Aoud Exclusif by Mancera

It’s a bombshell, but watch out: only for seasoned noses. Some people smell old age in it, while others think it’s a lady’s perfume, haha. It’s super elegant and you need character to wear it. The performance is insane: it lasts from when I wake up until the next day and projects a ton.

I never imagined Mancera could smell this good. I walked away from the brand after a bad experience with Cedrat Boise in 2020, but this Aoud Exclusif surprised me at a department store. It smells high-quality, well-blended, and better yet, it’s not challenging. Seeing the notes, I thought I’d feel that typical cumin or castoreum, but I don’t; it doesn’t smell dirty like Penhaligon’s Sohan nor as animalistic as Oud Palao. It’s even superior to Oud Ispahan. If you like this type of perfume, it’ll steal a smile from you. It reminds me a lot of The Moon by Frederic Malle, especially after the third hour when the oud and spices with the rose give a fruity leather touch. It’s elegant, oriental, balanced, and has great performance. My batch has a demagnetized cap 24A6B033B.

What can I say about this fragrance, I’ve loved it. It’s a dark amber with a very easy-to-please oud, accompanied by violet (I smell it more than the rose), saffron, and moderate spices. The cumin, which I can’t stand, isn’t prominent. Patchouli and labdanum give it that dark touch. If I compare it to Gucci Intense Oud, it’s more potent, less humid, and slightly sweeter, although the trail is equally moderate. Mancera doesn’t disappoint; it’s one of my favorite niche brands.

Good fragrance with the classic rose-oud combo. Although the market is saturated with this mix, I think it’s an option to consider if you’re taking your first steps on this olfactory path. Aoud Exclusif starts with an intense, colorful spicy blend. At first, it’s hard to smell something specific, but I think it smells like cumin and saffron. Then come the violets and patchouli; the violet creates a slight petroleum nuance and the patchouli is dark and chocolatey. Only when those notes settle does a beautiful dark rose appear. This combination lasts a while until the typical Montale-Mancera oud enters. Once the oud integrates, the leather, soft resins, and clean musk make the perfume round and usable until the end. I really like the strong woody base with oud, vanilla, amber, and a soft sandalwood that makes it perfect for fresh evenings and nights. Mancera has created a great pink oud. Personally, I won’t buy it because I already have several from this family, but if you’re looking for your first rose-oud combo, it’s perfect. It shows how it balances seductive darkness with refined light, while the leather base holds the warmth of the wood.

The one above didn’t survive to tell the experience; the truth is, Mancera fragrances have become my obsession, to the point where they smell better than eating… haha

It’s great, but I prefer it after the first 15 minutes. The opening notes are brutal and didn’t convince me at first; after 15 minutes, it smells like Bulgarian rose and the patchouli is good, though the labdanum lingers a bit and I just don’t love that note. The saffron is very potent and also stays in the trail. I’m not sure I like it as much as other Mancera scents; there’s something bitter that won’t go away… (probably the resin). I’ll give it another chance, but for now, it gave me a runny nose—of course, it has a lot of pepper. I can’t handle so much pepper and resin; it completely mutes the flowers, violet is almost non-existent. I wanted to love it… but I didn’t. Never happened to me before, and I’m not picky at all… but it gave me nausea. I’ll try again tomorrow and let you know!