Perfect Oud

In a way, Perfect Oud (2016) could be seen as the progenitor of Gucci Guilty Absolute for men (2017), the clear runaway success story of 2017 also created by Alberto Morillas. Both perfumes revolve around a central accord of realistic petroleum-style leather given an animal touch by way of a dry, smoky extract of Nootka cypress wood. Perfect Oud has the same leathery feel as the Gucci scent, but instead of vetiver, it takes the scent down the oud route, which in turn gives the scent a more ambery, exotic feel.

The ambery atmosphere is further deepened by the waxy green smokiness of cade oil, which when joined with juniper, coriander, and cedarwood, forms a resinated wood accord that smells like balsams catching on a heat source. Perfect Oud smells incredibly virile and masculine, even when the florals come out to play. But actually, the florals - a subtle smattering of iris and rose - are there simply to lift and aerate the leathery oud and wood notes: without them, this might be a heavy affair indeed. The fragrance finishes in a thin plume of greenish woodsmoke, ash, and smoked-out rose petals that reproduces, through a clever mix of naturals and synthetics, the precise aroma produced by a shard of densely-resinated oud wood as it heats gently on a burner.