Adour

Tom Ford's Oud Wood is prized for its refined, creamy oud accord, supported by sandalwood and vetiver and finished with a warm, softening base of tonka bean, vanilla and amber that gives it a sophisticated, skin-close intimacy. Adour, inspired by it, opens on rosewood, tobacco and pepper, a smokier start than the original but one that sets up the oud heart nicely. The oud-patchouli-vetiver middle is where the dupe earns its keep, delivering a genuinely woody, resinous character that recalls the designer version reasonably well. It is the base that diverges most: labdanum and cedarwood in place of Tom Ford's creamy tonka-vanilla finish leave the drydown drier and more austere, trading the original's polished sophistication for something rougher and more rustic. Longevity sits around three to five hours, short of Oud Wood's own four-to-six-hour EDP performance. A solid, if less refined, way into the oud-wood category.