Arabian Wood

Plush, velvety, and vividly green. A beautifully complex, if unfittingly named, vintage-esque chypre now sadly discontinued. Arabian Woods opens effervescently as a most traditional fougère with notes of herbal lavender, bright orange blossom, freesia, lily of the valley, bergamot and gentle woodiness. Simultaneously, oodles of galbanum and oakmoss lend their sharp, green bitterness to the composition. Overall, the effect is cold and soapy, aldehydic even. As the bergamot fades away completely and the green accord softens, the middle becomes a rich, deep floral one where lofty Bulgarian rose together with jasmine, gardenia and orris sit atop a bed of dewy patchouli. Advancing toward the dry drown, honey’s arrival lends lingering sweetness to the creamy sandalwood and faintly peppery cedar that, backboned by the still softly persistent oakmoss, form the eventual woody-amber-tonka nuanced base. Arabian Woods is as big, grand and complex as it is nostalgic for the 70’s. A beautiful chypre with sophistication and quality in spades, I think Arabian Woods would have enjoyed greater commercial success today that it did in 2009 given the resurgence of green and chypre fragrance interest; maybe the people at people at Tom Ford and Estee Lauder came to realise this too before launching the equally green and nostalgic Vert Bohème which could so easily be the Eau or Acqua flanker to Arabian Wood. In fact, Vert Bohème worn atop the beautiful aldehydic woodiness that is Hermès Calèche Soie de Parfum comes remarkably close to replicating Arabian Wood. Utterly unisex, longevity is very good at 10-12 hours with moderate-cum-soft sillage for the first 5 hours after which Arabian Woods becomes a skin scent. 8.5/10

I just bought this fragrance and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!! It is my fall/winter scent. I am not sure why I did not buy it before, but it is never too late and I am so happy that I have it. This fragrance is not just a wood note! It is not a man scent! When I had it on, a man came up to me and asked me what I had on as he was looking for something for his wife and thought that the fragrance smelled beautiful on me. When I told him the name of the scent, he could not believe it as it sounds like a masculine scent, but it is not. It is unisex, but in my opinion, it is more of a woman scent than a masculine one. To quote from the Berdorf Goodman website: This exotic experience opens with top notes of aromatic lavender with the bold floralcy of Bulgarian rose, freesia, orange blossom, and green galbanum, brightened with sparkling bergamot. The heart pulses with the warmth and sensuality of lavish florals, including ylang ylang, rose absolute, jasmine, gardenia, and luscious honey and orris. The base notes blend patchouli with cedarwood, oak moss, sandalwood, and honey, while tonka bean and radiant amber leave a distinct trail of opulence. ========= I am not sure why fragnantica does not list all of the fragrance notes, which is odd and unfortunate, but it is not just an oud note. I noticed the Bulgarian rose/bergamot top notes. Of course, I would not love it if it did not have a patchouli note in there.... This is a scent you can wear all day and it is sexy/warm/makes one feel good when it is on. I wish there was a body cream/lotion available. It is well worth the price.

Him indoors brought this back from a business trip a while ago and barely used it. I always loved the smell on him on the rare occasions he wore it, so it seems to have somehow snuck it's way into my perfume cupboard (ahem...). For some reason, he prefers more crisp citrus fragrances, but I think this is simply gorgeous. I'm very hit and miss with Tom Ford but this is a definite hit. Although it is technically for men, I think that with the floral top notes it also works on women (but probably not if you favour sweet gourmands or fruity scents). It's not mountain man chest-beatingly manly, its smooth and rounded and deep toned; this is confident intelligent man in the prime of his life fragrance to me (as a woman). The first note for me was a rich rose with bergamot. This rapidly dried down to lavender and woody notes. I must be immune to mint because I can rarely pick it up in anything. It is soapy, and I can't work out what is giving the distinct soapiness, far stronger than in any female fragrance, but its a lovely clean note-not crisp like citrus, but fresh and clean smelling. Longevity-usually about 6 hours on skin, but far longer on clothing. SIllage-moderate. This is a winter time fragrance, warm and inviting, snuggling up in front of the fire.

Tom Ford Arabian Wood is another discontinued Private Blend offering that I was particularly curious about and it's a lovely scent, a woody floral with the lipstick/cosmetics note that resonates so strongly in both Chanel Coromandel and Dior Homme Intense. I enjoy it a lot in Arabian Wood much like I do in Coromandel (not so much in DHI), as it is both a bright floral and a dark floral at the same time, both feminine and unisex, definitely not purely masculine. Another enjoyable aspect is the lavender, which helps keep it somewhat fresh. Certainly the name is misleading, as one might expect an incense/oud/woods mix, but this is certainly something much prettier, more year round-friendly, and decidedly more unisex. Performance is strong, fitting the Tom Ford Private Blend standard of a heavy sillage and great longevity. A nice find, and actually rather moderately priced on the secondary market. 8 out of 10

Update to my original post...I was at the Saks Tom Ford counter as I thought they were also carrying the new Tom Ford fragrances, but only Bergdorf is in NYC. Anyway, I noticed that they were missing the Arabian Wood fragrance and they indicated that it was discontinued in June. I freaked out as they were sold out of the fragrance due to loyal fans who hoarded the scent upon learning of this decision. They were nice enough to call Bloomingdales as they just started to carry the Tom Ford line at the 59th St. store last month or thereabouts. I bought the last one that they had. So if you really love this scent, please go out and buy it before it is gone for good. Maybe if enough people complain, Tom Ford will bring it back. I am not sure why this site did not inform us, but in the USA, this scent has been discontinued. :(

In all honestly, I don't see why everyone calls this fragrance "feminine". I see this as a masculine fragrance, yet it has something special about it where it can be unisex. I love this fragrance, as I do some of the other Private Blends, but this one really stands out from the rest. along with Oud Wood, White Suede, and maybe Noir de Noir. Its a very sophisticated fragrance, and while it may not be very "Arabian"... who cares? As long as it smells good and somewhat "Arabian" why should the name matter? I mean Bond No. 9's "Chez Bond" doesn't smell like a Chez (house, cottage, etc.) so does it really matter if Arabian Wood smells Arabian? All in all, I really like this fragrance. Its definitely not an everyday kind of scent, but for the right occasion, Arabian Wood is a great choice.

You heard it here first, people! Tom Ford will be bringing back Arabian Wood in the same way they've done with Amber Absolute and Bois Marocain. They've already introduced Arabian Wood as a candle (best candle they currently make) and a rerelease of the fragrance should be on shelves sometime in the late summer/early fall. Hopefully it isn't a different formulation than the original, but it likely will be unfortunately. Arabian Wood is my favorite fragrance ever, and I'm glad the company realizes how good it is and is giving it another go. This news was already confirmed to me by someone with Tom Ford, so that plus the fact that they released it as a candle this past year shows that it's only a matter of a few months before it will be available again.

I like this a lot - may even love it - but readers should know that this is a soapy rose fragrance with extremely muted wood. If you like Middle Eastern men’s fragrances that make use of a dominant rose, this could be a true winner for you. But you just need to know what you will get with this. This to me is a ME rose frag second right behind Lyric Man by Amouage (which has become one of my favorite fragrances period). Longevity is awesome with Arabian Wood and one spray should cover you for hours. I have the original batch (regular brown bottle) and can’t speak for the newer, “Reserve Collection” version (gold name plate). All said, a fantastic fragrance.

To my nose, Arabian Wood is really more of a floral perfume. Sometimes when I smell it, I swear that it smells eerily similar to Agent Provocateur. I detect intense gardenia and rose, a bit of freesia, a bit of lavender, and a bit of oakmoss. There is an underlying woody note, but it's not the star in this drama. Speaking of drama, I would say that this perfume is very much a dark, evening fragrance. It's the darkest Tom Ford I've smelled thus far. There is definitely a rich, syrupy, honeyed sweetness that keeps me wanting more. A very exotic, penetrating perfume that must be worn by someone who is not a wallflower.

IMO this is one of the best ouds in the market. I have no idea who stays behind Tom Ford fragrances but still they are masters. My best vacations were always in Arabic countries and my memory always going to these unusual very sophisticated places. The Arabian Wood is like deep memory of east, the Muslims and their fantastic culture. The fragrance is woody, deep and very resinous but the same time clean and what is amazing not overpowering. The main elements I'm able recognize is oud, tobacco and some sweet woods. All the time this is my favorite fragrance if I want to remember good time in my life.

What a strangely mysteries scent. I dont believe this gives off any Arabian vibes, at least not what the Western world would consider Arabian. What this is, is very complex. Green, rosy, bitter and ever changing. Put your nose directly to the skin and it is bitter glabanum. Let the smell waft around you and it is multi faceted. You smell the soapy rose and the green oakmoss. It changes so much in the air around you but stays so one dimensional on the skin. Truly a work of art.

Wonderful soapy scent with a naturalness that keeps it from coming off synthetic. I wouldn't call it overly feminine but I can see how some might think of it more on the femme side as it is a very well rounded scent. No sharpness or harsh notes to speak of. That said, it is also strong so it's not for the faint of heart but it sure will make you weak in the knees. Sillage 8/10 Longevity 10/10 Smell 9/10

One of my favourites for mix with... First, Oud wood, few seconds and then, Arabian wood. You'll have a real wood and arabic amazing fragance to enjoy many hours, a gift to you and your company.

I really like this one. However, there's nothing ''Arabian" about it. Just a nice, woody unisex fragrance.

Arabian wood was very distinctive and sensual. Not sure why the TF house discontinued it.

Me encanta, una de las mias! Lo malo, el precio.

Color me surprised and confused. When someone who knows a good amount about perfume hears a perfume title of "Arabian Wood", these days one would reasonably expect oud, maybe sandalwood, maybe cedar, or maybe macassar, sprinkled with incense and/or spice type accords and maybe a touch of florals for good measure. The character should be deep, elegant, woody and/or resinous, or especially funky and animalic if oud is used. Tom Ford's Arabian Wood - or at least this Reserve Collection reissue of it - is a very light and very fresh powdery rose chypre. I'm a bit speechless. So, the very misleading name aside, what is this fragrance like? Very pleasant, actually. It smells and feels very classic, very old school, and very fresh and clean - your grandma's rose perfume redone in a modern chypre style. There are no sharp edges, it's not loud or brash, and the ingredients are of excellent quality; the execution of the fragrance is great. Now, supposedly there is a lot going on with this fragrance: top notes of bergamot, freesia, lavender, orange blossom, Bulgarian rose, may rose, and galbanum; heart notes of gardenia, geranium, iris, jasmine, lily of the valley, more rose, ylang-ylang, clove, honey and apricot; base notes of cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, moss, oakmoss, amber, tonka bean, vanilla, honeycomb, and raspberry.... Ok, that's just ridiculous. No, just no. A lot of that is completely undetectable. After three days of wearing the perfume, you can strike freesia, orange blossom, gardenia, geranium, iris, jasmine, muguet, clove, sandalwood, vetiver, oakmoss (they already listed moss, which would be a tree moss material anyway), amber, tonka, vanilla, and raspberry from the list; if those accords are there, they a so minimally present, or coated-over by facets of the more predominant accords, that they should be considered transparent. So that's issue number two clearly spelled out. And yet, despite a growing list of "annoyances" with this fragrance, I am still finding myself very drawn to it. It's just so calming and soft, subtly elegant, clean, and fresh. Shame that it's been twice discontinued.

Reading my review below...What an idiotic boob I was some 5 years ago. I've dug out an old sample of this and I'm wearing it today, maybe (definitely) my tastes have changed over that time. I still kinda see what I meant but I'm probably more nostalgic about Arabian wood because it's discontinued in a forbidden fruit kinda way? That is a bit of a stupid reason because I think it's due to the sheer quality of this fragrance. As for my criticism of exactly how Arabic is AW, Well what could be more middle eastern than roses, jasmine, precious woods and resin? That's what this is, a primarily floral perfume with a healthy dose of oakmoss and woods to keep it honest. I think it's clean & beautiful but at the same time has that velvety smooth and sexy, Turkish delight darkness of TF Noir de Noir. Sometimes you have to stand back to appreciate great art and that's what I've done here. It's strong and projecting like mad. Rose and floral perfumes, however nice initially, usually start to get on my nerves after a while and this hasn't. AW is decent and makes me feel a bit special wearing it too, because of the perfect mixture of care free flamboyance and masculinity. I think what I expected in my original review was more sandalwood or oud because of the name but this has a much more refined and subtle edge than many arabic perfumes.

What a huge development form the rosy/ herbal opening to a soapy/woodsy base. It's opening reminds me of Amouage Gold man -which I love so much- with more herbal/oakmoss feeling.Then in few minutes, it transforms to more woodsy + honey,and then to something quite soapy. Yes, it smells like a soap. The soap bar that old people use for washing themselves. It reminds me of those old men who shave their face every morning before they go for breakfast. Those who wear vest and have beautiful things to speak about with younger generations. Or their wife. Those how knows meaning of life. Is it nice? Yes. I like it very much. Maybe not as much as Amouage Gold man, but I am sure that most people enjoy it more than Gold man. High quality fragrance, which may be more cherished by people in the age 30 years and above. It's performance is also quite good.

I'm not going to criticize Tom Ford (or Fraud) for this this creation due to it's name. I'm no Arab but I don't think it's takes one to tell that the note breakdown at least is not evocative enough of Arabian purfume...one would think. Yes we all think of Oud and Incense but are they really such authentic Arabic ingredients? What's wrong or not authentic about Oakmoss, Rose, sandalwood? I really don't know? Like I said I'm no expert so I will give Tom Ford the benefit of the doubt on this one. Anybody else who's not an expert should too! The more pertinent problem I have with Arabian Wood is that I simply don't like it all that much. I get Cedar, oakmoss a hint of rose and just lots of masculine woods. This fragrance is nothing special at all and to me is very ordinary male oriented and a real let down for the private blend.