Lattafa Bade’e Al Oud Oud for Glory 100ml EDP – Initio Dupe

Initio Oud for Greatness is the oud people save up for. Saffron, lavender and a dark, smoky agarwood, and £320 for 90ml on Initio’s own UK site. That price is the reason you’re on this page.

Bade’e Al Oud Oud for Glory launched in 2020 as the first release in Lattafa’s Bade’e Al Oud line, and it is still the one most people mean when they say the name. Bade’e (بديع) roughly means wondrous or marvellous in Arabic — so the collection reads as “the wonder of oud”.

Oud for Glory is built from the same materials Initio lists for Oud for Greatness: saffron, nutmeg, lavender, agarwood, patchouli and musk. It is close in character, not an exact copy. The opening is sharper and the finish a little less polished than the Initio.

Whether that trade-off is worth nearly £300 is your call, and we’ll set out both sides below. If you want the Oud for Greatness idea in a full 100ml bottle, this is the one the whole oud community points to.

The Scent Pyramid at a Glance

Eight listings across three tiers — oud and patchouli appear in both the heart and the base, which is why the dry-down feels so dense.

Oud for Glory — Quick Specs

The Oud for Glory Notes, Layer by Layer

Top — Saffron, Nutmeg, Lavender. Picture saffron tea on a brass tray with oud smoke somewhere behind it. Saffron arrives warm and a little metallic, nutmeg adds a dry spice, and lavender gives an aromatic lift. Be warned: this is the stage that splits opinion. Some people call the first few minutes medicinal or rubbery. It usually settles within 15 to 30 minutes.

Heart — Agarwood (Oud), Patchouli. This is the signature. The oud comes forward smoky and woody, patchouli brings an earthy darkness underneath, and the saffron stays threaded through it. Projection is strongest here — for the first three to four hours it is noticeable across a room.

Base — Agarwood (Oud), Patchouli, Musk. The dry-down is where Oud for Glory earns its reputation. The oud and patchouli carry on from the heart, the musk smooths the edges, and it sits as a dark, rounded trail for the rest of the day. On a wool coat or scarf it is often still there days later.

Performance, Measured

Oud for Glory vs Initio Oud for Greatness — Where They Meet, Where They Split

Ask “what is Oud for Glory a dupe of” or “Badee Al Oud Glory smells like” and the answer is always Initio Oud for Greatness. Initio lists oud, agarwood oil, lavender, saffron, patchouli, musk and nutmeg as its main notes — the same building blocks. Here is how they actually differ:

Be honest with yourself about the opening before you order. If a sharp, medicinal first ten minutes would put you off a fragrance for good, this might not be for you. If you can give it quarter of an hour, the dry-down is why it has become Lattafa’s best-known oud. That’s the whole decision — and if you’re comparing designer alternatives generally, our full Lattafa dupes guide maps the rest of the range.

Four Bottles, One Name — Which Bade’e Al Oud Is Yours?

The Bade’e Al Oud line now has four fragrances that smell nothing alike. We stock all four, so pick on the scent, not the name:

Short version: if you came for the Initio comparison, stay on this page. Our Bade’e Al Oud collection guide compares all four side by side →

The Oud for Glory Bottle

The bottle is half the reason people recognise this one. Heavy black glass with gold detailing and a gold cap, in a matching black-and-gold printed box — it looks and feels far more expensive than £19.99, and it holds a full 100ml against the Initio’s 90ml.

On a genuine box, check three things when it lands: the Lattafa holographic authentication sticker, sharp and even printing, and a batch code on the box that matches the one on the base of the bottle. The atomiser gives a fine, even mist, and two or three sprays is plenty.

What Oud for Glory Reviews Say

On Fragrantica, Oud for Glory holds a rating of around 4 out of 5 from more than 8,000 voters — a lot of people, and a fairly settled verdict. Wearers most often report eight to twelve hours on skin, strong projection for the first three to four hours, and days on clothing. The praise clusters around three things: the dry-down, the performance and the price.

The complaint is just as consistent, and worth knowing before you buy: the opening. Some people find the first few minutes harsh, medicinal or synthetic, and a few never get past it. Most say it settles within 15 to 30 minutes into a smoother, darker oud and patchouli — and that it improves further once the bottle has had a few weeks to macerate. Our full Oud for Glory review walks through the dry-down stage by stage.

Good to Know Before You Buy

• It’s a cold-weather, after-dark fragrance. Autumn and winter evenings, weddings, formal dinners, occasions. Heat amplifies the oud and saffron sharply — skip it on hot summer days. Our best Lattafa winter perfumes guide has it alongside the other cold-weather picks.
• Go easy in the office. One spray on clothing is enough — projection is strong in enclosed spaces.
• Give the opening 15–30 minutes. Judge it on the dry-down, not the first spray.
• Genuinely unisex. Lattafa sells it for men and women; the saffron and lavender stop it reading purely masculine.
• Spray fabric for longevity. A spray on a scarf or collar will outlast skin by days — useful if your skin eats fragrance.
• Give a fresh bottle a few weeks. Performance is commonly reported to improve after a rest in a cool, dark cupboard.
• Also listed as “Badee Al Oud Glory”, “Bade’e Al Oud for Glory”, “Oud for Glory Lattafa” and “Bade’e Al Oud for Glory by Lattafa 3.4 oz EDP Spray” — same fragrance, you’re on the right page. Official notes on Lattafa’s Oud for Glory page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tap a question to open the answer. The ten things people ask most before buying this bottle.

Written by Shaheen Shah Abrar, Founder of Royal Scents. Notes checked against Fragrantica and Lattafa’s own listing; performance figures are wearer-reported. Oud for Glory is rougher than the Initio for fifteen minutes and a sixteenth of the price for the rest of the day. That is the entire decision.