Best Dark Aoud by Montale Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

“Shaan” is a Sanskrit name meaning greatness and majesty. The  perfumer intertwines the name with the legend of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose, the conquering leader whose final battle was foretold by the oracles. Ember Shaan is a fragrance that shifts and evolves, reflecting the concept of victory intertwined with sorrow. With a variety of ouds and frankincenses, this extrait explores how a bright fire fades into a smouldering ember, while also deepening into something more profound. Coffee, rose and sandalwood combine their rich effects into an olfactory syrup that infuses the woods, while spicy opoponax and stony gunpowder add punctuation and surprise.

Named after the supposedly richest ruler who ever lived, the African king Mansa Musa, the perfume is made with rich Indian oud (with a fermented leathery nuance), sandalwood, spices and a drop of rose.

Messengers of spring arrive, bearing gifts that bring smiles to faces dulled by winter’s chill. The joyous song of the nightingale accompanies vibrant fuchsia-colored aromas of Japanese plum blossoms as they spread, infusing the tepid air. It marks a fleeting moment of emotional awaking: to some a time for celebration and fresh starts; to others, a countdown to a departure for unknown horizons.

Zoologist captures the onset of the Japanese spring through Nightingale, a pink floral chypre that will melt your heart. It opens with rich scents of saffron and rosy, powdery, tart Japanese plum blossoms, enveloping the core of the perfume like a luxurious silk kimono. Deep, warm aromas of oud, patchouli, moss, incense and ambergris seek to escape, seeping from the ruddy petals, to create a composition that’s complex and at the same time, simply desirable.

Perfumer: 稲葉 智夫 (Tomoo Inaba)

Ormonde Man, a most sophisticated fragrance, despite its unconventional ingredients. Complex and full of character, sultry and mystical, the fragrance exudes soft woody notes, but it is the infusion of Oudh oil, the world’s most prized essence since time immemorial, that sets it apart, elevating the scent to one of true distinction.

‘All the soarings of my mind begin in my blood’

Rainer Maria Rilke

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A perfumed celebration of saints and superstitions, centred around a fierce fenugreek absolute note lavished with singed pyrazines, sacrificial myrrh and mournful molten honey poured over everything like amber rain.  Meadow blooms, sticky dark resins, pungent balms and ashen clouds of iris swirl like dramatic weather.

Perfumer: Amelie Bourgeois

Peaceful and comforting or rich and feral - you can be both. A sinful blend of caramel, leather and oud brings tempting tones. While sweet woods of almond, oakmoss, vanilla and ylang ylang deliver smooth, sensuous power. Sandalwood envelops patchouli for blond, earthy brightness as the smoke and rum dance for more sophisticated depth. 

A total delight, a Shahmaran dark rose with spicy spikes. This precious rose grows on a rock of amber and this makes its aroma deep and honeyed.

That was Bloom’s fragrant fairy tale take on describing 1001’1 Nights.

It’s a very poetic perfume inspired by the Arabic saga, a maze of stories inside a story. The materials (rose, incense, sea salt) and aesthetics (it’s a rich and generous oriental blend) totally would have fitted Scheherazade’s nights.

5 citrus notes.
6 fruity notes.
5 rare perfume notes including musk and amber.

565 is a number from one curious story. The protagonist was neither that handsome nor rich, but his name was Casanova. 565 is the number of ladies who had a relationship with Casanova during his life.

The perfume is an indulgence of sweet and showy radiance: candied bergamot peel soaked in amber, with a pinch of animalic musks.