An arbiter of good taste, with elegance running through its DNA, you can always put your trust and confidence in an Acqua di Parma fragrance. At the base of this woody cologne for men are notes of tobacco and amber to give this fragrance its classic earthy edge. Created by Parfums de Marly’s artistic director, Julien Sprecher, Haltane is a bold, very masculine scent with ageless appeal which has been composed using a pyramid of exceptional materials. With notes of clary sage, mirabelle, palo santo and more, this pick really puts the earthy bark in a “woodsy” scent.

Matthew Milèo, a chemist, former in-house fragrance expert for Chanel, and founder of the luxe oud-based skincare line, Milèo New York, told us that "because of the nature of fabric, it only catches some parts of the perfume and not the entire accord—which is why fragrances can smell more powdery on clothes.

When the tree is infected by a mould known as Phialophora parasitica it reacts by producing a dense, dark and fragrant resin to protect itself.

The oud (agarwood) kicks in properly after an hour or two (although is present from the offset), flanked by patchouli and leatherwood.Fun fact: Maison Louis Marie has been creating some of the most delicate botanical-based scents since 1792. Perfumer and creator Francis Kurkdjian described the scent as “his interpretation of a floral-fruity theme with gourmand undertones. Created by Pierre Negrin, this one – mysterious and moody, and inspired by a smoky journey through the misty mountains of Borneo – has loads of masculine bravado. For this story, she considered dozens of different woodsy fragrances, paying close attention to their fragrance profiles. In our testing, we found it to be one of the longest-lasting options on our list, exactly what you’d expect from Tom Ford’s very special private collection.