Spend enough time around the beauty world and you’re sure to hear the term “oud” tossed about once or twice. The word itself oozes seduction and mystique, but most people don’t actually know what it means.
When it comes to fragrance, oud is one of nature’s rarest botanical ingredients—in fact, it’s so scarce that it’s not actually used for production in its pure form. Instead, expert perfumers recreate the effects of “oud” through a mix of other high-quality oils that replicate a similar scent of woody sweetness.
While many fragrance brands play with their own versions of oud, and it feels like oud is having a buzzy moment, not all oud perfumes are created equal. Here’s everything you need to know about the deeply alluring scent.
Featured experts
- Euan McCall is a Scottish perfumer and the founder of JORUM STUDIO
- Chriselle Lim is the owner and creative director of Phlur
What is oud?
Oud is an oil that comes from Aquilaria trees, found throughout India, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. According to Scottish perfumer Euan McCall, founder of JORUM STUDIO, the oil is created when the wood becomes infected with fungus. When the Aquilaria lumber is healthy, it doesn’t produce any odor. “When the older trees are attacked by the fungi, the infection creates an oleoresin in the tree that is removed, chopped and macerated in water before being distilled to yield the oil we call oud,” says McCall.
Before it found its way to luxury perfume, oud had traditionally been used in religious and ceremonial endeavors across cultures for thousands of years.
Why are oud perfumes pricier than other scents?
Pure, wild oud is an incredibly scarce natural resource, making it impossible to produce at scale. According to McCall, high-quality, commercial-grade oud oil runs around $20,000 per pound, while the finest oils on the market far exceed those rates, often fetching high six-figures. Using even the tiniest drop of oud oil in a perfume can dramatically increase the price.
Therefore, an entire marketplace of synthetic oud options has emerged.
What is synthetic oud?
“Synthetic oud is usually a combination of multiple materials formulated and manufactured by perfumers in order to mimic real oud at a fraction of the price,” explains McCall. It actually offers perfumers a unique opportunity to get creative in their formulations, crafting interpretations of oud using other components that feel true and authentic to their personal palette and sensibility.
“It’s worth noting that many oud bases are created using a high percentage of natural materials and are often not the most economical materials,” McCall continues. And while other botanic oils may not be as expensive as oud, they’re still not cheap. McCall cites cypriol, spikenard, vetiver and patchouli as quality ingredients that exhibit oud-like characteristics. “Armed with these materials, a skilled perfumer can create a close approximation of oud,” he says.
What does oud smell like?
Owner and creative director of Phlur, Chriselle Lim, says, “Oud has a deep, woody scent that’s super luxe and captivating, but it’s not just the woodiness—there’s a sexy, smoky undertone too.” Perfumes featuring synthetic oud oils typically offer this enchanting mix of woodiness, sweetness and earthiness. Though, they can also feature floral and fruity notes that surprise and delight as well.
Depending on what notes it’s paired with, the experience of the scent can differ greatly. “A couple of my favorite pairings with oud are rose, which gives it that luxurious and romantic scent. Or amber, which adds warmth and sweetness,” says Lim.
Plus, when working with genuine oud oil, varied fermentation processes can also result in a myriad of scents. According to McCall, these can range from “intensely sweet and fruity to cheese-like or animalic.” Whether real or synthetic, it’s these unexpected blends that make the fragrance so hard to pin down, and therefore, so beguiling.
Oud perfumes to try
