Midnight Oud by Ard Al Zaafaran

Best Midnight Oud by Ard Al Zaafaran Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Midnight Oud by Ard Al Zaafaran is an oriental spicy fragrance combining herbal freshness and rich resinous warmth. Thyme and pink pepper offer a sharp, aromatic opening, balanced by bright bergamot. The heart reveals smoky frankincense and opoponax, while a leathery, amber base deepens with labdanum, sandalwood, and patchouli. Those drawn to a complex, warm scent with both spicy and woody elements should focus on fragrances featuring these resinous and aromatic notes.

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1
St. Paul's

St. Paul's by Exaltatum £130.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £7.00
  • Key notes:
  • amber
  • bergamot
  • frankincense
  • incense
  • labdanum
  • orange blossom
  • pink pepper
  • Tags:
  • #beast
  • #clean
  • Aromagroups:
  • floral
  • leather
  • vintage/old school
  • woody

The floriental baroquesque parfum St. Paul's embodies an adoration and admiration to the spectacular era of Baroque. This style in architecture, music, art, sculpture demonstrates exalted movements, clear details, intense light and dark shadows, emotional exuberance, richness, extravaganza, which distinct baroque from other style. 

The English baroque represents iconic St. Paul's Cathedral, which dome has long dominated the London skyline. 

The perfume opens with the precious orange flower and jasmine absolutes with a hint of dried and juicy fruits, contrasting with the darker woody and balsamic base. 

2
Fiore di Cotone

Fiore di Cotone by Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561 £150.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £7.00
  • Key notes:
  • artemisia
  • bergamot
  • cardamom
  • sandalwood
  • thyme
  • Tags:
  • #beast
  • #clean
  • #fresh
  • Aromagroups:
  • aromatic
  • citrusy
  • spicy

"Fiore di cotone" is an Italian expression for "cotton flower", used to describe a fresh, clean scent. This EdP is powdery and green, thanks to the interplay of lavender with musk and bergamot. Artemisia lends a subtly herbaceous and bitter edge, putting a little starch in this smell of freshly-washed sheets.

3
Outopia

Outopia by Mendittorosa £260.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £8.00
  • Key notes:
  • frankincense
  • incense
  • opoponax
  • Tags:
  • #fresh
  • Aromagroups:
  • citrusy
  • spicy
  • woody

A place that is eternally cherished in the heart — its memory, the feeling. It may be hidden or obscured, but never erased. In this place, the wind carries myrrh, earth welcomes rain, and fire doesn’t burn but transforms. Outopia marries the ancient oils of myrrh, frankincense and opoponax with modern aromachemicals: the marine/anise of Naxolide and the woody/amber of Maderal. Cool, earthy, smouldering.

Perfumer: Cristiano Canali

4
Parfum 1

Parfum 1 by Fugazzi £205.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £7.00
  • Key notes:
  • cedarwood
  • davana
  • frankincense
  • incense
  • mandarin
  • pink pepper
  • sandalwood
  • Tags:
  • #sexy
  • #smoky
  • #sweet
  • Aromagroups:
  • leather
  • spicy
  • woody

Parfum 1 is where Fugazzi began, inspired by founder Bram Niessink’s trip to Egypt and the discovery of ancient perfume oils. Parfum 1 is a bold blend of bright and dark fruits, made mysterious by patchouli and cedarwood. The fresh top notes of citrus and blackcurrant are insinuating, gracefully riding a woody wave of sandalwood and musk. The effect is leathery, with a faint kiss of apple pie.

  • Key notes:
  • cardamom
  • fir
  • hemp
  • incense
  • leather
  • pepper
  • petrichor
  • thyme
  • Tags:
  • #beast
  • Aromagroups:
  • aromatic
  • green
  • leather
  • spicy
  • woody

Perfumer: Cyrill Rolland

An interpretation of the winter solstice brightening into spring, the whisper of growth beneath the melting snow. The cold twang of grapefruit sparks against the heat of Szechuan pepper, while geranium’s complex rosy-minty profile deepens the rawness of hemp, vetiver and leather. 

6
Play Black

Play Black by Comme Des Garcons £95.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £6.00
  • Key notes:
  • birch tar
  • black pepper
  • black tea
  • incense
  • leather
  • thyme
  • Tags:
  • #fresh
  • #smoky
  • Aromagroups:
  • leather
  • spicy

This EdT plays it dark but bright. A spiky black pepper opening commands attention, before being volumised by an ebony chorus of black tea, birch tar and incense. Tree moss and violet lend a perfumed earthiness.

Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu

7
Silver Musk

Silver Musk by Nasomatto £130.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £9.00
  • Key notes:
  • gaiac / guaiac wood
  • leather
  • thyme
  • white musk
  • Tags:
  • #clean
  • Aromagroups:
  • aromatic
  • transparent
  • woody

Sheer but stubborn, Silver Musk is a paradox: a “big” skin scent. The white musk in this extrait is booming, built around gaiac wood and leather, with radiant neroli glinting around the edges. Cosmic.

 

8
Young Cossack

Young Cossack by Anna Zworykina £95.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £14.00
  • Key notes:
  • castoreum
  • hay
  • leather
  • oakmoss
  • smoke
  • thyme
  • tobacco
  • vetiver
  • wormwood
  • Tags:
  • #smoky
  • Aromagroups:
  • leather
  • woody
Ойся, ты ойся,
Ты меня не бойся,
Я тебя не трону,
Ты не беспокойся.
fom a Cossack folk song

***

An intense, smoky herbal blend that, like all of Anna's creations, will transport you to an imaginary landscape.

It's inspired by Cossacks, the soldier-farmers who live in the steppes in the south of Russia, accomplished horsemen guarding the borders since the days of Catherine the Great.

You are welcome to devise your own story, but here at Bloom, we imagine a young Cossack resting among haystacks and wild herbs, smoking his clay pipe while contemplating the starry sky. His friends are sitting by the open fire nearby. Smoke is wafting through wild thyme and wormwood.

Starring

(these fragrant materials reanacted the Young Cossack story):

galbanum CO2 extract
artemisia annia essential oil
artemisia absinthium essential oil
immortel absolute
Seville lavender abs
thyme essential oil
tarragon essential oil
davana essential oil
guayak wood essential oil.
rose de May absolute
Morrocan rose  absolute
cumin CO2 extract
frankincense absolute
petitgrain essential oil
geranium leaves absolute
myrth essential oil
costus absolute
oakmoss absolute
patchouli essential oil
labdanum absolute
tabacco absolute
tonka bean absolute
agarwood essential oil
vetiver essential oil
castoreum tinctura


Important notice:

Anna Zworykina’s blends are olfactive smellscapes (but neither aromatherapy, nor ‘spray-and-go’ perfumes). Her blends are sensory experiences, closer to works of art created in the scented plane (rather than, say, visual or audio).

Certain essential oils and absolutes that are used in her 100% natural perfumes may potentially cause allergies in some people. Please spray Anna Zworykina’s blends on fabric (on sleeves, scarves, etc.). This said, Anna Zworykina has acquired a huge fan base over many years and people interacted with her blends for quite a while now. We are not aware of any reports of any skin reactions so far.

However, Anna advises that those who are prone to allergic reactions, pregnant and nursing women, as well as people with chronic illnesses to be extra careful. Before trying natural blends, study the list of ingredients and consult with a doctor if you are not sure or a had a history of allergies. If you do decide to put these blends on your skin (unable to resist the temptation) always test the blend on the inside part of your elbow first and wait.

Do not spray these blends liberally as a cloud in the way you would spray a conventional perfume. Anna’s smellscapes need to be… carefully applied and experienced. Be mindful that some oils can also make your skin hyper-sensitive to UV.

9
Rien

Rien by Etat Libre d'Orange £155.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £5.00
  • Key notes:
  • aldehydes
  • animalic notes
  • chypre
  • cumin
  • frankincense
  • incense
  • labdanum
  • leather
  • Tags:
  • #animalic
  • #smoky
  • Aromagroups:
  • leather
  • transparent

Rien ('nothing' in French) is a beautiful animalic chypre, with an aldehydic (rather than classic citrus) opening and seriously naughty leathery vibes provided by the cumin and labdanum duo.  Also check this perfume out if you like frankincense in bold oriental interpretation. 

10
Sogno Reale

Sogno Reale by Mendittorosa £225.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £8.00
  • Key notes:
  • amber
  • frankincense
  • hyraceum
  • labdanum
  • rum
  • sea salt
  • Aromagroups:
  • marine
  • unconventional
  • woody

‘All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream’

From "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allen Poe

***

A visionary scent, pulled from the unconscious mind via an ocean of gauzy marine dreams. Sogno Reale brims with brine-leather, sea urchins and electrified air. Calm sea meets volcanic fumes, woods and a sun-bright shock of lemon and bergamot. Warm rum and sweet, earthen patchouli swirl protectively around gentle tuberose and a quiet dose of hyraceum, warming its fur in the Mediterranean sun.  Sogno Reale is balm for the soul; a talisman dreamed into existence, the unconscious mind made extraordinary perfumed flesh.

About Midnight Oud by Ard Al Zaafaran

How does Midnight Oud compare to the fragrances listed here?
Midnight Oud is an oriental spicy fragrance with a complex balance of herbal, resinous and leathery notes. The fragrances listed share key notes such as thyme, leather, frankincense and amber but vary in emphasis, ranging from fresher, cleaner scents to smokier or more animalic interpretations.
Which fragrances here focus more on the leather aspect of Midnight Oud?
Mora, Play Black, Silver Musk, Young Cossack and Rien all highlight leather prominently, often combined with thyme, creating a leathery, smoky or animalic character similar to the reference.
Are any of these fragrances suitable for someone who prefers a fresher oriental scent?
Yes, Fiore di Cotone and St. Paul's incorporate fresher notes like bergamot, cardamom and orange blossom alongside shared spicy and woody elements, offering a cleaner and lighter take on the oriental spicy theme.