Royal Aoud

Strong, sweet, and rich, with hints of a realistic oud note right up front accompanied by a mélange of spices, dark red roses, candied citrus peel, honey, and other woods. This one made me fall head-over-heels in love at first sniff. I’m normally not fond of prominent citrus notes, but here the use of kumquat and other citrus is outstanding. The citrus complements the rose, giving it a deep, dark, sensual aspect that is missing in lighter rose scents while bypassing the marzipan notes found in so many Arabian-style rose compositions. At the same time, the citrus complements the woody notes, playing up their pungent, resinous aspects. Although strong at first, the fragrance quickly settles down into a well-mannered rosy-citrusy concoction. Once there, the honeymoon is over. The scent remains a linear rose for the rest of the time, so the initial reaction was more infatuation with the top notes than true love over the long haul. Sillage is strong at first, moderate later, and the scent lasts all day. The opening of Royal Oud is the best perfume I’ve smelled for a long time. The drydown is not as exciting, but it’s good. I have to say that Royal Aoud is worth wearing for the first couple of gorgeous hours alone. If my fairy godmother sent me a bottle, I would wear it often.

Royal Aoud opens with medicinal aoud and a very strong citrus blast for the first hour, but as it dries down, the spices emerge and the citrus soften, creating an almost edible vanilla sweetness to this, and the combination of aoud and citrus becomes like candied orange wrapped in dark chocolate. At this point, the frag is an absolute masterpiece. The scent is almost gourmand and smells edible. Whilst I am not sure this is a "royal" scent, it is definitely incredibly distinctive and will get you noticed. This is certainly a unisex scent.

Very unique. Intense at first, but give it a bit and it smooths out wonderfully into a spicy, tropical, creamy and sticky oud. Montale synthetic oud is oh so good, b/c it's sharp and not too animalic and barnyard-y, similar to Western oud. The notes on this are wild and they do come together to make something special.

After I put it on, I love it when at the most unexpected moment, I get a whiff of the scent. Just a lingering scent of comfort and deja vu. Definitely a keeper.

There is a sugar note I would not have expexted from R.A.,I really love it, a big surprise for me , thought it would be too dry for my nose just the opposite!

The opening is quite harsh and overpowering. After 15 minutes, the oud, citrus and rose combine into a sweet and very attractive scent. My new favourite.

Despite all having "aoud" in the name, I'm sure Montale distinguishes between several tiers of their own oud scents, in terms of how much actual oud is in them, and this would be among the most intense, close to Black Aoud and Aoud Arabie. (Next are the "Aoud +somethings", which are a lot more "Something" than oud.) So you have a dry, tart, oud and less-common citruses accord, a blanket of peach-rose-tiny bit of coconut creaminess, all sprinkled with some difficult to define, powdery spices. To me this is the only Montale where they have gone beyond their usual pattern of either big oud scents or oud plus something yummy and familiar, to create a totally new kind of scent. Royal Aoud was the first niche scent I ever bought and I still reach for it frequently, especially in the summer.

Opens with a fairly medicinal note that only gets stronger. Turns into an Band-Aid note that cannot be ignored. Love many of the Montale Aouds, but cannot recommend this one.

Montale Royal Aoud does not fit cleanly into many categories apart from the oud that comprises much of the scent. Apart from the oud, it's a mix of rose, grapefruit, spices, and other fruity notes, which may just be the kumquat, with which I'm not very familiar. The sum of it comes off like a fruity, slightly rosy, and slightly powdery oud mix. Slightly bizarre but not likely offensive or off-putting. Still, to me, not very appealing as the mix isn't as harmonious as it is perplexing. I get more of the peach note in the dry down. Some might posit that given the note breakdown, Royal Aoud would work for warm weather wear, and even though I'm sampling it during the summer, I would probably only consider it appropriate for cold weather usage. It's still a little too oud-intensive and powdery for summer wear. Royal Aoud's performance is very strong, but the scent itself is not among my favorites in the line--it's somewhat middle of the road. 5 out of 10

Welp! Ngl, the top note has a smokey and synthetic smell thats off puting.. Decided to give it a few hours to see if I would like the drydown, alas no joy. I’m begining to think that other reviewers are using a different frag. Curiously, mine came in a black box amd Black flaccon. I have been lead to the believe I’m might not be using the authentic frag.

The notes listed here are missing many stuff! I can't put my finger on the first impression notes but this is another good fragrance. After a second sampling, I have to admit, I won't buy this one. It's not fitting well with my skin (maybe the grapfruit). Black Aoud is better for my nose ;-) i think this one is better suited for woman. 4,5/5

This opens a bit medical and murky. I am glad, I didn't gave up on it right away. The fragrance cleared up to a beautiful oud with soft citrus-fruity notes on a background. There is some spice here but it is not a front runner - just very slight spiciness. Further dry-down smells like delicious wood shavings. Really good!

The opening of this is very like Tonerre by Beaufort, all nostril burning smoke and citrus. It's arresting. Do I like it? A bit. Then it heads in a different direction to Tonerre, much more Montale. Warmer, spicier. Whereas Tonerre just keeps screeching at you. I like it, kind of. Do I want to own it? I don't think so.

Another good scent, I liked at the first sniff. It reminds freshly cut wood with its pleasant resin nuances. Unusual and unexpected fresh and juicy citruses in the top lead into warm woody heart, very comforting scent that smells of something very intimate from my childhood.

weirdly opening reminds me of the smell of the London underground - a mixture of disinfectant and iron oxide dust from the rails. Even more strangely I really like it. Does become more mild and fruity drying down though.

I have to say, for me this fragrance is strictly for the male gender. I don't find it very unisex. It's very masculine, very rich and strong..I'd love to smell it on my boyfriend, but on me..? I don't think so.. ;)

Very nice opening of Kumquat and peach,almost like Al Rehab Fruit in the beginning.Then the rose and oud kick in to join the party.Performance is great,I get 8+hours skin and it stays on my clothes 12+ hours.

very nice and unique oudh scent ,best for those who never used oud but want to try,,, after half hour its smells very nice and unique... best for oud lovers

It smells like gasoline on my skin. Very masculine and strong. Longevity and sillage excellent.

Not for a beginner but it's definitely a gem for the experience nose..

It smells like the insecticide in my house