Oud for Happiness

Unlike Oud for Greatness this is even more niche and smells unpleasant.

There is a bit of a candy cannabis note to this one like the citrus top notes of cannabis flower. I like it but it’s very strong and sharp green sweetness and a bit sour.

Oud for Happiness gave me an Instant Minty Gingery Blast that dried down to Creamy Sandalwood and Vanilla. It smells like it's name, barely any oud really. Longlasting and could overwhelm you if you Spray alot.

I've owned this since its initial release in 2021 yet somehow I've never given it a proper full wearing. Not for lack of interest but because I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to remove the incredibly tight outer paper sleeve without damaging the presentation. The packaging is absolutely gorgeous and I wanted to keep it pristine. As for the scent itself, it's a very different interpretation of the Oud for Greatness DNA. It's brighter, sharper yet every bit as powerful. At one point, I even wondered whether it contained an undeclared cannabis note because I kept picking up a slightly green, high-THC nuance when smelling the atomiser. That's probably just my imagination running wild because of the name, Oud for Happiness but the association is hard to shake! What surprised me most is how well it works in cooler weather. The opening is dominated by a vibrant burst of ginger and citrus, giving it a bright, energetic character that immediately grabs attention. The combination of vanilla, oud and licorice adds warmth, depth and a subtle sweetness that balances the freshness beautifully. Meanwhile, the herbal nuances in the base allow that green DNA to remain present throughout the wear, making it far more versatile than many fragrances in the green aromatic category. The oud itself stays firmly in the background, adding texture and structure without venturing into the fecal or barnyard territory that some oud fragrances can display. It's exceptionally well blended and never feels challenging or out of place. This is definitely not a mass-appealing release, perhaps even less so than Oud for Greatness. Yet that's precisely what makes it interesting. It's one of Initio's more underrated and lesser-discussed fragrances and in my opinion, it deserves far more attention and recognition than it receives.

Surprisingly fresh, refined and effortlessly masculine. Right from the opening, I clearly smell black pepper, even though it isn’t listed in the official notes. It’s one of those fascinating olfactory illusions. I also pick up ginger, cedar and a beautifully elegant woody base. Everything feels clean, sophisticated and undeniably luxurious. To be honest, I barely detect any oud here, despite the fact that it’s already mentioned in the fragrance’s name. To me, this feels much more like a fresh woody-spicy composition with a refined masculine character than a traditional oud fragrance. A very elegant, understated and beautifully composed scent.

This smells terrible, I don’t ever want to smell this again

Unconventional. It does smell uplifting and sweet but bold and pungent at the same time. I don't understand the vibe of a man wearing it, while I can totally see it on a woman. I like it.

Best version of oud for greatness, bright,uplifting and playful fragrance i prefer this over oud for greatness because i can wear it on any occasion and all year around fragrance very easy to wear and likeable, got few compliments as well which is plus definitely a full bottle worthy.

Very uplifting scent one of the best of the initio house very good projection, would recommend this over the oud for greatness if you’re under 30

It has an uplifting spirit. It does remind of the hotel lobbies or interior where you smell fresh citrusy aroma. You can sense the "soft" oud in the drydown. Enjoyable but for my personal taste it doesn't project strongly but still 9/10

This is perfect for people who don't like too much oud in the og although og don't have bad animalic oud but this one have even less oud and more fresh take on og oud for greatness with nice Vanilla 👌

This one is so good can be a everyday wear, layer with og oud for greatness and it works well 10/10

Lighter and more easily likable version of Oud For Greatness.

This one is 10/10 a sleeper from the brand name actually right it makes you happy after wearing this ,people always talk about oud for greatness but this one is definitely banger

Buying Oud for Happiness was a complete surprise. I didn't know anything about it until I got a free sample of Happiest Aoud by Alexandria Fragrances, which is a clone of it. Happiest Aoud was so good that I had to try the real thing. I got the 5ml travel spray from Initio and wore it on 4 different days and realized I had to get the 90ml bottle. The ginger and licorice complement each other so well. And the vanilla and musk in the dry down is fantastic. I get a smokey grass scent, probably the "oud", after about an hour. Longevity is 11-12 hours on my skin. It's a skin scent well beyond that.

Listen, this is very unique and sends the right message - opulence, Class, luxury. It's one of those smells you don't really find on any given day. The dry down is worth every penny. Although starts off very strong but 3 sprays max would be OK as it can easily FILL THE ROOM. 10/10 for everything - performance, uniqueness, and class. It could be worn in any season too - it was my Spring and Summer favourite. Oud for Greatness is my Autumn and Winter favourite. Price however could be a draw back.

The cannabis note is so accurate it made me laugh immediately I tried it at a retail store. I will most likely buy it, it’s good! Update: I finally got it! 😆

I immediately got hooked onto this fragrance from the first smell of the sample I got. What a beautifully deliciously unique scent. It’s got a touch of that citrus and ginger with an underlying sweetness and this bright green essence. I can’t really sense the oud so much, only maybe a tad bit. Like a lot of people say it’s a little dark but has a much brighter side to it compared to OFG. I strongly prefer this over OFG as well. There’s also a candy like sweetness to it that isn’t too overwhelming and compliments the other aspects of the scent super well. I will say though that this scent does seem to be very polarizing sadly, very much not a safe blind buy. However I do think it’s worth looking into as I personally think it gets too much flak for being a little strange in its openings As a scent I think it is perfectly represented in its name of happiness and its enchanting green and gold esque bottle. I will also say it is very very overpriced like a lot of niche houses are. Highly recommended getting it through gray markets. 435 is too much for any fragrance.

This is just a stunner of a fragrance. STUNNING. I don't understand why there isn't more hype around it but it's fine by me...it's gatekeeping itself! It opens with a blast of citrus then gingery spice then something lightly vanillic. No oud...at all...at all...at all...at all, which is my preference but for anyone thinking this would be oud-y, it isn't. Not even a faint whisper. It's in the same vain as Nishane Ani but the vanilla is toned down quite a bit in this. I get the licorice, albeit very faint as well but it's there. It isn't medicinal, more like a cooling effect. Oud for Happiness is just gorgeous! I'd say it leans feminine because it's very fresh but definitely can be worn by a man. Also, definitely a four season fragrance.

Awful! Bitter and screechy licorice and not much else.

This is a warmis and sweetish scent where oud is a backstage player, but it is there. I say so because I've smelt much warmer and sweeter scents, also those which have prominent oud in it. Smells nice and perhaps even unique but it is nothing extraordinary to "die" for, at least not for me. I hope my 5 ml original-looking tester is not fake because in the shop the tester smelt different and much better (or I mixed up the real name of that one).

To me it's a copy of the good old Onde Sensuelle. They do seem to have different visual note icons, but without looking it's pretty much a twin of that black pepper freshie OS.

Oud for happiness deserves more love because it's fresh, sweet and works almost all year round. Very versatile and the citrus/ vanilla scent works really well, for me at least. The only thing I found bad about the fragrance was that I couldn't smell a lot of oud which for a fragrance with oud in the name, I would expect it to have a good amount. Also the price for the fragrance is very high but is worth the money in my opinion. All and all, a good unisex fragrance. 8/10

A very strong and long lasting fragrance, fresh and spiced but at the same time very hard to pin down what exactly it smells like or imagine any notes. I find it so smooth, cohesive, and complete as a fragrance. When my husband wears it, I cannot get enough! Every one he tries one from this Black Gold line is so amazing that I cannot choose a favorite.

As I was standing at the initio stand smelling oud for happiness, I decided to check Fragratica to see what people are saying about it, and oh wow…a lot of hateful comments! Despite all the hate, I can smell an amazing FRESH MOJITO cocktail (but first sniff reminded me of Coca-Cola, icy cold one with crushed ice and a slice of lime in it) with a slight woodiness to it. It is a refreshing type of oud, and I LOVE IT. Bergamot and ginger are stars of the show in this pyramid; they set the vibe just right! Absolutely yes to wearing it all year round— perfect for every season! Projection: excellent; sillage, also great. The first thing is, I got noseblind quickly, but I can still smell it on clothes. This one went proudly to my collection and already received a compliment!

The fragrance made a very pleasant impression on me! Despite the presence of oud in the composition, I can barely detect it 🤏🏻. In the forefront, citrus notes unfold beautifully, perfectly complemented by the gentle spiciness of ginger 🫚, which adds a warm touch to the scent. The licorice note brings a pleasant candy-like sweetness, making the composition especially appealing. I also feel that there is a subtle hint of a green/herbal accord. Overall, it’s a very comfortable, soft, and wearable fragrance that is perfect for my everyday use!

Vanilla, ginger and citruses, for what it is just get Ani instead. This is the Eau d'Ombré Leather of the Black Gold collection. Not as bad as OFG to my nose but also nowhere near OFG Neo, it's just meh. Unlike those two OFH is definitely a unisex scent in my opinion. Worse performance than OFG and OFG Neo, projection is moderate, sillage is moderate to light but the nose blindness might have finally kicked in. Longevity might also be 8 hours but I don't care to find out.

Oud for Happiness is my second Initio i get to try out, alongside Side Effect but that one was a shot in the dark for me, not knowing what its gonna be. In the grand scheme of things, it ended up being rather unimpressive but i had higher expectations from Oud for Happiness. Im familiar with the Oud for Greatness DNA admitedly through Lattafa’s Oud for Glory which attempts to clone the Initio. In consequence, i thought im going in somewhat prepared to what kind of scent to expect, being a flanker and all. Well...its a different scent altogether so im forced to wipe the blackboard clean. Immediately it was obvious to me that Oud for Happiness has a far brighter, fresher and more colorful scentprofile then Oud for Greatness, hence the name “Happiness”. A sweet fruit-like note takes the lead but its not a natural sweetness. Instead, the sweetness is cranked up to candy-levels and i cannot ignore the similarities to Skittles candies, specifically the classic red ones. As “tasty” and salivating this sweetness is, its not one i associate with fine perfumery to be honest. I had the opportunity to test out a clone of Initio Paragon, namely Lattafa Al Nashama, and i recall encountering a similar type of candy-like sweetness. I personally don’t pick up on any oud, but then again im partially anosmic to oud. Behind the radiating sweetness, a shy aromatic-woody accord emerges that initially struggles to properly break through. Consulting Fragrantica, i now see its licorice and that explains things. Usually, licorice is a note i could distinguish in other creations and im well aware that its called the sweet-wood but here it comes across as synthetic. They focused and singled out the sweet side of the licorice way too much so it doesn’t feel authentic to me. Finally, Vanilla is not a shy note in perfumery in general and it “hijacks” a scent more often then not. Its not the case here because its not a vanillic perfume, neighter through aroma nor through the soft effect it often provides so i don’t get the vanilla eighter. The freshness subsides in the drydown and the darker facets of the licorice do show to a degree but at this point its rather docile and the scent lost its momentum. Amplifying this part of the scent right from the start would have resulted in a better perfume in my opinion. Overall its not bad, its radiant, appealing and im sure it draws in compliments. Its just that i didn’t expect such a sweet-fresh-woody scentprofile and taken as it is, its definetly unique but the sweetness is too candied and artificial for my taste.

This is so underrated… i get as many compliments on this as on OFG… they are not the same at all, i honestly also like OFG an Neo more than this, but this is not bad at all, performance & quality are on the same level. On spring and summer days i would prefer this over everything from the house. :)

Smells like Trolli sour gummy worms, but masculine