Oud
Wet leather, barn floor, overripe fruit left in temple smoke. Oud is the resinous heartwood of fungus-infected Aquilaria trees — a pathological secretion that reads simultaneously sacred and feral, shifting character with every origin, every distillation, every hour on skin.
Scent
Terroir & Maturity
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method
Hydrodistillation of infected Aquilaria heartwood, typically preceded by prolonged water soaking (two weeks to three months) to ferment the material and develop additional aroma compounds. The soaking liquid itself is sometimes redistilled. Wood is chipped or ground before loading into copper or stainless steel stills. Distillation runs last anywhere from five to fifteen days. Yields are punishing: 0.01–0.02%, meaning 60–100 kg of infected heartwood produces 10–20 ml of essential oil. CO₂ supercritical extraction offers a softer, more rounded profile with higher chromone representation. Molecular distillation is a newer technique for isolating specific fractions. Plantation trees are artificially inoculated with fungal cultures (Phaeoacremonium spp., Lasiodiplodia theobromae, or mixed inoculants) and typically harvested after 5–8 years of infection development. Wild trees may carry infections for decades before harvest.
- Formula
- Complex — Sesquiterpenes (Agarospirol C₁₅H₂₆O · Jinkoh-eremol · α-Eudesmol · Guaiol) + 2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromones C₁₇H₁₄O₂
- Botanical
- Aquilaria malaccensis Aquilaria crassna
- Appearance
- Dark amber to brownish viscous liquid
- Odour strength
- High
- Synonyms
- AGARWOOD ALOESWOOD EAGLEWOOD JINKO BOIS D'AGAR OUDH
No restriction. CITES Appendix II (trade regulated, not banned).
- Flash point
- 141.00 °F. TCC ( 61.00 °C. )
In Perfumery
Base note anchor. Oud operates as a fixative, a signature material, and a compositional axis simultaneously. It provides animalic depth and substantivity that few naturals can match — persistence on fabric measured in days, not hours. The oil’s dual chemistry (sesquiterpenes for structure, chromones for sweetness) makes it self-sufficient in a way most base notes are not: it carries its own contrast. Oud appears in amber, woody-amber, and oud-centric compositions. In Middle Eastern perfumery it functions as a soliflore subject. In Western niche, it typically plays backbone to rose, saffron, or amber accords. No single synthetic reproduces the full oud profile. Spiralwood™ approximates the dry-woody quality. Most commercial ‘oud’ fragrances rely heavily on these reconstructions, reserving natural distillate for trace amounts or marketing copy. Plantation-grown Aquilaria with artificial fungal inoculation has partially addressed supply constraints since the mid-2000s. Purists maintain wild-harvested oil from mature infections remains superior — heavier in chromones, more complex in its animalic character.