The note of oud is one of the most complex fragrance notes, able to provide you with a rich, heavy, and dark scent. There are many fantastic oud fragrances out there, but what are the best oud fragrances for women?
What Is The Note Of Oud And How Does It Smell
The note of oud, also known as agarwood, is an incredible fragrance note with the most complex and mysterious scent. Not only does the note itself smell complex, but the harvesting methid is equally complex.
Oud comes from the aquillaria tree and is produced once the tree is harmed. When this tree has a cut or hole, a substance fills it back up. This substance is where the note of oud comes from.
Due to the way oud is harvested, it’s one of the most expensive fragrance notes. It’s safe to say that most commercial designer fragrances use a synthetic recreation of the note of oud. Nowadays, we can make recreations that come extremely close.
However, there’s no substitute for the actual, natural oud. With its rich, warm, and dark scent of woods, you have an unrivaled note. Added to the dark scent of woods, oud can also come across a bit dusty, dirty, or animalic. In this article, we’ll discuss the best oud fragrances for women, in no particular order!
1. Amouage Epic Woman
Scent: Amouage Epic Woman is a fantastic fragrance with a rich and spicy scent. This fragrance immediately opens with a bunch of warm spices, creating a rich and dry feel. Shortly after the opening, some woody notes start to appear alongside a warm and sweet hint of amber. The amber and woods go perfectly with the spices, creating a scent that’s full of depth. As this fragrance starts to dry down, you can notice the beautiful scent of oud, giving the fragrance a rich, dark, and slightly soft feel.
Notes: The top notes of Amouage Epic Woman are cinnamon, caraway, and pink nerium oleander. The middle notes are tea, jasmine, geranium, and rose. The base notes are patchouli, olibanum, orris root, guaiac wood, incense, sandalwood, vanilla, musk, amber, and oud.
Best for: Amouage Epic Woman is an incredible fragrance that’s best worn during the colder months. Here, the warm and rich scent will be subdued a bit, making it much more enjoyable. During the colder months, you can easily wear this one casually throughout the day or at night, but it will also work wonders in a more formal setting.
2. Gucci Intense Oud
Scent: Gucci Intense Oud is a gorgeous oud fragrance with a dark, rich, and slightly smoky scent. This fragrance opens with a beautiful scent of rich and warm amber, immediately accompanied by a dark touch of oud. After a little while, a soft hint of leather is added, giving the fragrance a rich backbone. As this fragrance starts to dry down, a soft sweetness can be detected, however, you’ll mainly smell a dark, rich, and mysterious scent of oud.
Notes: The notes of Gucci Intense Oud are amber, oud, leather, olibanum, incense, and woody notes.
Best for: Gucci Intense Oud is an amazing fragrance to wear during the colder months. This fragrance has a stunning scent, consisting of many rich notes that simply work best during the colder months. Here, you can wear this fragrance casually, or, better yet, formally. This one smells luxurious and mysterious, making it an attention grabber without being overpowering.
3. Christian Dior Oud Ispahan
Scent: Christian Dior Oud Ispahan is a truly stunning fragrance with a beautiful scent of rose and oud. This fragrance opens with a rich scent of woods, supported by a fresh and slightly sweet scent of rose. Shortly after the opening, a soft touch of spices, accompanied by a stronger scent of leather starts to appear, giving off a warm and rich feel. As this fragrance starts to dry down, the note of oud becomes more pronounced, blending in beautifully with the rose and giving off a dark and warm scent.
Notes: The top note of Christian Dior Oud Ispahan is labdanum. The middle notes are saffron, rose, and patchouli. The base notes are cedar, oud, and sandalwood.
Best for: Christian Dior Oud Ispahan is an amazing cold-weather fragrance, perfect for the fall and winter. During these months, this fragrance will provide you with a warm and cozy feel, making it perfect for casual daytime wear, as well as nighttime wear. However, there’s also something luxurious about this fragrance that makes it work great in a formal setting. It’s luxurious and inoffensive, making it perfect for pretty much any setting.
4. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud
Scent: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud is a fantastic fragrance with a smooth and refined scent of oud. This fragrance opens with a warm scent of saffron and oud, immediately setting the tone for this fragrance. The oud is rich, warm, and dark, but also smooth and refined, making it extremely pleasant. The saffron is warm and spicy and even a little sweet, making the fragrance a bit more interesting. As this fragrance starts to dry down, some woody notes start to appear, serving as a nice base for the oud to thrive on. Overall, this is an amazing fragrance with a lovely scent of oud.
Notes: The notes of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud are elemi, oud, saffron, cedar, and patchouli.
Best for: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud is an amazing fragrance that’s best worn during the fall and winter, but will also work nicely during the spring. Throughout these months, there really is no going wrong with this one. This is a very easy to wear oud fragrance that works great in both formal, as well as casual settings.
5. Versace Oud Oriental
Scent: Versace Oud Oriental is a fantastic entry-level oud fragrance. This fragrance opens with a powdery scent of fresh floral notes, supported by a touch of spicy saffron. Shortly after the opening, the floral become more pronounced, especially the note of rose, giving the fragrance a fresh and luxurious feel. As this fragrance starts to dry down, a dark, yet subtle scent of oud starts to appear. The oud isn’t really the star in this fragrance, but it does give it a darker feel.
Notes: The top notes of Versace Oud Oriental are freesia, saffron, and rose. The middle notes are heliotrope, violet, and patchouli. The base notes are vanilla, sandalwood, leather, and oud.
Best for: Versace Oud Oriental is a fantastic cold-weather fragrance, perfect for the fall and winter. During these months, you can easily wear this fragrance casually throughout the day, at night, or even formally. Because of the subtleness of the oud, this fragrance doesn’t come across too strong, making it perfect for most settings. If you’ve been interested in oud fragrances for a while, but want something that isn’t overly strong, this one would be great.
6. Montale White Aoud
Scent: Montale White Aoud is an amazing fragrance with a soft but strong scent of oud. When you first spray this fragrance, you’re greeted by a fresh and natural scent of rose. Along with the rose are some soft spices, mainly cardamom and saffron, giving off a warm edge. From here, a stunning scent of oud starts to arise, which is neither too strong nor too soft. This makes for a truly fantastic fragrance with a rich, warm, and slightly sweet scent of rose, oud, and spices.
Notes: The notes of Montale White Aoud are jasmine, amber, cardamom, vanilla, oud, vetiver, labdanum, sandalwood, saffron, rose, and patchouli.
Best for: Montale White Aoud is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the colder months. The warm scent of oud will be perfect for those low-temperature days, providing you with a welcoming feel. During the colder months, you can either wear this one casually or formally. Because of the rather inoffensive oud, it will work great in both settings.
7. Le Labo Oud 27
Scent: Le Labo Oud 27 is an oud fragrance that doesn’t hold back. This fragrance immediately opens with a strong and bold scent of oud, creating a dark, dirty, and animalic scent. Shortly after the opening, the note of civet is added, giving the fragrance an even dirtier feel. Dirty is not meant as a bad word, it just has that primal, animalic feel to it, which actually smells great in perfumery. As this fragrance starts to dry down, some soft hints of rose can be detected, however, this fragrance is all about raw oud, supported by animalic notes.
Notes: The notes of Le Labo Oud 27 are civet, aldehydes, ambergris, vetiver, oud, amber, cedar, rose, patchouli, and musk.
Best for: Le Labo Oud 27 is an extremely bold fragrance with an incredible scent. Due to the sheer boldness, you’re best off wearing this fragrance in the winter, where it’s best worn casually throughout the day or at night. However, when you’re confident enough, you can also wear this to any formal setting. Just know you will get noticed.
8. Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud
Scent: Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud is a lovely fragrance with a sweet scent of rose and oud. This fragrance immediately opens with a fresh scent of rose, supported by a sweet and creamy scent of praline. Shortly after the opening, a rich scent of oud makes itself known. The oud itself isn’t too strong or bold, but definitely noticeable and enjoyable. Every now and then, you’ll also be able to pick up a hint of cloves. These give off a warm and spicy scent that works extremely well with the oud, rose, and praline.
Notes: The notes of Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud are cloves, praline, oud, and rose.
Best for: Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the fall and winter. Here, the temperatures will be lower, which is perfect for a rich and warm fragrance such as this. During the colder months, you can wear this casually throughout the day, or, better yet, at night. There’s something alluring and seductive about this fragrance that makes it perfect for dates, nights out, or fancy dinners. Besides casual wear, this fragrance will also work great in a formal setting as well.
9. Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir
Scent: Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir is a great fragrance with a scent of primarily musk and leather. This fragrance opens with a soft and beautiful scent of suede, accompanied by a few fruity notes. A little while after the opening, an undertone of musk presents itself. Along with the musk is a smoky, strong scent of birch and oud, giving the fragrance a warm and strong backbone. Overall, this is a fantastic fragrance with a rich scent of leather, fruits, and soft oud.
Notes: The top notes of Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir are ambrette, bergamot, and pink pepper. The middle notes are jasmine, birch, and suede. The base notes are vanilla, birch, and oud.
Best for: Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir is a lovely fragrance that’s best worn during the colder months. Here, the rich scent of leather and oud works perfectly with the lower temperatures and will be great in pretty much every situation. It’s classy and luxurious enough for formal wear and interesting enough for casual day or nighttime wear.
10. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood
Scent: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood is an extremely nice fragrance with a rich and sweet scent. This fragrance immediately opens with a sweet scent of vanilla, supported by the notes of rose and violet. This creates a magnificent scent that almost smells fruity. Shortly thereafter, a soft and smooth touch of oud is added, giving the fragrance a rich undertone and some depth. As this fragrance starts to dry down, a sweet scent of benzoin makes itself known, blending in beautifully with the vanilla and rose. Overall, you’re left with a luxurious, classy, and elegant fragrance with an incredible scent.
Notes: The top notes of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood are violet, rose, benzoin, rose, vanilla, and oud.
Best for: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood is a true masterpiece that’s best worn during the colder months. Here, the rich scent of oud and vanilla can shine the brightest and will work in pretty much every setting. It’s perfect for casual daytime wear, even better for dates, nights out, or dinners, but will also work perfectly fine in a formal setting. This versatility can only be expected of an inoffensive and elegant fragrance such as this.
11. Tom Ford Oud Wood
Scent: Tom Ford Oud Wood is a beautiful fragrance with a soft scent of oud and spices. This fragrance opens with a warm scent of sandalwood and pepper. Along with these is the note of cardamom, giving off a fresh and spicy scent. Shortly thereafter, a rich and smooth scent of oud starts to appear, giving the fragrance a luxurious and very safe undertone. As this fragrance starts to dry down, it doesn’t really change too much anymore, leaving you with a safe, pleasant, and classy scent of warm woods.
Notes: The notes of Tom Ford Oud Wood are sandalwood, amber, Sichuan pepper, vanilla, cardamom, tonka bean, rosewood, vetiver, and oud.
Best for: Tom Ford Oud Wood is an amazing fragrance that you can actually wear all year long. This fragrance has such an incredibly safe and easy to wear scent, which is quite rare for an oud fragrance, that just works everywhere. You can wear it dressed up, dressed down, formal, casual, during the day, or at night and it will work perfectly everywhere.
12. M. Micallef Rose Aoud
Scent: M. Micallef Royal Rose Aoud is a classy fragrance with a fantastic scent of rose and oud. This fragrance opens with a slightly sweet scent of blackcurrant and saffron, creating an almost medicinal scent. Shortly after the opening, a hint of rose can be detected, giving off a classy and fresh scent. All the while, there’s a subtle hint of oud present, giving the fragrance some body and weight. As this fragrance starts to dry down, it doesn’t really change too much anymore, leaving you with an elegant and sweet scent of rose and oud.
Notes: The top notes of M. Micallef Royal Rose Aoud are saffron and blackcurrant. The middle notes are oud and rose and the base notes are white musk, sandalwood, and patchouli.
Best for: M. Micallef Royal Rose Aoud is an amazing fragrance that you can actually wear all year long. This fragrance is both sweet and fresh and isn’t overly strong to the point where it wouldn’t work in the warmer months. Throughout the year, you can easily wear this casually every day, but it will also work well at night. In addition, this is also a great fragrance to wear to the office or any other formal setting. Thanks to the classy and smooth scent, this is a fragrance with great versatility.
13. Diptyque Oud Paleo
Scent: Diptyque Oud Paleo is a beautiful fragrance with a warm scent of woods. This fragrance immediately opens with a beautiful scent of warm woods, supported by a boozy undertone of rum. Shortly after the opening, a soft touch of tobacco can be noticed, giving off a sweet and rich scent. Every now and then, you can also pick up a hint of rose, giving the fragrance a fresh and classy feel.
Notes: The notes of Diptyque Oud Paleo are tobacco, oud, rum, sandalwood, vanilla, camphor, labdanum, patchouli, and rose.
Best for: Diptyque Oud Paleo is a fantastic fragrance to just wear casually throughout the colder months. This fragrance has an incredible scent of warm woods, creating a comforting and cozy feel. This is perfect for casual daytime wear but even better for nighttime wear. Wearing this one to a date, night out, or just at home will be perfect.
14. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood
Scent: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood is a gorgeous fragrance with a smooth scent of oud. This fragrance opens with a slightly fresh scent of bergamot and rose, creating a fresh and classy opening. Shortly thereafter, a smooth scent of oud is added, giving off a dark and almost leathery feel. The oud mixes in perfectly with the rose, creating that classic rose and oud combo that everyone loves. As this fragrance dries down, some warm woods are added, but you’ll mainly smell a gorgeous scent of rose and oud.
Notes: The top notes of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood are rose, bergamot, and chamomile. The middle notes are guaiac wood and hedione. The base notes are oud and papyrus.
Best for: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood is a gorgeous fragrance with a rich scent of rose and oud, making it perfect for the fall and winter. During these months, this fragrance would be perfect for any formal setting. The dark oud, mixed with the classy rose, and then that leathery undertone makes for a truly magnificent fragrance with an elegant and luxurious feel. This, of course, will also work wonders in a casual setting, just make sure you’re dressed up a bit.
15. Tom Ford Tobacco Oud
Scent: Tom Ford Tobacco Oud is a rather interesting fragrance, as it’s quite bold and even a little masculine. Immediately from the opening, you’re greeted by a strong scent of whiskey and tobacco, making for an unapologetic opening. Shortly thereafter, the note of oud is added, giving the fragrance a dark undertone and making it a little woody. As this fragrance dries down, a soft hint of smoky can be detected, as well as a nice and sweet dry down of vanilla.
Notes: The top note of Tom Ford Tobacco Oud is whiskey. The middle notes are coriander, cinnamon, and spices. The base notes are benzoin, patchouli, vanilla, sandalwood, cedar, tobacco, incense, and oud.
Best for: Tom Ford Tobacco Oud is an incredible fragrance with a very strong and daring scent. Such a scent is perfect for the colder months, where this is best worn by a confident woman. This fragrance really does require a strong woman to wear it, as it’s bold and daring, but also beautiful. During the colder months, there really is no going wrong with this fragrance, provided you look sharp.
16. Al-Rehab Sultana
Scent: Al-Rehab Sultana is a beautiful fragrance with a warm and spicy scent. From the first spray, you’re introduced to a soft scent of rose and many different spices, creating a warm and smooth opening. Shortly after the opening, some woody notes start to appear, blending in beautifully with the spices and rose from the opening. All the while, there’s a rather inoffensive undertone of oud present, giving the fragrance a lot of weight and depth. In the base, you’ll mainly smell a warm scent of amber, making for a fantastic finish.
Notes: The notes of Al-Rehab Sultana are amber, oud, spices, sandalwood, incense, jasmine, musk, Taif rose, citruses, and patchouli.
Best for: Al-Rehab Sultana is a stunning fragrance with a scent that’s best worn during the colder months. Here, you’re best off wearing this one at night. The warm scent of amber, oud, woods, and spices is simply too perfect to not be worn at night. It’s amazing for nights out, dates, dinners, or any nighttime activity. Of course, it also works great throughout the day, but there’s something that just makes it perfect for the night.
17. Comme Des Garcons Daphne
Scent: Comme Des Garcons Daphne is a great fragrance with a warm scent of white florals. This fragrance opens with a strong blast of white florals, mainly tuberose. This creates a fresh and almost green opening that smells very nice. Shortly after the opening, though, the fragrance turns a little sweeter and darker. Hints of oud, vanilla, and even smoky incense start to appear, giving the fragrance some depth and warmth. In the end, you’re left with a warm scent of oud and white florals.
Notes: The top notes of Comme Des Garcons Daphne are jasmine, amber, rose, oud, saffron, patchouli, vanilla, iris, incense, bitter orange, and tuberose.
Best for: Comme Des Garcons Daphne is a great fragrance that you can wear all year long, but leans more towards the colder and cooler months. During these months, you can wear it either casually or formally. Due to the balance between warm oud and fresh florals, you get a fragrance that works well in any setting, as its inoffensive and classy.
18. Montale Aoud Rose Petals
Scent: Montale Aoud Rose Petals is a gorgeous fragrance where the note of rose is stronger than the note of oud. Immediately from the first spray, you’re introduced to a strong and beautiful scent of rose. Along with the rose is a very subtle background scent of oud, giving off a warm and slightly woody scent. After the opening, some warm spices are added, giving off a warm scent that adds some depth to the roses. Overall, this is a stunning rose fragrance with a beautiful undertone of oud.
Notes: The notes of Montale Aoud Rose Petals are saffron, rose, guaiac wood, cedar, amber, teak wood, geranium, and oud.
Best for: Montale Aoud Rose Petals is a fragrance that’s lovely for the spring, fall, and winter. Even though this fragrance is primarily rose-based, it does have a warm scent of oud and spices that makes it a little too strong for the summer. During the other months, though, you can wear this one pretty much whenever you want. The rose gives off a classy feel that just works well in any setting, whether it’s casual or formal.