By Aalia Khan
Oudh scented fragrances and products have fast become popular over the last few years. The strong Middle Eastern and Asian scented smells have become fashionable and are being adopted by many western perfumers and brands.
The Oudh ingredient comes from the infected heartwood of the Agarwood trees that grow mainly in the South East Asian forests. Oudh is used in many Arabic scents to give off a strong, vibrant smell. It is also used in incense and Oudh products can be used by both men and women.
The benefit of Oudh is that the ingredient is natural which gives it great health benefits as well as being halal. Dar al Oud, a luxury brand that specialises in Oudh products in the UAE, Thailand and also online for U.K buyers, state that “In the Chinese traditional medicine industry, Oud Oil has been used to help with stomach cancer, and other stomach issues such as ulcers and intestine problems.”
Perfumes created using Oudh may not have typically been the choice for many shoppers as the strong smells were preferred by the Eastern world. However since brands such as Christian Dior, Tom Ford, Armani and Molton Brown have began creating Oudh scented products it is becoming the new ‘It’ thing.
Criminal Lawyer Yousuf Khan says “I started to buy my Oudh products from Dubai as I developed a liking for the smell, but since brands have started created Oudh perfumes here I can now purchase the product easily. I very much like the smell of Oudh perfumes as they are longer lasting and very different to normal fragrances.”
Others have also expressed that they have taken a liking for Oudh based products; Arfaan Azim, a biomedical lab assistant says “I like the smell of oudh products because they give off an Eastern/Arabic vibe which I like, the smell is always different and unique which is what appeals to me.”
Molton Brown has recently launched its new Oudh collection named the Oudh Accord and Gold.
The collection includes a body wash, lotion, single wick candle and a fragrance named Shisur. Molton brown is one of the very few luxury fragrance experts to celebrate Oudh in bath and body blends. The collection has been inspired by the little-known birthplace of Oudh in Assam; a state of India in the north-eastern region, and it blends Oudh with gold leaf.
The Oudh accord body wash consists of sweetly-spiced cinnamon leaf oil and the candle wick also features notes of cinnamon leaf oil, elemi oil, myrrh oil, black tea and vetiver oil finished with a base of Oudh, honey and tobacco.
The spiced body lotion instantly comforts and moisturises the body and it is blended with gold droplets for “A touch of extravagance.”
Molton brown have thought of all the presentation details that prefect this collection from the exquisite gold caps to the elegant ribbon tied on each bottle. They have also been providing their customers with a complimentary hand and arm massage in the Molton Brown store in Leeds, Victoria Quarter, to test out the body wash, lotion and fragrance in the collection.
Oudh has been seen as an expensive ingredient as in some countries it is more expensive than gold; this factor appeals to some people making them want to buy the products more. “Using an Oud Oil product – especially in the Arabic market will show your wealthiness” says Dar al Oud. However the prices in Oudh related products can vary allowing many people to be able to treat themselves to a sweet and spicy Oudh perfume, body wash or lotion. “The trend of producing an Oud Oil product is currently BOOMING” Says Dar al Oud.
The Molton brown Oudh Accord and Gold collections’ prices include:
Body wash 300ml – £20.00
Body lotion 300ml – £26.00
Single wick candle – £36.00
Shisur fragrance 50ml – £90.00