Oud Essentiel

What is more, for several years now this great house of creation has been immersing us in the heart of the Orient through raw materials each more prestigious than the last. This time, it is the turn of the very latest Oud Essentiel to join this great family of fragrances. It showcases a precious and captivating wood, more than ever elevated by Guerlain's unrivaled expertise.

The elegance of Guerlain's Absolus d'Orient

Guerlain's Absolus d'Orient collection pushes the excellence and elegance of the house of Guerlain to their peak. As it happens, this collection was initiated with the creation of the perfumes Santal Royal in 2015 and Ambre Eternel in 2016. The idea, through these fragrances, is simply to showcase the most celebrated raw materials on the planet. The Guerlain family has always been fascinated by the countries of the Middle East. These distant lands have inspired the house's perfumers many times over. As if to pay tribute to this inexhaustible source of creativity, Guerlain this time chose to showcase oud wood. Highly sought after by perfumers in recent years, it is a raw material that sells for its weight in gold. Indeed, oud wood is highly prized for its woody, leathery and slightly smoky sillage. What is more, it is a rather complicated material to obtain. It has been used for centuries for medicinal and spiritual purposes by populations of the East. As a result, it lends this perfume a kind of timelessness, spirituality and universality.

The woody, sensual scent of Oud Essentiel

Oud Essentiel is a perfume we owe to one of the finest perfumers on the planet: Thierry Wasser. He became the exclusive nose of the house of Guerlain in 2008. Here, he chose to display the full nobility of his house through a single recipe. Indeed, while the oud wood that makes up this fragrance is particularly precious, it is not the only prestigious element of this composition. Oud Essentiel also contains saffron, a spice known as red gold. Its heart, meanwhile, is composed of rose. This flower immediately gives the perfume more elegance. Its sillage, on the other hand, is woodier. Oud Essentiel notably contains guaiac wood and cedar. Leather lends it more animalic character. Finally, the whole is wrapped in incense for added mystery. As always, Oud Essentiel comes to us in Guerlain's iconic bottle. Inspired by the bee bottle, this vessel has a cylindrical shape topped with a dome. Entirely lacquered in black, it plays this time on contrasts between dark opacity and shimmering golden accents. This combination of colors and its arabesques instantly plunges us into the heart of the Orient.