Oud distillate at its creamiest -- the rich, fatty fraction of agarwood oil that feels almost buttery on skin. Oud butter is oud without the barnyard, all warm, smooth, woody richness.
Creamy, warm, smooth-woody. The barnyard-animalic top notes of raw oud are absent or minimal. What remains is the rich, resinous-woody heart: sweet, slightly smoky, with a particular fatty-smooth quality. More clean than raw oud, less transparent than synthetic oud replacers.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Smooth, warm, creamy-woody -- oud without animalic edges
After a few hours
After a few hours
Resinous depth develops, sweet-smoky warmth
After a few days
After a few days
Deep, tenacious creamy-woody warmth, very persistent
Terroir & Maturity
Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.
The Full Story
Oud butter refers to a specific fraction or grade of agarwood (Aquilaria) distillate -- the heavier, more lipophilic portion of oud oil that has a creamy, smooth, almost fatty character. It is not literally butter; the name describes the texture and mouthfeel-like quality of this particular oud fraction.
The 'butter' quality comes from higher concentrations of sesquiterpenes (agarospirol, jinkohol, guaianol) and lower concentrations of the sharp, animalic chromone derivatives that give raw oud its barnyard-faecal edge. The result is the warm, woody, creamy heart of oud without the challenging top notes.
In perfumery, oud butter functions as a smooth, concentrated woody base note. It provides oud depth without oud aggressi on. The note works in clean ambers, skin-scent compositions, and luxury woody fragrances where raw oud's animalic character would be too confrontational.
This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
The creamy quality of aged oud oil develops over time as sharp, volatile chromone derivatives slowly oxidise and polymerise. A fresh oud distillate can smell harsh and faecal; the same oil after 5-10 years of ageing becomes smooth and buttery -- one of the few raw materials in perfumery that genuinely improves with decades of storage.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Hydro-distillation or steam distillation of infected Aquilaria heartwood, with the resulting oil potentially fractionated to isolate the heavier, creamier portion. Some producers achieve the 'butter' quality through extended ageing of the distillate.
Complex mixture of sesquiterpenes and chromone derivatives
CAS Number
N/A — processed oud (Aquilaria) extract
Botanical Name
Aquilaria malaccensis / Aquilaria crassna
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
Oudh Butter, Agarwood Butter
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
> 400 hours at 10.00%
Appearance
Pale yellow to amber viscous liquid
Specific Gravity
0.920 to 0.980 @ 25°C
Melting Point
25–35°C
In Perfumery
Oud butter is a clean, creamy woody base note -- the smooth fracti on of agarwood distillate, rich in sesquiterpenes (agarospirol, jinkohol) with reduced animalic chromone content. It provides oud depth without oud aggressi on. Works in clean ambers, luxury skin-scent, and smooth-woody compositions.
