Centuries-Old Scent Oud Now Perfuming East and West

Oud throughout history

Oud may date to 2000 BCE, with its first-known mention in ancient Indian texts as gahuru or agahuru (oud in Sanskrit) and described as prâna, “life” or “spirit of life,” as explained in books like History of Use and Trade of Agarwood.

Oud in India was used not only as an aromatic (a fragrant smoke in rituals of veneration) but as a medicinal plant derivative. Suśrutasamhitā, a seminal medical treatise by Sushsruta, an ayurvedic master, strongly advocated oud’s therapeutic usage to treat inflammation. 

Ancient Egyptians used oud and frankincense to embalm mummies of their nobility. At the other end of the world, Japan’s classical history book Nihon Soki mentioned a certain scented wood of Cambodian origin. 

Evidence from China’s Wu dynasty indicates the use of agarwood in funerary practices, and a manuscript titled Han Gong Xiang Fang (On the Blending of Perfumes in the Palaces of the Han), written in the second century CE, suggests interest in perfumery in China.

In ancient Greece physician-botanist Pedanius Dioscorides (40-90 CE) wrote the famed five-volume pharmacological encyclopedia Materia Medica, noting oud as plant-derived medicine. 

Though oud has a formidable presence in the Middle East, its large-scale import began only in the seventh century CE with Arabs traveling beyond the region. 

“Their first contact with oud as a commodity of import happened via trading trips across India,” notes Zakir Laskar, who runs Ahom World perfume company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. “This early interaction through trade significantly contributed to the cultural and economic integration of oud and furthered [Arabs’] storied history as seasoned merchants and traders.” 

Laskar refers to the robust movement of oud via the Silk Road across East, Central, Southeast and West Asia, and Europe and North Africa (the Silk Road—from the second century BCE to the 15^th century—was an intricate mesh of land and sea routes stretching over 4,000 miles that fostered cultural, political and religious cross-pollination).

Oud has been integral to many cultures, but today it is most prominently used as a perfume ingredient in the Arabian Gulf. 

How do we get oud’s scent?

Oud is derived from the infected heartwood of Aquilaria trees that grow naturally in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand, Papua New Guinea and parts of China.

“The infected tree in the wild produces a fragrant resin as its ultimate defense by the formation of a [fungus] against a wood bug called Zeuzera conferta by filling its heartwood with a resinous substance, which becomes saturated, dark and thick over time,” Laskar says.

That botanical secretion creates the dark wood to be harvested, broken into smaller blocks and chiseled, he says. “The final step would be distillation, and the oil extracted hereto is referred to as oud.”

Farmers now cultivate the trees too, and artificial inoculation with fungi produces the resin.

The exact fungal species can depend on the region, specific genus of tree and environmental condition, explains Rana Babaç Çelebi, a clinical aromatherapist and medical historian at Medipol University in Istanbul, whose work revolves around the intersection of scent and historical medical practices.

The aromatic attributes of oud are influenced by its geography, root origin, trunk and branches from the time of fungal infestation to final processing of the resin. The oil must be stored in dark bottles, away from direct heat and sunlight, to best let its aroma develop over time.

Oud in the Middle East and globally

Accounts of oud’s first use in the Arab world vary, but some of its traditional use may be related to the inception of Islam.

“As an incense, oud has played a significant role in religious, spiritual practices of quite a number of cultures. In Islamic cultures, the use of oud as bakhoor [incense] is deeply ingrained in social customs,” including to perfume homes, says Babaç Çelebi, who hails from a family of practitioners of Anatolian folk medicine and is the founder of Turkiye’s first online library dedicated to medicinal and aromatic plants.

Laskar, known as “Zak” in the industry, is a fourth-generation perfumer. He prefers to call himself a “nose,” someone who is “into exclusive artisan oud oils and agarwood chips showcasing a profound connection to both the raw and refined aspects of the trade.”

His niche interest in these formats of oud reflects on the resin’s potential to evoke a versatile sensory impression. Babaç Çelebi echoes the idea: “As a perfume note, oud offers a unique blend of history, complexity and sensory experience. Its ability to evoke emotion and create lasting impressions makes it a truly remarkable ingredient in the perfumer’s palette.”

Babaç Çelebi says “the popularity of oud in Turkish and Middle Eastern culture is fascinating, especially considering its source in regions are far-away South and Southeast Asia.” This popularity can be attributed to the region’s cultural appreciation for fragrances and oud’s suitability with warm climates due to its ‘cooling’ effect. 

In Saudi Arabia, oud oil has applications in “weddings, celebrations and for personal usage,” says Abdulrahman Alwan, a salesperson for Abdulsamad Al Qurashi Company (ASQ), a perfume house of the Kingdom.

“People have started to come back to the original stuff: oud, Eastern scents, Arabian scents,” says Alwan, who is based in al-Khobar, in the eastern part of the country. 

While ASQ prefers to source agarwood from India, other companies in the region prefer Indonesian or Vietnamese wood, and perhaps blends. 

Individual artisans like Laskar consider crafting oud-based products as an artisanal homage to their ancestors. 

“My father once said that our entire village was into this trade from pre-partition Sylhet, Bangladesh. Some were distillers, traders … and others skilled workers in agarwood,” Laskar recalls. “We are a few agarwood houses who possess a unique skill in creating oud mukhallats [ingredient mixtures] and attar [an essential oil] blends which elevate our offerings to an art form.”

Babaç Çelebi says, “I think oud is particularly interesting as a perfume note for its ability to evolve on the skin. As it dries down, it reveals different facets of its character, creating a dynamic olfactory experience.” She says this complexity allows oud to pair beautifully with a wide variety of other notes, from florals and spices to woods and resins.

It is perhaps oud’s ability to pair with other fragrance notes that has fascinated Western perfumers. Oud entered the European markets with brands such as Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in the early 2000s, and since then there has been no looking back.

Today global perfume houses like Tom Ford, Chanel, Dior, Chopard and their Middle Eastern counterparts to whom oud owes its growing popularity at the market level.

Every luxury perfume house has come up with its own interpretation, though the European note palettes are a tad more subtle.

However, these interpretations have been favorable to oud’s appeal globally. The discerning Western “frag head” is curious to venture into oud’s original dark, leathery attributes.

Back in the Middle East, oud-based perfumes are in greatest demand.

Omeir Kalsekar, founder of Azha Perfumes in the UAE, says it is committed to preserving the local heritage. “Oud holds a sacred place in Emirati and Gulf culture, and it will always remain a symbol of hospitality, intertwined with spirituality, a key element in mosques and religious rituals.”

All at once, excitement is swirling around oud the world over. “Oud is here to stay, having transitioned into a commercial phase. It isn’t a mere passing trend,” says Laskar as he focuses on blending.

Babaç Çelebi adds, “I believe this trend is a sign of a more interconnected, globally inspired approach to luxury fragrances.”

Perhaps for some oud is a tale of connectivity, and an example of earliest globalization that so many are linked in their love of a scent.