Incense Oud

Patricia de Nicolaï is an intriguing and talented perfumer, and I have long read glowing reviews of her creations for her eponymous house. A niece of Jean-Paul Guerlain, armed with a chemistry degree and ISIPCA training, she still was passed over in favour of a man (Thierry Wasser) to take over at Guerlain in 2008. It is interesting to consider how she would have fared, given how uneven the Guerlain releases and reformulations have been since. Regardless, Guerlain's loss is Nicolaï Createur de Parfum's gain. However, until I bought a discovery set last year, I had only smelled one Nicolaï, New York Intense, but was left very impressed. Now, I am reviewing each sample in my discovery set. Incense Oud is what it says on the tin - a smooth, high-quality oud scent infused with incense throughout. The oud used here is not skanky or animalic - it is a dry, woody oud; more French in style than Middle Eastern. It is bold however, the dominant note to my nose. Bitter, herbal green notes follow, led by artemisia, rounded out by a cloud of earthy patchouli. The cypriol is camphorous, yet adds a slight dirtiness, bringing to mind a jungle. As it develops, powdery rose emerges, melding beautifully with the oud and patchouli in particular. IO becomes increasingly smooth and refined here, with an animalic muskiness giving it an old-fashioned quality. The balsamic incense emerges here, not a church-y incense, but somehow more Middle Eastern in style, enhanced by the peppery spice that follows. It becomes increasingly musky as it fades, the smooth incense lingering alongside spices, with a pine-like green nuance remaining, giving the woody-musky drydown a hint of freshness. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is a unisex, autumn/winter scent. A complex yet beautifully-balanced woody-amber scent, IO is masterfully composed, a testament to Mme. Nicolaï's skill. The materials used here are high-quality and quite strong, but they are cohesive, each note contributing to the scent as a whole. Symphonic, really - a gem. 4.5/5.

Nicolai's Incense Oud is probably the freshest take on Incense or Oud notes I have sniffed in ages. I was expecting the usual bog standard cliched smoky incense and oud like all the others and right from the first sniff, this was a beast of a different genus. Top notes are a really clear, fresh blend of artemisia and ambrette. Right off the bat you know you are smelling the work of a Master Perfumer. The heart is a blend of Oud, Cambodian as per the notes on the sample card, sharp spicy notes of nagarmotha and coriander and some woody cedar. This is joined by the incense in the base. There is an underlying bitter, slightly animalic muskiness that is probably the castoreum and musk but you would not find it unless you went looking for it. It does give the composition the required depth that you would expect in an Oud Fragrance. In the end, all the notes just fit perfectly together in complete harmony. Projection is really good, easily 6 feet in the first hour before settling to arms length, People are going to smell you, no mistake. Longevity likewise is excellent, regularly in the 12-15 hours plus range. So performance wise fantastic. In conclusion I would say if you are a fan of Incense or Oud notes, do yourself a favor and check it out. I am a huge fan of incense frags in general and have stuff like Timbuktu, Sahara Noir, Cardinal, Avignon, Interlude, et al and this has pretty much vaulted itself into my top 3 atleast. That should be enough said. 9/10

Верхние ноты очень сильные и больше выделяется будто бы хвойный запах, но это скорее всего артемизия, кориандр и опять пачули. Очень резкий, тяжелый хвойный аромат, подумает каждый. В таком состоянии он пребывает в течение 15-20 минут потом "успокаивается" и переходит к базе и средним нотам. Ооо вот тут мнения разделяться... Либо они засчитают мускус как запах потного деда либо как чистейший, мыльный приятный аромат. В дополнение к нему в игру включается отчётливый землистый животный аромат, из за Кастореум'а в базе. После часа имеем: глубоко древесный(Уд), чистенький землистый животный запах на нашей коже. Ну, а в своей последней трансформации он становиться очень, прям на тоненького сладким, играет роза и благовония, именно они добавляют вот эту изюминку похожую на восковые свечи и... Ощущение Аристократии что ли... Роза и благовония как итог заставили меня полюбить этот аромат. Больше всего вторая фаза этого аромата меня поражает, как она играет... Я не могу. Дерево, земля и мускус... По-моему уже за такое можно отдать все деньги. Аромат вечный, я буквально два дня с ним на руке ходил, даже после душа он остался, нотки розы. Я однозначно рекомендую этот экспириенс в аристократию.

9:00 - Opens with incense and herbs. Very fresh fields. A peppery woods smell comes in quickly with a deftly done floral that doesn't jump out separately. There's an impression of honey-water in this, for me. I wish I had a better way to describe it. Botrytis by Ginestet has the same quality in its opening and they both literally make my mouth water. For Incense Oud, it doesn't actually smell like honey, though. I really, really love this effect. 9:40 - The patchouli has started to assert itself more, but there's a smell, kinda like unburned lavender incense, that is balancing out the earthiness and keeping things from getting too hippie. Very unisex. My coworker could smell this from across the room, and approved. 3:20 - Drydown is cypriol oil I'm guessing (smells like a tree, not oud) with random whiffs of incense. Good but I can see it being headache inducing for some if they aren't cautious with the number of sprays. Actually, this might be the artemisia. I need to get nose training. Will probably end up with a full bottle of this.

Incredible perfume, but very unusual, to say the least! I really admire P. de Nicolai for balancing all these big smelling ingredients (oud, rose, incense, castoreum and patchouli on a classic amber base) into something so luminous and transparent. The rose, insence and amber make this fragrance oppulent and luxurious, while the oud and the castoreum create a dark, erotic tension. So good! Do try before you buy; this otherwise terribly chic affair purrs with the distinctly animalic, faecal aspect of oud. I really had to come to terms with this slightly disconcerting note in the composition, but it does add to its artisticity and - most importantly - to the authenticity of its star ingredient. I've come to love this scent very, very much (the dry down is especially sublime), but my partner complains I smell like a toilet. ‘A Parisian toilet!’, I specify...

Another favourite from Nicolai Parfumeur. This has the complex, contradictory sharp-soft Nicolai signature and reminds me of Patchouli Intense + incense and oud. Opens with a dark, animalic blast of artemisia-infused oud and ambrette, with a background zing of lush, green patchouli which grows and grows until it fills the perfumery space and then - being a diva and performing from its spotlit stage - sings to me of a heartbreakingly holy place in the heart of a dark, mysterious, dew-spangled forest. It's an olfactory archetype speaking to me of luminous, opulent beauty. Distillation: masterful perfume olfactory archetype singing of beauty

The drydown is a walk through buddhist temples with lit incense. Korean, Japanese, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Maynamar...I've smelled this scent mixed with the local environment, be they pine forests or the cacophony of busy street food stalls, this is the base scent of those environments. Opens with a warm sweet fuzzy cashmere amber, which is nice, but the dry down is what strikes a chord with me. Not sure it's what I like to wear on a daily basis, but I love being transported by the scent memories. Scent: 8.5 / Sillage: 8 / Longevity: 8

This one gets you noticed! Extremely luxurious and dense! One of the best incense scents I have tried PERIOD. I don't want to smell like a old musty church I want a artists take on the incense genre. It smells complex, it evolves, it radiates taste and class and makes a statement and above all it smells of grade A raw materials. Not a hint of cheap synthetics. A scent that will fill follow you all day so you really only need a small amount.

Not sure if there are any left, but Jomashop has Nicolai's gigantic 250ml bottles of this for around $170 US shipped and 250ml of Sacrebleu Intense for $140 US shipped. I grabbed one of each. Can't beat those prices short of having someone gift it to you :)

Absolutely gorgeous. I’m partial to Nicolai fragrances, and this one hasn’t disappointed. Very happy with this purchase 😃

I fell in love with Incense Oud By Kilian several years back. Unfortunately, Kilian Incense Oud is out of production. I've searched to find another fragrance that approaches Kilian's unique and unforgettable fragrance. And while Nicolai Incense Oud is nice enough in its own right, it doesn't quite approach the richness, depth and complexity I enjoy in a fragrance like Kilian's Incense Oud. So, Nicolai Incense Oud is a rather light (not ethereal by any means), almost ozonic, clean oud with smokiness (more so than incense) running throughout. The opening is almost light & fizzy, which are not descriptives I normally associate with an oud fragrance. Wood and smoky notes emerge that are (thankfully) not the heavy campfire, or ashtray like notes currently in vogue on the niche market. Soapy notes are not notes I detect, as Incense Oud remains as a rather linear, resinous, woody, slightly smoky fragrance. Unfortunately, I do not detect incense as much as I like but there is smoke, which I imagine is the cedar, amber & musk. Given the list of notes, I would expect Incense Oud to be dirtier, earthy, more resinous. Not so on my skin. However, this is a nice enough smoky woody oud perfume with good silage and pretty good longevity. Not unique, or exciting enough to be full bottle worthy for my tastes. For me, Nicolai Incense Oud is a pass.

What Equipage (vintage) is to the chypre genre, that Incense Oud is to the oud, even much further. Bold, sharp and edgy might not be enough to describe its aggressive spicy characteristic. The opening is a bit too much to my taste. Just one little spray, I will find myself exposed in front of a turbofan engine that blows hurricane of spicy notes, while the oud note is quite subtle as in Amber Oud, another oud scent of Nicolai. There are geranium, papyrus and something I cannot really think of in the skillfully blended structure and with that extent of monster projection. What beneath them is a layer of nostalgic oriental fougere that resemles a long discontinued scent by YSL, Jazz Prestige, or Silver Cologne by Amouage which can be seen in Amber Oud's drydown as well. Incense oud is definately not a friendly scent even among a bunch of unusual oud fragrances (I am talking about Assam Oud by Rania J, Leather Oud by Dior etc), but a treasure for the ones who are looking for something smell odd. Blind buy warning! Rating: 8-8.5/10

Such an effortless piece despite it's potential to have scratchy themes. The incense accord in this is perfection, not a cliche in sight the olibanum is present but not blended into a kind of woody, boozy, oud accord. It has a note of whisky steeped casks betwixt, white oud and oakwood with some smoky cypriol greens, and a developing a lightly chocolatey, benzoin character, but it's not ambery, perhaps more earthy, Forresty, rooty, nutty. If there's no real oud in here, this is a really clever representation of it, with more of a vetiver leaning quality but something slightly bordering animal too. It's really good. I remember the last time I tried it I was in Amsterdam, and recall thinking I needed more time with it before making a rash purchase decision. I still feel the same way because it's quite a moody piece, I'm not sure how often I would reach for it? Good stuff though.

Starts out with juniper wood and smoke. Some kind of coniferous tree resin. It's an oriental fragrance and definitely something a European person would not be used to. Smells a bit like an Orthodox Church, but that's usually not a perfume. It is also strongly balsamic and dirty with an animalic sweetness. Dare I say it: I get a whiff of urine. Not a safe blind buy. After 10 hours it was smoky incense with a bit of beeswax so definitely a churchy smell. Warm fragrance. PS: It layers well with Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir imho. Edit 2026-04-06: I like it more now but it's a perfume that needs distance. I've had it for a year now and the urine note changed into something more fruity. Anyway, better to put it on your collarbones and knees and not the neck or wrists.

I swear this opens just like tequila on my skin. The oud and castoreum come on fast and it's animalic tendency reminds me of a more tame version of Histories De Parfums Petroleum, but not as much like sweaty civet, more leathery like castoreum. Styrax contributes to the leathery pelt effect. After a short while the patch, artemesia , and rose show, followed quickly by the incense and corriander. Into the drydown and a little cedar finally shows it's face. Corriander still prominent along with incense and I feel like there might red peppers in it as well, it stays spicy. Overall it's great!.Would be good for a cool or cold night out, I'd say more semi formal to formal. ------------------------------------ Scent 9/10 Performance 7.5/10

Damn, this lady is a beast. It's heavy but interesting. It felt very luxurious and loud. I see people mostly saying it's masculine leaning but for me it's the opposite. A lady in furs. This perfume is not for me but it gave me a confidence boost of a rich matriarch, haha. In terms of smell, a lot of greenery and wood, something very bitter and dark. Also, a tiny bit of "jungle vibe", similar to Cap Neroli, not sure what creates it. Incense is not particularly noticeable but I am sure it's framing the composition somewhere on the background. Definitely not a safe blind buy but an interesting thing to try.

Wild, wild, wild. A fierce incense-patchouli-oud bomb, with an animalic funk wafting off it. It's the kind of fragrance that makes me want to meet the people who wear it on a regular basis. (Who ... are you?) I have a few bold fragrances, so I'm no prude, but I don't have anything that slaps you in the face quite like this one. But also, to be real, Incense Oud is not on the intensity level of a Francesca Bianchi, for example, and the dry down (after 2+ hours) is far less feral than the opening. But still. Whew. Intense. Not something I'd wear, personally, but I genuinely think it smells great.

Oud upon thy pews! This old person in church B/O is more than meets the nose. Comes on animalic, unique and strong. Moves on the skin like a ferocious, rough and leathery alpha male toddy cat who just got busy with an oily, female beaver. What hell on earth, Alien meets Pet Cemetery, hell spawn will be the resultant? Well, we'll never find out because, thankfully, here comes an animal trapper to interrupt the pregnancy. So, your once ferocious civet is now a pungent, somewhat amberous, smoked-wood accented pelt. Not bad!

Super sexy dark cypriol and incense with black charred oud in the background . This is so beastly but so challenging. I am big oud lover but this is very different to pull off. I can respect the craftsmanship but there is something in the background that I truly cannot appreciate. I wear most my ouds all year round but this is only in cold winter nights out in open space . There is something about this that truly reminds me of patchouli intense.

~hand test/global wearing/decant After initital sprays my nose was hit with ultimate "old people" perfume smell. Retro, vintage. Artemisia overload, patchouli, incense, rose, and cypriol are most prominent notes on my skin. Drydown is more in my alley because it already evolved. I can also get slightly animalic castoreum, more pronounced oud (in opening phase and 1-2h after spraying it was basically absent), smoky/ambery accord and dialed down aromatic & herbal components (but it's still soapy). It's still too herbal and too oldschool, however I appreciate the scent quality and it satisfies me in terms of performance (eternal longevity and it projects even after the whole day on skin) - I just need another 30 years of life to wear it properly. Right now when I'm writing this, my collegue entered the room, gave me a reasonable look and we both understood it's not a scent for me.