Entry Niche Fragrance Recomendations

Hello,

I've started my fragrance journey a few years ago, early 2021, and since then I think I've reached a point where I've explored most of the 'designer' fragrance world and I think I'm ready to take the next step.

I already have 2 niche fragrances, PDM Layton , which I bought back at the start of my fragrance journey.

I'll probably buy a 50ml bottle of Kilian Angel's Share in the next few days because I had a sample and I really enjoyed it.

However, I don't know which direction I should take after buying that. Should I go and try get more niche fragrances that I know I'll probably like because they have the scent profile that I usually like/love? Should I pursue niche fragrances by category (summer/ woody/ sweet / citrusy / gourmand / etc)? Or would you advise to start getting my nose on more unique scents like, scent profiles that are usually not around on 'designer world' or at least, not as well made (I'm guessing) like oud, boozy, etc?

I've been having an increasing interest in the fragrance note Oud, however I've never had any experience with that note. Only thing I've smelled that had Oud has a note was a Rituals Black Oudh Diffuser. For me it smelled nice but I've no idea if that's the type of smell that is related to Oud.

Should I invest first on fragrances that I know I'll like the scent profile and then pursue something more 'new', in my case, Oud scent profile?

Anyway, my favorite scent profile is usually around the sweet, gourmand, woody, spicy scents . I also enjoy the fresh/citrusy/fruity, however don't usually find them as interesting to wear as the other scent profiles, hence why my fragrance collection is mostly around sweet/gourmand/woody/spicy fragrances.

Although I've been a Parfumo member since 2021, this is my first post here in the Forum and I hope I've been specific enough.

Thank you

P.S: I'm 24 years old, I don't know If that might be relevant.

I would suggest getting decants/samples of a lot of the "hyped" niche fragrances to see what you like in the niche world and narrow your interests down further. Also, it would be a good idea to explore different houses. I'd suggest for a complete niche beginner (I left out the two you mentioned, Layton and Angels' Share):

Creed - Aventus, Green Irish Tweed, Royal Oud, Silver Mountain Water
Parfums de Marly - Percival, Sedley, Herod, Oajan, Pegasus
Xerjoff - Naxos, Alexandria II Parfum, 40 Knots, Tony Iommi Monkey Special, Erba Pura
Nishane - Hacivat, Ani Extrait de Parfum, Wūlóng Chá Extrait de Parfum
Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum, Grand Soir, Oud Satin Mood Eau de Parfum, "Gentle fluidity (Silver) | Maison Francis Kurkdjian"
Amouage - Reflection Man, Jubilation XXV Man, Interlude Man
Roja - Elysium Parfum Cologne Eau de Parfum, Enigma Parfum Cologne

Except for a couple of these (Alexandria II and Interlude Man), these fragrances are pretty easy to like and enjoy, and I think there is a good mix of challenging/mass-appeal in here, with a focus on the latter.

Oud is its own world. There are so many different interpretations of oud that they are almost different notes. I'd start off with more spicy/woody interpretations like Haltane, Oud Wood Eau de Parfum before moving on to the more challenging medicinal/smoky interpretations like Ombre Nomade, Oud Extrait de Parfum, Opus XIII - Silver Oud, Oud Rosewood Eau de Parfum, and lastly if you like all or some of those you can try real oud from brands like Ensar Oud, Bortnikoff, Areej Le Dore, etc.

Lastly, if I were you, I wouldn't restrict myself to a certain scent profile. I personally like woody, resinous, aromatic and fresher scents the most in general, but there are so many amazing gourmand, fruity, or floral fragrances I would have missed out on if I only restricted myself to those scents.

Thank you very much for the recommendations and advice.

I'll definitely take them all into consideration.

There are what I would call "starter" niche brands. You've already found Parfums de Marly which is one of my faves as they do a lot of mass appealing fragrances.  Mancera is another brand to consider if you're starting out.  This house will give you bang for your buck and they've got like a thousand fragrances. You should be able to find a few you like from the house.