aoud Damascus is a relatively common woodsy-rose-oud fragrance and rather "old school" in nature with a "been there, done that" character. This is my fourth Montale try and like the others, I found the opening notes extremely harsh, almost aldehydic and very synthetic in nature. Overwhelming rose notes (which is alright 'cause this IS a rose fragrance) blast onto the skin with no mercy. Montale fragrances actually hurt my nose. With lots 'n lots of rose, frankincense and spicy notes try emerging. The entire potion is quickly grounded by a resinous wood. That's about it. After 90 minutes or so, it was all over...done. Expecting great silage and incredible longevity, I experienced adequate silage but poor longevity. Also similar to other reviewers' experiences, the entire concoction landed as a powdery, rather linear, cloying rose fragrance that ended quickly. Perhaps it is just my chemistry but Montale fragrances and I do not seem to get along. This is a pass.

Like how Comptoir's vanilla based scents all seem to morph into each other after a while, I feel the same with Montale's ouds. This does not mean I think they are unworthy of a full bottle, I just am confused after a while which to pick! Having been introduced to oud since my years in university surrounded by Arab friends who positively bathed in the stuff, I truly appreciate the rich, somewhat oily quality of a good oud. Suffice to say, Montale's ouds pass the quality test although of course, not the best of the best, since the best would obviously be way too expensive for even a supposed niche market. Damascus brims with oud, a great slightly yeasty smell that's almost pungent but stops short of being noxious. Once my nose becomes accustomed to the oud, only then do I pick up the rose. Other notes here are lost to me but I am quite content with my rose-oud combination that is so rich to the point of being obnoxious. Longevity is unquestionable, I got eight hours and counting, sillage I find strangely rather close but that could be because I was rather careful with the application(an overdose of oud requires bleach to remove). Overall, a scent worthy of a full bottle but for not for me. I would still go after Queen Roses, where the rose battles more fiercely for the limelight with the oud.

I can't decide how to feel about this. I agree with other reviewers that when first sprayed, the oud overtakes-- and to me it is a fecal, semi-barnyard Hindi oud-- unusual for Montale, who usually employ less challenging ouds. After a little while, that intense oud note softens a little bit and the rose comes out, which isn't sweet to my nose but dry and potpourri-like. It is reminiscent of the rose note used in Tea Rose from Perfumer's Workshop-- borderline soapy. It does sort of overtake the oud at this point but there's something else giving it body, must be olibanum. I don't get any sweetness from this and to me it is actually quite sharp and borderline herbal. I think it's pretty nice though I wish that the oud would compete more with the rose rather than just vanishing off the top. I will probably try layering it with another Montale, something like Dark Aoud, which has a beautiful sweet and deep oud without the herbal sharpness. This also seems to undergo a sort of remarkable transformation in the first 15-20 minutes of wear-- at first it seems quite mature, something an older woman would wear, but then something changes, and a certain youthfulness emerges-- the rose becomes less soapy-powdery and more fruity, and it feels younger.

AOUD DAMASCUS is the aoudiest of the Montale aoud-rose perfumes I’ve tried, with a dark, oily, leather-like aoud note much more prominent in the opening than is the rose. Initially this seems like a less feminine composition which would work well for women or men, and some women may actually find the opening too masculine. I, on the other hand, like even the opening of AOUD DAMASCUS a lot, though not as much as Juliette Has a Gun MIDNIGHT OUDH, which masterfully plays the aoud and the rose off one another from start to finish. I’m finding that the Montale aoud-rose perfumes tend to focus on one or the other of these notes rather than giving them equal prominence at the same time. (okay: that’s a weak induction on three cases...) Here it is the aoud which steals the show early on, while the rose is more like an understudy waiting on the sidelines-—important but not that memorable. But then the rose takes over, as though she hired a hit man to pick off her rival, aoud, so that she could finally share her talents with the world. The sillage of AOUD DAMASCUS is medium and the longevity pretty good, thanks to the oiliness of the aoud. I’ll put this on my “wait and re-sniff” list for now...

I imagine Ms Damascus is lolling around in bed after an afternoon of hanky-panky with Mr Oud. She is spent, indolent & entirely relaxed in herself. Admist the woods & the roses, this had some strange, sweet, naughty, post-coitus ladies bedroom kind of smell which made me feel a bit uncomfortable, like I had accidentally witnessed something I shouldn't have. A bit like Olibanum who is a silent voyeur lurking in the corner, only breathing heavily occasionally (I certainly did not get much incense or spice here). Maybe I felt his influence more than smelt it? Most of the action for my skin happens in the first couple of hours because the scent is now soft & retreating. The oud seems to have drifted off to sleep and rose is keeping quiet, trying not to wake him.

Montale Damascus Aoud is strikingly similar to Black Oud to my nose, a rose/oud mix that's well blended and strong. Not terribly special but quite agreeable, frankincense is another listed note, though the base is not so distinctly oud or or incense but rather a muddled combination of both. I'd probably given Black Aoud the edge over Aoud Damascus, though Aoud Damascus may suit some better than Black Aoud--they're similar enough that it's just a matter of taste and preference. Perhaps sample both if you're looking for a rose/oud combination from this house. 7 out of 10

The initial barnyardy opening does subside to become a clean, soapy, woody, resinous rose-water. I really like it, plus I’m impressed that it lasts for over 8 hours. But, there is a synthetic vibe throughout and there are much better rose fragrances out there. If this were the price of those really affordable Arabian fragrances (like Ajmal’s Wisal) then I’d definitely recommend this as an easy wear, everyday rose scent, but... let me just wear it one more time as we seem to like each other.

Edit, I must say..this is also quite masculine, aoud is too much for a feminine fragrance IMO. Rose&Aoud, tremendous sillage, I applied this morning at 8.30. AM and it is going stronger. Those Montales are definnately worth the bucks:)) I wish Roses Musk had the same sillage.If you like your Roses black, than this is it.Go light on the spray...

I"m now going on 12 hours of wearing this scent and there is still no sign of fading, and no change in consistency. This is one perfume that is very much worth the price tag. This is my first experience with Oud, and I like it, but I have nothing to compare it to. overall I like the rose/oud balance, and give this scent an 8 out of 10.

reminds of something.. drydown of some inexpensive man's perfume. However, the dry powdery spicyness - Rose just just lingering, as in hot Middle Eastern evening. Nice idea. I would not buy full bottle, but worth trying. I am not fan of montale, but this is not the worst of the brand.

First I get a nice scent of oud, than what smell like nice woody notes (must be the oud and olibanum) than a soft, lovely rose. It smells more complex than 3 notes would suggest. It is long lasting. This is another bewitching scent from Montale. My test samples are a treasure trove!

the damask rose overpowers all of the other ingredients, and tends to be borderline too sweet...reminds me of the rose that kurkdjian uses in his 'oud mood' perfumes...high quality and potent. probably a little too rose-centric for mine...

this starts with a fairly strong rose and a slightly medicinal oud. i love montale's aoud queen roses so am really excited about trying all their rose/ouds. i like this one but queen roses speaks to me a bit more. it's a bit deeper than this. the rose in this is strong but a bit greener than the one in aoud queen roses. nice but just a bit too sharp for my personal tastes.

The opening accord is overtaken by the pine cleaner smell of balsam overlaid on top of the wood, the rose does not come through until you have waited a while. The rose creates a sweet, creamy and delicious heart, pushing the woody scents to the background but still they are very noticeable bestowing this perfume with a strong inner character despite the delicate beauty.

I feel the leather at the start, and not so much wood - although rose dominates from start to finish. I like the rosy note here because the oud prevents it from getting too sweet and cloying. It's like beauty and tenderness showing through a facade of strength.

Very well balanced between Rose and Aoud. I can't detect other notes. I dont think it's unisex, its more femenine IMO. Unfortunately on my woman's skin it did not last more than 1 hour and even on clothes it last 2 hours max... Skin chemestry I guess. 7/10

Opens up with rose hairspray and settles into your grandmas rose perfume that she wears to church and family gatherings. I am a lover of rose too and this is not it. Stop by my TikTok for some fragrance content: nerolicannoli

All medicinal oud on me, unfortunately. :(

yesterday I 'wore' this perfume the whole day, into the night, respraying it several times, to form a vision about the fragrance. it is a marvelous perfume. reading the reviews from the others before this, about as well the rose as the oud I read such different meanings and insights. this is always informative and along with those reviews I get means to build my own. foremost: there is a great variability in visions about the oud and the rose. I have the feeling Montales' perfume do contain 'a drop of oud oil', and before (here: below) me it is characterized as 'none present', 'barnyard', 'oud al dehn' (Hindi oud), 'woody'. I definitely smelled the oud when you first spritz the perfume on your pulse, and there is a short time window where you smell different aspects of this oud. 'barnyard' very slightly and then rather medicinal, band-aid like. even (paradoxically) synthetic like (having read this just now in an arabian website for oud (and other) attars as a characteristic of Assam-oud). then the most obvious sensation I smelled was that of a dry wood, a woody smell, deeper than sandelwood. this brought me to Tierry de Gunzberg perfume 'Terryfic Oud Extrême'. we all know there is not a kilogramme of oud oil in a canister of montale perfume. yet a tiny droplet of oud sits in the perfume, this one and others of his stable. when you can still smell the oud 'isolatory', separately, there drips through the most heavenly rose smell which defines her as just the queen of flowers. she mingles with the oud and the oud doesn't disappear but form a symbiotic dual beam of the most clear and heavenly scent. so that that is synthetics, is a fable. neither the rose nor the oud are synthetic, the synthetics of the oud is its very medicinal aspect. I have had oil of Turkish and Bulgarian Roses too. that is precisely what you smell. I have a trick developed in smelling, sniffing (yes that too). take one long haul of a sniff ininterrupted so that you almost choke in it. but that sniff takes in the seamless and sturdy clarity and depth of this twosome oud-rose or rose-oud. this is the essence of montale. yet I must not forget the resins used in this perfume, which make a foundation of frankincense-like dustiness as as well, resinoid earth-like groundedness. then I have thought about the safflower which I know since the 1970s when I was an ardent vegetarian (still am). in dutch 'saffloer' oil, but here the thistle-like flower is used for a delicate flowery smell. now in that the rose blooms backed by and fromout the oud with the persistence of the woody and synthetic (medicinal) (as being the physical essence of this oud) trait throughout the perfumes radiance, it is these TWO that constitute this perfume. the rose is really the physical and metaphysical rose from heaven, as I always smell in montales' REAL oud-rose, rose-oud perfumes. perhaps the safflower backs this strong duo also and the whole trip then is earthed in the olibanum resin and gurjam balsem. a fantastic experience. I wouldn't want it cheaper.

I agree with some of the previous reviewers. This is very rosy, which could be fine, except this is a heavy, smothering rose, not a light, sharp rose. There is not enough oud in the mix (if that is your preference, and mine is). The incense is faint but present. This might be good to layer with something more manly like Montale Dark Aoud, for example. I also agree with another reviewer who said this reminded them of the rose note in some MFK fragrances. The MFK rose is another suffocating rose that put me off the MFK ouds totally. This one is nowhere near as bad. I do like this fragrance but I'd prefer to smell it on my girlfriend than on myself. In fact, when she sniffed it, she liked it immediately.

Overwhelmingly blowsy, outrageously deep crimson-purple rose petals - so forcefully feminine that on my skin, Mr Oud only makes the briefest appearance for the first hour before Mrs Damascus smothers him completely. It's a really rich and spicy rose, luxurious and adult enough for those who don't like light girly florals, but for me the balance is out of whack. Diptyque Oud Palao is the perfume that this wants to be - the Diptyque having more complex and richer 'shapes' in both oud and rose departments, with the oud doing its half of the work. The Montale is just fine, and not bad for the price, but a bit lacking in oudy oomph for my taste.

Aoud Damascus is a friendly and non-daring smell, very soft and kind, extremely reminiscent of a high quality Rose Soap. It certainly do not smell like Rose Damask to me (I have the Essential Oil of Rosa Damascena and it's nothing remotely close) 100% synthetic note but feels very natural. If you are sensible to fragrances, this one may be a good option for you as it does not attack you, and it's not sharp either , but still performs reasonably. Again, soapy, clean rose-hedione smell, but not oriental or middle eastern (if that's what you're looking for) Nota bene: there is not a drop of oud here

A very sweet, fruity candied rose on a bed of very sweet, fruity candied oudh! It's extremely feminine, playful, nostalgic- it feels to me like a very 80s scent- not a glamorous, shoulder-padded one, but a cheap and cheerful denim-duo one. Projection is moderate but it really does last all day. Don't expect anything deep or sophisticated or sensual here- this is something frivolous and sugary.

A very nice rose. Very little oud that I can detect. Definitely not an oud softened by a touch of rose. More a pretty rose deepened slightly with wood notes and the merest hint of incense. I like the rose, it's quite delicate, it's quite realistic. It's not harsh, it has some warmth. This is a soft scent on my skin. Feels more pink than red. Very quiet.

I find this to be rather stale smelling at first impression. Really old lady, a little soap, like opening a bath cabinet from the 1950's and finding high end rose otto fragrance that's gone stale. The rose a little too sharp for my liking and too much at the top end and not enough oomph in the base. Too bad. I really wanted to like this one.

I totally get the bathroom comparisons but at the same time Aoud Damascus isn't as offensive as those comparisons would make you think (unlike, say, Kouros). It's like lightly damp wood splashed with old rose water, there is something balsamic giving it warmth. It's ok, not my style but I am over the rose+aoud combination anyway.

I feel like this page is gaslighting me! My man uses this perfume very often and I never once thought of it as unisex or even female fragrance! I also can’t smell the roses. I really enjoy this perfume but it’s definitely not for everyone (just like every Montale perfume).

I've smelled this before, you know how cats sometimes sit on your face when you sleep, yeah that's it. Fecal, wash before people get the wrong impression about you and your cat. Only third time I have scrubbed, secretions and kouros being the only other two.

this is my first test of Montale, and i find Aoud Damascus absolutely gorgeous. It is quite feminine, soft and warm, but not light; strong oriental rose, frankincense is subtle, but adds some "darkness" to the composition))very balanced and refined scent!

To me, this is the most subtle of all the Montale ouds. The oud provides a perfect base the sweet and sultry Damascus rose. The saffron is subtle and warming. A great fragrance, and a perfect signature for those who love unique rose scents.

I like this perfume, the rose is dark and soft, without sharpness of oud, with velvet mysterious olibanum. Aoud roses petals is more lighter and sharper, with pronounced cold and antiseptic oud.

My favorite of the Montale oud line - dusky rose underlined by oud and incense. Heavenly.

Fortunately...I never had a cat sit on my face .