Perfume Releases: Ouds, Flankers & More

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After seeing an extremely beautiful bottle in a Fragrantica posting for the new Lancome Oud scent, I thought it might be fun to post about some of the new perfume releases. At the very least, you’ll see some gorgeous bottles. All posts are taken via Fragrantica. (If I could figure out how to properly re-blog a non-WordPress article, I would but, alas, my technical knowledge does not go that far. I have tried to give credit via full quotes and source citation.)

Lancome jumps on the increasingly mainstream, extremely popular oud bandwagon with Lancome L’Autre Oud:

Lancome launched L’Autre Oud in October 2012 as a part of the luxurious and exclusive collection. The scent is inspired by traveling the Orient. Opulent, rare and mysterious, this new fragrance provides the Lancome vision of popular oud. L’Autre Oud is an allegory of the mythical tree located between shadow and light, strength and tenderness, freshness and sensuality.

The formula is simple: seventeen ingredients were carefully selected to convey the point and the theme as best as they can. It starts off with spicy notes of saffron, cypriol from India, labdanum absolute and aromatic clary sage. The heart consists of Turkish rose and Bulgarian rose absolute. The rich, powerful and woody base is made of guaiac wood, green and wet patchouli, vetiver, amyris wood, moss, gurjun balm and myrrh absolute. The perfumer is Christophe Raynaud. The fragrance is available in bottles of 75 ml at the price of 120 Euros.

Chopard, that famous old jewelry house, doesn’t want to be left behind either. It has teamed up with the legendary Dominque Ropion, the “nose” behind such scents as Malle’s Carnal Flower and Portrait of a Lady, Dior’s Pure Poison, Armani’s Acqua di Gioia, Givenchy’s Amarige and Ysatis, Lady Million, Krazy Krizia and many more. Together, they have created an oud perfume for men:

Chopard is launching a new fragrance for men which will first be launched in the Middle East. It is inspired by the Orient and contains dark and seductive spices, leather and dark wood. The composition signed by perfumer  Dominique Ropion, highlights oud, completing the oriental character of the edition.

The composition of the new fragrance CHOPARD OUD MALAKI offers luminous accords of grapefruit in the very top of the composition, along with an aromatic blend of artemisia and lavender. The heart accentuates masculinity with leather accords combined with tobacco and spices, while the base notes highlight oriental notes with a combination of oud, ambergris and mysterious, dark, woody notes.

CHOPARD OUD MALAKI
grapefruit, artemisia, lavanderleather, tobacco, spicesoud, ambergris, dark wood

Fragrance Chopard Oud Malaki can be obtained as 50 and 80 ml Eau de Parfum, available since 2012.

 

I know I keep writing about the popularity of oud, along with other bloggers like Scent Bound, but it’s really popular! So, here’s a third oud fragrance release: Reminiscence Oud by the french house, Reminiscence. Fragrantica states as follows:

After wonderful vanilla (Reminiscence Vanille) launched in 2012, the French house of Reminiscence is launching Reminiscence Oud which joins the collection “Les Classiques.” Its oriental character is accentuated with spices and surrounded with the main ingredient of the composition—oud.

Reminiscence Oud is beautifully composed. Harmonious and perfect for both sexes, Reminiscence Oud offers hot and comfortable aromas supporting the oriental rhythm. The fragrance balances between pink pepper, saffron and cardamom, providing dynamics to warm and pleasant notes of amber and chocolate patchouli. The new composition is enriched with the charm of rose enhanced by intense oud and castoreum.

Reminiscence Oud
pink pepper, cardamon, saffron, rose, patchouli, amber, castoreum, oud

Fragrance REMINISCENCE OUD arrives in a dark brown color and has the same form as its antecedent with one difference. The body of the new bottle bends in the opposite direction from the bottles of the entire collection. The cap is gold in color as well as the stars on the front side of the bottle. The perfume aims at men and women and is available as 100 ml Eau de Parfum.

Two other trends are also popular, though they’re more of a marketing ploy, in my opinion. They are: releasing flanker versions of existing perfumes, or selling special limited-edition versions of existing perfumes in more luxe (and therefore, more expensive) bottles. It’s an increasingly popular way for perfume companies to make money without expending the capital, effort or resources required to produce a new perfume completely from scratch. Which probably explains YSL‘s decision with regard to M7 Oud Absolu and In Love Again. Fragrantica provides the relevant information, along with photos of the embellished bottles:

On the eve of the holidays Yves Saint Laurent is launching limited editions In Love Again Crystal Edition and M7 Oud Absolu Crystal Edition. The fragrances are available in the same form as last year’s collection of classics which includes eight fragrances by Yves Saint Laurent, with stoppers covered with gold and black crystals.

In Love Again is one of the classics of the Yves Saint Laurent collection, composed of floral-fruity notes. Its composition encompasses accentuated accords of mandarin, currant, grapes, rose, peony, musk and blackberry. The new edition In Love Again Crystal Edition can be obtained in a bottle with golden crystals 80 ml eau de toilette priced at 200 pounds.

IN LOVE AGAIN
mandarin, currant
grapes, rose, peony
blakcberry [sic], musk

 

M7 Oud Absolu is a sophisticated and luxurious fragrance based on notes of the popular M7 edition combined with precious oud accords. The composition highlights intense oud surrounded by patchouli, labdanum and myrrh refreshed with luminous mandarin zest. New edition M7 Oud Absolu Crystal Edition is available in a flacon with black crystals 80 ml eau de toilette priced at 185 pounds.

M7 OUD ABSOLU
mandarin
patchouli
oud, myrrh, labdanum

 

There are also numerous, new, flanker versions for other best-selling scents such as: Armani Code, Coach Signature, Dolce & Gabbana The One, Dior’s Hypnotic Poison, Narcisco Rodriguez‘s best-selling For Her (just released in L’Eau for Her version), Issey Miyake‘s L’Eau d’Issey, Valentino‘s Valentina Acqua, Cartier‘s L’Heure Verteuse, and YSL Parisienne. If you’re interested, you can find more information on these (and the numerous other) releases at Fragrantica.

8 thoughts on “Perfume Releases: Ouds, Flankers & More”

  1. It seems like the oud fever keeps running high. I’m curious about M7 and Chopard. Lancome’s release would probably be the easiest to get a hold of but probably the least exciting. Thank you for putting this list together.

    Have you tried Liquidnight by A Lab on Fire? I get a very medicinal oud note even though it is not listed in the ingredients. If I am right about smelling oud in it, it might be one of the most interesting interpretations – oud mixed with chemically smelling synthetics. Here’s a link to my review if you are interested to read more about it:

    http://scentbound.com/2012/12/22/liquidnight-by-a-lab-on-fire-review/

    • I think the fever is just getting started! I read your review/post but haven’t had time to post on it. (The holidays and family stuff are exhausting me. I hope I make it to 2013. LOL!) As for Liquidnight, I fear it is most definitely not for me. You know, I was thinking, I think men are potentially more open to exploring the potentially risky elements of oud. Women have so many diff. sorts of options when it comes to perfume categories. And, while men have a lot too, it’s not AS much. Oud is a category almost tailor-made for a man, regardless of the occasionally softer unisex versions put out there. But, a full-on, hardcore, super avant-garde oud fragrance? So much more for a man, I think. Or perhaps THIS woman is just an utter wimp when it comes to oud! *grin*

    • I think the bottle is exquisite! I’d love to give this a sniff, but I can’t imagine an oud fragrance being sold in my local Macy’s or Dillard’s, even if it *is* Lancome. Perhaps Saks and Neiman’s though. As for oud in general, I’m not sure we’re sympatico….. 😀

  3. Haha, I totally get the family overload over the holidays. I am in the same situation. I think men are limited when it comes to perfume because they have set such narrow boundaries to what is acceptable as manly. I’m thinking of the ultra-conservative straight laced fellas who wouldn’t allow themselves to indulge in anything more than Irish Spring, Lever 2000 or Old Spice. To those guys there are two acceptable cologne categories: citrus and fougere (mind you they don’t know it’s called fougere). Those are the same guys who think drinking wine out of a wine glass is being fancy and that those men who do it are fruity.

    I see your point though. Traditionally, there has been a lot more fragrances for women. Liquidnight is definitely more on the masculine side and oud scents tend to be more on the masculine side. I think it might have to do with the woody-earthy notes.

    • Isn’t it stunning?!! It caught my eye in such a way that I almost got whiplash. *grin* I just can’t figure out if it’s likely to be something sold in places like Macy’s or if it will be more Neiman Marcus, Barney’s etc. I am curious as to how marketable and commercial Lancome thinks an oud scent will be. I’m even more curious to see just how commercial, safe, and tame will be their handling of the oud. As a statement on or symbol of the marketability of oud for the mainstream masses, this one will be a perfume to keep an eye on.

  5. Pingback: Perfume Releases: Endless Flankers, More Ouds & Some New Fragrances | Kafkaesque

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