HOW A FRAGRANCE CAN TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY

What is the most unforgettable smell you have ever encounter? In the last decade oud has taken the beauty product and fragrance world by storm in recent years because of its darkness goth like scent, its mustiness, and incredible smell. At $5,000–$30,000 per pound, oud is the most expensive smell in the fragrance hemisphere and has dominated the cologne and perfume business in recent years. Oud or “wood” comes from the resin of the agar tree found in the dense forest of China, Bangladesh, and India. This intoxicating fragrance is distilled from the wood or the manufacturing of the resin, which is rare because only 10% of all agar trees produce this resin, and only 2% can be manufactured. Oud is a luxury and a must-have.

Each year, the Oud market reaches 7 billion dollars worldwide, and usually, a bottle of oud can cost $400. Even though this perfume is overly expensive, only a squirt is enough to last a whole day. Thus, your average oud perfume bottle can last almost a whole year. Pure oud has a powerful pine forest musky, manly smell. Because manufacturers usually mix oud with sweet floral notes like jasmine and rose, the toughness of the oud fragrance diminishes and balances the sweet notes, turning the scent into something sensual, luxurious, sexy, and unique.

HISTORY OF A FRAGRANCE

Oud goes back to ancient times in various cultures. In the Middle East, The Prophet Muhammad fumigated his house with a piece of Agarwood. He believed Agarwood came brought from heaven. The Jewish Song of Songs tells about Agarwood used in King Solomon’s temple. In recent times, oud has been a vital note in the Arabic perfume and Islamic fragrance world.

Oud was traded between China, Japan, and Vietnam as a commodity dating back to 300 AD. Now, people use oud in Fengshui households all around the world. A tradition of controlling the flow of energy in a close setting, like a room or a temple. The essential oud notes are used in the spiritual, therapeutic, and medicinal world to bring serenity and harmony to the soul. The most expensive prayer beads in Hinduism come from Agarwood. Royals throughout the French monarchy used oud throughout their houses to add a more unique ambiance.

OUD IN POWER HOUSE PERFUMES

In our world, oud is used more and more in the luxury perfumes made by famous brands like Georgio Armani, Versace, Tom Ford, Creed, and other high-end perfume shops and fashion houses. While oud is used as a base note, the top notes must be sweet, rich, and heavy, or the oud will overpower the fragrance, making the oud smell more like church incense than something you wear at a party. When it comes to notes, wood and pine are earth notes. These notes, together with sweet flowery notes such as rose, vanilla, jasmine, gardenia, and others, make a balanced combination. This way, you get this hardcore earth note mixed with the sweet floral notes.

A CHAMELEON SCENT

Because oud is so powerful, fashion houses always mix this note with 10 to 15 different scents. I always found oud to be a chameleon smell. The first whiff is something disgusting. Like a dead animal in the forest. But as the air hits the scent and all the other notes suddenly come alive, oud becomes something mind-blowing. Oud needs to breathe like a good wine. The fragrance of wood is a little bit smokie, pine-like, with a touch of sweetness. Most people say oud smells like something “dirty,” “animals, even “dead”. However, when you mix it with the sweetness of bergamot, rose, jasmine, and vanilla, it creates the perfect blend.

What is remarkable about oud is the chameleon-like smell that changes over time; while the initial aroma can be robust and earthy, over time, it becomes mild. Oud smells different on each of us because oud is a natural compound and is not something synthetic. The chemistry of the fragrance changes with whatever it comes in contact with—human skin, fabric, weather.

Because of body pheromones, skin temperature, and oily skin, the fragrance can smell differently on different people. Oud keeps its characteristics on drier skin better than oily skin because oil dilutes the intensity of the fragrance. When you mix oud with other notes, those notes will behave differently on different skin types.

A UNIQUE FRAGRANCE

Every oud perfume is unique. Think of vanilla; every scent where the primary note is vanilla smells the same. Not so much with oud. Manufacturers usually import oud from the Far East. From India, Cambodia, China, and other countries, each oud will smell different. Combine that with other notes, and you will have an infinite number of smells. A perfume with vanilla, tonka bean, bergamot, and oud will smell different from a fragrance that mixes oud with rose, pine, citrus, and lavender. The gothic fragrances do like to incorporate more “dark” notes, like oud, pine, patchouli, pepper, musk; these perfumes are dark, manly, and a treasure in the high-end perfume world.

HOW TO WEAR OUD

Oud is a luxury fragrance, so it is best to it use in moderation. It is sexy, dark, mysterious, and it’s not like anything you have experienced. If you are not familiar with oud, you should test it first on your skin and let the cologne sit there for a couple of hours before you smell. You will see how this pungent hardcore smell becomes sweeter over time. You can also wear two fragrances simultaneously; spray oud first, then soften the odor with another perfume—preferably one that doesn’t have oud in it.

HOW TO STORE YOUR FRAGRANCE

Usually, oud perfumes have a one-year life span; therefore, unless you are head over heels in love with the perfume, start with the mini bottle first—the 0.17 OZ. Then, if you love the fragrance, buy a larger bottle. If you want to use it all the time, get the 3.4 OZ bottle, and make sure you store it in a dark and dry place, far away from sunlight or heat. Most people make the mistake of keeping their fragrances in the bathroom where the heat and the steam of the shower can damage the chemistry of the fragrance, making your perfume smell like oil.

HOW TO APPLY PERFUME

There is an ongoing discussion on where you should apply and how much you should use your fragrance. Some people say that you should apply perfume to your pulse points, wrist, and neck. There’s a debate on how many sprays you should use; some say three, five, or even seven sprays. It all depends on how strong the perfume is, and with oud fragrance, you get the most robust scents possible, so be very conservative; one to two sprays will be sufficient. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself, and you don’t want to overwhelm the people around you because oud fragrances have quite the kick. So, be gentle.

HOW TO BUY OUD

Since most design fragrances carry this oud, you might first want to buy a small vial to try on before you spend hundreds of dollars on something you might not like. Many high-quality perfume brands will sell online small vials of 1ml, 2ml, or even 3ml at a reasonable price, so try these first before you make a 100+ dollars purchase.

Fragrance, perfumes, cologne – a world full of notes and smell that will take your breath away. Sometimes the best impression that you can make is an unspoken one. Just one whiff of a fragrance to make a moment unforgettable.