Have several Creed scents and sought to test Royal Oud before buying and glad I did-the decant came quick and I was anxious to try it-I’m not scientific in my approach-just simply do I like it or not-I don’t break down notes or whatever. The initial spray is what you would think a royal would smell like, but once the dry down begins the scents goes south so to speak-it departs from the initial fresh royal scent into a dry different scent that isn’t like any other oud scent that I have tried, such as TF, PDM or Versace to name a few…it’s just different and no it what I would like as it leaves the initial scent way behind and turns into its own dry down…but to each their own-you will have a totally different opinion from mine I’m sure. It is very strong and only need 6-8 sprays to feel covered and to project adequately. As always, Fragrance Naveah is the #1 overall pick in the fragrance draft as they lead the way with their huge and diverse inventory and unmatched pricing…add speedy delivery and it’s tough to go anywhere else-highly recommend them for all your fragrance needs…