Estee Lauder Legacy White Linen Oud, Nicolai Patchouli Spirit, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Kurky and other reviews – 2025

Frederic Malle may have left Estee Lauder, but his name is all over the brand’s publicity material for one of the most unexpected flankers in recent years: an oud version of the classic White Linen from 1978. Not exactly the first candidate that comes to mind for the agarwood treatment. I reviewed it in a recent set of Love At First Scent episodes, together with a Nicolai Harrods exclusive called Patchouli Spirit, something new and something reissued from Francis Kurkdjian and the entirety of the range from an intriguing Italian setup called Rubini. Here are links to all the videos followed by further thoughts on some of the scents: Estee Lauder Legacy White Linen Oud review — Nicolai Patchouli Spirit review — Rubini showcase review — Maison Francis Kurkdjian Le Beau Parfum (2025) and Kurky reviews.

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Hyperion (Cristiano Canali) 7:35
Nuvolari (Cristiano Canali) 11:46
Odenaturae (Cristiano Canali)15:01
Fundamental (Cristiano Canali) 18:44
Tambour Sacre (Cristiano Canali) 21:49

Le Beau Parfum 3:04
Kurky 11:46

Some independent brands feel they need to grab the world’s attention by composing works that are merely odd, by which I mean that they offer nothing beyond bizarreness. Most perfumers will tell you that it’s not difficult to create something that smells strange: it’s much harder to make it strange enough to be intriguing and compelling, but not so strange that nobody would ever want to wear it. By and large, Rubini strike this delicate balance well, especially in the last three scents on my list above. Odenaturae attempts to do what many scents before it have done extremely well — pay homage to the wonders of flora and fauna — but it achieves its aim in a commendably unconventional way. Here, cliched presentations of freshly-cut grass and pretty flowers are pushed aside in favour of the more challenging personalities of chamomile, tomato leaf and immortelle. This is nature as a force that is as threatening as it is life-sustaining — a tremendous achievement by Cristiano Canali. Fundamental (the brand’s first release which was re-worked in 2023, I believe) is equally surprising. Here too, the focus is on the power of the planet, but whereas Odenaturae portrays what’s happening on the surface, Fundamental explores the underworld. Flinty, peaty, bitter elements combine with oozing fruit (shades of Goblin Market) to create an effect that fizzes with life — like some yeasty apparition seeping out through the cracks in the tectonic plates. Primal forces make themselves known in Tambour Sacre as well, a fascinating brew of myrrh, coffee and pepper. Just when you think it’s going to rip itself apart into nonsense, it manages to hold its opposing forces together and keep them in balance for an impressively long time. I urge you to seek out this unusual brand’s discovery set.

The two Kurkdjians are interesting. For quite some time now, Captain Kurk has been working to make his eponymous range what could forgivingly be called ‘accessible’. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, if that’s the aesthetic he wishes to pursue. I’m aware that Kurky attracted a considerable amount of criticism for being little more than a simple fruity musk. To be sure, it is little more than a simple fruity musk, but the quality of the latter that Kurkdjian has used here is excellent, lifting the whole far above what other brands would have given us if they’d created something in the same genre. Since I broadcast the video above, several people have been in touch to say that they’ve given the scent a second chance and they can now appreciate its uncomplicated charm.

I remain undecided about Legacy White Linen Oud — this is normally a positive sign, because it suggests the perfume in question isn’t easy to pigeonhole or write off. At the time of writing, my overriding view of it is the one I expressed in the video, which is that it reminds me of the cheap — but in many cases attractive — east-meets-west aldehydic ouds that have been available in the souqs of the Middle East for decades. As an entry in the Lauder catalogue it is, let’s face it, a peculiar anomaly. The mind boggles at the thought of where the Legacy collection might go next.

Finally, in what looks like further evidence that the brand is deservedly winning increasing success in the UK, Nicolai give us a Harrods exclusive. Patchouli Spirit sums up all that’s best about Patricia De Nicolai’s style. With its broad shoulders and square jaw, it nods to the past, while remaining grounded in the present. It is nowhere near as linear as most contemporary releases, revealing new layers as it develops. And it’s a veritable feast for the senses, combining the freshness of lavender, the romance of rose and the earthiness of patchouli — as well as a few spicy, carnal-esque Nicolai secrets — to give us an elegant lothario. I hope it does extremely well, so that it becomes more widely available.

Persolaise

[Review samples of all of the above were provided by the brands, with the exception of the Rubinis, which were provided by Sainte Cellier.]

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