I love checking out local perfume brands whilst I’m abroad anyway, but I was particularly excited to do this in Malaysia. The specific tree I’m interested in actually grows in Malaysia, so I was really hoping to smell some real Malaysian oud. Whilst I was there, I heard about Fuse Kuala Lumpur, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to visit their physical store.
However, I did find out that they ship to the UK, so when I got back, I placed an order, including real Malaysian Oud oils and fragrances from their Prestige and Black Label line.
Who are Fuse Kuala Lumpur?
Fuse Kuala Lumpur are a Malaysian perfume brand who first launched in 2014.
What sets them apart from other fragrance brands is their origin story and their mission. Originally they were oud planters, and distillers of this wondrous ingredient. So in my book, this is a brand that has genuine, hands-on experience of working with real oud.
Their mission is to challenge the widely held belief that Oud always smells fecal or poopish, and to do this by infusing the best parts of real Malaysian Oud into their fragrances.
For whatever reason, real Malaysian Oud was a dying industry, with exports diminishing year on year, affecting the livelihoods of local oud farmers. Fuse Kuala Lumpur are trying to reverse this trend, sourcing local real Malaysian Oud, whether wild or farmed, keeping planters in business and changing the way people view (or smell) oud. They decide which oud is used in the distillation process, and oversee it themselves.
Is Fuse Kuala Lumpur expensive then if they use real oud?
Despite everything I’ve said about wild oud being expensive, Fuse Kuala Lumpur are actually quite affordable in the grand scheme of things. I bought two oud oils from them: Imperial Oud and Khazanah. I checked with them where the oud actually came from, and they confirmed that Khazanah is wild oud, and Imperial contains a mix of both wild and farmed.
My guess on the relatively low price point is that Malayisan Oud as an industry is still building itself back up again, because it certainly is nothing to do with the quality. The juice is truly something to behold.
Fuse Kuala Lumpur KHAZANAH
Today I’ll be reviewing Khazanah, their wild Malaysian oud oil.
It comes in a 3ml bottle with a glass applicator stick that enables you to apply the oil to various parts of your skin. I always prefer the sticks to roller oils, as they remind me of roll-on deodorants and actually feel unhygienic.
What does Fuse Kuala Lumpur Khazanah smell like?
I’ve genuinely never smelled an oud quite like it. Taking off the lid, you get a really strong, sharp blast of that oud. It’s very, very powerful. Beyond that, there is darkly sweet quality to it, quite resinous and perhaps reminiscent of an expensive honey, with just a touch of menthol, which gives it a clean feeling. At the same time, it’s a little earthy, yet slightly dry. It reminds me of walking through the woods, on a cool autumn morning.
Fuse themselves say that Khazanah is also a little smokey, and I’d say that is a fair description – the smokiness is not prominent at all. What I personally really enjoy about this oil is the strength, the complexity and the depth. It also reminds you that oud isn’t always animalic, it isn’t always floral or overwhelmingly smokey. I don’t think I’ve ever smelt an oud like this before, it’s definitely not the typical style that you’d smell on people in the GCC. It just goes to show that there’s so much variation amongst ouds.
This is quite possibly the cleanest oud i’ve smelt to date.
Longevity and sillage
Absolute beast mode. A typical fragrance oil will tend to sit close to the skin, but I could smell Khazanah on my husband from across the room. This is good for me, because I need to make that 3ml last!
But the sheer strength of this means that you just don’t need all that much anyway. A small swipe behind the ears and on the collarbone is more than enough.
As for longevity, you might expect something that starts off burning so brightly might die out pretty quickly, but nope. I kid you not, this lasts well over 12 hours on the skin. I think this is partly because, unlike most other oils I’ve tried, it doesn’t actually transfer so much onto your clothes. It sticks to you.
I applied some to my skin at 8am yesterday, and I can still smell it at bedtime. I’m thoroughly impressed by both the longevity and the sillage – a true testament to the quality of Malaysian Ouds in general, but more specifically to the expertise of Fuse Kuala Lumpur.
How much does it cost and where can I buy it from?
As mentioned, Khazanah is a wild oud that comes in a 3ml vial that will set you back 470 MYR, which is around £84. In my experience, this is so much more affordable than other wild oud oils out there.
If oil is not to your taste, not to worry. They have a range of spray perfumes that contain real Malaysian oud oil, which cost around £66 for 40ml. Again, this is so much more affordable than most other brands that use real oud in their fragrances.
You can make a purchase through their website here – they ship worldwide, including the UK!
