Amouage
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Cypriol strikes immediately with a peppery snap, like striking a match against cold air. Virginia cedar carves out sharp, woody lines, and patchouli settles in with earthy insistence, creating an opening that feels almost austere—there's no bergamot, no citrus breathing room, just layered wood grain and mineral undertones.
The oud arrives with deliberate slowness, revealing leathery, slightly animalic facets rather than the creamy richness you might expect. Bourbon vanilla absolute emerges as a subtle anchor, preventing the composition from drifting into pure abstraction, whilst castoreum adds an intimate, skin-like warmth that deepens the animalic character to something almost intoxicating.
Birch and gaiac wood intensify the smoky signature, and ambrarome settles into a warm, metallic amber that feels more mineral than sweet. The castoreum lingers longest, creating a gentle animalic halo around woody, slightly resinous undertones that persist with quiet determination rather than projection.
Opus XIII – Silver Oud is a fragrance that doesn't seduce; it confronts. Cécile Zarokian has crafted something deliberately austere, where the oud refuses the honeyed flourishes it's typically offered. The opening bristles with cypriol's peppery, almost iodine-like character, which immediately positions this as something cerebral rather than sensual. Virginia cedar arrives with architectural precision, lending a pencil-shaving dryness that undercuts any expectation of warmth.
Where others might soften the journey, Opus XIII doubles down. Assam oud emerges—not the creamy, jammy interpretation fashionable in contemporary fragrances, but something leathery and almost medicinal, suggesting aged wood and old library bindings. The bourbon vanilla absolute doesn't sweeten; instead, it acts as a tether, keeping the composition grounded, preventing it from becoming entirely abstract. Patchouli threads throughout, earthy and slightly animalic, never fresh or bright.
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3.5/5 (157)