Phryne Before the Aeropagus by Jean-Leon Gerome
In 2013 you can’t seem to have a month go past without a new fragrance with oud in the name being released. It is hard to believe that is was only in 2002 that Creative Director Tom Ford and perfumers Alberto Morillas and Jacques Cavallier would introduce oud into western perfumery with the release of Yves St. Laurent M7.
Of course there were a few designer fragrances which had used oud prior to M7’s release; Donna Karan Chaos, 10 Corso Como, Nina Ricci Deci-Dela, and Salvador Dali Salvador. Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque and Comme des Garcons Series 2 Red: Sequoia pre-dated M7 on the niche side. But up until M7’s release oud was a mostly unknown note in Western Perfumery. The team of Messrs. Ford, Morillas, & Cavallier put oud front and center in all of its glory as part of a huge commercial release. M7 ended up on every department store counter in 2002 all over the US and Europe.
What is especially interesting is that the creative team didn’t attempt to remove the quirkier less pleasant character of the oud itself. All of the adjectives we use to describe oud were on display; medicinal, leathery, resinous, “smells like band-aids” but it was placed on an intelligently chosen group of notes to give it a velvet pillow to lie upon. A mostly familiar citrus opening gives way to the oud which then develops with a group of softer resins in the base. I know when I first smelled this in my local Sak’s Fifth Avenue it was so different and amazing it took me all of twenty-four hours to return and buy a bottle. At that point in 2002 there was nothing like it to be found anywhere else.
M7 led me on a journey of discovery into the delights of Middle Eastern Perfumery. During the course of 2003 I spent a lot of time familiarizing myself with various Mukhallats and the raw material itself and realizing the difference in scent profiles between Laotian, Indonesian, Burmese, and Malaysian ouds; old trees versus recent growth; aged for a few years or 50 years. Oud is one of the most versatile ingredients within the perfumer’s toolbox because it carries both power and subtlety. M7 would serve as that introduction for many perfumistas and I imagine it started many down the same paths I traveled.
M7 does start with a classic citrus opening of bergamot and orange. A bit of rosemary is also present to give the early stages of M7 an almost classic cologne feeling. The oud arrives almost immediately after that cologne opening resolves itself and it takes M7 to a different place. Vetiver is used to enhance the woodier facets of oud early on and then slowly but surely the quirkier medicinal aspects begin to peek out. Messrs. Morillas and Cavallier very cleverly don’t allow that stage to linger long as they use sweet myrrh to bring the focus over to the less challenging resinous quality of oud and it is in that combination of myrrh and oud where the heart of M7 beats. Labdanum, amber, and musk all support that heart and keep it beating strongly until it fades away.
M7 has overnight longevity and above average sillage.
The Snake Charmer by Jean-Leon Gerome
M7 was the place where the oud craze would begin. When I looked at Michael Edwards’ Fragrance of the World compendium the reality of the inflection point is incredible. Prior to M7’s release there were 27 fragrances which contained oud as a note. After M7’s release, 344 fragrances, and counting, have been released containing oud. Of course, there is a downside to all of this as we are beginning to see overharvesting of the trees and blends of other essential oils being passed off as oud.
In 2013 there is easily a fragrance out there which contains oud which will fit with anyone’s taste and style. It is fascinating to think that it was just over ten years ago that M7 opened the eyes of the Western world to the fragrant possibilities inherent in oud.
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
Disclosure: This review was based on a bottle of M7 that I purchased.