Oriental Leather

This a beautifully made Leather fragrance. This does not have resemblance to the Oud Ispahan. I can barely detect any Oud here. So it by far misses Oud Ispahan, which has a very prominent Oud.

But on the brighter side, this is one of the best Leather fragrances I have smelled. I would strongly recommend this. I have received complements on the very first wear. People at supermarket stopped me to ask about the fragrance I was wearing, and that too while they were wearing face masks. This, like other Leather fragrances is a strong one. Very good projection and longevity.

Blind buy if you love leather.

Opening has a brighter, almost citrusy rose and contrasts with oud that’s more woody than spicy. As it settles it thickens out and the rose note becomes dark and luxurious. On a scent level it’s clearly inspired by Oud Ispahan but varies from the original as much as Diptyque’s Oud Palao does, making Oriental Leather a strong interpretation of this gothic, lavish rose-oud theme in its own right. Another contrast between Oriental Leather and Oud Ispahan is the performance: OI is famously explosive and gloomy where OL sits more closely and calmly. Moody and dark but surprisingly versatile – cold daytime air invigorates it and brings out the exotic qualities.

The scent tree suggests this fragrance should approximate Dior’s lovely Oud Ispahan, but it’s quite different. I suspect the cause is the choice of Oud, as OL seems to feature a spicier wood, perhaps Cambodian, while Dior uses a darker, smoother oud (Indian?)
In any case I prefer the Dior to this one. Even Banana Republic 17 and Oud Touch are better, as clones and as fragrances on their own merits.
Hafez usually hits closer to the mark, such as with the nice Executive Aoud which I recently received.