You either love oud or you hate it. It’s infamous. Notoriously divisive. It is the most polarizing perfume category in luxury fragrances. Some of us just can’t get enough of it, while others just can’t stand it. They find it sticky and suffocating. It looks too much like an Arab souk. Too intense and too in your face. It’s too powerful even for Bergamot to soften or mellow another heady accord like Guaiacol. To put it bluntly, in the minds and nostrils of the opponents, it’s more like a pong than a perfume.
More eye-catching than seductive. A scent not for the meek and faint-hearted, but for those who love the sweet, tangy smell of balsamic vinegar spilled in a forest where a herd of goats has just passed and where someone previously had a blue cheese picnic. Many critics call it harmful. Many proponents call it what is the opposite of harmful.
Oud is definitely an acquired scent. Old is also called agarwood. Some people don’t like the thought of sprinkling themselves with a dark resin that is created when a fungus (phagophore parasitic) infects the aquarium tree (or agar tree). Some people do not feel good or attractive when they wear the defense mechanism of a tree. Since it takes hundreds of years to produce the resin, Oud is one of the most expensive and valuable raw materials in the world. The aqularia tree is also rapidly becoming depleted due to overfishing and habitat loss. It is illegal to harvest the resin in the wild.
It is an undeniable luxury. Both lush and sensual. Sustainable plantations of Oud are located in Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, where the infection process is carried out by hand rather than naturally. Due to the high cost of natural oud oil, perfumeries often use the smallest percentage in combination with other ingredients such as cypriol or patchouli.
Oud is best worn in warm climates. It is best on warm skin. Try skincare brand Chantecaille’s Oud Fume. You have to respect old. A gentle rather than a deep dive into the world of the best oud perfumes would bring scents and hyperlinks like:
- Initio Oud for greatness
- Granado Oud from “Neus” Leonardo Luciezo
- Diptych Old Palao
- Tom Ford Old Wood
- Ormonde Jayne Man
- Intense Oud by Gucci
- Christian Dior Paris Oud Ispahan
- Cartier Oud Musc
- Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satinwood or Baccarat Rouge 540
- Acqua Di Parma signature of the sun
- Perfumes by Marly Layton
- Creed Royal
- Versace Pour Homme Oud Noir
- Amber Oud from Al Haramain
- Byredo Ould Immortal
- Killan Paris Musk Old
- Le Labo Santal 33
If you don’t trust old eau de perfumes or agarwood-heavy eau de toilettes, you can try it Urban Pharmacist Oud Geranium room spray and see how you are doing and whether you and your family are a good fit for each other. You could become an Oudist.