Creed Royal Oud The House of CREED’S 21st Century Hero

I can certainly understand if you are feeling oud overload. There seems to be an almost daily parade of oud fragrances coming from every perfume house big and small. By this point you wonder if you are going to smell something different when you see oud on the label. Most of these recent ouds have spent their time trying to “out-oud” each other. One after the other has turned up the volume on the oud as they tried to emulate the original oud attars from the Arabian Peninsula. As a result there they have felt like they are starting to coalesce into one large similar smelling group.

 

T.E Lawrence, British Army Officer

When it comes to CREED there is an identifiable style to the House's fragrances. If one was pressed to describe it in one word that word might be “European”. Olivier Creed chooses, wisely, to take Royal Oud to the Middle East via the Continent. The one amazing thing about Royal Oud is M Creed has somehow made oud a soft and warm note. How many times have you seen oud described as medicinal, edgy, or intense? That oud does not live in the flacon with Royal Oud on the label. If you have stayed away from oud because of those adjectives I used before I think Royal Oud will change your mind. M Creed has created a classic oud fragrance which is never anything but debonair and I didn’t imagine ever describing an oud fragrance as debonair and daring in the manner of T. E. Lawrence (aka the iconic figure Lawrence of Arabia) who was a liaison to two worlds, but an English intelligence Officer to the core.

 

When I was told Creed was releasing their own oud fragrance, Royal Oud, I was thinking that Creed might be the kind of perfume house which might take oud and do something different with it. Thanks to our friends at Creed I have obtained samples of the new Royal Oud and am extremely pleased to say that not only does Creed manage to rise above the other ouds out there; Royal Oud also manages to rise above many of the other Creed fragrances as I believe Royal Oud is the best Creed fragrance of the 21st Century.

Hero-Lawrence of Arabia

Royal Oud opens on a spicy fanfare of wood. It feels like cypress on top combined with a spicy twist of cardamom, cinnamon and a hint of clove. At first, underneath the woody spices, the oud comes into play. In nearly every other oud I’ve tried this year the oud eventually takes over the fragrance. What M Creed does here is to keep oud deeply buried with the spices surrounding it. This allows for all of the things that make oud a problematic note to be kept in the background. Royal Oud ends on a bed of vetiver and sandalwood and it reminds me a lot of the finish of Bois du Portugal. In truth Royal Oud, feels like a modern re-imagining of Bois du Portugal with oud added in, it is that good.

Creed Royal Oud has average longevity and average sillage.

I am always hesitant to christen something as an instant masterpiece but from the moment I sniffed Royal Oud it just feels as classic a fragrance as Taborome, (the scent of Winston Churchill who attended the burial of T.E. Lawrence) Bois du Portugal or Green Irish Tweed. I think Royal Oud is going to rightfully take its place next to those three. It is, as I said before, the best Creed fragrance of this century, and perhaps the last one as well.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by the Creed corporate office.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

(Michelyn Camen Editor In Chief and Art Director)

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15 comments

  • chayaruchama says:

    Well, Herr Mark-
    You've certainly got my attention !
    I look forward to sampling this beauty.

  • Loz says:

    High praise, indeed!! Looking forward to sampling this soon, at the pre release in Harrods.

  • Mary Beth says:

    Well, since he's refused to even consider Krigler's Oudh for a King since it was designed for one of his favorite royals (May he be of blessed memory.), might this be a good choice for the adventurer globe-trotting fire-putter-outer brother?  It rather sounds like it calls for a history and the 'trinkets' to prove it.

  • Michelyn Camen says:

    there is not a drop around. Mark had the ability to get a tiny sample from M. Creed from Paris. leave those comments .. samples are on the way when the fragrance is available. We think it’s early fall!

  • Wim Janssens says:

    I work in a store where I have access to the complete Millésime collection from Creed.
    I can't wait to get hold of this one and see the reaction of the customers!
    Lovely article!

  • Melissa says:

    Thanks for such a great review. I don't mind the number of oud releases, rather I find it interesting to see what the different houses do with the note. I say interesting, because I've only found a couple that impress me enough to want to own them. Animalic, barnyard-y leathery ouds that aren't too sharp tend to be my favorites, along with ouds wrapped with roses and spices. So I'm definitely looking forward to a smooth oud with all of these wonderful wood and spice notes.

  • harper says:

    well, honestly, if i want *oudh* i prefer the actual arabian oudh oils, pure or in mukhallats. excellent sources that also mix their own mukhallats are agarscentsbazaar.com and agaraura.com . also zahra.com (she does not mix her own but carries *everything* oudh available to the west, seems like.)
    that said, this creed sounds nice on its own merits (i don't *really* like creeds, except the sadly discontinued vintage tabarome, fleurs de bulgarie and ambre cannelle. usually, that creedian metallic note ruins it for me. but this one actually sounds good.)
    i
     
     

  • harper says:

    p.s. pressed send to quickly… i wanted to say that i will try this in my quest for finding a replacement for the vintage tabarome, one of my father's favorites that is not to be had anymore.

  • kastehelmi says:

    If Royal Oud is to oud as Virgin Island Water it to coconut it's probably fantastic! Virgin Island Water, for the record, is coconut water, pure, fresh, clean but not salty and macho-aquatic.Same with Fleurs de Bulgarie–the thickness of Bulgarian rose is cut and made watery while retaining the refinement, making it so much more wearable.
     There are plenty of rich attars out there, and there are the Montales–I would love to try a "see-through" or rather "smell-through" aoud. Aoud is so much more than the "medicinal" component–a beautiful layered smell from an old, rotten, hidden part of nature. We have a most blatant orientalist oud here, and it sounds like it smells great–in the end, that's what matters!!

  • Claudia says:

    This sounds beautiful, definitely worth trying. Creeds generally do not work for me, except the AE and the VIW. This one sounds like it might be right up my alley 🙂

  • Shinu Jacob says:

    Great review. I tested some oud fragrance’s before, but this is my first buy. My first impression was that Royal-Oud is not overbearingly oudy. It’s not a dramatic fragrance, but is easy and pleasant to wear.

  • J. Doe says:

    Just wanted to point out that there are many things that would suggest Lawrence did not, in fact, support the British. I’m not trying to leave a nasty comment, just some interesting insight. The race to Damascus as an example. the British were trying to get to Damascus, as were the Arabs. However, Lawrence strategically took Damascus first, resulting in the Arabs getting the small amount of land they got. Also, The 1921 Cairo peace conferences could be a nice example. Here, Lawrence once again sided with the Arabs, and was key in the creation of Transjordan, Syria, and Iraq. Though I know nothing about perfume, (I wandered onto this sight when I looked up young T.E. Lawrence pictures and went to this site) I urge you to learn more about Lawrence, as he was truly fascinating. Again, not a nasty comment, just wanting to suggest maybe Lawrence wasn’t “an English intelligence Officer to the core.”