The Aroma of the Agar
The strong aromas of oud that elicit our senses, and with a fragrance so rich coupled with an even richer history.
Dive into the jungle and discover the world of oud.
The History of Oud originates to third century A.D.- founded in the tropical forests of Vietnam then traded to China and Japan to also burn as incense.
It wasn’t until the Silk Road route from Southeast Asia, that Agarwood was then introduced into the Middle East.
Oud quickly popularized in the Middle East by condensing the the woods into oils, allowing the fragrance to last longer, and introduction its additive in perfumery.
The raw material of the fragrance come from an extremely rare tree known as Agar Wood. While also used in perfumery, it is also used in Western, Chinese, and Indian Medicine.
These particular tropical trees, are prone to infestation of a form of a dark walled fungus, phaeoacremonium parasitica. The response of the infection secrets a resin which creates the smell of oud.
Because of its rarity, oud is one of the most expensive raw fragrance ingredients in the world, value of a kilo of oud can be just as expensive as a kilo of gold, sometimes even more. Giving the name of Black Gold.
In modern time, Oud is now one of the most versatile ingredients in the perfume industry, pairing as a base fragrance for sandalwood, musk, rose, geranium and carnation to name a few.
