Green Wood

Green Wood opens on saffron and a wave of agarwood - the oud-forward signature that defines Montale's Aoud Lime, though here it is gentler from the start. A rose-and-iris heart laced with patchouli softens the wood, before a base of sweet sandalwood and amber carries it down. Against the Montale original the difference is mostly intensity: where Aoud Lime throws a bombastic, room-filling oud cloud that lasts ten hours, this budget rendering is much tamer and flatter, the oud milder and the drydown simpler. It wears as a rich oud-rose woody scent built for cool weather, evenings and dressier occasions - approachable where the original can be overwhelming. Projection is modest and longevity skin-close after the opening hours, the usual budget trade against the famously long-lasting original. As a smell-alike it captures the oud-rose-saffron idea while losing the sheer power and tenacity that made Aoud Lime notorious.