Character
The Story of Indian Oud
From the wounded heartwood of Aquilaria trees comes one of the world's most coveted ingredients. Indian oud carries centuries of ritual, status, and sensory depth that few fragrance materials can match.
Heritage
Sanskrit texts from 2000 BCE first documented oud, calling it gahuru and describing it as prana, meaning the spirit of life. Ancient Indian rituals used the resin for spiritual ceremonies and aromatic offerings. Chinese records from the third century CE mention Vietnamese traders exporting agarwood to China and Japan, where it burned as incense for centuries. In the Islamic world, oud transitioned from incense to prized personal perfume oil, becoming embedded in cultural traditions from Turkey to the Arabian Peninsula. Today, the fragrance remains deeply tied to status and hospitality across the Middle East, while Western perfumers only began embracing it after Tom Ford launched Oud Wood in 2007, turning a regional treasure into a global luxury symbol.
At a Glance
6
Feature this note
India
Primary source region
Ingredient Details
Steam distillation
Resinous heartwood
Did You Know
"Only 1 in 10 Aquilaria trees in the wild develops the resin that becomes oud, and the oldest trees produce the most complex aroma."
Pyramid Presence