Oud has been used for centuries in the Middle East — its distinctive scent is deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of the region, associated with luxury, tradition, and spirituality.
Wearing oud perfume or burning oud incense denotes status and wealth, ingraining it as a symbol of opulence in the region. Beyond its aesthetic allure, oud holds medicinal properties, often utilized in traditional healing practices for its purported antimicrobial qualities and calming effects in aromatherapy.
Osama bin Youssef Al Balushi is a young Omani entrepreneur who specialises in selling this prized essence in Oman.
"I've always been a fan of oud. I'd been using it personally as a fragrance, and everyone around me had always been impressed by its smell," Al Balushi shared.
On a trip to Thailand with his father, Al Balushi said that he discovered many different shops selling oud with good quality but usually at a very cheap price compared to those found and sold in Oman.
"I started out buying a fairly large and varied quantity from that trip. Impressed by the quality, I then sold them to friends and family members, many of whom were impressed by the smell. The number of customers purchasing increased, and I eventually ran out, and that's when it occurred to me that there is a market in Oman for good quality products. That was how the business began," Osama said.
Oud are not produced in Oman primarily because the materials used are not available in the country. Derived from the resinous heartwood of agarwood trees primarily found in Asia, oud production involves a meticulous process.
The production process involves several steps. Agarwood trees are carefully selected and harvested, usually by making incisions in the trunk or branches to extract the resinous wood. The harvested trees are infected with the mould that triggers the production of agarwood. This process can take several years, during which the resin accumulates within the wood, imparting its characteristic aroma. Once the agarwood has matured, it is carefully extracted from the tree. This can be a delicate process, as the resinous wood is often embedded deep within the tree's core. The extracted agarwood is then subjected to a distillation process to extract the oud oil. This can be done using steam distillation or hydrodistilled methods. The extracted oud oil is often aged for several months or even years to allow its aroma to mature and deepen. It may also be blended with other essential oils to enhance its fragrance profile. The final oud oil is typically sold in the form of pure oil, oud-based perfumes, or incense sticks.
"There are many different types of ouds on the market. There are Indian, Cambodian, Thai, Indonesian, and Filipino types, and usually, the scarcity of some types and their age is what determines the difference in their prices. For example, Indian and Cambodian types are considered expensive, so the customers for these types are usually from the wealthy class," Al Balushi explained.
The most popular product purchased in Oman is the tarad because it has a calm and unobtrusive smell, merchants describe it as having a sweet smell and it has a fairly low price that everyone can afford.
"Al-Sioufi oil has also been growing in popularity, not just in Oman but in the Gulf in general. The best-selling type I know of is Al-Barashin," he shared.
"Demand for oud also depends on the season. We noticed that there's usually more demand during the winter season, as a lot of customers feel that the smell coordinates with the season well. For us, the month of Ramadhan is the best. We often record high sales compared to previous years and this year in particular has been a good year," Al Balushi shared.
Saeed al Fari shared that he loves the scent of oud and always uses it as a fragrance.
"Oud has a rich, complex, and distinctive aroma. It offers a sophisticated and captivating aroma that sets it apart from more common perfume ingredients. When you use it on key points like your hand or neck, it usually lasts and gives out a calming smell," Al Fari said.
"For me and my family, we prefer using the Indian-oud because they have these classic scents that Arabs love. We usually have our preferred shops and even go to farms directly to buy the oil from the producers," he added.
Al Balushi believes that, with its echoing significance in Omani culture, oud will continue its popularity as a scent. Omani society regards oud as more than a fragrance; it's a symbol of status and respect, often exchanged as a gift during significant events. For those intrigued by its mystique, trying oud offers a sensory journey into a world of rich traditions and aromatic wonders, transcending borders to connect with a global community enamoured by its exotic charm.
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