SARAH BAKER
LOUDO
2021
PERFUMER
Chris Maurice
bergamot
neroli
petitgrain
black cherry
cypriol
orange blossom
white chocolate
Laos oud
Suyufi agarwood
musk
amber
vanilla
‘Playful and sweet with the flavours of childhood appetites, it dries down to something seriously grown-up. Proustian aromas and a nostalgic glimpse of a beloved game encountered in the attic, realising years later it was the seed of your adult prowess; the sensual, sexy and clever you.’ – Sarah Baker
This is part of the Oud Trilogy by Chris Maurice for Sarah Baker (Symmetry, Loudo and Gold Spot) Chris Maurice has worked with the house to create a trilogy of three fragrances using a composition of orange blossom, cypriol, and 100% natural Laotian oud and Suyufi agarwood tinctured by the perfumer.
I’ve heard several people mention Loudo as their favorite release of the year back in 2021 and I can see why people were so enamored by it. It’s quite an unusual fragrance, with a skanky side, but it’s ultimately a cozy gourmand that a lot of people will gravitate towards.
The opening reminds me of the slightly dirty vanilla and ylang-ylang combination from Perris Vanille de Tahiti, but Loudo adds a light cherry scent. I don’t always love cherry, but it’s subtle here and I more so get cherry tobacco than fruit.
In general, the dry woodiness (sweet ouds and cypriol) give off a mildly smoky, tobacco vibe to me at fist. However, it doesn’t take long at all for the gourmand core to reveal itself and to overtake the composition. Loudo has a beautiful vanilla scent and within an hour it starts to move into the white chocolate scent that is promised within the notes. When sampling it took me longer to get the actual chocolate, but wearing it today, it was clearly there early on.
To me personally, the cherry scent is not as noticeable as I’ve heard others describe it, but there is something acidic from either the cherry or the florals that keeps the sweetness lively and light. It’s a rich fragrance, but at the same time, it doesn’t wear me down at all, there is a welcome room to breathe in the composition.
After a while, the chocolate reverts back to a powdery and musky vanilla skin scent. Iris is not in the notes, but I absolutely perceive a buttery iris texture throughout most of the wear.
Loudo is very sweet, but at first woody and then powdery, making it lean to the sophisticated, classy side of the gourmand realm. An absolutely lovely fragrance and I look forward to sampling more of this brand, starting with Symmetry. Gold Spot is the last of the trilogy and it’s more similar to Loudo.
