Why is the West obsessed with ancient Oud?

In the eastern hemisphere, the usage of fragrance, especially of Oud (Agarwood/Aloeswood), is centuries old. While Amber and Musk are widely known, Oud has always been esteemed and expensive; burning it is a marker of spirituality, status, culture, and taste, from the Arabs in the Middle East to India, and eastwards to China and Japan.

In contrast, the world of European perfumery only evolved around the turn of the 20th century, with the discovery of aromachemicals such as coumarin, cyclamen aldehyde, and vanillin. Synthetic perfumery compounds have since allowed for leaps and bounds in the world of perfume, with mass fragrance only starting after the First World War.

Agarwood is a rarity that is formed when a fungus infects the inside of an Oud tree, causing the tree to create resin in its wood. Today, rare grade-A quality Oud, such as the underwater Indonesian super Oud, costs about Dh300,000 per kilogram. Western perfumers often describe the smell of Dehnuloud (pure oil extracted from Oud) as “faecal” and “animalic”. Now, the West is obsessed with the scent, vying to outdo the East, evident with recent examples of Tom Ford’s Oud Wood (2007), Dior’s Oud Ispahan (2012), and Gucci’s Intense Oud (2016).

Oud eau de parfum: Arabic vs French

Oud connoisseur and perfumer Mashud Abdul Rauf, who is a passionate daily user of pure Dehnuloud oil, says: “Since Oud and Dehnuloud are loved and extensively used in the Middle East, their fame in the recent era is associated with the prosperity of the Arabs.”

“Humans are attracted to grandeur,” the Dubai-based perfumer explains, adding that with the discovery of oil and the consequent prosperity, Arab traditions such as Agarwood became more attractive to the West. “Now, world-renowned perfume houses are making their own versions of Oud,” he notes.

Senior Perfumer at CPL Aromas, Julien Rasquinet agrees that the Oud trend in French perfumery started only over a decade and a half ago. “It’s been going slowly but steadily,” he says, adding that he was told that they were already late on the Oud trend. The French perfumer begged to differ. He said: “I believe that generic perfumery became a bit boring. Consumers in the West are looking for fragrances that are done with more guts, intuition, and personality, all of which come from the origin of perfumery: the Middle East.”

One of the earliest examples is Yves Saint Laurent’s M7, which was launched in 2002. It was the first western interpretation of Oud and although it did not attune to the Middle Eastern taste and was eventually discontinued, it was still a bold move that inspired many perfume houses.

In the same year, Dubai perfume house Mashud Abdul Rauf Perfumes created a niche Oud fragrance, the first of its kind, called Dehnuloud Al-Turabee, which became an instant bestseller, sweeping the Gulf market with its popularity, causing many big-name Middle Eastern brands to recreate and mass-produce impressions of it. The perfume carries an ephemeral smoky-saccharine top note, followed by a sweeping jump into sweet, woody Dehnuloud with a sillage lasting for days.

“Dehnuloud Al-Turabee is a strong combination of khaltat with pure Oud oil. Traditionally, we were into Oud and Dehnuloud, but the market was changing and we realised the need to have an Eau De Parfum version of Oud oil. By the Grace of God, it was an immediate success,” says Mashud Abdul Rauf of his formulation. Even though Dehnuloud Al-Turabee became his perfume house’s most popular product, he believes that “there cannot be any comparison of pure Oud oil with it.”

Julien Rasquinet

Julien Rasquinet believes that the influence was a two-way road, “With the interest that grew of Middle Eastern perfumery among the French perfumer, I think we also came with a lot of French influence to the Middle Eastern perfumers.”

He also believes that the sudden popularity of Oud has to do with the shifting intensity from Indian Oud to the newer ranges from the Far East, “When you look at the [Southeast Asian] Ouds that are used in Saudi or Dubai, they are a bit less animalic [than Indian Oud]. I believe that’s a cross influence between the East and the West.”

To Julien, Frederic Malle’s The Moon (2019) is one of his finest Oud creations. The perfume boasts a fruity Oud fragrance thanks to Julien’s usage of the sugary molecule veltol.

“I dare a lot; I love potent fragrances,” he says, adding that The Moon is animalic with a pleasant raspberry tone alongside saffron and rose. The perfume’s success created a trend of fruity Oud in the Middle East. “With The Moon, we wanted to create the smell of happy memories in the streets of Dubai or Riyadh with [the fragrance of] shisha all around.”

Some of his latest Oud creations include Valentino’s Notte d’Oro (2024), co-created with Paul Guerlain. The creamy perfume was formulated for all the markets and has cherry with sweet almond notes. Another is Laboratorio Olfattivo’s Oud in White (2024), which has jasmine-containing indole, which according to Julien, blends well with Oud. “For French consumers, it’s a bit too much. To me, it’s addictive and captivating. Not every Oud is acceptable in Europe yet, they are still warming up to the idea,” he says.

Can the West do justice to oud?

On being asked if western perfumery can do justice to Oud, Julien says: “I have created quite a few Oud fragrances for western brands which are very successful in the Middle East. I believe we are doing justice to Oud, as they are being appreciated by consumers who can tell.”

As a perfumer, he now prefers to look at Oud not as an olfactive family but as a normal ingredient. “I don’t use Oud only to create Arabic fragrances. I love to use Oud to create florals in which I will not necessarily even mention it,” he explains.

Mashud observes that while western fragrance houses have succeeded in popularising and romanticising Oud, they have neither understood the fragrance nor it’s purpose of use. Their aim is to appeal to the Arabs, essentially losing the true significance of Dehnuloud. To the West, Oud is only an exciting new ingredient, “My question is, do they understand Oud? Why it is so expensive? Why it is so highly valued and used?” he asks.

Mashud believes that the wafting scent of burning Agarwood and the fragrance of pure Dehnuloud are both rich in medicinal properties. “A regular user of Oud is addicted to it. Its addiction is not like a negative addiction of cigarettes or drugs, but it’s an extremely valuable addiction as satiating it is medicinal for the body and soul.”

In Islam, fragrance is inherent, with a special significance having been mentioned in Prophet Muhammad’s hadith (PBUH) for its scent as well as for its medicinal properties.

Seminal religious texts of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity, also hold Oud in high esteem with its mention in Sanskrit texts as early as 1400 BC. In scientific texts, Greek physician Dioscorides, in 65 BC, wrote about the medicinal qualities of Agarwood, including a detailed observation about its taste and benefits.

The trade of perfumery

Julien believes that the five years he spent in Dubai to understand the region’s olfactive culture served as a great source of inspiration. “Now that I am back in France, I am using the knowledge I gained working in the Middle East in all of my creations.”

He says that perfumers need to travel to trade ingredients and because Dubai is a place of trading, it is a successful city birthing many interesting fragrances. “That’s the great thing of our world today, the exchange we get with cultures, with people, with lands. For perfumers, it’s fantastic,” he says.