Harrods Aoud

I had the opportunity to purchase a 100ml bottle for a bargain price. It was more of a blind buy, which I wasn't too sure about after reading the reviews below, which honestly are a mixed bag. Personally, I am a big Roja fanboy and UAE Aoud is my favourite Roja Dova perfume. So I was sure Roja wouldn't let me down and I went ahead with the bling purchase. As soon as the bottle arrived, I gave a couple of sprays on my arm, and needless to say, Roja didn't let me down. It is not your typical oud type of fragrance. It is more of Cedarwood mixed with Rose & Vanilla. I find the scent very irresistible. I must say the cedarwood note is top notch. Apart from perfumes, I collect dress shoes and I have a lot of cedarwood shoe trees in my house. Whenever a fresh pair of shoe tree comes in, I like to sniff the scent of cedarwood off the shoe tree. And this Roja Harrods Aoud reminds me of exactly the same scent. I am a big fan of Oud & Woody notes, so I am really enjoying the cedarwood note in this perfume. I understand this perfume might not be for everyone. It is not your typical Oud perfume, but if you are in for a Roja masterclass on how to mix Cedarwood with Rose, I would say go for it.

Harrods Aoud reminds me of beautiful Arabia. Gulf breezes, deluxe roses, ever present incense. By medicinal, possibly reviewers intend to align this type of oud with city diaspora and thus, clinical? Certainly the move from sand to cement involves a few modern metallics; watches, umbrellas, bedknobs, and bits. Amari bitters in the opening, phenomenally fresh, make way for classic myrrh and frankincense. Cinnamon and santal might sweeten this oud for you in warmer weather, though Harrods Aoud proves timeless for Birkenstock moments behind a selfie stick, a night of darts, and yes it is friendly enough to close accounts! My heartfelt suggestion is that you use this with reckless abandon wherever you are and teetotal everything else!

I feel that I must have bought a new formulation because the juice I have is almost black - more reminiscent to the standard Aoud in color. I did purchase it at Harrods so I am confident of its authenticity. This version sits close to the skin and isn't overpowering. It does last (about 8-10hrs), but it won't demand attention, as it becomes a skin scent at around the 2/3hr mark. I love this scent, it is easily my favorite in my collection now. I just wish it would be a little more audacious in it's strength. But I suppose some scents are better when they aren't suffocating you. Scent 10/10 - signature scent worthy Value 8/10 - nothing else smells this good, just wish it I could show it off a little more.

An intriguing Oud fragrance with a spicy woody scent rather than an Oud-centered Oriental. The fragrance begins with citrus, aldehydes, and artemisia. It has a short rose heart before settling into a powdery wood spice base with cinnamon, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, elemi, cypriol, oud, olibanum, ambrette, and synthetic musk notes. The connection to Guerlains Oud is undeniable. Highly adaptable, with limited projection but incredible lifespan.

Harrods Aoud suprised me. It doesn’t smell as I expected it to if I’m being completely honest. It opens with this green, airy and almost soapy trio of citrus, aldehydes and artemisia before developing an iconic Mai Rose at the heart. Not long after, you’re greeted by a very smooth and spicy cinnamon alongside a thick and resinous dose of frankincense. As the scent begins to settle, that’s when you start to notice the oud. This scent doesn’t come across as thick or oily as the other Aouds, and considering the note breakdown also lists cypriol, patchouli and guaiac wood (materials all used to make an oud accord) im wondering how much oud has actually been used here, if any. Overall you’re left with a very masculine and aromatic scent profile with deep, earthy woods and soapy florals to contrast. The quality here is obviously fantastic, but all in all the actual scent profile isn’t my favourite. If I found a bottle for a good price I’d go for it but this is by far my least favourite from the Aoud line. It’s a lovely woody masculine scent, but it seems to lack Roja’s signature flair.

As exceptional as Roja usually is, this is a rather disappointing fragrance. It falls under the same sort of misnomer as Creed's Royal Oud. They are both cedar-based, and any notice of oud is abstract at best. For Harrod's Aoud, a light air of incense sits closer than any oud notes. The biggest difference between the two is that Royal Oud has a sharper cedar bite upon opening, but Harrod's Aoud has a bit more density and strength. The subtle nuances of cinnamon, vanilla, and resins become ever-so-slightly apparent as the scent progresses, but are hardly worth commenting on. Both fragrances appear to appeal to the oud trend. If they were strictly aiming to stay true to oud, they would both want to smell more like Xerjoff's Zafar, an oud-incense-cedar lover's paradise. Unfortunately, this one feels more like a shameless pander to a luxury department store than a true fragrant creation.

This is a nice woody, floral oud. Not the barnyard oud but much more of the medicinal variety. I definitely see the resemblance to Guerlains Oud. However, this is much more refined and natural. I sprayed my sample on a card that was lightly laminated and an oily sheen developed and stayed present for hours- a real testimony to the naturals RD uses in his fragrances. I had a carded sample of the Guerlain and it gave me a headache every time I sampled it. Not here. Opens with a slight spice and rose mixed with a medicinal oud. As the fragrance develops more of the cedar comes though and from that point its rose, cedar, and oud. Very nice, refined. Not a daily driver but for formal and special events. Only one spray, I can see this getting cloying. I don’t see myself buying a 50mls bottle but the 7.5mls discovery atomizer is just right...

An interesting but somewhat unsatisfying very light treatment of the heavy Oud note, this is actually more of a spicy woody fragrance than a Oud centered Oriental. The perfume opens with citrus, aldehydes and artemisia. It has a very brief rosy heart before it settles into a powdery wood spice base with notes of cinnamon, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, elemi, cypriol, oud, olibanum, ambrette and synthetic musk. Overall it is among the lightest of Roja’s Aouds and very wearable. But it still lacks a defining punch and comes across as somewhat pedestrian amongst his vast repertoire of beauties. Unisex with moderate projection and excellent longevity. Enjoy!

If you purchase this expecting an oud scent, you will be disappointed. If you purchase this expecting a Roja masterpiece, you will be satisfied. This starts off very green and verdant almost a little bitter. The artemisia is the star at the start and the aldehydes help it sparkle. As the scent grows, you start to get this cedar aspect that adds woodiness to the bitter green artemisia. As this dry's down further (2 hours or so) it starts to become darker and richer but never loses the artemisia. This lasts long but sits close to the skin after about 45 minutes. Another complex masterpiece.

Just sampled this today and kingdom of saudi arabia might have some competition as both my favorite roja and favorite cologne! Worth every penny.

Harsh beast mode note ruins this.

Exceptional oriental creation.... Starts with a harsh green bitter artemisia vibe which is balanced by freshness of citruses ( very short lived & can’t withstand the powerful green vibe )...soon the Rose appears mixed with a lot of Patchouli which gives it earthy woody green vibe...it is deep, Super Spicy with some warm sweetness...at the dry down there are woody incense nuances with balsamic resinous vibe ( Resins are the main player here which gives it the spicy balsamic soul ) ... Regarding Oud!..I can’t feel its presence or identity but away from this it is masterfully blended & one of his best creations.... It has a good projection & sillage with very good longevity...unisex & best for cold nights, But if you wanna touch its beauty try it in Summer as the heat helps to amplify its resinous soul... إبداعٌ شرقيّ استثنائي... يبدأ بنفحة خضراء حادّة،قويه ومُرّة من نوته الشيح، مع لمحات من الحمضيات المنعشه (والتي لا تدوم طويلاً ولا تستطيع مجاراة النوته الخضراء الطاغية). سرعان ما تظهر الورود ممزوجة بكمية كبيرة من الباتشولي، مما يمنحها طابعًا ترابيًا خشبيًا أخضر... الرائحة عميقة، شديدة مع طابع سبابسى تابلى . عند الوصول للقاعده تتجلى نفحات خشبية بخوريه مع طابع بلسمِيّ راتنجي (إذ تُعدّ الراتنجات اللاعب الرئيسي هنا، فهي التي تمنح العطر روحه التابلية البلسمية). أما بالنسبة للعود! فلا أشعر بوجوده أو هويته بشكل واضح، لكن بعيدًا عن ذلك فالعطر ممزوج بإتقان ويُعدّ من أفضل إبداعات روجا... اداء العطر جيد جدا من حيث الفوحان و الانتشار مع ثبات ممتاز... مناسب للجنسين وأفضل استخدام له في الليالي الباردة، لكن إن أردت لمس جماله الحقيقي فجرّبه في الصيف، إذ تساعد الحرارة على إبراز روحه الراتنجية و جماله الداخلى... Instagram@ Egyptian_jasmine 📸

High class. This is an opulent scent - one that, simply, does not smell right or fit right in the absence of proper clothing to accompany it. I have worn it pretty frequently since purchase; in contrast to my earlier statement, that is. However, it genuinely is really very good, and it therefore pains me somewhat to relegate it to a seldom kind of scent. Prominent artemisia, fantastic, really fantastic, use of aldehydes to give this a 3D sparkle, and then a very pleasant dry down. Roja’s blending - his use of throwing the kitchen sink into his scents - is exemplified here. The base notes aren’t massively individually conspicuous but they all work so brilliantly together. Cinnamon, actually, is a touch more pronounced than the others. Put simply, this is very well done. Worth the money? Wholly subjective. A better buy, for sure, than say Aoud or amber aoud; this is unequivocally more unique and a higher class of scent.

This is what The Sims gem symbol would smell like, or if you got the green crystal from the cap and pulverised it into minuscule fragments of sweetness lingering in the air that are each shining and reflecting sunlight. Uplifiting, Airy, Springy, Crisp are words that come to mind, of which mellow down into a sweetness that evolves into a, as below reviews also say, an abstract light aoud . Update: This is incredibly light, it looks like a warm heavy scent from the notes and ingredients, but it's just so light.

On my skin this is very spicy rose with very prominent Cinnamon, Artemisia and Incense. It's sparklingly fresh, yet dark and gothic with a detectable pleasant brown oud note. Complex and smooth, true to Roja's style.