Oajan by Parfums De Marly

Still working my way through the long list of fragrances by Parfums de Marly. Today, I have another very popular fragrance from the lineup, Oajan. How does this one stack up? What does it smell like? How does Oajan perform? Please continue below for my full review of this Parfums de Marly cologne.

Reviewing Oajan: What does it Smell Like?

Notes include: tonka bean, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, benzoin, musk, labdanum, patchouli, and more

Click here to try: Parfums de Marly Oajan EDP Spray, 4.2 oz.

My Full Wear Review

Wow. The opening whiff of Oajan gives me a tri-blend of tonka bean, cinnamon, and benzoin. The benzoin note brings to mind, Kouros Body by YSL, and the cinnamon is an enhancement of the incense spice found in that cologne.

The aroma given off is one that is both very rich and fresh, with a dark sweetness. It really comes across as a unique scent in the opening. Spicy, fairly clean, with a balsamic aroma.

The real standout is the osmanthus note which gives this one its sweetness. Fruity sweet, but still with that darker masculine edge. It’s the same note that gives Flowerbomb its opening burst.

After 5 minutes or so, is when I really start to notice the honey note and its accompaniment by the vanilla. It is a smooth and somewhat thick creaminess, that pairs so damn well with the cinnamon.

The spice is there, but it takes a backseat to the sweeter notes. Honestly, the entire profile of the scent reminds me a lot of 1 Million Prive. The cinnamon fades as you get deeper into the wear, but it does hang around throughout.

Oajan has this sort of apple cinnamon aroma to it just like the Paco Rabanne scent. It’s quite straightforward but very intriguing. The sweetness just comes from the honey, osmanthus, tonka, and vanilla rather than any apple.

Nonetheless, it is different from Prive, with less sweetness and more of a warmer impression with benzoin tones. It also gets quite dark with a deeper richness, than the Paco Rabanne fragrance. Great resinous finish.

The amber and labdanum are in control towards the end. The fuzziness of benzoin has calmed, the osmanthus is gone, and you get a mix of vanilla and tonka bean in support.

Sillage, How Long it Lasts, and Versatility

Projection wise, Oajan is pretty heavy stuff. You’ll only need a few sprays to do a proper job, but it does calm down a bit roughly 30 mins in. You get your money’s worth with the sillage.

Update: I bought a full bottle of this at the end of 2022. The next few hours are pretty moderate and don’t have nearly the same reach as that bold start. It doesn’t seem to pack exactly the same punch over the duration, so I’ve adjust my ratings below to reflect this.

It also has the type of all day longevity that you want from a cologne. It never quits on my skin. You’re looking at a solid 10+ hour wear, in most circumstances, and Oajan can hit that 12+ hour mark too.

Update:  I no longer get 12 hours with Oajan on skin. Clothes, sure. Now on skin, it is in the 9-ish hour range. Still good performance, just doesn’t have that same elite level, sadly.

Seasonally, this would be best in the winter or fall months. I’ve worn it on cooler nights, here in the summer, but it’d be a mess in the heat. Coming back to this in the winter, and I can say, it is amazing in the cold. Oajan just works perfectly when contrasting with the crisp evening air.

I really like the versatility of Oajan. You can wear it casually, dressed up, or to a night at the bar. It is very attractive and sexy. Women seem to enjoy it. Sure, it is limited to certain climates and temperatures, but it can be worn in a wide variety of situations.

Overall Impressions of Oajan

Overall, would I recommend Oajan? Yes, I think that it is a fantastic scent. It seems the at 1 Million Prive took a page out Oajan’s book and blended it with the original 1 Million.

This scent by Parfums de Marly, is one that I could see myself wearing in the future, and I think it’d be fantastic on a colder evening.

The dark benzoin aroma the permeates this scent, is a great play against, the thick sweetness of honey, and the nice refreshing kick of cinnamon. The performance is outstanding and the fragrance is unique enough to be worthwhile as a signature cologne.

Update: I do love wearing this even more. Now, I’ve downgraded the sillage and longevity ratings to reflect the differences between my full batch and that sample batch from years back. However, I increased the scoring of the aroma category, as my esteem for the scent itself has only gotten stronger.

This is one of my favrorite PdM fragrances and one of the cinnamon based colognes that I love to wear in the cold weather.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.