Oud Wood Intense vs Plum Japonais
Side by side. Scored honestly.
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Side by side
Comparing the originals — price, breadth, listed-note depth.
Opens with a sharp cardamom bite that quickly gives way to a dense, resinous oud — smoky but polished, not barnyard. Sandalwood and cedar smooth the heart into something almost creamy, while leather adds a dry, slightly animalic edge that keeps it from going soft. Amber anchors the dry-down with a warm, honeyed depth that lingers close to skin for hours. Projection is moderate but deliberate; sillage is a dark, woody trail rather than a cloud. — Cold-weather evenings, formal settings, anyone who wants oud that commands without shouting.
Opens with a ripe, almost bruised plum that's more lacquered than juicy, immediately softened by osmanthus lending an apricot-skin sweetness with faint leather underneath. The heart deepens into smoky incense that keeps the fruit from going gourmand-syrupy, holding everything in elegant tension. Dry-down is warm sandalwood and amber with a skin-close musk — projection is moderate to low, sillage intimate rather than commanding. The overall effect is a sophisticated, quietly smoldering oriental that wears like a second skin — ideal for cold-weather evenings and anyone who prefers depth over spectacle.
How they overlap
Oud Wood Intense and Plum Japonais share 2 notes (sandalwood, amber). The same note name doesn't always mean the same scent — different houses use different vanillas, different woods, different musks — but a multi-note shared spine usually does indicate genuinely-comparable wear character. The remaining notes (4 unique to Oud Wood Intense, 4 unique to Plum Japonais) are where the divergence happens.
The buying decision
Plum Japonais is the cheaper original at $365 compared to $375 for Oud Wood Intense — about 3% less. Both wear best across the same fall/winter — they're interchangeable on weather fit.