151 community ratings

Oud

Name: Oud
Brand: John Varvatos

2014MenClassic

7.9/ 10

Community score
151 ratings

See your match

John Varvatos Oud is a spicy, smoky men's fragrance that leans towards autumn and winter evenings.

Compare

Skunky's take: Shows up when the lights come on, born for the evening.

How does it perform?

From 151 community ratings, all out of 10.

Longevity

7.0 /10

Holds up through the day and fades gently toward evening.

Sillage

6.5 /10

Leaves a light trail and stays polite in a crowd.

Bottle

7.7 /10

Sits nicely on a shelf.

Value for money

7.7 /10

Most people feel it is worth the price.

Blind buy risk

Low risk

91% of votes are positive and opinions barely differ.

Notes

They open one after another, from the first spray into the evening.

Top notesfirst 15 minutes

Juniper berry Tobacco Clary sage

Hyssop

Levantine cypress

Heart notesfirst few hours

Zanzibar clove

Egyptian jasmine absolute

Malabar pepper

Sri Lankan cardamom

Turkish rose absolute

Persian saffron

Osmanthus absolute

Laotian cinnamon

Base noteswhat stays into the evening

Myrrh Opoponax Frankincense

Lebanon cedar

Oud

Spanish labdanum

Black leather Amber

Accords

From most dominant to most subtle.

Sweet
Spicy
Woody
Oriental
Resinous
Smoky
Leathery

What does Oud smell like?

Longevity is good and sillage moderate, so it stays fairly close to the skin. Most voters pick fall and winter, and evening and night out are the occasions it suits best. Most see it as masculine, with a classic side too.

It opens dry and slightly green with juniper berry, tobacco and clary sage. In the heart, clove, cinnamon, saffron and cardamom bring the spice, softened by rose and jasmine. The base of oud, myrrh, frankincense, black leather and amber settles into a sweet, resinous, woody warmth. The smoky, leathery edge stays present throughout.