Attar Al Oudh
Alkemia Apothecary and Perfumery

Attar al Oudh is a very simple blend of the Alkemia oud note with musk and amber. The oud note that Alkemia uses in all its oudy blends is dusty, woody, and ever so slightly urinous. Summoning the scent of warm hay in a stable, it smells earthy and natural, but not objectionably animalic. A fudgy musk and amber duo in the base smoothes things over even further, making for a pleasurably laid-back experience. It smells less and less like oud as time wears on, and more like the milky-sawdusty suede found in both Tom Ford’s Oud Wood and Tuscan Leather.

Nothing too wild or exciting, in other words. However, it is precisely this bland smoothness that makes Attar al Oudh such a good entry-level perfume oil for those a little wary of oud in general. Sadly, its lasting power leaves something to be desired. It starts out rich and creamy but whittles down to a mere shadow of itself within the space of a few hours. Mind you, people say the same about Oud Wood and that costs about ten times more than Attar al Oudh.