Kinam Rouge is one of my favorite perfumes. I’ve smelled few things so satisfying as Vietnamese oud stained by the deep red of Rose 1978 and the rouge of red champaca, myrrh and musk-infused patchouli.
Because it’s a pure concentrate, this ghalia edition may actually capture the profile even better than its sprayable sister. The rich resinous cherry oud, velvet smooth with a liqueur-like olfactory texture through which saffron oleoresin imbibed by grapefruit and red mandarin drunk on carnation come together to bedazzle you with boozy top notes.
People talk about a ‘cherry zone’ in the perfume, which in attar form smells even more dense – tastier, if you will. Then add henna’s herbaceous rouge to juhi jasmine and red cedar and the aroma melts with a rich sweetness.
Kinam Rouge’s decadent crimson heart pulsates off frangipani’s fusion with red champa to lend an exquisite floral tone to the zesty top.
Where frankincense is fresh and citrusy, red myrrh is soulful, earthy, and adds a darker syrupy sweet tone that works like magic with the rich creamy tang of the highest quality frangipani.
A dash of pink pepper at the top and pink lotus (it took us ages to find a harvest worth using) alongside the henna-decorated frangi-champa fusion. The lily’s buttery pink is morphed by the pasty plumeria and red champaca’s narcotic fondant to create a spicy burgundy finish.
The sensual top notes that lead you to a luxury floral theater where the notes all play in unison is backed by a base ensemble composed of the quintessential red oud – Vietnamese oud – in the form of Kinam Rouge coupled with Nha Trang Saafi (both now discontinued) oozing out pristine crassna-sinensis resin right into a gush of the reddest Sultani Oud in our collection.
Because it’s an attar, the effect of the ∼30-40 years-aged Malaysian oud is felt almost immediately, and more pronounced, as opposed to spray format where it’s more diffused and tends to emerge as a base note.
So, while the perfume was an oud perfume lover’s dream, this ghalia is any oudhead’s red lush love affair.
In fact, if you own the perfume, I’d totally layer the ghalia with a spritz!
The way this incense-grade oldie (even the oldest, rarest Malaysian ouds you could wish to find would likely be two decades younger than this) and the Nha Trang and grapefruit and carnation inside the frangipani inside the magnolia inside the vintage red rose inside the red jasmine all painted with henna dried with red cedar makes this Kinam Rouge.
“Part of it smells drinkable. There is a peaceful but also sexy vibe to this thing too.” – Chano V. / USA
Kinam Rouge Ghalia features Black Ambergris SQ, along with full-spectrum patchouli infused with Tibetan musk to add lift and projection. This is not only the first raw-musk-infused patchouli I know of, but these ancient musk pods’ truffle-like flavor imbues the amber-earthy aroma of fine patchouli with a priceless edge.
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I missed Kinam Rouge parfum when it was released last year. It was offered as a 50mL only. That was more juice than I wanted, so I thought I’d jump in on a split, but I screwed around and the split closed without me. So I was delighted that EO decided to bring KR back as an oil.
Recently received my sample of KR Gahlia, along with a sample of Hajar Aswad parfum, another EO have been dying to try. Last night, the KRG attar.
Immediate impression just cracking open the sample tube and sniffing, without even swiping: cherry oud! First swipe: cherries, red rose, jasmine, other florals and cherry oud. There is a lot of oud evident here. The oud is zingy and medicinal, not tarry or smoky. And the oud smells as if it has been drenched in cherries. How did they do that? People who did not get cherries from the spray should try this oil version.
As great as the oud is, the florals are equal. I get some champa and pink lotus in there, but the floral stars are Rose 1978 and juhi jasmine. Both are stellar and both support the overall red impression of the fragrance. It seems odd that a jasmine would work so well in a red fragrance, but it fits in well with the cherry theme. KRG dries down as a herbal but smooth patchouli, actually a patch-musk infusion I think?, with an echo of the oud that was the star of the show. The drydown is green and clean almost soapy.
One swipe to the nape of the neck delivered a nice cherry oud cloud for me for the entire evening.
Short take: KRG attar is an oud+floral attar that reads Cherry Red. At $335 for 2g, KRG is also a pretty solid deal. Now I have to go find a sample of the parfum, just to compare the two. #january23sotd
Kinam, oh beautiful kinam. If I could I would only buy this. But that would be limiting myself from all the other great things out there. I know many people found this either challenging or not so great performance wise. But I’m here to tell those people, please do yourself a favour and give it another chance. This is the most meditative oud I’ve ever come across, it always soothes and calms me when I smell it. The performance has never been an issue for me as two sprays have lasted me more than 24hrs sometimes. It’s all about giving it time and bonding with this oud. This Friday I will be wearing it as I send salawaat on our prophet (S.A.W)
اللهم صل على سيدنا ونبينا محمد