A long time ago, a friend who was a painter gave me a book. I can’t tell you now what the book was about, but I remember the rich scent of his work soaked in its pages. For days, I buried my nose in the book to smell the turpentine, oil paint, and raw wood of his studio. The smell brought back the giant landscape he was working on while a cat padded over the cement floor to jump into my lap as I talked and nursed a glass of red wine. This is what I think of when I smell By Kilian Incense Oud Eau de Parfum.
Incense Oud, the third in By Kilian’s Arabian Nights series, was developed by perfumer Sidonie Lancesseur and released earlier this year. By Kilian’s website lists among its notes incense, oud, cardamom, rose, and labdanum. Probably, like many fragrances, it has something citrusy and fleeting for top notes, but I don’t smell it. And probably there’s something more complex in its body, but I don’t smell that, either.
What I do smell is a surprisingly sinuous — although definitely present — incense sweetened with sandalwood. Some incense is earthy, some is dank and wet, and some, like this one, is full of piney turpentine. Oud seems to have overtaken pink pepper as the note du jour, but if you are looking for oud’s signature peaty, metallic, oyster-y scent, try Montale. Any oud that might be present in Incense Oud only serves as a bit player to accentuate the resin in the incense, despite its billing as co-star.
Rose brings out an almost port-like touch to Incense Oud’s wood. Without smelling rose as a distinct note, I can smell the fruitiness it imparts. I first noticed how rose transforms sandalwood into a wine-like potion in XerJoff Richwood, and it seems to play the same role here. Still, the incense is a lot more present than the rose.
Perfumistas who have been around a while might notice a similarity in notes between Incense Oud and 10 Corso Como. Both fragrances lean on oud, wood, and rose. 10 Corso Como is sweeter and brighter and shows more sandalwood and rose than Incense Rose. Its oud sharpens the sandalwood so that it reads closer to incense. In Incense Oud, incense is king, and other notes are definitely subservient. Incense Oud, although still a particular fragrance, is more conservative in some ways than 10 Corso Como. Neither fragrance could be called mainstream.
Incense Oud has moderate sillage, but feels soft and comfortable in its silky, piney wood. It lasts a solid ten hours on my skin, sweetening over time but staying pretty true to what I smelled fifteen minutes after my first dab. Do I like it? Yes, I do. I value it for the memories it evokes so easily.
Would I buy it? I adore By Kilian’s packaging, but it’s expensive for what is basically a nicely made incense fragrance. A 50 ml bottle of Incense Oud Eau de Parfum is $395 in By Kilian’s fabulous bottle, but a refill is $175. A gorgeous atomizer with four quarter-ounce refills, perfect for splitting, is $235.
I’d love to hear what you think of Incense Oud, but I’d also like to know what perfumes you like more for what they remind you of than for the fragrances themselves. Are there any fragrances you might normally pass by, but they remind you of a time in your life that you want to bring back from time to time?
For buying information, see the listing for By Kilian under Perfume Houses.
I quite like Incense Oud too..It seemed like a relatively easy to wear comforting incense, that I didn’t have to think about too much while wearing..I remember 10 Corso Como being more medicinal oudhy and slightly dirtier on my skin- I’ll have to go search for my sample and retest this..
As for perfumes that I like more for what they remind me of : CdG chamapaca..I’m not sure if I would ordinarily pass it by-but this is one such perfume that I am not too tempted to buy to wear, but want some at hand for a ‘sniff’..:). It reminds me of my wedding because it immediately brings to my mind a South Indian wedding complete with champaca and strands of marigold dusted with kumkum and turmeric..very lovely!
I haven’t smelled EdG Champaca in ages! I remember liking it, though. And its bottle.
To me, Incense Oud is fairly gentle, as long as that piney-turpentiney scent isn’t too disturbing.
i loved this when i smelled it but would never pay those prices for a 50ml bottle. However the travel set is beautiful – i fell in LOVE with the gold atomiser – its so weighty & well built & you get 30ml of fragrance with it. i was lucky & bought it in Harvey Nichols when they had a 10% offer on so getting the atomizer & 30ml of incense oud for under £140 seemed a bargain – especially when they threw in a full set of samples & a Kilian candle too ! Tom Ford used to charge £150 for his empty gold plasticy cheap-feeling atomizers – i would have happily paid half the asking price just for the Kilian atomizer itself!
By Kilian’s packaging is fabulous, I think. I’ve never held the travel atomizer you’re talking about, but your description of its weight sounds terrific. A good deal, too! A candle, even? Can’t pass that up.
The atomizers really fell like quality – VERY heavy & the outer is solid metal with a magnetic lid. By Kilian always seem like they really care about the quality of the items they produce when many premium brands put out a lot of cheap rubbish & rely on the logo to sell it.
I’ve been disappointed by some of the packaging for “high end” lines, too. Enjoy your travel spray!
okay….you’re only KILLING me here….
I know! Doesn’t he make it sound tempting?
Hi Angela!
I love incense and oud, my two favorite oud scents are this and the Bond NY Oud-both are drop dead gorgeous. I have an older cousin who’s an artist/art teacher, she smells of clay, wood and turpentine. I loved going to school with her just for the smell experience alone, it was heaven once you added polished hall floors and the old fashioned wooden desks. (yes, I am dating myself here!)
I don’t know about other folks, but I decided my price ceiling for scents would be 175, niche is expensive, and this line is exquisite-but a line has to be drawn in the sand somewhere.
Oh, I love the description of the smell of your cousin’s school! Bottle that I’d buy some in a heartbeat.
Yes, By Kilian sure doesn’t come cheap. I’ve paid big prices before (thinking of my FB of Lyric) but it has to be pretty special.
I love oud/rose combos angela and haven’t tried this yet-probably won’t because I would never buy this-too much $$ for my tiny budget and i’m not even really keen on getting in on a split. It’s always a relief to feel that way about new releases huh?
Well the perfumes I still love but don’t wear anymore are my bittersweet sig. fragrances from when my daughters were very young. Estee Lauder Pleasures, Avon Natori, Calvin Klein Contradiction,Chanel Chance, Lancome Miracle, Ralph Lauren Romance, Burberry London, Calvin Klein Euphoria, I wore these over and over……bought at least 2/3 bottles of each and drained each of them. Now when I smell them it brings me back to that time of motherhood, going out on dates with their papa and them knowing I was ready to go because they could smell me downstairs or me giving them a kiss at night and leaving a trail out of the house..
Especially now, with my fragrance frenzy and mania so different from anything they are used to me having they miss these perfumes on me, and they try to wear them for themselves and always think so strongly of me they almost can’t do it.
I guess that’s one of the drawbacks of loving perfume enough to have more than a few to wear–you can’t really be known for a signature scent. But what fabulous noses your daughters will have!
oh yeah, Tamara is already in trouble–she’s created 4 eager new perfumistas!
I can’t wait until they’re old enough to start commenting on the blog!
Hi Angela!!
I love Incense Oud. Actually it is one of the newly issued perfumes that wowed me. I love incense and oud, incense with rose,and any combination of those three notes. This is a lot more wearable than his other oud fragrances. Pure Oud (was that his first oud fragrance?) smells great on my husband, but is a little harsh on me. the other oud he did with rose is very nice, but this is even better on me. I am seriously considering the $175 re-fill, although I really wished somebody would split it.
I agree that the by Kilian atomizers are beautiful. I have one with Straight to Heaven, it is black, and heavy and feels luxurious, love it.
Have you tried 10 Corso Como? You might really like it, and it’s a little more affordable–although it doesn’t have the delicious atomizer, the bottle is adorable in a deco way. But then again, it sounds like you’re a fan of By Kilian, so there may be no substitute for you!
I tried 10 Corso Como a long time ago. I got a small sample from TPC. I thought it was nice, but it did not have an emotional impact. Perhaps I should re-visit this one. I may need a larger decant with a sprayer.
I like some of the Kilians, but although there is much admiration, there is no love for most of them. I like Straight to Heaven and Cruel Intentions. I like Love, but my decant has laster forever because I need a light hand with that one. Now that I think about it, isn’t Sidonie Lancesseur responsible for Cruel Intentions and Straight to Heaven also? I may be a fan of her work!!
@Daisy. I alway love to talk to you, usually there is some perfume mischief involved 🙂
Yes, I think you’re right! You may be a Sidonie fan!
Arwen-elf —-we need to talk! 😉
I smelled Incense Oud on paper a couple of times before trying it on skin,k cause I was skeered. I had a feeling I would really dig it. I was downtown on Saturday to hear Frederic Malle and stopped in at Saks afterward to spray it and I fell. Hard. I got a sample, but I think eventually the travel set will be mine. Kilian does an amazing job with his packaging – I used to be a scoffer, but after hearing him explain his background and what influenced him, I feel better about it. I treasure my box of Cruel Intentions – the trick is remembering there is a bottle of perfume in there I need to pull out now and then.
Knowing about the perfumer, or even reading about (in my case) or hearing (in your case) about the perfume from the perfumer makes it mean so much more. Lucky you!
Oh how jealous am I you got to go see Malle! And then went and had a sniff at Saks, sounds like I day I would love!! Im thinking Ill be getting this one too as soon as the weather turns…
Wouldn’t it be great to see Malle? I’m jealous, too.
Incense Oud is gorgeous! And the beautiful heavy gold atomizer made the sale. It is the fragrance I spray on before bed, I would bathe in it if I could. 🙂
10 Corso Como was much more woody than incense on me.
I do love most of the By Kilian’s and am looking forward to the new one!
I’m curious about the new one, too! I’m glad you found a fragrance you really love.
Oh Angela, I absolutely love this review! I’m already a fan of Incense Oud, and now I’m a fan of your writing on Incense Oud. Your associations and connections are so different to mine, and now that you’ve put 10 Corso Como in my head, I can’t wait to wear my Incense Oud sample again to listen out for that tune.
The billowy haziness of Incense Oud actually puts me in mind of Portrait of a Lady, with its big, guffing incense and rose.
I’m glad you like the review! I bet Incense Oud and Portrait of a Lady would be great worn in succession. Maybe start with Portrait for day and dab on some Incense Oud in the late afternoon? What a great smelling day that would be.
Wonderful review, Angela. Most of the Kilians have worked for me although I’ve never sprung for any. I’ve not tried his ouds yet, and now, of course, you’ve created a lemming!
Don’t let it be a lemming! It is a nice one to smell, though, and if you’re wild about incense it’s a must-smell.
It’s a lovely review, Angela. I do not much care for strong oud but the turpentine incense sounds interesting – must add to my never-ending ‘to try’ list.
AG Un Matin d’Orage is a fragrance which doesn’t really suit me, and disappears after an hour on my skin, but which I really like smelling because the wet leaves and flowers feel take me back to my childhood in India. Hindu religious ceremonies often involve floral offerings and UMdO smells exactly like the piles of wet leaves and flowers in baskets surrounding the priests. So it feels to me a little bit like Avignon might to a Catholic – beautiful but somewhat unwearable. Incense is often a big part of such ceremonies but somehow the wet flowers take me back to that time more than incense-based perfumes do!
What a beautiful story! You make me want to smell Matin d’Orage again right away.
Ooo I just got to try this! Was wandering in the Saks in a huge mall down in OC killing time, and my fav SA was insisting I hadn’t tried all the By Killians and I thought I had, perhaps i overlooked this one but she nailed it. I LOVE it, I just cant wear it in this heat, I’m going to try and get it in the Fall. I am very picky about Oud, I don’t usually like it but when its done the way I like I adore it. This is perfect to me, I think its the presence of the pine and sandalwood that does it. Another oud I am partial to is Juliet Has A Gun Midnight Oud, which is so wearable, as is this. This seems very outdoors-y to me, like it would be the elegant older sister to my DS & Durga Cowgirl Grass drydown, again probably the pine. Like a fancy evening in Lake Tahoe kind of outdoors-y… Anyway lovely review, thanks!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the review! And it sounds like you found your fall and winter go-to fragrance. That’s terrific!
Your reviews are great! I smell incense, all the way around… and roses, which I agree is a great combo! The oud, if there, not wonderful yet!
I’m glad you enjoy our reviews! Like you, I never did get a lot of oud out of this fragrance, but I still enjoy it.