Agarwood
Agarwood, known as oud, is usually a base note in modern perfumes. It is strong and complex. The essence is also used as a middle note in select scents like French Essence Oud Men Luxury Perfume and as a top note with citrus, floral, or fruity scents in perfumes such as Chopard Collection Agar Royal Eau de Parfum.
Perfumes may include other notes besides agarwood, such as citrus, floral, or fruity scents. For example, the Chopard Collection Agar Royal Eau De Parfum has top notes of bergamot, mandarin orange, and jasmine.
Agarwood is a symbol of heritage and culture in East Asia. In the Middle East, it is used in religious traditions and ceremonies. However, it is expensive and potent. Many brands use an alternate chemical scent, ‘accord of oud.’
Agarwood perfume can be extracted from eight species belonging to the Aquilaria genus. The four principal species are Aquilaria sinensis, Aquilaria malaccensis, Aquilaria agallocha, and Aquilaria crassna.
The Bible mentions aloes in its verses. My research indicates that this refers to agarwood imported into the Middle East. Here is a verse that mentions the use of this incense in that region-
“How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel! Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters” (Numbers 24:5–6).
In ancient times, agarwood was popular in Rome, Greece, Arabia, Persia, Egypt, India, and China. It was used in embalming (e.g., John 19:39 40), and such use continues in some Middle Eastern areas, such as Yemen.
The Hadiths describe it as a treatment for throat-related ailments, as in the following text: Umm Qais, daughter of Mihsan, the sister of ‘Ukasha b. Mihsan said: I visited Allah’s Messenger along with my son, who had not, by that time, been weaned, and he urinated over his (clothes). He ordered water to be brought and sprinkled (it) over them. She (further) said: I visited him (Allah’s Apostle) along with my son, and I had squeezed the swelling in the uvula, whereupon he said: Why do you afflict your children by compressing like this? Use this Indian aloeswood, for it contains seven types of remedies, one among them being a remedy for pleurisy. It is applied through the nose for a swelling of the uvula and poured into the side of the mouth for pleurisy. (Book 26 of Sahih Muslim, #5487)
Today, the Middle East is the largest consumer of agarwood products. The oil is a principal ingredient in 400 fragrances. Oudh wood chips are used in rosary beads, necklaces, incense, powders, and green tea. Incense is used to perfume clothes before prayer, and wood chips are burned to welcome and honor guests.
In Japan, the ancient application of agarwood chips for relaxation, meditation, and physical wellness is common in the Kou-Dou incense ceremony.
Agarwood is a resin. Trees older than 60 years are best for extracting resin. Dark wood without white streaks indicates the presence of resin, which is produced when a fungus infects the heartwood. These fungi include Aspergillus spp., Botryodyplodia spp., Diplodia spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp., and Pythium spp.
As the wood rots, it produces a resin. This process can take centuries, making agarwood resin a scarce resource. Furthermore, the fungi infect only seven percent of the trees in nature. Thus, the use of agarwood as timber is limited. Artificial inoculation of agarwood trees in plantations is also done.
However, resin extraction requires the tree to be logged. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified it as vulnerable, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora placed it in Appendix II. Trade in Appendix II species is constrained to protect their numbers, which are so depleted that they are likely to go extinct.
The demand for this resin is high in Middle Eastern countries where oud incense is revered. This makes perfumes containing agarwood expensive.
Agarwood contains many bioactive compounds used in traditional medicine (Hashim, Y Z H Y., et al., 2016). Some studies indicate that agarwood aroma can have stress-reducing properties. (Naziz, P S. et al., 2019). More research is required to validate these indicative properties.
You will find much more in Holy Beauty on skincare, perfumes, and MedSpa procedures.