ACQUA DI PARMA
COLONIA OUD

2012

PERFUMER
Francois Demachy

bergamot
Orange

Oud
Amyris
Coriander

Leather
Sandalwood
Cedarwood
Musk
patchouli

‘A unique and elegant creation born from the innovative union of two olfactive themes with strong personalities: the fresh, vibrant notes of Colonia and the warm, deep notes of Agarwood. A charismatic and intensely masculine fragrance.’ – Acqua di Parma

The opening is very sharp, with a bright citrus accord, lightly spiced, overlaying a leathery wood accord. This doesn’t have the richness and opulence of most ouds that I have tried, but it’s rather aquatic or even ozonic and definitely more in line with what you would expect from the Acqua Di Parma DNA.

There’s a hint of sweetness coming through, that I would’ve pegged as honey. The freshness in the smell is very pleasant, but the sharpness gets in the way of fully enjoying the opening. Even though the fragrance clearly isn’t, the opening bordered on it being a sporty fragrance. Colonia Oud leans much more leathery than woody for me.

The drydown loses most of the freshness, which I think is a shame. However, it does get easier on the nose and the initial harshness fades into an enjoyable blend.

I went into this expecting it to be classy and (too) mature, but that’s not how I perceived this at all, to me, Colonia Oud is louder and more contemporary. I’d have to give it more wears to judge with confidence, as of now, I’m conflicted. I like the scent of the opening a lot more than the drydown. The lack of smoothness takes away points in the first hour, leaving this as a middle-of-the-road experience for me.