LM Parfums
LM Parfums
302 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Frankincense arrives first with deliberate gravitas, its temple-smoke character immediately elbowing alongside cumin's earthiness—there's an almost culinary spiciness here, almost umami. Nutmeg sparkles briefly above the fray before the fragrance settles into something considerably darker and more serious than these top notes initially suggested.
The oud emerges not as florality or sweetness but as pure woody smoke, anchored by labdanum's resinous weight. Civet adds an unmistakably intimate, slightly sweaty undertone that challenges conventional refinement, whilst the fragrance develops a leathery, almost incense-like character that feels genuinely complex rather than merely layered.
Cedar and sandalwood become increasingly prominent, with amber and vanilla providing gentle sweetness against the persistent animalic base. The castoreum ensures the fragrance never softens into comfort, maintaining a sensual, skin-scent quality that feels like intimate knowledge rather than broadcast.
Black Oud announces itself with the kind of deliberate intensity that makes casual fragrance wearing feel quaint. LM Parfums' 2011 extrait opens as a study in controlled chaos—frankincense and cumin collide in the top notes with an almost medicinal sharpness, whilst nutmeg adds a peppery bite that prevents this from ever feeling purely aromatic. The oud in the heart isn't the honeyed, almost fruity interpretation common in designer fragrances; instead, it sits beneath a labdanum base note that feels almost resinous, woody rather than gourmand.
What emerges is resolutely animalic. The civet and castoreum create a distinctly carnal undertone, the sort of intimacy that smells more like another person's skin than a commercial fragrance should. Cedar and sandalwood form the woody backbone, but vanilla and amber soften what might otherwise be austere—though "soften" remains relative here. This is oud for the committed, wearing their intention like a second skin.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
4.0/5 (306)