Oud mouillettes by Gabrielle

Fragrance marketing often flattens oud in two ways: by treating it as a single recognizable “or by suggesting that every oud from a particular region will smell alike”. In reality, Indian oud may be known for barnyard, Cambodian oud for fruit and sweetness, and Bornean oud for green, airy facets, but these descriptions are only shorthand. Two ouds from the same region may smell remarkably different.

Photo: Aquilaria Crassna via Wikimedia Commons

Does oud have terroir? Yes, although geography is only one of the influences on its aroma. Species, climate, soil, rainfall, insects, fungi, and other microorganisms can affect the way resin develops. The finished oil is also shaped by the age and condition of the tree, whether resin formation occurred naturally or was induced, the parts and grades of wood selected, their resin content, any soaking or fermentation, the distillation method, and the age of the oil.

 Chest with oils – Pexels, Hesham Photography

Agarwood forms when trees in the Aquilaria and Gyrinops genera respond to injury or biological stress by depositing resin in the affected wood. As the resin accumulates over time, the wood becomes darker, heavier, and aromatic. Its chemistry is complex, with fragrant sesquiterpenes and characteristic 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones among its principal compound families. No single molecule accounts for the smell of oud, which helps explain the range of impressions that can emerge from one oil over several hours. Differences in the wood and its processing also contribute to variation from batch to batch. Regional scent profiles are therefore better understood as tendencies rather than rules.

Indian ouds have had a strong influence on the traditional Middle Eastern and Western understanding of oud. Although oils from different regions of India can vary considerably, many are associated with earth, leather, smoke, tobacco, and pronounced animalic or barnyard facets.

 Assami tea field – Pexels, Tarak Nath Das

Assami oud, generally associated with Aquilaria malaccensis, is one of the best-known Indian regional ouds. Depending on how the wood is prepared and distilled, the oil may emphasize incense, tobacco, leather, herbs, dried fruit, and resinous woods rather than overt barnyard notes.

In Adventure In Assam, the Assami oud contributed camphor, hay, tobacco, leather, and tea-like facets, with a spicy floral quality in the heart. Those qualities helped shape the perfume’s movement from cool, astringent tea into a warmer, smoother drydown.

Angor Wat, Cambodia – Pexels, Babija Photo JB

Cambodian oud, commonly distilled from Aquilaria crassna, is often described as sweeter, fruitier, and more balsamic than traditional Assami oil. Honey, dried fruit, resin, tobacco, wood, and leather are recurring impressions. Some oils are dark, smoky, bitter, medicinal, or animalic, but the ripe sweetness associated with many Cambodi oils has made this style especially appealing to perfume wearers.

Thai beach – Pexels, Yurix Sardinelly

Thai agarwood also frequently comes from Aquilaria crassna, so Thai and Cambodian oils may overlap. Thai oud is commonly woody, balsamic, leathery, and smoky, sometimes with warm animalic accents. Individual oils may also display fruity, green, incense-like, or floral qualities. The Thai oud I worked with had prominent fruit and floral facets. Those brighter notes carried through the composition and helped shape I Land In Thailand. Oud is usually described as a base note, but a complex oil can influence the heart and opening of a perfume as well.

Burmese temple – Pexels, Jonas F

There is less agreement about a typical Burmese oud profile, so broad generalizations are especially difficult. The aged Myanmar oil I used for Meander To Mandalay, however, contained incense, warm spice, apricot, orange, white flowers, tobacco, leather, sandalwood, and balsamic notes.

Vietnamese oud is frequently described as sweet, resinous, incense-like, bitter, and sometimes brisk. Bornean and Malaysian ouds often lean greener, with mossy, floral, leafy, or medicinal facets. Indonesian ouds may be drier and earthier, with woody, rooty, leathery, or smoky qualities. Papuan oud is often described as green, floral, and evocative of dense vegetation, while Chinese agarwood may show bitter, tea-like, woody, sweet, or cooling qualities and is closely tied to incense traditions.

These descriptions should not be treated as fixed classifications. Tree species cross national borders, wood may be traded before it is distilled, and processing can substantially alter the finished oil. Because natural oud is expensive, variable, and difficult to source consistently, perfumers also use oud accords, bases, and reconstructions. An accord creates an oud-like impression, while a reconstruction generally suggests a more deliberate attempt to imitate a natural oil or regional style. Either may be made from natural materials, synthetics, or a combination of both.

A perfume labeled as oud may contain a substantial amount of agarwood oil, a small amount supported by an accord or reconstruction, or no natural oud at all. That is not inherently deceptive. Perfumery regularly recreates materials and effects that are challenging to use directly. What matters is whether the perfume is presented in a way that gives consumers an accurate understanding of whether natural oud is present.

 Perfume materials – Pexels, Anna Shvetz

Most oud reconstructions are built from several categories of materials. Cypriol (also known as nagarmotha), patchouli, vetiver, cedarwood, and guaiacwood can provide dry wood, earth, roots, and smoke. Gurjun balsam, labdanum, styrax, benzoin, frankincense, and elemi contribute balsamic, resinous, and incense notes. Birch tar, cade, saffron materials, and animalic bases may add smoke, leather, or barnyard effects. Modern woody-amber molecules supply projection and persistence. Davana, osmanthus, damascones, rose, jasmine, tobacco, herbs, green notes, tea effects, and traces of camphoraceous materials can add fruit, flowers, warmth, or cooling effects and help suggest a particular style of oud.

As a natural perfumer, I prefer to work with high-quality oud oils. Still, a well-made reconstruction can be beautiful, stable, consistent, and more practical and cost-effective than natural oud. Nor is natural oud automatically superior, as it may be poorly distilled, over fermented, adulterated, or irresponsibly sourced.

  On The Nose Perfumes The Jet Set collection photo Gabrielle

Natural oud and an oud reconstruction represent different approaches to oud in perfumery. One begins with resinous agarwood and the work of the distiller. The other uses a perfumer’s selection of materials to interpret some of the same aromatic qualities. Each should be judged by its quality, its role in the finished perfume, and how clearly it is presented to the wearer.

Gabrielle Durand of On The Nose Perfumes and Natural Perfumer

Gabrielle Durand is a Contributor for www.cafleurebon.com

All photos are owned by On The Nose Perfumes, unless otherwise stated.

 The Jet Set collection with materials by Gabrielle

As a thank you for reading her Notes from the Lab, Gabrielle is offering the choice of one LIMITED EDITION 15 ml flacon from the Jet Set Collection of I Land In Thailand (Thai oud), Meander To Mandalay (Burmese Oud), or Adventure In Assam (Assam Oud) for one registered reader in the continental USA. Please register here or your comment will not count. To be entered, in the comments section below, share which of the regional ouds discussed in the article appealed to you most and why, where you live in the US, and whether you would prefer I Land In Thailand, Meander To Mandalay, or Adventure In Assam. Draw closes 8/04/2026.

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Please read Gabrielle Durand’s Profile in American Perfumery. Revisit Gabrielle’s CaFleureBon Notes from the Lab contributions: Green Notes: here. Natural Perfumes and Chemicals  here, and Aromatherapy vs. Natural Perfumery here. Gabrielle is featured in our Natural Perfumery Next Gen Article. Please read Ida’s reviews of I Land In Thailand  and Sandi’s reviews of Meander To Mandalay,

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