Number 11

Number 11 is The Parfum Hub's take on Louis Vuitton Ombre Nomade (2018), Jacques Cavallier Belletrud's smoky rose-oud release widely regarded as one of the most successful designer oud fragrances on the market. The pyramid is a stripped-back version of the original: raspberry and geranium open with a tart, fruity-green edge, rose and saffron build a rich, spiced floral heart, and agarwood, benzoin, incense, amberwood and birch close on a smoky, resinous base. The raspberry-into-rose transition is a fair likeness of the original's most distinctive stretch, and the smoky oud character genuinely comes through rather than reading as generic wood. Where it can't compete is scale - Ombre Nomade is famous for room-filling projection and multi-day longevity on fabric built from genuinely expensive oud materials, and this version's resinous base is noticeably lighter and settles to skin much sooner. A worthwhile way to sample the smoky rose-oud direction at a fraction of the price.