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Oudh

post #1 of 25
2/28/13 at 4:06pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, potentially stupid question: I really enjoy Oudh incense sticks that I burn in my room on occasion, but I've never smelled oudh in fragrances. Does my liking of the incense sticks mean I will like oudh in frags, or is it completely unrelated?
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post #2 of 25
2/28/13 at 4:48pm
Honestly, there's no such thing as Oud. It's a euphemism for the word agarwood. And 99% of the "Oud" out there is not real, but instead a chemical that smells like it.
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post #3 of 25
2/28/13 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

It's a euphemism for the word agarwood.

I don't think that word means what you think it means
"Euphemism - the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also: the expression so substituted."

So there is such a thing as oud, it is just another (non-English) word for agarwood. You could also call it jinko (沈香) or aloeswood...
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post #4 of 25
2/28/13 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaVariuM View Post

Okay, potentially stupid question: I really enjoy Oudh incense sticks that I burn in my room on occasion, but I've never smelled oudh in fragrances. Does my liking of the incense sticks mean I will like oudh in frags, or is it completely unrelated?

I would venture to guess so.
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post #5 of 25
2/28/13 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darjeeling View Post

I don't think that word means what you think it means
"Euphemism - the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also: the expression so substituted."

So there is such a thing as oud, it is just another (non-English) word for agarwood. You could also call it jinko (沈香) or aloeswood...

people would be offended to know they're spending $200 for a bottle of synthetic agarwood. lol

oud is a much more positively contexted word for it
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post #6 of 25
2/28/13 at 6:37pm
As others have said, there are different varieties of "oud"-even pure oud from the aquilaria tree can have different aspects.

Oud chips and attars (ie perfumes) are similar but have slightly different profiles, the attars being sweeter, mineral, and the burnt chips being more, well, smokey-dry-woody, in general. Most of the reconstructions in perfume do tend to have these sweet, oily aspects together with the woody ones, so you have to be comfortable with them.

But there are frags that focus on the burnt chip profile. According to our expert hedonist, Dior Leather oud smells very much like burnt oud chips, so that's the one you should probably check if you're looking for this type of notes.

cacio
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post #7 of 25
2/28/13 at 10:54pm
I agree that "oud" in the name of a scent, or in the list of accords is no indicator that there is any real oud/agarwood/aloeswood/jinko, or whatever name you choose to call the authentic material.
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post #8 of 25
3/1/13 at 12:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaVariuM View Post

Okay, potentially stupid question: I really enjoy Oudh incense sticks that I burn in my room on occasion, but I've never smelled oudh in fragrances. Does my liking of the incense sticks mean I will like oudh in frags, or is it completely unrelated?

I think you would like it - try a few.

Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

people would be offended to know they're spending $200 for a bottle of synthetic agarwood. lol

oud is a much more positively contexted word for it

I think most people that know a bit about perfume know that oud/agarwood in perfumes is almost always synthetic. Those that would be "offended" would probably also be offended to learn that there's no peach juice in Mitsouko.

"Agarwood" doesn't have any negative connotations at all - it's just not as well know a term as "oud" these days. YSL and Guerlain called it agar wood in their M7 and Habit Rouge EdP.
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post #9 of 25
3/1/13 at 4:53am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the few that answered my question. I didn't expect this to be a discussion on the word....

Anyway, I've been playing around with trying Oud Wood soon, since I hear it's a good intro to oudh in scents.
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post #10 of 25
3/1/13 at 6:04am
Since "Oud" is the hot new trend, there is no shortage of fragrances to try - and they are as different as the spellings.

Oud Wood is not bad, but there are many others you may want to sample in order to get a more complete picture of the scent.

I am not a fan of some Oud fragrances, but I absolutely love others. If you really enjoy the incense sticks, I would certainly think you will like some oud fragrances. It is much harder to figure out which ones however. You will need to try a few different ones. Personally, Oud Wood is not among my favorites.

Good luck and have fun exploring!
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post #11 of 25
3/1/13 at 6:57am
If u r looking for a more refined oud based - go to the attar's - Amouage's / Ajmal etc, very expensive, but whoever has it, will recommend it...

On parfums side, sample oud based from these lines if possible (no particular order) - my recommendations for first sniff will be - Montale Red Aoud or Al Oudh or Amouage's:
Montale's - many oud based (i would keep montale black aoud for the last, too harsh if u r getting to the aoud line for a first try - but a grt grt frag once u get to middle / dry down)
L'Artisan's Al Oudh
By Kilian's - has more than 1 oud based
Byredo - has more than 1 oud based
M7 Oud Absolu
Amouage line - got a few oud based
Bond # 9
Mona di Orio's oud
Francis Kurkdjian's Oud
Tom ford Oud Wood
Dior Privee Collection - Leather Oud & Oud Ispahan
Nasomatto's extrait's
Nejma aoud (1-6)
Mancera collection (if u can get one or sample from Selfridges)
Xerjoff's oud based parfums
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post #12 of 25
3/2/13 at 6:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaVariuM View Post

Thanks for the few that answered my question. I didn't expect this to be a discussion on the word....

Anyway, I've been playing around with trying Oud Wood soon, since I hear it's a good intro to oudh in scents.

Try ordering some Montale Aoud samples. They are wonderful. Oud (Agarwood/Aoud) can smell wildly different depending on the fragrance. It can smell just like sawdust-dry and woody, or like incense sticks...Give some a try. THe Perfumed Court has an "Oud Sampler"
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post #13 of 25
3/2/13 at 9:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

Honestly, there's no such thing as Oud. It's a euphemism for the word agarwood. .

Theres no such thing?

So the language I talk is gibberish?

Oud is an Arabic word.

Noirdrakkar......
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post #14 of 25
3/2/13 at 9:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

Theres no such thing?

So the language I talk is gibberish?

Oud is an Arabic word.

Noirdrakkar......

I think he is referring to the fact that words like Oud, aoud, oodh, etc. are all just improper names for agarwood, which is the "actual" thing we are talking about here. Interesting to read the wikipedia article on it, as I was not aware it was infected with a special kind of mold.
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post #15 of 25
3/2/13 at 9:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaVariuM View Post

I think he is referring to the fact that words like Oud, aoud, oodh, etc. are all just improper names for agarwood, which is the "actual" thing we are talking about here. Interesting to read the wikipedia article on it, as I was not aware it was infected with a special kind of mold.

WTF.

One guy says its a euphemism and the other says its an improper name.

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post #16 of 25
3/6/13 at 12:01pm
Oud, Aoud, oudh, aloeswood, agar, and agarwood are all the same thing.

Agar is the Indian word for the tree itself, or the fragrant heartwood of the tree, that produces the resin. It is derived from the ancient Sanskrit word aguru.
Agarwood is the most common English term for it, and aloeswood is sometimes used as well (although I have seen it used more in write-ups of products of the Japanese incense tradition).

Oud (عود) is an arabic word that literally means wood, however in perfumery/incense the term is used to refer to the same thing as above, i.e. agar/agarwood.

I think the reason why the term Oud/Aoud is more popular in the west, more so than agarwood or aloeswood, is because Pierre Montale played a large role in bringing this rare fragrant wood to the attention of the western market. And he used the Arabic term (and not the one more popular in Indian or Japanese traditions) for reasons obvious to anyone who knows the story behind the Montale oud line. Whether that 'oud' is real or synthetic is of course a different topic. : )
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post #17 of 25
3/6/13 at 12:43pm
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post #18 of 25
3/6/13 at 3:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

WTF.

One guy says its a euphemism and the other says its an improper name.


Well if you read the wikipedia article you can see that it is just another name for agarwood, so in both cases it's correct. I'm an English major, so maybe it's not translating from whatever language you specialize in, but to me, that's what I see.

Plus, this is completely not the point of this thread.
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post #19 of 25
3/6/13 at 3:33pm
Lets not forget the best spelling of all: Agarwoud
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post #20 of 25
3/7/13 at 4:01am
BACK TO THE SPIRIT OF THE THREAD... Try some Montales...Also there are some Indian/Pakistani websites that sell attar oils that smell like different versions of oud/attarwood/aoud/ooooud...but they are not high quality. That stuff is expensive.
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post #21 of 25
3/26/13 at 10:42am
You might want to try Mukhalat Arabian Oud Dehn Al Oud Mouatak. It has that vibe and smells great. Today I wore Royal Oud and you smell some wood but not like the arabian oils.
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post #22 of 25
3/26/13 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by diogenes65 View Post

try ordering some montale aoud samples. They are wonderful. Oud (agarwood/aoud) can smell wildly different depending on the fragrance. It can smell just like sawdust-dry and woody, or like incense sticks...give some a try. The perfumed court has an "oud sampler"

this ^^^^^^
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post #23 of 25
4/1/13 at 9:09am
LOL at the oud the word discussion. seriously...

if you like oud in incense sticks, you'll most probably like oud in frags. i often burn oud wood in my home but personally have not gotten, nor have I thought about getting, an oud perfume fragrance cause it's most likely synthetic and a chemical-laden combination of artificial elements made to smell like agarwood but isn't. would prefer to get a pure oud oil cause then i know i'm getting the real deal.
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post #24 of 25
4/1/13 at 9:23am
Doesn't really smell like typical church incense much, as far as I've tried it, it's more medicinal, I'd say.

As Fahrenheit Absol(just a little, if any)oud did make the girlfriend recoil in horror, Dark Aoud also caused offence and Leather Oud did fare only slightly better, it's probably fair to say that it's not for everyone (and that I will enjoy oud fragrances in seclusion).
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post #25 of 25
4/1/13 at 11:23am
Of course. If you like the note of oud in an incense stick, chances are that you will like the note of oud in perfumes. Go ahead and explore. I recommend that first you should buy inexpensive SAMPLES of pure oud oils. This will enable you to have a basis of comparison. You will know what the real thing smells like. I have two tiny bottles of indian oud and I love them. They helped me to identify if a oud note in a fragrance is close to the real thing or not.

My favorite Oud notes in commercial fragrances are the oud note in M7 Oud Absolu and in Habit Rouge Eau de Parfum.
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