Oud is an unpleasant smell

[Marylou2]

I used to enjoy shopping for perfume and makeup but have noticed recently that the overpowering smell of oud from so many perfumes is destroying my experience particularly in beauty halls of department stores, Selfridges etc. It's just not a smell I enjoy, though obviously many others must do. Reminds me of the 90s when the stench of Giorgio Beverly Hills was everywhere. Am I alone in noticing this?

I really like it but I only use it in the winter, I have a cheap M&S one which doesn't last too long and I have learned to spray it behind my ears or on my wrists but not both. A little goes a long way.

What point were you trying to make before you edited your post?

When my son walked into the house after I’d burned an oud cone, he said ‘it smells like Mass’! (He used to go to the Catholic Church as a child) It smells very much like the incense they burn.

Perfume has always been international. That is part of its sophistication.

I thought I'd treat myself to an oud candle on a visit to London - £125. I didn't bother.

I was going to say it all sounded a bit stealth racist.Like “smelly food” never meaning chips or bacon. But I decided not to.

Some people might say they don't like the smell of haggis or Cullen skink but I wouldn't take that as a racist insult to Scotland 🙄.

There are smells we like and some we don't.

God I love it, especially combined with rose. By contrast, sweet scents like vanilla made me feel sick and light florals really bore me. It’s just a matter of taste.

@Haffiana i have Oud Satin Mood and Jo Malone Velvet Rose and Oud. Are either of these genuine??

Horrible.

Allure magazine says:

"Oud essential oil is extracted from aquaria trees. The catch: Healthy aquilaria trees do not produce oud. When the inside of the tree becomes infected with a particular fungus (usually due to an injury to the tree caused by weather or insects boring into it), “a reaction creates a fragrant resin that slowly embeds into the heart of the wood, creating agarwood, known as oud,” explains Geza Schoen, founder of and perfumer for fragrance brand Escentric Molecules. Agarwood is the tree’s immune response to the infection, like how our skin forms a scab when we get cut. The difference here is that it’s a life-and-death struggle between the tree and the infection, which can go on for years, even decades." Infected, fungus, scab. Eugh.

https://www.allure.com/story/what-is-oud-fragrance

And patchouli smells like that dirty clothes aroma in charity shops that don't wash them first.

Tree pus 😅😖

There are different types of oud, some worse than others.Personally, I dislike all of it! It’s too brash for my tastes, even in small doses.

Oud has become big in mainstream commercial perfume for a few years now, which also puts me off. Strong, choking…and bloody everywhere! Oud, Ambroxan, saffron…enough! Who needs anymore people wearing Baccarwt bloody Rouge or another Tom Ford Oud?!

It really depends on the oud. I agree the traditional (you know when it hits your nostrils) smell is a lot and they do tend to have oud stands in most shopping malls. However, I have friends that buy oud and they’re different, sweeter, ‘fresh’ combinations too which are lovely. It really depends on the type.

It gets on my chest and makes me cough. I hate it.

I don’t mind some but the heavy strong ones can be horrendous. They’re intentionally powerful for a reason…

I love Oud - but used sparingly as it’s both strong and expensive.

I find a lot of supposedly high end perfumes smell overly synthetic or like cleaning products though (Diptique I’m looking at you).

Well, I couldn't find my sample of Oud Satin Mood but as I recall it doesn't actually smell of Oud anyway. Oud does not smell 'woody'. If there is any real oud in it it will be a micro drop to make the label claim and then bolstered with added synthetics.

The Jo Malone, no, no chance.

Montale make some decent synthetic oud scents, which can at least guide what they should smell like.

I hate it

Oud is the nectar of the Gods! I collect oud and its mostly prohibitively expensive for gen public. I find it very meditative. Everyone has their own take on things - for example jasmine (indolic) some people can't stand the smell because they say it smells fecal, but jasmine done right elevates my soul! If you want to experience real oud then Oxford Oud is IMHO the best place to get in the UK. They have a Papua New Guinea oud that smells like an expensive tack room next to a stables. All leather, polish and horse sweat. However other people often say that I smell like incense or Christmas when I wear it. My most challenging oud is Kinan Oud (Chinese) and to me it smells a bit fishy with hints of green tea.

Can’t bear it

I am Arab and some Arabs don't like oud so I don't think it's racist to dislike it.
I don't like sweet fruity or vanilla scents in perfume or vapes, they give me a headache.

Awful and agree with PP that it’s so often over-sprayed.

I never liked Jasmine scent it does smell fecal to me and I don't like oud either. My mum loved both so whatever was in her genes there we didn't share.
Fishy oud sounds horrid, why are you torturing yourself to like it? 😅

Ooh I love oud. There's a shop on Oxford Street I could stand outside all day quite honestly.

God i hate the smell of green tea, too. It must be something in our genes why we experience certain scents so differently.