Definition
Oud—also called agarwood, aloeswood, or eaglewood—is the resinous heartwood formed in Aquilaria trees (family Thymelaeaceae) when infected by the mold Phialophora parasitica. The tree produces a dark, oleoresinous substance as a defense response; this resin-saturated wood is what is harvested as oud.
Natural oud is among the most expensive raw materials in the world: wild Aquilaria trees that produce high-grade oud are increasingly rare, and top-quality chips from Assam (India), Cambodia, or Borneo can exceed USD 30,000 per kilogram. The material is listed on CITES Appendix II (Aquilaria malaccensis), requiring certified sourcing documentation.
Also called: Agarwood • Aloeswood • Eaglewood • Bois d’oud • Jinko (Japanese) • Chenxiang (Chinese)
Extraction and varieties
Oud is traded and used in three main forms:
- Oud chips: raw wood burned as incense, especially in Middle Eastern and Japanese ceremonies (kodo).
- Oud oil (attar al-oud): steam-distilled or hydro-distilled from wood chips; highly concentrated, used directly on skin or as a perfume base.
- Synthetic oud molecules: compounds such as Iso E Super (partial), Agarwood Oliffac, or Norsantal serve as cost substitutes in commercial and niche formulas.
Farmed oud (plantation Aquilaria) from Thailand, Malaysia, and Bangladesh has expanded supply significantly since the early 2000s, though its olfactive profile differs from wild-harvested material.
Role in niche perfumery
Oud became a signature axis of niche perfumery from the mid-2000s onward, driven by houses such as Maison Francis Kurkdjian (Oud), Tom Ford (Oud Wood), Amouage, and Montale. Its complex profile—woody, animalic, slightly barnyard, balsamic—offered niche creators a counterpoint to the clean-musk mainstream.
Within the GCC luxury market, oud has been a traditional perfumery pillar for centuries; its crossover into Western niche perfumery created a fusion genre sometimes called “oud-oriental” or “Western oud.” Debates persist in the niche community about the authenticity of synthetic oud substitutes versus natural distillations.
Sources
- Tisserand & Young, Essential Oil Safety, 2nd ed. (2014) — agarwood oil profile
- Fragrantica — oud note profile and usage
- Basenotes — oud in niche perfumery, community references
- SFP — matières premières rares en parfumerie
- CITES Appendix II — Aquilaria malaccensis listing