Iconic oriental perfumes

From Shalimar to Baccarat Rouge 540, oriental perfumes embody opulence and sensuality. Discover the history of this legendary olfactory family.

What defines an oriental perfume?

Oriental perfumes are characterized by warm, opulent and enveloping notes: amber, vanilla, resins, exotic spices. They evoke luxury and sensuality, often worn in the evening.

The history: Shalimar, the founding oriental

In 1925, Jacques Guerlain created Shalimar, considered the first great modern oriental perfume. Inspired by a love legend of Emperor Shah Jahan, Shalimar combines bergamot, iris, vanilla and Tolu balsam in a revolutionary amber accord.

This creation marks the beginning of the oriental family and influences all twentieth-century perfumery.

Oriental perfumes in Perfumdle

Oriental sub-families

Oriental spicy

Oriental spicy fragrances add notes of clove, cinnamon, cardamom. Opium (Yves Saint Laurent, 1977) and Coco (Chanel, 1984) are the archetypes: powerful, sensual, distinctive.

• Youth Dew (Estée Lauder, 1953)
• Opium (Yves Saint Laurent, 1977)
• Coco (Chanel, 1984)
• Tobacco Vanille (Tom Ford, 2007)
• The One for Men (Dolce & Gabbana, 2008)
• Spicebomb (Viktor & Rolf, 2012)
• Oajan (Parfums de Marly, 2013)
• Naxos (Xerjoff, 2015)
• Rose of No Man's Land (Byredo, 2015)
• Boss The Scent (Hugo Boss, 2015)
• Spicebomb Extreme (Viktor & Rolf, 2015)
• Nisean (Parfums de Marly, 2016)
• Side Effect (Initio Parfums Prives, 2016)
• Pure XS (Paco Rabanne, 2017)
• Wanted by Night (Azzaro, 2018)
• Kalan (Parfums de Marly, 2019)
• Stronger With You Intensely (Giorgio Armani, 2019)

Oriental gourmand

Since Angel (Thierry Mugler, 1992), oriental gourmands blend amber and edible notes (caramel, praline, chocolate). Black Opium, La Petite Robe Noire and Candy embody this addictive trend.

• Angel (Thierry Mugler, 1992)
• A*Men (Thierry Mugler, 1996)
• Hypnotic Poison (Dior, 1998)
• La Petite Robe Noire (Guerlain, 2009)
• Candy (Prada, 2011)
• Habdan (Parfums de Marly, 2013)
• Intense Cafe (Montale, 2013)
• Black Opium (Yves Saint Laurent, 2014)
• Raghba (Lattafa, 2014)
• Bitter Peach (Tom Ford, 2020)
• Althair (Parfums de Marly, 2023)

Oriental floral

Oriental florals combine oriental opulence with a floral heart. Flowerbomb (Viktor & Rolf, 2005) and Portrait of a Lady (Frédéric Malle, 2010) are modern references, rich in rose and patchouli.

• Allure (Chanel, 1996)
• Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel, 2001)
• Dior Addict (Dior, 2002)
• Crystal Noir (Versace, 2004)
• Flowerbomb (Viktor & Rolf, 2005)
• Euphoria (Calvin Klein, 2005)
• Black Orchid (Tom Ford, 2006)
• The One (Dolce & Gabbana, 2006)
• Burberry London (Burberry, 2006)
• Noir de Noir (Tom Ford, 2007)
• Love Don't Be Shy (By Kilian, 2007)
• Portrait of a Lady (Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, 2010)
• Guilty (Gucci, 2010)
• Roberto Cavalli (Roberto Cavalli, 2012)
• Olympéa (Paco Rabanne, 2015)
• Oud Satin Mood (Maison Francis Kurkdjian, 2015)
• Decadence (Marc Jacobs, 2015)
• Good Girl (Carolina Herrera, 2016)
• Layton (Parfums de Marly, 2016)
• Twilly d'Hermès (Hermès, 2017)
• Scandal (Jean Paul Gaultier, 2017)
• Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait (Maison Francis Kurkdjian, 2017)
• The Only One (Dolce & Gabbana, 2018)
• Cassili (Parfums de Marly, 2019)
• Ani (Nishane, 2019)
• Libre Intense (Yves Saint Laurent, 2020)
• Alien Goddess (Thierry Mugler, 2021)

Oriental woody

Oriental woody fragrances reinforce the amber structure with precious woods, oud or cedar. Alien (Thierry Mugler, 2005) and Tobacco Vanille (Tom Ford, 2007) illustrate this luxurious category.

• Tabac Blond (Caron, 1919)
• Eau des Merveilles (Hermes, 2004)
• Alien (Thierry Mugler, 2005)
• Oud Wood (Tom Ford, 2007)
• Shagya (Parfums de Marly, 2009)
• Epic Man (Amouage, 2009)
• Ispazon (Parfums de Marly, 2010)
• Alexandria II (Xerjoff, 2012)
• Interlude Man (Amouage, 2012)
• Replica Jazz Club (Maison Margiela, 2013)
• Hamdani (Parfums de Marly, 2013)
• L'Homme Ideal (Guerlain, 2014)
• Noir Extrême (Tom Ford, 2015)
• Halfeti (Penhaligon's, 2015)
• Oud for Greatness (Initio Parfums Prives, 2018)
• Ombre Nomade (Louis Vuitton, 2018)
• Instant Crush (Mancera, 2019)
• Pegasus Exclusif (Parfums de Marly, 2020)
• Angels' Share (By Kilian, 2020)
• Eragon (Parfums de Marly, 2025)