Oud for Greatness: Expert’s Review [Updated]

Bold, masculine and mysterious. These are just a few ways to describe the 2018 release from the house of Initio, Oud for Greatness (OFG).

Oud can be a challenging scent to incorporate into a fragrance. However, out of all the oud fragrances I have tried such as Tom Ford Oud Wood, MFK Oud, Giorgio Armani Oud Royal, Initio’s OFG by far comes out on top.

“It is a true work of art and an absolute masterpiece.”

John Ibrahim

OFG is a unique, long lasting fragrance consisting of all natural ingredients. It boasts top notes of lavender, saffron and nutmeg. The heart embodies natural oud and agarwood, whilst sitting on a base of patchouli and musk.

Once applied, OFG opens with a slightly sweet yet enriching oud scent. It smells endulgent, exotic and expensive. As the scent dries down, the oud accord maintains its presence whilst blending in with the musk accord.

On my skin, I get an easy 12+ hours with the strongest projection being in the first 4-6 hours.

Less is more with this fragrance, so don’t go ‘trigger happy’. It is well and truly beast mode with high sillage, projecting up to 2-3 metres. I am generally sparing with application with no more than 3 sprays as any more can be quite suffocating.

Hence, this probably isn’t the best choice for the summer season. OFG in my opinion is best worn during cooler, night time weather during winter or spring.

This fragrance is not for everyone. I believe you need a certain type of personality to pull this off as it is quite bold and up front. OFG is marketed as a unisex fragrance, however I believe it leans more masculine.

This is a great choice for a date or formal event if you’re looking to get noticed.

Much like the design of the bottle, I envision this fragrance best suited when worn with darker clothing. Colours such as black, gold, grey and white would all be highly complementary to this type of fragrance.

Should You Buy OFG this year?

Updated: Overall, Initio have really set themselves apart with their fragrance, Oud for Greatness. If you’re looking for an oud scent that smells incredible and has good longevity, then this is honestly your best choice.

The only downfall is its price, valued at $459 AUD (Australian dollar) for a 90ml bottle. Personally, I only have a decant of this fragrance but I’ll definitely be looking to buy a bottle in the near future.