Oud fragrances — a guide

Oud, or agarwood, forms when a tree of the genus Aquilaria is infected by a fungus and the wood secretes a dark, fragrant resin in defence. Because this happens rarely and natural oud costs more than most other raw materials, almost all modern fragrances use it in synthetic or partly synthetic form. That's not a scam — it's the only way oud in a €100 fragrance is possible at all. In our range eighteen fragrances have oud among their main accords, which is far too many for one list, so below are six that cover the range from accessible to demanding.

Montale Arabians Tonka: The cheapest oud in our range and the easiest to start with: €1.20 per millilitre. Saffron and bergamot up top, oud with Bulgarian rose in the heart, tonka, sugar cane, amber and white musk underneath. The sweetness wraps the oud rather than exposing it.
Guerlain Oud Nude: Oud in a mainstream take: raspberry and almond up top, oud with rose in the heart, vanilla, sandalwood and cedar underneath. The bottle holds 200 ml, so at €420 it's €2.10 per millilitre — it looks expensive on the shelf but per millilitre it's among the cheaper ones.
Memo Paris African Leather: Oud with leather, not sweetness: cardamom, pink pepper and geranium up top, cinnamon with patchouli and rose in the heart, leather, oud and amber underneath. €255 for 75 ml is €3.40 per millilitre. The next step once sweet ouds are no longer enough.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood Extrait: The most Western interpretation: violet, geranium and cinnamon up top, Damask and Turkish rose in the heart, oud, vanilla, amber, benzoin, caramel and cedar underneath. Creamy and rosy, and at €4.93 per millilitre also the most expensive on this list.
Penhaligon's Halfeti: A British approach to Arabian oud: cypress leaf, saffron and artemisia up top, Bulgarian rose with nutmeg in the heart, oud, cedar, leather, sandalwood, amber and tonka underneath. According to community ratings 10–14 hours and strong sillage.
Xerjoff Alexandria II Anniversary: The demanding end of the category: Bulgarian rose with cumin and cardamom, wormwood, clary sage, civet and oud in the heart, sandalwood with vanilla underneath. One of its accords is animalic, a scent you need to get used to. A 5 ml decant is €35.

How to read oud in our range: (1) Check whether oud is in the pyramid at all. Al Haramain Amber Oud Tobacco Edition has oud in its name but not in its notes — what you get is sweet tobacco. The name is a marketing decision, the notes are information. (2) Tell three styles apart. Arabian oud is raw and often animalic (Alexandria II), Western oud is smoothed out with rose and vanilla (MFK, Guerlain), and the leathery kind goes a third way (African Leather). If one doesn't suit you, that says nothing about the other two. (3) Start with the sweet ones. Arabians Tonka at €1.20 per millilitre is the cheapest way to find out whether you even like oud — and if you don't, you've saved a few hundred euros. (4) Apply less. Oud is dense and persistent; one spray fewer is almost always the better call in this category. (5) Don't buy blind. Among the fragrances in our catalogue, ouds are the ones where community ratings diverge the most — which means skin reaction is least predictable with them.

What is oud and why is it expensive?

A dark, fragrant resin that the Aquilaria tree secretes as a defence against fungal infection. Because this happens in only a small share of trees and extraction is slow, natural oud is among the most expensive raw materials in perfumery. Most modern fragrances therefore use synthetic substitutes.

Which oud fragrance suits a beginner?

Montale Arabians Tonka. Its oud is surrounded by tonka and sugar cane, so it's softer and more predictable. At €1.20 per millilitre it's also the cheapest oud in our range. Leave Alexandria II for later — it has an animalic accord.

Are oud fragrances suitable for women?

Yes, and in Arabian tradition rose with oud is the most classic combination for both sexes. In our database Guerlain Oud Nude and Bond No. 9 NoMad are listed as feminine, and MFK Oud Satin Mood and Alexandria II as unisex.

Why do some fragrances with oud in the name not smell of oud?

Because oud in the name is a selling point. Al Haramain Amber Oud Tobacco Edition doesn't have it in its pyramid, and Superz Aura and Ganymede have it only low among their accords, so many people don't notice it at all. The rule is simple: read the notes, not the names.

How do I know whether the oud in a fragrance is natural?

You can't tell from the description, and we can't claim it either — manufacturers rarely disclose the composition. What you can see is the style: a raw, barnyard character points to the Arabian approach, a smooth and creamy one to synthetic oud in a Western take.