(Source: Thinkstock, Art by Tanya Leigh Washington)One of the fragrance world's newest trends is actually an old favorite. Oud is popping up in a number of fragrances, candles and oils. What is oud you may ask? It's actually a very classic scent. To get specific, oud is a fragrant resin found in Agar tree that has been infected with a certain mold variety. The infected tree reacts by producing a precious, dark and fragrant resin. The oil of oud that results can be extracted by distillation from wood or by melting the resin and used on the skin or in fragrances.
This might sound weird—fragrance from a moldy tree—but oud is actually extremely luxurious and very valuable. According to a Bloomberg article from 2013, half a teaspoon of oud oil made from 100-year-old trees for Oman’s Sultan Qaboos in 1982 sold to a private collector in 2012 for $7,000. And today prices for a perfume containing oud can vary with top designers like Tom Ford ringing in at $215.
Because of its powerful scent—that can often take sometime to get used to, as may have described it as "animal-like"—when used in a fragrance, oud is often found as a base note due to its rich, woody, complex scent. Although the fragrance is most commonly found in men's scents, the potent potion isn't just for the guys. Ladies can get in on the oud action with a number of unisex products. If you're ready to live the live of oud luxury, check out some products we found to make oud wearable.
Forager All-Natural Rose and Oud Body Oil ($35)
(Source: Forager)This Brooklyn-made body oil is a blend of blend of almond, jojoba and apricot oil and contains notes of delicate rose and dry wood.Demeter Oud Cologne Spray, ($20 for one ounce)
(Source: Demeter)Demeter takes the bold oud fragrance and makes it less overpowering with this unisex scent.
(Source: Demeter)Demeter takes the bold oud fragrance and makes it less overpowering with this unisex scent.deadofnight Perfume Oil ($55 for 1.25 mL)
(Source: deadofnight)Handcrafted in small batches, deadofnight is slowly absorbed into the skin and meant to be used carefully and purposefully. Would you try oud?
Click to vote:
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Sure, I was born to smell like money. -
No, thanks. Too potent for me.
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