Oud oil is an oil that is derived from the agar tree localised in Asia and the middle east. As a self defence mechanism, when these trees are infected by a particular type of mould (phialophora parasitica), the wood produces a unique resin. This resin is the source of our oud today. It is dark and has a rich and deep scent making it one of the world’s most desired luxuries.
The process from a simple resin to a perfume that costs enough to give you a heart attack is quite delicate but is definitely worth the profit. The wood is initially soaked in water for a long period of time before being placed in a boiler. This allows the resin and water to evaporate and collected through the use of a condenser. These processes may sound simple but are highly sensitive to physical conditions and could have dramatic effects on the quality and volume of oud produced. Both the agar wood (resin-soaked wood) and condensed oud oil are highly sought after in the perfume world and are considered to be the highest of luxuries.
The price of agarwood oud oil is not from its process, however. It comes from the scarcity of the agarwood tree, with less than 2% of agarwood trees actually producing this fragrant elixir. Oud is also infused into luxury everyday products such as creams and body washes, for those who can afford the luxury of oud in everyday life.
The scent of oud is often described as a woody and smoky aroma. It is also extremely long lasting and potent as expected from its price tag. In comparison to Attar, Oud is a lot less budget friendly due to its uniqueness and subtle hints of opulence. However, we believe words cannot do the amazing fragrance of Oud justice.
The agar tree is considered one of the most expensive timbers in the world, with the global market reportedly being worth a staggering £5 billion! Unfortunately, due to its high demand it has been declared a potentially threatened species by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). So, agar trees are being grown now in other areas of the world in an attempt to keep up with demand, but these may have a naturally different scent to them.
The high demand of the agar tree makes this rare scented woof one of the most expensive timbers worldwide with a market of over £5 billion and constantly growing as its rarity increases. The demand for this fragrant timber is so high that the convention on international trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has declared the agar tree as a threatened species forcing them to be grown in other areas. This is an attempt to quench the high demand of this wonderful scented blessing despite having a slightly different natural scent to the original oud.
What are the best Oud Oil perfumes?
Majority of the high-end perfume markets are full of the world’s finest fragrances which expectedly use oud as a key ingredient due to its potency as quality of fragrance. You’ll often find oud as a base note, while being combined and complemented by a variety of other ingredients including amber, ambergris or cedarwood.
With many oud oil retailers on the market it is hard to decide which are the best so here are some things to help you decide. Just because a perfume includes Oudh oil it does not guarantee you will even be able to notice it especially if it is overpowered by many other intense scents in a larger volume. This is why we believe the fewer the ingredients the better. Our attars do not contain oud oil itself. Instead, our ‘oud’ attars are built around an oud accord: a blend of notes that captures the woody, smoky and resinous character of oud, without its price tag. We keep our blends simple and alcohol-free, as alcohol shortens how long a fragrance lasts. Some of the best complementary aromas to oud include tonka bean and amber which highlight the masculinity of the fragrance while capturing the atmosphere of the middle east.
Oud Fragrance oil – when to wear it?
As you can tell by now, oud is far too expensive to be worn as a daily perfume unless you own a fortune 500 company in which case you probably deserve it.But for the rest of us, oud should be limited to special occasions unlike our attar oil which we believe to be a more versatile collection of perfumes due to their varying potencies. But for a special occasion such as a wedding or anniversary, the oud is guaranteed to make an impression and boost your confidence.
Beyond perfume, oud has a long place in tradition: in Tibet, for example, monks burn it during meditation and gatherings. But above all, oud is loved for its amazingly potent and unique scent!
