Gucci
Gucci
836 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Jammy raspberry collides with saffron's metallic, almost iodine-like intensity, whilst pear provides a fleeting moment of juicy clarity before being swallowed by the rising woody heat. The oud appears immediately, not as a supporting player but as the gravitational centre around which everything else orbits. It's a collision rather than a composition at this stage—opulent, demanding, deliberately excessive.
The rose unfurls with its Bulgarian character intact—spicy, slightly sharp, with that characteristic damascone richness that smells simultaneously dewy and dried. Orange blossom weaves through, its creamy indoles tempering the rose's astringency whilst amplifying the overall warmth. The fruit has largely vanished, leaving the florals to negotiate with an increasingly resinous, amber-drenched oud base.
What remains is a smoky, ambered wood skin that sits close but refuses to fade entirely, the patchouli lending an earthy, almost chocolate-like depth. Musk provides gentle animalic warmth without turning feral, whilst the oud has transformed from statement piece to foundational hum. It's plush, enveloping, and far softer than the opening suggested possible—sensual in that particular way only resinous woody scents can achieve.
Gucci's Intense Oud doesn't whisper—it announces itself with the jarring opulence of fruit-stained saffron and a woody foundation so dense it feels almost syrupy. The raspberry and pear opening might suggest something sweet and approachable, but the saffron immediately corrupts that notion, lending a leathery, medicinal edge that bridges the gap to the oud lurking beneath. This isn't the barnyard funk of traditional ouds; instead, the wood here is polished, resinous, and layered with enough amber to give it a molten, almost caramelised quality. Bulgarian rose emerges through the smoke like velvet crushed underfoot, its green stems and peppery undertones preventing this from collapsing into cloying orientalism, whilst orange blossom adds an indolic breath that hovers between narcotic and clean.
The patchouli-amber-musk triumvirate in the base creates a structure that's both pillowy and architectural—soft enough to wear close to the skin but substantial enough to project. There's a persistent smokiness throughout, not from incense but from the charred, resinous quality of the oud interacting with the darker facets of patchouli. This is for those who want oud without the livestock, who appreciate the theatre of Middle Eastern perfumery but prefer it filtered through a Western lens. It suits dimly lit restaurants, winter evenings, anyone comfortable occupying space with their scent. Not for minimalists, not for the faint of heart, but absolutely for those who understand that sometimes more is exactly right.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.7/5 (128)