Reviews of Oud Ispahan by Christian Dior
This is the newer version, tried in Dior shop in 2025. Starts out nice, kinda rose kinda oud, but the dry down is just cinnamon roll. Longevity is very good. Pass. For a better version of a very similar fragrance with a better dry down I like Montana Graphite Oud Edition.
(Original formulation, c. 2014)
Cuir Cannage was Dior's attempt to take an overtly-leather perfume and make it highly feminine-marketable and complimentary to their leather goods line. They, unfortunately, succeeded; in the process of succeeding they alienated people like me who found the aggressive and strident powderiness far too difficult to live with (at least in the new formulation, which is the only one I have smelled). With Oud Ispahan the mandate was the same: take an oud-forward accord, which, like leather, tends to be an olfactive accord geared mostly for masculine-marketed perfumes, and make it sufficiently feminine for their target audience. They, fortunately, did not really succeed with Oud Ispahan. Or did they...?
Let's assume we're talking about a good quality natural or synthetic oud, and not one of the abominations so frequently common these days, for context to this next bit. In my sole opinion, oud is one of those accords that "is what it is". I've never thought of oud as being masculine or feminine leaning, unlike, say, florals, which are more easily placed on the feminine side of the spectrum (unfortunately). Oud is oud, it couldn't care less about gender, and no matter the presentation it's going to be its complex and funky self, it's not oud if it's anything but that, and it either works for the wearer or it doesn't. They key to taming oud in a perfume seems to be how loud you let it be. I'm not sure if Dior and Demachy feel the same way because, try though they did to make an oud-forward perfume softer, gentler, and more easily wearable for all genders especially women, they left the oud alone in the process. Again, when oud is left to its own devices it's going to be nothing less than its funky, complex and challenging, earthy, dirty, fungal, floral, animalic, woody, etc., self. I'm glad about this. The synthetic oud Demachy uses here, cypriol, is actually quite good. Combined with a very light patchouli and a big heaping dose of pink roses, they've attempted to make the oud softer and feminine-leaning by changing the company it keeps, not the oud itself.
This is one of the better rose ouds I've smelled for quite a while. It's easy to wear, easily accessible for all (I believe), without neutering the oud of the notes that make oud oud. But, just as I think Cuir Cannage is likely too challenging for men, I have a feeling Oud Ispahan will generally be too challenging for women since oud is not easy by nature and is considered masculine (unfortunately). As with Cuir Cannage, I think Oud Ispahan is too far off the unisex line. I hope I'm wrong though. I hope I am underestimating the open-mindedness of women to wear this; I think it will work far better for them than Cuir Cannage does for men. The dry down tries to rectify this by being a bit sweeter than expected, leaning heavily on the rose, sandalwood, and an animalic musk note whilst stripping the flesh from the cypriol and keeping its skeleton. It mostly succeeds in doing so, but one might ask if this turn-of-the-steering wheel is too little too late with the perfume having dried down to a skin scent. Again, I think it's all the better for it, but nonetheless feels like a miss from the original intent.
We'll have to see what Francis Kurkdjian does with this perfume now that he's at Dior. Oud Ispahan went through a reformulation a few years ago that turned it into a shrieking mess. So, if you're lucky enough to smell an original reformulation, keep this in mind. I will cross my fingers that Captain Kurk is able to rescue this one (assuming Dior let him and don't keep him on a terribly tight leash like they did their former in-house-mortician, Demachy). The original is a beautiful composition, even if it was by mistake.
Cuir Cannage was Dior's attempt to take an overtly-leather perfume and make it highly feminine-marketable and complimentary to their leather goods line. They, unfortunately, succeeded; in the process of succeeding they alienated people like me who found the aggressive and strident powderiness far too difficult to live with (at least in the new formulation, which is the only one I have smelled). With Oud Ispahan the mandate was the same: take an oud-forward accord, which, like leather, tends to be an olfactive accord geared mostly for masculine-marketed perfumes, and make it sufficiently feminine for their target audience. They, fortunately, did not really succeed with Oud Ispahan. Or did they...?
Let's assume we're talking about a good quality natural or synthetic oud, and not one of the abominations so frequently common these days, for context to this next bit. In my sole opinion, oud is one of those accords that "is what it is". I've never thought of oud as being masculine or feminine leaning, unlike, say, florals, which are more easily placed on the feminine side of the spectrum (unfortunately). Oud is oud, it couldn't care less about gender, and no matter the presentation it's going to be its complex and funky self, it's not oud if it's anything but that, and it either works for the wearer or it doesn't. They key to taming oud in a perfume seems to be how loud you let it be. I'm not sure if Dior and Demachy feel the same way because, try though they did to make an oud-forward perfume softer, gentler, and more easily wearable for all genders especially women, they left the oud alone in the process. Again, when oud is left to its own devices it's going to be nothing less than its funky, complex and challenging, earthy, dirty, fungal, floral, animalic, woody, etc., self. I'm glad about this. The synthetic oud Demachy uses here, cypriol, is actually quite good. Combined with a very light patchouli and a big heaping dose of pink roses, they've attempted to make the oud softer and feminine-leaning by changing the company it keeps, not the oud itself.
This is one of the better rose ouds I've smelled for quite a while. It's easy to wear, easily accessible for all (I believe), without neutering the oud of the notes that make oud oud. But, just as I think Cuir Cannage is likely too challenging for men, I have a feeling Oud Ispahan will generally be too challenging for women since oud is not easy by nature and is considered masculine (unfortunately). As with Cuir Cannage, I think Oud Ispahan is too far off the unisex line. I hope I'm wrong though. I hope I am underestimating the open-mindedness of women to wear this; I think it will work far better for them than Cuir Cannage does for men. The dry down tries to rectify this by being a bit sweeter than expected, leaning heavily on the rose, sandalwood, and an animalic musk note whilst stripping the flesh from the cypriol and keeping its skeleton. It mostly succeeds in doing so, but one might ask if this turn-of-the-steering wheel is too little too late with the perfume having dried down to a skin scent. Again, I think it's all the better for it, but nonetheless feels like a miss from the original intent.
We'll have to see what Francis Kurkdjian does with this perfume now that he's at Dior. Oud Ispahan went through a reformulation a few years ago that turned it into a shrieking mess. So, if you're lucky enough to smell an original reformulation, keep this in mind. I will cross my fingers that Captain Kurk is able to rescue this one (assuming Dior let him and don't keep him on a terribly tight leash like they did their former in-house-mortician, Demachy). The original is a beautiful composition, even if it was by mistake.
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This is a review of the original Oud Ispahan formulation, 2012-2014, which is quite different from the 2015 onward formulation. In my opinion, Dior has managed to put out the best commercial/synthetic Rose Oud perfume out there, and ever since this one came out, I still can't think of a more majestic, more opulent, flawlessly blended Rose Oud, Oriental perfume. Although synthetic, it doesn't give me a headache like most nowadays synthetic aroma chemicals do, the Oud accord doesn't smell off, but rather beautifully captures the smell of burning wood chips, and although it is a strong perfume, it doesn't give me a headache like most synthetic perfumes do. To me, the OG Ispahan smells very much like OG Leather Oud (2010-2013) with added Rose, a watery and transparent Rose accord, not a jammy and overly sweet one like in today's version. The Rose accord almost smells like Rose Wine and has a bit of a fermented quality that lends such a beautiful touch. The Rose pops right off the bat but it doesn't stay throughout the perfume's life, it slowly fades away and the perfume becomes quite animalic and dense, with notes of labdanum, civet, patchouli, and burning wood chips. I'd say the civet and the labdanum dominate the dry-down, coming off as a pissy-leather accord infused with wood smoke. This is amazing stuff, super sexy to wear, with a strong Oriental aroma, very potent and luxurious. Do yourself a favor and search for even a small amount of this, even a 10ml decant will last for a very long time. The 2015 onward version is more Rose dominant, the rose is more jammy and sweet, the base is less dense and animalic, and the oud accord smells more synthetic and nauseating. The post-2018 versions are not even worth bothering with. I'll cherish my 2012 bottle forever, as well as the rest of the original Privee releases that I own. Truly sad to see how this amazing line has gone to waste.
I finally managed to get my hands on Oud Ispahan from 2015.
It opens up with a tiny hints of rose and then the fun begins. Wait, did I say fun? I meant FUNK, oh yes. It's barnyard-ish, animalic and instantly reminds me of Dior's Leather Oud. Actually, I think, it's the same oud, the same agar resin (it's chemical substitute of course) in both of these fragrances. While the scent develops on my skin a tiny amount of spices come and go (mainly saffron), woods are there, but rather hidden in the background.
Longevity is 9-11 hours, sillage is over average.
The new version is slightly less funky and animalic, and focused on the rose and spices.
I prefer the older Oud Ispahan.
It opens up with a tiny hints of rose and then the fun begins. Wait, did I say fun? I meant FUNK, oh yes. It's barnyard-ish, animalic and instantly reminds me of Dior's Leather Oud. Actually, I think, it's the same oud, the same agar resin (it's chemical substitute of course) in both of these fragrances. While the scent develops on my skin a tiny amount of spices come and go (mainly saffron), woods are there, but rather hidden in the background.
Longevity is 9-11 hours, sillage is over average.
The new version is slightly less funky and animalic, and focused on the rose and spices.
I prefer the older Oud Ispahan.
It's called Oud Ispahan, and that's misleading.
It's cheap smelling with a lot of synthetics which don’t smell like rose.
It doesn’t smell like oud, or good, or original in any way.
It's a hissy pink cosmetic with an afterthought of oud.
In fact it puts me in mind of ‘Oud J‘Adore’, except Oud Ispahan seems to be aimed at a more prosperous clientelle; thise who frequent air conditioned shopping centres - rather than Attar walla boutiques that only deal in the good stuff.
In business, I was advised to 'under promise and over deliver'.
This clearly does the opposite.
It's cheap smelling with a lot of synthetics which don’t smell like rose.
It doesn’t smell like oud, or good, or original in any way.
It's a hissy pink cosmetic with an afterthought of oud.
In fact it puts me in mind of ‘Oud J‘Adore’, except Oud Ispahan seems to be aimed at a more prosperous clientelle; thise who frequent air conditioned shopping centres - rather than Attar walla boutiques that only deal in the good stuff.
In business, I was advised to 'under promise and over deliver'.
This clearly does the opposite.
I wore this yesterday for the first and most likely the last time. I live with someone who has worn it a few times, and she can pull it off ok, and likes it, but it was not good on me. I didn't like it. I wanted it to be gone. This morning when I woke up, it was almost entirely gone, and I felt relief.
Fake oud is a trip. Banana Republic has one they call 17 Oud Mosaic (as in 2017, as in that's the way perfume from 2017 supposedly smelled). I find it shocking and/or amusing, and most oud / fake oud fragrances strike me that way.
At times, I've felt like Oud Ispahan was the least bad of the genre, but after wearing it, it feels like a moot point - I don't think I like any of them.
Fake oud is a trip. Banana Republic has one they call 17 Oud Mosaic (as in 2017, as in that's the way perfume from 2017 supposedly smelled). I find it shocking and/or amusing, and most oud / fake oud fragrances strike me that way.
At times, I've felt like Oud Ispahan was the least bad of the genre, but after wearing it, it feels like a moot point - I don't think I like any of them.
Dirty oud rose
It is a rose oud combo, but they try to get a more realistic oud by dirtying it up a bit. The rose is nice, the oud is a dark brown leather variety. Various aromachemicals swill around. They attempted to balance the fragrance by overdosing those ACs as they rose and oud are both so potent. As a result the fragrance is a bit peaks and valleys. It actually smells different than the other million rose/oud combos, and smells better done to me. But it seems they made it a bit more approachable, for better and worse. Expensive. I'm going neutral here, but it could grow to a upvote someday.
It is a rose oud combo, but they try to get a more realistic oud by dirtying it up a bit. The rose is nice, the oud is a dark brown leather variety. Various aromachemicals swill around. They attempted to balance the fragrance by overdosing those ACs as they rose and oud are both so potent. As a result the fragrance is a bit peaks and valleys. It actually smells different than the other million rose/oud combos, and smells better done to me. But it seems they made it a bit more approachable, for better and worse. Expensive. I'm going neutral here, but it could grow to a upvote someday.
It seemed very promising at first, then 3 hours later I get a very pungent hamster cage smell (on my skin at least), what the heck?
The opening is beautiful though.
The opening is beautiful though.
Finally a rose and oud which is not only about the rose. The focus is on a beautifully balanced oud. Performances are average.
I tried this originally as a sample. The oud was pleasant, not overpowering and very wearable...initially. Then the iso E super bomb dropped and I smelled like a gerbil cage. For those who do not do well with this ingredient, you've been warned. Still can't wash it off.
Well easy to rate this.
I love Oud Scents, I have many Oud frags.... But this is a complete Masterpiece.
Beastly performance and I love the complexity of the Sweet and the Dark vibe, with the perfect mix of floral and Woodiness.
Complete Masterpiece from Dior.
So if you like the Oud Rose combo... Go sample this Perfectly complex Scent.
Starts up very Rosie then turns Dirtier and dirtier minute by minute....
Scent... 10
Performance... 10
Sillage... 10
Perfection here all the way. Must try.
I love Oud Scents, I have many Oud frags.... But this is a complete Masterpiece.
Beastly performance and I love the complexity of the Sweet and the Dark vibe, with the perfect mix of floral and Woodiness.
Complete Masterpiece from Dior.
So if you like the Oud Rose combo... Go sample this Perfectly complex Scent.
Starts up very Rosie then turns Dirtier and dirtier minute by minute....
Scent... 10
Performance... 10
Sillage... 10
Perfection here all the way. Must try.
Classy, rich oud with definite rose note support that reminds me greatly of Montale's Red Aoud.
Powerful sillage and longevity, which is both a greeting (to those loving rose-heavy oud scents) and a warning (to the opposite). Oud Ispahan is refreshing, inviting, telling a story to the wearer and smeller alike of a royal experience in distant lands. The labdanum and patchouli are credible reinforcers of the overall classiness that Oud Ispahan exudes, especially further down in the wear cycle.
Went ahead and got a decant; full bottle is a bit much for me, sizewise and pricewise.
Powerful sillage and longevity, which is both a greeting (to those loving rose-heavy oud scents) and a warning (to the opposite). Oud Ispahan is refreshing, inviting, telling a story to the wearer and smeller alike of a royal experience in distant lands. The labdanum and patchouli are credible reinforcers of the overall classiness that Oud Ispahan exudes, especially further down in the wear cycle.
Went ahead and got a decant; full bottle is a bit much for me, sizewise and pricewise.
A lot of rose with cheapish synthetic feel to it and it lasts forever, I had to wash it off my hand because of how bad it was. Easy NO buy fragrance.
Still many seem to love it...
Still many seem to love it...
A familiar, yet beloved combination for me. I always enjoy smelling and wearing Oud, rose, labdanum, sandalwood, and patchouli in any incarnation. This one in particular isn't screechy. I think it's well balanced. The base has a tad sweetness to it.
I won't purchase a FB but, I will enjoy the small decant I have.
I won't purchase a FB but, I will enjoy the small decant I have.
Stardate 20170815:
Synthetic oud with some roses. Well done.
Oud is barnyardy.
Nothing original here but the blending and balance is good. Perhaps a bit too pricey at retail prices.
Synthetic oud with some roses. Well done.
Oud is barnyardy.
Nothing original here but the blending and balance is good. Perhaps a bit too pricey at retail prices.
I just ran out of my sample of this and I wanted to wait until I had used through it before I gave my review.
It's safe to say I have smelled this mix before... Oud, Rose, & Patchouli. Seems to be a very common combination. But I can say that this particular blend is breathtaking. At first it comes across as your average runofthemill Oud but as it dries down you get a much more complex soft smooth blend of Oud, Labdanum and rose. Very rich, complex, soft and sensuous. Overall this is really a fantastic Oud fragrance for oud lovers!
Excellent Projection and Longevity as well!
It's safe to say I have smelled this mix before... Oud, Rose, & Patchouli. Seems to be a very common combination. But I can say that this particular blend is breathtaking. At first it comes across as your average runofthemill Oud but as it dries down you get a much more complex soft smooth blend of Oud, Labdanum and rose. Very rich, complex, soft and sensuous. Overall this is really a fantastic Oud fragrance for oud lovers!
Excellent Projection and Longevity as well!
This is an outstanding fragrance that will make you feel like a king. Don't buy it if you don't like rose because there's loads of rose in there ;)
Oud Ispahan is the first in-production Dior Privee I've tried on skin for the first time in a while, and much like its strong reputation, it does not disappoint.
As most can attest, this starts off with a sharp, acerbic blast of labdanum that fades into a rose/oud mix that is softened by the heart of sandalwood along the way.
It is in the family of rose/oud blends that are so commonplace, but the addition of labdanum is what gives Oud Ispahan its own character, a slightly feminine character, in the vein of the cosmetics smell that is a key aspect (for me) of Chanel Coromandel and Dior Homme Intense. It's also slightly powdery so I can see this leaning feminine for most people most of the time, but it's surely unisex enough for men to wear effectively and enjoy. As far as I'm concerned, it dresses up better than it dresses down--I would wear this at night exclusively.
It's a rose/oud scent that sophisticated in both of its key elements. The rose isn't a sweet or heavy rose but rather a relatively fresh, bright rose. And the oud is soft, terribly harsh. It's not a dry desert harsh scent, but rather something moist and welcoming.
Performance-wise, Oud Ispahan is superb. I'll echo that it's tremendous in terms of both projection and longevity. Its power can be polarizing for both men and women, I can imagine. Certainly this should be reserved for colder weather, and might not be ideal for scenarios where you do not want to stand out.
Any rose/oud fans should check this out. Among rose/ouds that I've tried or own, I'd still probably give the edge to Armani Prive Rose d'Arabie, which is simply a little more welcoming, a little better blended in my opinion. Still, Oud Ispahan is surely the favorite of many, and I'll have to try it some more.
8 out of 10
As most can attest, this starts off with a sharp, acerbic blast of labdanum that fades into a rose/oud mix that is softened by the heart of sandalwood along the way.
It is in the family of rose/oud blends that are so commonplace, but the addition of labdanum is what gives Oud Ispahan its own character, a slightly feminine character, in the vein of the cosmetics smell that is a key aspect (for me) of Chanel Coromandel and Dior Homme Intense. It's also slightly powdery so I can see this leaning feminine for most people most of the time, but it's surely unisex enough for men to wear effectively and enjoy. As far as I'm concerned, it dresses up better than it dresses down--I would wear this at night exclusively.
It's a rose/oud scent that sophisticated in both of its key elements. The rose isn't a sweet or heavy rose but rather a relatively fresh, bright rose. And the oud is soft, terribly harsh. It's not a dry desert harsh scent, but rather something moist and welcoming.
Performance-wise, Oud Ispahan is superb. I'll echo that it's tremendous in terms of both projection and longevity. Its power can be polarizing for both men and women, I can imagine. Certainly this should be reserved for colder weather, and might not be ideal for scenarios where you do not want to stand out.
Any rose/oud fans should check this out. Among rose/ouds that I've tried or own, I'd still probably give the edge to Armani Prive Rose d'Arabie, which is simply a little more welcoming, a little better blended in my opinion. Still, Oud Ispahan is surely the favorite of many, and I'll have to try it some more.
8 out of 10
Sillage and longevity are off the charts, but the scent, while enjoyable, is nothing special.
If you really enjoy this scent, skip the $300 orientalism in a bottle and find your local Arab/Middle Eastern book store, market, mosque, etc.--basically anywhere you might find cheap middle eastern oils being sold--and you can pick up this exact same scent with the exact same sillage/longevity for a about $10 a bottle.
An excellent example is Oudi Al Haramain, which can be had online for $8.
If you really enjoy this scent, skip the $300 orientalism in a bottle and find your local Arab/Middle Eastern book store, market, mosque, etc.--basically anywhere you might find cheap middle eastern oils being sold--and you can pick up this exact same scent with the exact same sillage/longevity for a about $10 a bottle.
An excellent example is Oudi Al Haramain, which can be had online for $8.
This one is named after the nuclear power plant in Iran. If you overspray it, you will be surrounded by an atomic cloud of a piercing and artificial oud smell, which burns your olfactory nerves and stays on your shirt forever (even after washing).
Apply it lightly (one spray, maximum two) and you will be rewarded with a lovely rose-oud composition.
I'm not sure if it's anywhere near price-worthy, but smells very nice anyway.
Apply it lightly (one spray, maximum two) and you will be rewarded with a lovely rose-oud composition.
I'm not sure if it's anywhere near price-worthy, but smells very nice anyway.
A classical oud with not much to offer in terms of creativity.
That said, it smells like good quality stuff and it has the Dior name. I see this a a great gift for an oud lover. Longevity and projection are great. Definitely a night scent to me.
That said, it smells like good quality stuff and it has the Dior name. I see this a a great gift for an oud lover. Longevity and projection are great. Definitely a night scent to me.
Synthetic oud with a decent rose note. As previously mentioned, it is quality but not unique. It can easily be liked though. Patchouli was a good balancer in this. Nice, but overpriced IMO.
Oud Ispahan is another glossy, sophisticated, particularly silky and clean Western oud-inspired scent, with not much left of the original, animalic dirtiness and rawness of Far East's precious (rotten) gem. Here, the oud note is basically only a tamed-down and polished sort of dark-smoked woody note, as scary as a piece of cedar in a Halloween dark costume. Not much else apart from the mandatory rose note so many oud scents seem to require these days I guess to make it softer, trendier and more unisex; and a note of patchouli, basically an earthy-dusty flavor of cocoa floating beneath woods and rose. Despite having not much to do with proper agar wood, Oud Ispahan is undoubtedly a refined, pleasant, luxurious scent exuding contemporary chic, with just a hint of trendy shallowness far superior to Montale stuff, for instance, and many other synthetic ouds we're used to. This smells a bit artificial too, but somehow classier. Oud lovers may want to stay away from this, while it may suit fans of French luxury which want to smell expensive with a touch of dark exoticism. The price is surreal for the quality but I feel that wouldn't be a concern of the average exclusive Dior's lines customer.
6,5-7/10
6,5-7/10
A somewhat poised rose-oud composition which treads gently on the genre. The rose patchouli accord is well executed here, very smooth with just a smidgen of animalic oud similar to the one I found in Leather Oud, lending it additional depth. Oud Ispahan projects very well and has above average longevity but there is a certain dryness about it that to my nose is reminiscent of the ubiquitous woody amber found in many masculine fragrances of late. While far from spectacular, still a solid offering from the house of Dior.