My Introduction to Oud Perfumes

Oud is a paradox. The exquisite aroma that set the imagination of Japanese poets and Sufi mystics aflame develops as a result of a disease. When healthy, the wood of Aquilaria tree species is odorless, but once a certain type of mold affects them, they release an aromatic essence to protect their tissues from decomposition. It’s a slow process, during which blond wood turns dark and hard as a stone and develops a fragrance of uncommon complexity. It has the notes of sweet tobacco, incense, leather, and smoked spices, with a lingering undercurrent of bitter honey and crushed mint. While it’s known by many names, including aloeswood, agarwood, gaharu, or jinko, its other name, dark gold, will be instantly recognizable to oud lovers.

Although an ingredient with centuries old history in the Eastern world, it’s a relative newcomer to European perfumery. One of the first fragrances to use this note was Yves Saint Laurent’s M7, created under the direction of Tom Ford in 2002. The composition—its dramatic effect enhanced by a controversial nude male ad–had a cool, herbal top note that fell straight into the tobacco and animalic warmth of oud. It was relaunched a few years ago as M7 Oud Absolu, softer and lighter, but with the original’s vivid character.

Another memorable perfume is Christian Dior’s Leather Oud. Leather narrows the gap between the lemony sharpness of cardamom in the top notes and the animalic growl of oud and musk in the base. With its moody film noir glamour, Leather Oud is a fragrance to take on a stroll through autumnal streets.

Oud is a potent note, with a distinctive character that can be an acquired taste. The original Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud has all of its hallmarks—density and richness, but the three variations, Oud Cashmere Mood, Oud Velvet Mood, Oud Silk Mood, explore the fresher, more luminous aspect of the material. My favorite of the collection, Oud Silk Mood, is bright and woody, with a honeyed finish made warmer by rose. Another fine introduction is Midnight Oud by Juliet Has a Gun, an elegant woody perfume accented by saffron.

Since oud is rare and expensive, lab-made accords are the most likely type one can encounter today. Nevertheless, it’s always a good idea when buying an oud perfume to inquire how the brand is sourcing its essence. The downside of the passion for oud is that it has led to the depletion of wild resources. Since it’s hard to determine whether a tree has been infected or not without cutting it, healthy plants are felled indiscriminately leading to the disappearance of the once rich groves in Southeast Asia. For this reason, some perfume brands avoid natural agarwood altogether, letting the perfumers recreate the aroma of oud with other ingredients. In designing an oud collection for by Kilian, Calice Becker used her own accord to suggest the nuances of this rare material. In Amber Oud, the effect is particularly successful, with the oud-like darkness emphasized by spices, vanilla liqueur and smoky woods.

In recent years, countries like Malaysia and Sri Lanka have started programs to grow Aquilaria trees sustainably. The Singapore based Sifr Perfumery offers East, a fragrance based on a farmed material. Perfumer Johari Kazura blends oud with other traditional ingredients, like myrrh and amber, to enhance its richness and complexity. Then there comes a surprise–a layer of sheer rose petals brings light and radiance to the composition and gives the classical oud a champagne-like fizz.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin taken at a Malaysian agarwood plantation, moss on acquilaria trees.

What is your favorite oud perfume? What oud perfume would you recommend to someone for a beginner?

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24 Comments

  • Meredith Russell: Ah! Amber Oud smells lovely to me, but I never can quite find the Oud. You just explained why! August 19, 2024 at 9:12am Reply

    • Victoria: Yes, it’s quite blended. August 23, 2024 at 9:35am Reply

  • Adam Sultan: I love M7, but I haven’t Tried the current version. I’m also fond of Sarah Baker’s Loudo, which adds notes of white chocolate for a slightly gourmand take. August 19, 2024 at 9:12am Reply

    • Victoria: That’s a nice variation that shows how well gourmand notes suit oud. August 23, 2024 at 9:36am Reply

  • carole: I don’t know much about oud-I have a small amount of the Tom Ford scent, and the 15 ml size of Agar Ebene. I think both are accessible gateways for those of us new to oud. They’re both beautiful scents, and wear close to the skin. I think they’re appropriate for many occasions, either formal or casual. I’ll be sniffing more closely to see if I can tell all the different layers of the scents now that you’ve explained how many different and complex notes there are.
    Hoping someone had tried the Goutal scent 1001 ours and can comment on it. If I love Agar Ebene is this a safe blind buy? If anyone has an insight I’m interested to hear thoughts on this. August 19, 2024 at 9:22am Reply

    • Victoria: I’m not so sure. Goutal’s oud has a certain scratchy sharpness that I don’t find in Agar Ebene. It’s beautiful, but it should be sampled first. August 23, 2024 at 9:37am Reply

  • Hamamelis: Neela Vermeire Trayee, maybe not an Oud soliflore but with a lovely Oud note nevertheless. April Aromatics Pink Wood, an Oud based perfume that seems to radiate warmth. Very beautiful. August 19, 2024 at 9:32am Reply

    • Victoria: Trayee is another gorgeous idea. I also think that it works as an intro to oud. August 23, 2024 at 9:37am Reply

  • Potimarron: I haven’t tried many oud fragrances (out of sheer contrariness – they seemed so popular, and I don’t want to smell like everyone else!). However, I’ve had samples of Her Majesty the Oud by Atkinson’s and Loudo by Sarah Baker (and I’m not normally one for gourmands), and I’ve enjoyed the weight that oud brings to both (it feels a bit like umami in cooking). August 19, 2024 at 9:32am Reply

    • Victoria: Another vote for Loudo! I will definitely include it on my other lists. August 23, 2024 at 9:38am Reply

  • Klaas: I have developed a bit of a taste for oud perfumes, even though I realize that most oud in perfumery is mostly patchouli. What I love about oud fragrances is the complexity, the many nuances and yes, that fecal, animalic undertone.

    My introduction to oud was the original Oud by Francis Kurkdjian. Rich, complex and animalic, yet it remains transparant. Incense Oud from Patricia de Nicolai is another beginner friendly oud fragrance.

    More advanced are Andy Tauers L’ Oudh and the now discontinued Oudh Infini from Dusita. The latter really not for the faint of heart…..so intense, so dense and quite disconcerting to the unwarned nose. I only wear it at home and only when hubby is out for the weekend 😉 August 19, 2024 at 9:33am Reply

    • Victoria: Thank you for reminding me about Incense Oud. It’s such an elegant agarwood, reminiscent of Japanese incense to me. August 23, 2024 at 9:38am Reply

  • Colleen Geary: I just received a bottle of Oud Immortel by Byredo from my husband – he adores it on me. I love it too! I wonder what your thoughts on that are, Victoria? Have you tried it? I don’t think it is a strong Oud or even much Oud per se) but lovely combination of different fragrances. August 19, 2024 at 9:40am Reply

    • Victoria: I like this fragrance too. It’s my favorite from Byredo, a line that I admire from afar. But this oud is just lovely. August 23, 2024 at 9:39am Reply

      • Colleen Geary: Victoria, could you please do a review of Oud Immortel sometime? Thank you! August 26, 2024 at 1:07pm Reply

  • deborah: my introduction to Oud was New York Oud by Bond No9. I LOVE this. August 19, 2024 at 11:30am Reply

  • Fazal Cheema: As much as choice may come across as a cliche, my favorite interpretation remains Tom Ford Oud Wood. It is pleasant-smelling and friendly at the same time. I am not a fan of the snob crowd who think they must pretend to like and wear the most barnyardy and funky oud to firmly establish their perfume connoisseur status. I don’t like oud as a dominant note but something that adds a color to the composition in just the right amount. For this reason, I just cannot get onboard with brands with Areej Le Dore and Bortinikoff whose entire marketing shtick is, “oh, we only use rare, expensive, and pure oud” as if expensive ingredients can compensate for a lack of or even complete absence of technical brilliance. I don’t even view their products as proper perfumes but instead just a potpourri of randomly-poured ingredients. The definition of quality among such brands and their followers is not whether it is a well-constructed perfume and whether it smells good and intriguing but rather how much it might have cost to produce and how much it is priced at… August 19, 2024 at 2:48pm Reply

    • Victoria: Not at all! I also like this fragrance.

      You bring up an interesting topic. I’ve noticed recently that some reviews on Amazon or other fragrance databases mention things like “this perfume uses high-quality ingredients,” without any evidence to support it. Detecting specific ingredients in a mixture, to say nothing of quality, is a challenge, even for professionals, so this phrase is ultimately meaningless. Accessing quality of a composition based on what it conveys, how it evolves and evaporates is far more important. And that’s where many fragrances fail. August 23, 2024 at 9:44am Reply

      • Fazal Cheema: Exactly! Also brands play fast and loose with marketing… I remember Tauer writing something years ago which, in essence, said that some brands add a very, very tiny amount of oud in a composition and then make grandiose claims as if the composition is oud-centered. Quite often, the amount of oud is so minuscule that not only it is an insignificant part of the overall composition but also that it barely registers to the nose… August 25, 2024 at 10:17am Reply

  • Kaisa: I like a good rose-and-oud, even though they are so ubiquitous now and there’s tons of them. I get that I’ve probably not ever smelled real oud, but never mind, I’ve no interest in going down that particular rabbit hole. And I mostly like fragrances with oud (or “oud”) in winter time.
    My favourites so far: Epic woman, Mohur (neither of these are prominently oud-y but it’s there); Rose Anonyme; 500 Years; Nawab of Oudh; Thirty-Three; Ta’if Elixir; Noir de Noir (about once a year, but when hits the spot it’s good); Oud Palao; Rosendo Mateu No.4: Saffron, Oud, Vanilla & Encounters (the last two have no rose).
    I really haven’t been able to decide if I like Oud Satin/Silk Moode yet – I don’t and yet I do – and which one I prefer… so I’m playing with samples. August 19, 2024 at 4:18pm Reply

    • Victoria: A wonderful list. I have to say that I don’t mind synthetic ouds at all. Many of them are excellent. Plus, given how destructive oud hunting is, I would rather wear a mixture representing oud than anything unsustainable. August 23, 2024 at 9:45am Reply

      • Klaas: Andy Tauers specifies that he uses Laotian Oud that is sustainably sourced and in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

        http://www.cites.org

        I like to think that’s trustworthy enough? Even though one can never be sure these days….. August 25, 2024 at 9:39am Reply

  • Eugeni: I love oud line by Mathilde Laurent – Cartier. Oud radieux & Oud menthe are gorgeous, but I don’t know if she use synthetic or real oud, it doesn’t matter 🙂 September 13, 2024 at 9:03am Reply

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