Oud

I may be in the minority, but this is in my top 3 in the line. Right there behind Oddity and Encens, in that order. I don’t have a developed nose and am quite the novice when it comes to picking out some of the notes. Can I just say it smells freaking fantastic to me? Again, no sweet, juicy, fruity, powder or florals here. The cost of Rag & Bone scents is outlandish imho, longevity is lacking, so it’s hard to justify $150 for a relatively small bottle.

Rag & Bone's take on oud via their new fragrance of the same name is decent, a relatively safe middle-of-the-road use of the note that is somewhat reminiscent of Maison Francis Kurkdjian's fragrance of the same name, the anchor of his oud quintet, though Rag & Bone's creation is less interesting than MFK's. I don't detect any bergamot in the opening, but the myrrh is certainly than to be paired with the oud, paving way for some leather and guaiac. There's enough complexity that I'm definitely more interested than I expected to be, but Oud is not nearly as nuanced or peculiar as Oddity, nor as inviting as Amber, so it probably ranks as my third favorite from the line so far. Performance is pretty good for an EDP as I'd hoped, with significant projection at the onset and not much diminution in the hours since. Overall, one I would pursue if it became a lot cheaper than the retail $140 for 50ml. 7 out of 10

This is a nice woody-peppery fragrance, and I think that the middling reviews are due to the fact that this Oud isn't particularly "oud-ish". I get incense, labdanum, and elemi. The oud wood is more abstractly gestural than photorealistic. This isn't something that I usually consider, but the bottles are unusually beautiful - stunningly substantial glass and classic, mid-century reminiscent caps. I suspect a fair amount of the cost went towards these beautiful vessels.

Top: bergamot, elemi, myrrh Middle: incense, cistus labdanum, leather Base: guaiac wood, ambergris, agar oud