Oud Extrait de Parfum, a composition by Maison Francis Kurkdjian dating from 2018, opens on a spicy, leathery saffron joined by elemi, fresh and lemony. The heart blends vanilla, ambrette and cedar, while the base brings together animalic oud and earthy patchouli.
Saffron, spicy, leathery and tarry, occupies the top alongside elemi, whose lemony, peppery freshness contrasts with the tar of the saffron: on one side the spice and the leather, on the other the lemon, the orange and the pepper.
Vanilla, sweet and warm, ambrette, powdery and animalic, and cedar, woody and resinous evoking pencil shavings, share the heart. Vanilla and ambrette sit alongside a spicy sensuality that cedar crosses on a drier register.
Oud, animalic, woody and amber, and patchouli, earthy and camphoraceous, dominate the base. The mystery of one meets the dampness of the other, two dark materials that respond to each other without merging.