Handmade in Moss Vale, NSW

Amber, Oud & Spice

Oriental perfume at its warmest — amber, oud, saffron, cinnamon and clove, hand-blended in small batches in the Southern Highlands, NSW. Evening and cold-weather wear.

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Which one

You want the darkest thing we make

Oud No. 401

You want warm and golden rather than heavy

Amber No. 235

You want spice over dark wood, for cold weather

Cinnamon No. 425

You want it dressed up — rose over oud

Desert Rose No. 209

The buyer's guide

Everything worth knowing before you choose.

What is an oriental perfume?

Oriental — increasingly called amber in the trade — is the richest, warmest family in perfumery: resins, oud, saffron and warm spice over vanilla and sandalwood. Oriental perfumes project well, last a long time, and come into their own in cooler weather and evening wear.

They are also the family most often described as smelling expensive, because the raw materials genuinely are. Resin, oud and saffron cost more per gram than almost anything else on a perfumer's bench, and there is no cheap way to fake the warmth they give.

Every Stuga oriental perfume is unisex — worn equally by men and women. Want to understand the notes first? Read our guide to perfume notes and scent families.

Which one should I choose?
DarkestOud No. 401 — oudh wood, golden amber and leather. Resinous and deep; the longest-lasting thing in the range.
Warm & goldenAmber No. 235 — lychee, amberwood and spun sugar. The sweetest here, and a signature scent for a lot of people.
SpicedCinnamon No. 425 — cinnamon bark and pink pepper over mahogany. For cold weather and close rooms.
Dressed upDesert Rose No. 209 — desert rose, agarwood and cashmere. Rose over oud, the classic Middle Eastern structure.
Smoky & sweetTobacco Leaf No. 407 — tobacco leaf and spiced plum over guaiac wood. Pipe tobacco rather than cigarette.
The odd one outWhite Musk No. 421 — silver birch and blackcurrant over white musk and oakmoss. Mossy and forest-floor rather than incense.

Want the warmth without the weight? Woods is drier and easier to wear daily. Want it sweeter? Gourmand & Vanilla.

What does amber perfume smell like?

Warm, golden and slightly powdery — the closest everyday comparison is warm skin, or the inside of an old book shop in winter. It's sweet, but a resinous sweetness rather than a sugary one, and it sits low and close rather than sparkling on top.

Amber isn't a single ingredient. It's an accord — a blend built from labdanum resin, vanilla, benzoin and soft woods — which is why no two amber perfumes smell alike. Amber No. 235 takes it bright and glowing with lychee and spun sugar over amberwood. Oud No. 401 takes the same warmth somewhere much darker, with leather and oudh.

Not, incidentally, the fossil in the jewellery shop. The two share a name and nothing else.

Warm amber — what people actually mean by it

"Warm amber" is shorthand for the golden, skin-like glow that resins give a fragrance — the quality that makes a perfume feel like it's coming from you rather than sitting on top of you. It's also why this family lasts longest of everything we make: amber and musk notes cling to skin and fabric well into the next day.

If a perfume has ever reminded you of warm skin, old libraries or mulled spice, you were probably smelling amber. Amber No. 235 is the most direct expression of it here; White Musk No. 421 is the same warmth smoothed into soft musk and birch.

More reading: best spicy and warm perfumes for winter.

What does oud actually smell like?

Oud — agarwood — is resin formed inside a tree in response to infection. It's the most expensive raw material in perfumery, and it smells nothing like the sweet "oud" of supermarket body sprays.

Real oud is animalic, medicinal and slightly barnyard on first contact, then settles into something warm, leathery and deeply woody. It's polarising for about ten minutes and then usually wins. If you've never worn it, buy the 10ml first — oud is not a blind-buy note. Read what oud actually smells like before you commit to a bigger bottle.

Is amber a good scent to wear — and when?

It's the most long-wearing family we make, and the one people most often describe as smelling expensive. The catch is heat: amber and resin amplify in warm weather, so a dose that's perfect in July is too much in January.

In an Australian summer, one spray of Oud No. 401 is plenty and two is too many. In winter, at night, or in a restaurant, this shelf comes into its own — it's what you reach for when you want to be remembered rather than merely inoffensive.

Buying an oriental perfume as a gift

This is the shelf for the person who dresses for dinner — dark bottles, evenings out, winter coats.

Buying blind for a man who likes to be noticed? Oud No. 401, or browse the Men's Cologne doorway. For a rich, warm scent that reads special rather than heavy, Amber No. 235 is the safer gift. A 10ml Traveller is a low-risk way to gift a big scent — and with this family in particular, it's the sensible way to find out whether oud is for you.

Every scent on this shelf, and what's in it
  • Oud No. 401 — Oudh Wood, Golden Amber & Leather. Our deepest, darkest scent, made for evening.
  • Amber No. 235 — Lychee, Amberwood & Spun Sugar. A saffron amber perfume — soft, warm and quietly opulent.
  • Desert Rose No. 209 — Desert Rose, Agarwood & Cashmere. Rose over agarwood and clove — the dressed-up end of the shelf.
  • Tobacco Leaf No. 407 — Tobacco Leaf, Spiced Plum & Guaiac Wood, with clove and tonka underneath.
  • Cinnamon No. 425 — Cinnamon Bark, Pink Pepper & Mahogany. Warm spice over dark wood.
  • White Musk No. 421 — Silver Birch, Blackcurrant & White Musk. Woody and aromatic over a warm amber base.

Every one comes as an eau de parfum spray, an alcohol-free spray or a roll-on perfume oil, all at the same 20–25% concentration. Vegan, cruelty-free, small batch — hand-blended and hand-poured in Moss Vale, NSW.