Royal Arabian Oud

Royal Arabian Oud is the most oriental reference in the range, and the most pared-back: five materials, not one more.

— The opening holds to a single note, and makes no apology for it: saffron. Leathery, lightly honeyed, never sharp — it is the signature spice of Gulf perfumery, and here it walks on alone.

— The heart pairs incense with violet. The incense brings that solemn, resinous side of mosque fragrances, the violet a powdery veil that softens it. This contrast between the sacred and the tender is the whole interest of the fragrance.

— The base is deep: oud wood, ambroxan and musk. The oud arrives at the end of the journey, which makes it far more wearable than a head-on oud, and the ambroxan gives it that warm-skin impression that carries a long way.

An evening fragrance, for autumn and winter, genuinely unisex. To be honest: this is an oud, so a register that divides — anyone who has never smelled oud should test it before buying. One to two sprays are enough; it has presence.

The notes

Top — Saffron
Heart — Incense, violet
Base — Oud wood, ambroxan, musk

Olfactive family

Oud and precious woods

For hygiene reasons, this product cannot be returned once it has been unsealed after delivery. Your 14-day right of withdrawal applies in full to items whose original packaging has not been opened.

Royal XO is the most accomplished of the Assala Prime range, and the only truly original one: a gourmand built around an aromatic rum note and barrel wood.

— The opening is warm and unexpected: rum, cinnamon and hazelnut. Rum is a rare note in perfumery — warm, sweet, with a caramelised side — and it immediately gives the fragrance an identity you cannot mistake for anything else.

— The heart carries the idea on: tonka bean, jasmine and oak. Oak is the wood of the cask, and that is exactly what it evokes here. The tonka bean adds its scent of almond and cut hay.

— The base is creamy and lasting: cedar, vanilla and musk. It is what rounds the whole thing off and makes it hold on the skin.

An evening fragrance, for autumn and winter, unisex and rather sophisticated. The “barrel wood” register is very fashionable in niche perfumery, and Assala offers it here at a fraction of the usual price. Two sprays.

The notes

Top — Rum, cinnamon, hazelnut
Heart — Tonka bean, jasmine, oak
Base — Cedar, vanilla, musk

Olfactive family

Gourmand, praline and sweet

For hygiene reasons, this product cannot be returned once it has been unsealed after delivery. Your 14-day right of withdrawal applies in full to items whose original packaging has not been opened.

Fakhama — “sumptuousness” in Arabic — is the most dressed-up masculine of the Assala range.

Assala does not publish the detail of its composition, and no European reseller does either. What is documented with certainty is its structure: the house places it in the floral woody oriental family.

— It opens on citrus and light spices.

— It develops on a woody heart with a floral touch.

— It ends on a base of amber and musk — warm, resinous, with long wear.

A fragrance that works as well in the daytime as in the evening, and that is not tied to any particular season: the woody-amber structure stays comfortable all year.

Olfactive family

Citrus and aromatics

For hygiene reasons, this product cannot be returned once it has been unsealed after delivery. Your 14-day right of withdrawal applies in full to items whose original packaging has not been opened.