Our take
What does Oud Minérale smell like?
Tom Ford added Oud Minérale to the Private Blend collection in 2017. The idea fits in one line: pair oud, usually heavy and smoky, with sea air. It opens on salt and seaweed, with a sting of pink pepper. Think of a rock still wet at low tide. Then the oud arrives, drier than smoky, softened by styrax resin. In the base, ambergris and fir resin lay down a salty warmth that lasts. The result is surprising without being strange. It recalls a driftwood fire on an autumn beach. Next to Oud Wood, the house's best known oud, Oud Minérale is less creamy and far more briny. If animalic oud scares you, this is a safe way in, with no barnyard and no smoke. If you want a loud oud, its restraint will disappoint.
When to wear it
For late summer evenings and autumn weekends. Three sprays on skin, since the salt fades early and leaves the wood on its own.
It belongs to the Woody, Aquatic family. Oud Minérale is one of 33 creations by Tom Ford in our encyclopedia.
