The perfume industry is worth billions of dollars word wide and it offers buyers plenty of options to express their personality. An interesting new trend is the popularity of Oud based scents, some of which are extremely costly. However, this ingredient is not very well known outside of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures even though it has a very unique and strong Absolutes.
Oud is a very costly wood resin that is created when a specific type of tree is attacked by mold. The tree in question is the Aquilaria which grows. The resin is not ready for extraction until it has matured fully and turns dark brown or black in color; this process generally takes several hundred years. The lengthy maturity period and the fact that it is produced by a specific tree that is limited to certain areas makes Oud a very costly ingredient. The diminishing forest cover in the countries it is native to means that supply of this fragrant resin is under threat.
Its resin has a wonderful and powerful fragrance that lasts for a very long time. As a matter of fact, the resin which is also known as Agarwood, has been used by man since time immemorial. It is heated in braziers in order to give a room a good scent and to aid in meditation In addition, the tree resin is boiled and the liquid is then distilled to create pure Oud oil. This distinctively fragrant oil is extremely costly and it goes for hundreds of dollars for every ounce.
Oud, or Agarwood or Aloes Wood, has been used for thousands of years and it has even been mentioned in the Bible. It is also known as the Wood of Gods. It has predominantly been used as incense and even for medicinal purposes in Middle Eastern cultures. There are also many traditional perfumes that contain oil distilled from Oud.
These days, however, many famous Western perfumers are showing a great deal of interest in this resin because of its unique aroma. As a result, there are quite a few perfumes that feature this product. In fact, there is growing demand for these fragrances on account of their uniqueness. Unlike traditional Oud scents, the contemporary ones are blended with other scents to downplay the strength of Oud and create a wonderful scent overall that appeals to modern sensibilities.