The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Sage & Citrus Oud arrived in 2021 from Habibi NY, a New York-based fragrance house. The perfumer's hand here belongs to Santosh Shinde, who approached the brief without rounding off the rough edges. Most citrus-forward compositions tilt bright and clean; most oud-driven compositions tilt dark and resinous. Sage & Citrus Oud lets them collide. The cumin cuts through early with a savory, almost smoky bite, and the oud lands heavy in the base rather than retreating behind softer florals or amber. The result is a fragrance that reads its own rules on the opening and the drydown alike. There's a green thread running through everything, sage mostly, that keeps the composition from sliding into pure darkness.
What makes the structure worth studying is the placement. Artemisia and cumin open the door with sharp, almost savory heat, then the heart folds in lavender and geranium to cool the edges before sage locks everything into something green and grounded. The oud waits in the base, supported by Indonesian patchouli and Java vetiver. The cedar gives it a backbone. Together the composition reads as a kind of herbal weather, an aromatic garden after a long dry stretch, where the resinous and green elements stand in for the smell of sun-baked leaves and stubborn roots.
The evolution
On skin, the first 15 minutes belong to lemon and orange, bright and almost aggressive, with cumin threading underneath like smoke under a door. Artemisia adds a bitter, almost medicinal snap that earns or loses you depending on your tolerance. By the 30-minute mark, the citrus recedes and the heart takes over. Lavender and geranium soften the composition without dulling it. Sage arrives green and camphoraceous, joined by black pepper's low warmth. This middle phase is where the fragrance is most distinctive, something fougère-adjacent but heavier, with the pepper giving it a dry, confident edge. The drydown begins gradually as the aromatics fade. Indonesian patchouli and Java vetiver arrive first, damp and earthy, and the oud settles in without drama. The oud here leans smoky, almost leathery rather than jammy, anchored by Virginia cedar's dry woodiness.
Cultural impact
Sage & Citrus Oud sits inside the broader conversation around oud in contemporary perfumery, but it makes its own argument rather than following familiar templates. The cumin-forward opening and sage-driven heart make it readable as an herbal-fougère before the agarwood registers, and that stepwise reveal is part of what gives it a distinctive character. The composition draws on Middle Eastern perfumery traditions while filtering them through a Western-style aromatic structure, and the result is something that feels rooted in both.
The House
Habibi NYHabibi NY is a New York-based niche fragrance house founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Shakir Ahmed and Tabassum Khan. The brand creates emotionally-driven scents inspired by the power of connection and the art of personal expression. Habibi NY offers a portfolio of fragrances spanning oud, woody, leather, and floral categories, with releases spanning from 2020 through 2024. Notable works include Rose Amor, White Moroccan Leather, Spiced Bergamot & Orris, Penthouse Suede, Rare Woods Elixir, Cashmere Oud, and Palace Grove. The brand retails through its own website and Bloomingdales, with a free sample included in every order. As a founder-led house, Habibi NY positions itself at the intersection of accessible luxury and authentic storytelling, drawing on the founders' personal vision rather than a house perfumer tradition.
The Creator
Santosh ShindeShinde favors luminous, warm materials, often working with white florals, amber, and vanilla to build compositions with depth and radiance. He has a particular skill for creating fragrances that feel modern without rejecting classical structure.
