Best Oud Wood Intense by Tom Ford Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

The word “agrani” in Sanskrit means a leader, a trailblazer, and this perfume embodies the life stages of a leader. The opening burst of cherry, almond and saffron symbolises the mesmerising oratory skills that rally the masses. The heart reveals the power of pipe tobacco and leather, expressing a leader’s fearless revolutionary spirit. Enveloping musk and Burmese oud summons the hope they bring during challenging times. The cacao and castoreum base evokes the lasting impact they have on the world, leaving an indelible impression. And finally, the warmth of amber echoes the rays of hope a leader ignites in future generations.

David Maruitte

“Nerosa is a perfume realized with David Maruitte in 2011, but at that time we believed that Laboratorio Olfattivo was not yet ready to launch a fragrance like this. Today instead, Nerosa can perfectly enter in our Black Collection, thanks to the depth, wealth and strength of its formula. A fragrance whose energy is noticeable and whose enveloping sillage is strong.”

Roberto Drago

Perfumer: Lucien Ferrero

«What is more noble for a perfumer than Sandal attar? Without doubt it is the most precious essential oil in the history of perfumery, with a refined elegance, an unparalleled sensuality and an intimacy that I invite you to try.»

For lovers of ball sports 
and those who don’t play by the rules

Orange blossom absolute, leather and musk. A scent that flouts perfumery convention (no top or middle notes) - made solely of base notes.

Defies authority. Doesn’t conform. Plays for meaning, not for score. Leads from own path, with tender heart. Not here for likes. Not here for follows. Works Hard. Plays Harder. Hard to catch. Harder to forget.

Mountain air infused with juniper settles over an ancient coniferous forest. Orris and white musk mesh with balsam fir to create a cold, luminous finish.

Sun-drenched spring air infuses the tangle of timbers the beavers call home, inviting the family to venture from their cozy den. A sparse winter diet of dry buds and twigs gives way to a juicy salad of fresh waterlilies and leaves. The drive to build is awakened and soon the industrious carpenters are hard at work. Yet over the rustle of branches and the slapping of tails on wet mud, a hammering is heard. In a nearby maple forest, farmers tap thick trunks, creating channels through which sugar-laden sap can flow. Unfazed, the beavers toil on. In tandem they work, the beavers crafting lodges while farmers harvest sweet sap, guiding it to a sugar shack where alchemy will transform it to a rich, golden syrup.

Evoking the onset of spring, Zoologist Beaver Maple Edition combines fresh florals with the delightful sweetness of cocoa-infused maple syrup. Within smoky woods laced with earthy vetiver and patchouli, castoreum and vanilla offer a cozy haven. Like a carefully-crafted lodge of a beaver family, this scent offers warmth while hinting at hidden depths.

With natural perfumes colour may and WILL vary from batch to batch.
For example, the current batch of Cuir de Russie is not as dark in colour as the previous run because the tea extract in the new batch is decolorized. This does NOT affect the aroma/effect at all.

A classic vintage chypre by design and by make Anna's Cuir de Russie is smoky, animalic and true to the early 20th century recipe.

The story of this smoky leather perfume style starts with Russian Cossacks' cavalry entering Paris to make sure the French army definetly got back home. Parisians were very much impressed by the Siberian warriors, their uniforms trimmed with beaver fur, the smoky leather of their boots (treated with tar for waterproof effect) and had a bit of an olfactive cultural shock.

French being French, they noted the whole expereince in a perfume style called Cuir de Russie. Coco Chanel later brought this style back into the spotlight to reflect on her affair with a Russian grand duke  Dmitri Pavlovich (Tsar Nicholas II’s cousin).

Starring

(these fragrant materials reanacted the Cuir de Russie story):

 acacia farnesiana essential oil 
lemon essential oil 
bergamot essential oil 
birch tar essential oil 
yuzu essential oil 
galbanum CO2 extract
orange blossom absolute 
jasmin sambac absolute
rose de May absolute 
ylang-ylang absolute 
jasmin auriculatum absolute 
tuberose absolute 
clove absolute 
castoreum tinctura
black tea absolute 
cognac white essential oil 
tabacco absolute 
Vetiver essential oil 
sandalwood CO2 extract
vanilla CO2 extract
artemisia absinthium essential oil 
Vietnamese agarwood essential oil 
oakmoss absolute 
ambrette CO2 extract
patchouli essential oil 
labdanum absolute 
Vanuatu  sandalwood essential oil 

Please note: 15 ml and 10ml EdPs come with a spray and the 4.5 ml perfume comes in a tiny splash bottle. 

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.

A rich, smoky blend of honey, tar, vanilla and incense.

The perfumer leaves the perfume plot sketchy - to be completed by your imagination. Are you in your autumn apiary watching honey trickle into jars, smoke lingering in the air from bonfires of fallen leaves? Are you on the well-tarred deck of a merchant ship carrying huge barrels of honey? This beautiful, smoky fragrance will definitely take you somewhere.

Starring

(these fragrant materials reanacted the Honey and Tar story):

castoreum tinctura
benzoin absolute
birch tar essential oil
Himalayan cedarwood essential oil
sweet myrrh essential oil
vetiver essential oil
guayak wood
agarwood essential oil
Atlas cedarwood  essential oil
jasmin sambac absolute
hops CO2
lavender absolute
patchouli essential oil
cardamom absolute
tonka bean absolute
vanilla CO2 extract
orris root CO2 extract
Vanuatu sandalwood essential oil
Royal Hawaiian  sandalwood essential oil

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.

Perfumer: Sven Pritzkoleit

It's a dramatic animalic dry leather. Smell the artistic take on the hyraceum aroma (a larger than life fantasy) in this perfume and also if you visit us at Covent Garden, you can discover how natural hyraceum smells. We have a piece of this ancient fascinating material for educational purposes.

Sven used natural hyraceum as obtaining this material does not involve any animal cruelty (please see below). However, the perfumer purposeley enhanced most of the nuances of natural hyraceum to dramatic proportions: animalic, urinous, leathery, ambery and barnyard.

***

What is hyraceum?

Hyraceum is the fossilized urine of hyraxes Bloom's specimen (available to smell at our Covent Garden store) came from a mountainous area in South Africa and was harvested by local tribesmen from a hyrax’s urinal area in an ancient cave (as communal animals they have a designated communal loo - latrine). Hyraceum is exclusively fossilized urine deposits (no feces). As many desert plants and animals have water saving habits – hyraxes’ urine is not a liquid. They excrete jelly-like urine that dries in the sun to a stone.

The specimen was procured with the expert assistance of The Rising Phoenix Perfumery and could be thousands of years old.