What Is Oud? A Beginner’s Guide to Agarwood

Few fragrance notes carry as much history, or as much mystery, as oud. It has been burned in homes and places of worship for centuries, worn as a precious oil across the Arab world and South Asia, and more recently has become one of the most sought-after notes in modern perfumery. If you have smelled it once, you probably remember it. This guide explains what oud is, why it is so valued, what it smells like and how to wear it.

What is oud?

Oud comes from agarwood, the heartwood of Aquilaria trees, which grow across South and Southeast Asia. The surprising part is that healthy agarwood trees have pale, almost odourless wood. Oud forms only when a tree is wounded and becomes infected by a mould. To defend itself, the tree produces a dark, fragrant resin that slowly saturates the wood around the injury. That resin-soaked wood is what perfumers call oud.

Because only a small share of wild trees ever develop this resin, and it can take many years to form, natural oud has long been one of the most expensive raw materials in perfumery. Today much of it comes from cultivated trees, but good quality oud oil is still rare and priced accordingly.

The word oud is Arabic for wood. In India it has been known for centuries as agar, and the forests of Assam in the Northeast have historically been an important source. Oils described as Hindi oud refer to this Indian tradition.

What does oud smell like?

Oud is hard to describe because it is so layered. Most people notice some combination of:

• Wood and smoke, the backbone of almost every oud.
• Leather and earth, giving it depth and a slightly dark edge.
• A sweet, resinous warmth, sometimes close to honey or dried fruit.
• An animalic or medicinal facet in stronger ouds, which some people love and others need time to get used to.

Where it comes from changes the character. Indian ouds are often described as deeper and more animalic, while ouds from Cambodia and neighbouring regions tend to be sweeter and fruitier. Much of the pleasure of oud is noticing these differences.

The ways oud is used

• As oil. Distilled oud oil, known in Arabic as dehn al oud, is worn in tiny amounts on the skin, often as an attar.
• As wood. Chips of agarwood are burned to scent rooms, clothes and hair. This is closely related to bakhoor, which our bakhoor guide explains.
• As a note in blends. Most oud perfumes, including ours, use oud as the heart of a blend rather than on its own, balancing it with flowers, spice, amber or musk. This makes oud far more approachable and wearable day to day.

Classic oud pairings

Oud is rarely worn alone in modern perfumery. These pairings are the classics, and a good place to start:

• Oud and rose. The best-known pairing of all. Rose softens oud’s darker side and oud gives rose depth. Try Oud Ward Taifi, built around the rose of Taif.
• Oud and amber. Warm, resinous and smooth, ideal for evenings. Browse oriental and amber scents.
• Oud and saffron. Saffron’s leathery, honeyed spice is a natural match for oud and appears in many traditional blends. Oud Aswad brings rose and saffron together.
• Oud and fruit. A more modern style, where bright fruit lifts the wood. Oud Al Qamar pairs agarwood with strawberry and kiwi.
• Oud in the Indian style. Blends named for the Indian tradition of Hindi oud, such as Dehn Oud Hindi.

How to wear oud

1. Start small. Oud is powerful. One light touch on each wrist, or a single spray, is plenty until you know how it behaves on you.
2. Begin with a blend. If you are new to oud, a rose or amber oud is gentler than a dark, smoky one.
3. Give it time. Oud often opens sharp or medicinal and becomes smoother and sweeter as it settles on the skin.
4. Save the strongest for cooler evenings. Heat amplifies oud. It is at its best in winter, at night and at celebrations.
5. Consider the attar. As an oil, oud sits close to the skin and lasts, without projecting too far. Our guide to applying attar shows how.

Oud for your home

You do not have to wear oud to enjoy it. Oud-scented incense sticks such as Oud Zafran and Oud Vanilla, and traditional bakhoor, fill a room with the same warm, woody smoke.

Explore every scent built around this note in our oud collection, available as both attars and eau de parfum.