THE bouquet of Arabian Oud provides a sense of spirituality with its elegant, robust, lingering fragrance. The popularity of which has become a traditional staple of both the holy month of Ramadan as well as the Eid Al-Fitr holiday. Oud is something experienced throughout mosques, banks, homes and shopping centers alike.
According to latest market research statistics, Saudi nationals spend approximately SR600 million during the holiday season alone. With other data supporting that the fragrance industry, in general, is rapidly growing annually at a rate of 6.75 percent.
“Every Ramadan proves to show an increase in demand more than that of the previous year. As a result, this is our most active season with a rise in sales by 25 percent. The overall revenue of Oud products, both solid and liquid, equal about SR2.5 billion per year with distributors supplying tens of tons of quality Oud including sought after rare brands,” said Abdul-Aziz Al-Jasser, chairman of Arabian Oud Company in Riyadh.
“Consequently we have just opened another branch outside Saudi Arabia, while still making progress in the Kingdom and the Gulf drawing international investors to Saudi Arabia worth SR3.8 billion,” he added.
The Oud market has become an increasingly profitable business as a result of its thriving popularity and lofty price tag with a 12 gram bottle of Oud oil selling for as much as SR15,000 ($800) and a 1 kg piece of incense selling for up to SR45,000.
The high price of Oud and its worth as a commodity is primarily on account of the difficult manner by which it is harvested and the long amount of years it takes to fully grow and develop. Oud takes some 300 years to form in the trunk of the Agarwood tree, also know as Agqilaria Agallocha, and is originally found in India, Cambodia, Singapore, Laos Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand in some of the densest and most dangerous forests of Southeast Asia.
So dangerous in fact, that neighboring villagers before going on extracting expeditions plan extensively for the trip choosing only the best 100 people for the task. Unfortunately, only about 25 of these villagers prove successful in surviving the journey.
Other studies carried out by scientists have shown that the age of Oud goes back to the era of Adam (pbuh). These studies provide significant evidence of the authenticity of the legend of the wondrous Oud Tree. The legend states that Adam (pbuh) while in paradise covered himself with the leaves of one of the trees. Upon his descent to Earth the leaves dried due to climatic conditions and were scattered by the winds across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia appearing some hundred years later. This remains a miraculous event to this day.
Imam Bukhari has also reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Treat with Indian incense (Oud Al-Hindi) for it has healing for seven diseases; it is to be sniffed by one having throat problems and put in the mouth for one suffering from pleurisy.”
Oud is also used to traditionally treat asthma, chest congestion, colic, nausea, kidney problems, thyroid cancer, lung tumors, post childbirth and is a general tonic in China, India, and Japan.
Finding the Right Mood to Choose Oud
According to the International Fragrance Foundation everyone has a personal “scent circle” located approximately one arms length from the body with fragrance being one of the subtlest personal messages you send to those a person comes in contact with.
Another aspect has to do with diet. A person’s diet plays a major role in the way a fragrance smells and lasts on the skin. A wearer with a high fat spicy diet will have a more intense effect on the fragrance.
One recommendation the foundation makes is to apply fragrances from feet to shoulders as fragrances tend to rise and will need re-applying less frequently.
With various internationally known kinds of Oud, each kind possesses its own unique characteristics; Arab News has come up with some useful methods to make sure you find the right mood to choose the best Oud.
• Bouquet: the best quality Oud tastes bitter and the more bitter it is the better it is.
• Texture: the color of the best Oud is unified in both its interior and exterior parts. If for any reason the color is not unified it has possibly been painted to enhance its color and cannot be called true Oud.
• Appearance: the knots or stems of the interior and exterior parts should also be unified. The more unification that is visable the better quality Oud.
Some Quality Oud Wood Products include:
Maajoon Shoyukh: Crushed royal Indian Oud gratified with amber, musk, saffron, Taif floral essence and Cambodian Oud oil.
Mabthoot: Distinguished pieces of Oud gratified with floral essence, amber, musk, rose, and oriental spices.
Desert Maamol: Crushed Oud mixed with amber, musk, and oriental pieces.
Maajoon Arabia: Crushed Cambodian Oud gratified with amber, musk, and saffron.
Ma’amol Arabia: Crushed Oud mixed with Oud oil, amber, musk, and saffron.
New Ma’amol Arabia: Crushed royal Cambodian and Malaysian Oud with floral essence.
Royal Mabthoot: Pieces of Malaysian Oud gratified with floral essence amber, musk, rose, oriental spices and Indian Oud oil.
