AS LUXE AS IT GETS

How oud–a niche fragrance note–has garnered the world’s love and attention

By Anjan Sachar

Not many beauty products feel as personal as fragrances. Your aroma dictates the energy you evoke when you walk into a room. And the way you want to smell dictates the fragrance you pick for the day. If you’ve ever travelled to Dubai, the very familiar, heady scent you smell all over shops and malls, is most likely varieties of Oud. Derived from agarwood, with Assam being home to some of the best crops, Oud is one of the most expensive raw ingredients to procure for a fragrance. Once an acquired taste, today, we’re spotting oud across niche and luxury fragrance houses with love pouring in from around the globe.

According to Astha Suri, founder, creative director and nose at homegrown luxe fragrance label NASO, we have the Middle East to thank for Oud finally getting its time under the sun as a popular fragrance note. “Oud started being annotated as a status symbol much before its scent was looked into,” she says. “The strong musky aura signifies power, robust energies and royalty. Most importantly its lasting (time) is drastically different to the usual scents. More people started to like the versatility of the scent blooming from morning to night and before it became ‘their scent’.”

For Shishir Mehta, founder and managing director of SCENTIDO, a niche luxury perfume brand curator and retailer, it’s the exclusivity of the ingredient that’s led to the boost. “Given the growing trend towards experiential scents, Oud’s narrative and olfactory richness make it an ideal choice for those seeking something truly special. Consumers are acquiring a taste of authentic oud in luxury fragrance brands across the globe due to a [growing] love for niche fragrances and the longing for authentic, natural products.”

The Oud boom and bloom

For Suri, oud has been an integral ingredient since the inception of her brand. “To meet a mark of fragrance expertise and to offer it at affordable luxurious pricing is why we set out to further decode oud into our modern Ayurvedic blends. That alone targeted more noses into a manner of familiarity and our approach was appreciated.” Apart from their earthy Oud Mud scent, the ingredient also enhances their other fragrances like Tabac and Sarawak Mazzo, both heady blends that linger. At Mehta’s SCENTIDO, consumers are exposed to fragrances from some of the most niche global brands including D.S. & Durga, Roja Parfums and Marc-Antoine Barrois. “Oud has transformed from a traditional, regional ingredient into a global symbol of luxury and sophistication,” says the fragrance enthusiast and collector. “Its unique scent profile, combined with cultural significance and scarcity, has made it a staple in the world of high-end perfumery. Whether you are an avid fragrance collector or just beginning to explore the world of scents, Oud is a note worth experiencing.”

Today, you can spot Oud as a hero note across fragrance offerings from global luxury houses such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, keeping in line with consumer demands. “An oud offering opens the market to the GCC clientele who are predominantly higher buyers and spenders of perfume,” says Suri. “It also opens a plethora of general South European, Asian and African clientele. Climate plays a huge role in the users of oud. In hot areas, the general use will always be more relevant to the extract. Us being in India have a larger chunk of oud lovers, in comparison to cities like Paris.” Mehta believes that the scent’s versatility to deliver multiple nuanced notes is what is driving intrigue. “Contemporary consumers are increasingly drawn to fragrances that tell a story,” he says. “Oudh, with its rich tapestry of aromas, offers just that. Its unique blend ranges from musky undertones to floral hints, capturing a diverse spectrum that resonates deeply.”

While the love for oud increases multifold around the globe, it is also a rare ingredient and its scarcity is a growing concern. “We are driven towards finding further sustainable techniques of extraction and production. A large scarcity of labour to protect the dying craft is very hard to find,” says Suri.

For the fear of horses

Hermès’ perfumer Christine Nagel created the brand’s Hermessence Oud Alezan, which launched in early 2024, after her first up-close interaction with a horse — in an attempt to overcome her childhood fear of them — a few years prior. The scent of warm muscles, the animal’s velvety breath and sawdust all stayed with her, coming back to her when she discovered a woody Oud note, unlike anything she had smelled before. Further blended with a lighter rose hydrosol and headier rose oxide, the sensual concoction came to life, a nod to the brand’s connection to horses and a newfound love for Nagel.

On a personal note

The power of Oud further reflects in the NASO founder’s own life as well. For Suri’s wedding, her father, who is also a perfumer, created a customised oud-based fragrance paired with notes of vetiver and saffron called Oud Regale. This was bottled in glass, adorned with a floral case made of silver as a gift for guests, which then went on to become a part of the brand’s offerings, under their collaboration with Rezon Silverware by Kalyani Saha Chawla. “We wanted something significant enough to remember the wedding with so he created a nostalgic scent, and what’s more nostalgic of home than Oud? To date, whenever I meet any of the few hundred guests, they all cheer about it and most likely are wearing it at the time,” she says.

What’s next for Oud?

According to Suri, the future of oud lies in floral blends, especially emerging from France. “With the predominance of French perfume in one’s collection, I think oud which is sophisticated enough to give you that first bloom in the flower, while also retaining its woody spark will be a favourite choice. Oud and rose, and oud and bergamot are popular in the scenting area. As long as the delicate nature of a flower or a leaf is pertained while being backed by top-notch Oud, the popularity of the note will only increase.” Mehta, on the other hand, predicts sweeter notes such as vanilla, coconut and cherry blended with Oud to be the scents to look out for in 2025.