Oak
Bath & Body Works (2010)

Oak by Bath and Body Works (2010) is probably the best of the original "Signature" line made in the oval bottles for the former men's side of the store, back when they also had a deal with C&O Bigelow to house their wares (before buying them altogether). Oak is best described as a "modern" redub of the 1980's men's oriental amber phenomenon, or a cross between 80's ambery musks like Calvin Klein Obsession for Men (1986) and A*Men by Thierry Mugler (1994) with a more-noticeable patchouli and woods base, adding gourmand touches. Quite nice for the price, but not so much now that it has been discontinued for a number of years. You can get both Obsession for Men and A*Men for cheaper than one bottle of this now.

The opening is pretty forgettable, and this scent is so bottom-heavy it might as well not have one. The thin whisps of aldehydes, juniper, sage, and citrus give way rather fast to a thick lavender and clove paste of a heart, sweetened by orange blossom and padded out with nutmeg. There is a bit of A*Men's "coffee" note here, a bit sticky and somewhat also reminiscent of the musk base found in Bogart pour Homme by Jacques Bogart (2004), although the sandalwood, amber, and resins bring in that "big 80's" feeling that draws comparisons to the CK scent. Performance is actually okay for once, although being such a heavy composition, I am not surprised. Best use is in colder months particularly.

Oak is odd in that it doesn't at all smell like a scent that should be named "Oak"at all, and may be a precursor the the brand's habit of calling gourmand-ish amber fragrances "wood" fragrances instead, as they'd later do with Mahogany Woods by Bath and Body Works (2014). This is of course worlds better than that scent; but just like Mahogany Woods, Oak gets scalped to high heaven and was not part of the re-issue set from 2018 or so that saw stablemates Ocean by Bath and Body Works (2010) or Noir by Bath and Body Works (2010) placed in updated bottles for a second round at stores. Maybe Oak was just a bit too ahead of the curve? Not sure, but just buy Obsession if you want to smell like this, as it's better priced and more of a classic. Thumbs up

I am beginning to worry that some of my reviews have been deleted, as there have been several revisits this Summer to pages I would swear a blood oath on having reviewed. This one I recall writing up immediately after I bought Oak two or three years ago. In any event, the oddly named Oak is a smooth, creamy nutmeg and coffee Oriental which smells like an attempt to blend Rochas Man with vintage Obsession, and to that end it succeeds greatly. The top notes can almost be written off, as the citrus and aldehydes are too weak to really notice, being enveloped by the rather strong base. The sage is there, and the nutmeg, sandal, and musk together smell incredibly close to myrrh, which evokes the Obsession comparison. Oak is an amalgamous and straightforward scent which changes little during its surprisingly long span. It can become dull because of its linear nature, but if you like the idea of a bough of wood soaked in vanilla, coffee, and nutmeg then you ought to try this stuff. I think it's the most competent fragrance to come out of B&BW (that I have tried) and am glad to have my bottle.

Oak is like a cross between Hypnose Homme and Obsession for Men. It shares some obvious d.n.a. with Woodland, another B&BW fragrance that was an even closer replica of Obsession. In warm weather, the spicy aspect speaks more loudly, like the CK precursor.

cheap leather I knew I smelled an ium. geranium or something. not at all similar to obsession. very masculine and dark. great if you are into that sorta frag. lasts a good while also. I like it and will enjoy it sparingly,very sparingly..Pros: great leather scentCons: leather is not my cup of tea

Let me start off by saying that everyone is correct that oak smells like Calvin Klein's obsession but only in the dry down. I was never a fan of obsession because it never let up. It was too much for me. I always like the dry down of obsession so when I first tried oak and realized it's dry down was the same to obsession I picked up a bottle. I am so glad I have this in my collection. The top notes are so well blended like a blanket of woods and citrus. The middle notes change just a tad but not to drastic. Then the base oh the base you get that obsession feel and it's done right. I love oak because i feel they took all the stuff I don't like about obsession and made it modern. The longevity is excellent. I sprayed some on at 7:30 am and got a compliment on it at 4:00 pm so I know the projection is good. If you are a fan of obsession try it but hurry because I think bath and body wrks on the process of discontinuing it.

I got this on a recent trip to Oklahoma, where it was 75% off regular price. I thought at that price (just over $7) it is worth buying blind. I am not sure what oak is supposed to smell like, but here are my impressions of the fragrance: It does not strike me as particularly woody, or at least it is not as overtly woody as the name might suggest. The fragrance starts off with an interesting synthetic sweet/sour accord which is not altogether unpleasant, but does not make me imagine oak trees brimming with acorns. No particular notes stand out. Citrus, green notes and sweetness really predominate to my nose at the start. As it progresses, there is an overall sweet, spicy vibe to this rather short-lived fragrance, which is nice enough, but I can hardly imagine this knocking anybody's socks off. The bottle, which kinda makes it look like a Comme d' Garçon fragrance, is the best thing about this. Even so, I give it a thumbs up as it is cheap enough, not unpleasant and not unbalanced.