Montale

Founded c. 2003 · Paris, France · Pierre Montale

Pierre Montale spent years in Saudi Arabia composing for Gulf royal houses, and on returning to Paris brought oud into Western perfumery before almost anyone. Its anodised aluminium bottles are unmistakable, and its catalogue is among the largest in niche.

History

Montale spent a long spell in the Gulf working to commission for Saudi royalty, where he learned oud perfumery from the inside. Back in Paris he founded his house in the early 2000s, and his catalogue did something nobody was doing then: translating Arabic oud into the Western eau de parfum format. The aluminium bottle, chosen to protect the formula from light, became his signature. Black Aoud and Intense Café are his two big names. The house shares its origin and its style with Mancera, founded by a former collaborator.

Iconic models

Black Aoud
Rose and oud; the one that opened oud to a Western public.
Intense Café
Coffee and rose, sweet and dense. The house's best seller by a distance.
Chocolate Greedy
Cocoa and vanilla; a gourmand with no shading, and much loved for it.

Worth knowing

The aluminium bottle is not styling: oud and rose degrade in light, and Montale chose an opaque container when the whole trade was selling clear glass.