De-Classifying Fragrance Ingredients | Part Four

Oud and the Value of Authenticity

Duke A. Barnstable | The Future is in Wood

In today’s post-industrial world, authenticity matters more than ever. People are not only requesting transparency regarding our fragrances, they are demanding it. What we use, how we use it, the effects it will have… all need to be carefully considered when creating perfume. Long gone are the days of hiding behind the curtains of trade secrets to avoid answering tough questions about what we do and why we do it. The free flow of information set off by the rise of the internet has changed the game. The tools to validate any claim have been democratized and made portable courtesy of smartphones and tablets we carry with us wherever we go. Just look to the increase in online knowledge collectives dedicated solely to uncovering the truth behind perfumery. Our creative day-to-day life is now under constant review. To my fellow perfume makers, recognize that there is nowhere left to hide.

Which brings me to the topic of oud (agarwood). Oud is one of my favorite olfactive unicorns. It serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of playing fast and loose with the faux and the real in fragrance formulation.

Will The Real Oud Please Step Forward…

aquilaria tree (oud wood)

Real oud wood is precious, rare, and expensive. Oud is a dark resin formed in the heartwood of Aquilaria trees; a byproduct of fighting off a mold infection in the plant. As an olfactive material, oud is neither easily cultivated nor distilled. As a result, most oud used in perfumery is a replacement material: a stand-in oud alternative.

[Check out Perfume Shrine for an excellent article covering the complete ins and outs of oud.
(http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/2009/12/perfumery-material-oudaloeswoodagarwood.html)]

With oud’s history and complex odor profile in mind, I fully appreciate the idea of wanting to conjure an “oud effect” for use in perfumery. For those who have smelled this material in its many forms (in the raw, burned, distilled…), you know its fragrance to be quite exquisite… intoxicating even. Its rarity, density, and heft have always made it a favorite for use in religious ceremony and highly coveted by royalty the world round. Something about oud mesmerizes. There is no denying this aromatic pull. But here’s the problem: its true, indigenous odor is now being obscured. Worse yet, its being done knowingly… damn the consequences.

Remember that as oud grew in popularity, as it became a “must have, must use” celebrity ingredient, the race was on to colonize and capitalize its smell. Every fragrance house rushed to hone and improve their own particular spin on oud, pumping their trademarked versions into every formula possible just to flood the market. Similarly, fragrance brands, sold on the scent of money oud represented, kept their own bottle machines churning, adding an oud note wherever and whenever possible. They too entered into the competition for oud domination, only adding to the confusion of smell being presented to the general public. All proclaimed, “my oud is the ‘real’ oud.” At some point during all of this clamor, the actual odor of naturally occurring oud stopped mattering, drowned out by all the other noise cluttering shelves… yet another victory for style over substance in perfumery. As long as the “oud experience” was perceived as pleasurable, it was deemed passable… an acceptable doppelgänger for the original material. Sorry natural oud.

Commit to Honesty and Transparency

Duke A. Barnstable | True to Myself

I cannot fathom such willfully deceptive behavior. I guess I respect my ingredients too much. Knowing I used a synthetic or an accord instead of an essential oil is not something I am ashamed of admitting. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I believe those choices matter. I never feel afraid of answering why. I want people to know what it is they are smelling. I want them to know where my materials came from. And whenever possible, I proudly put those materials directly under their noses for closer examination. I believe everyone deserves that point of reference. Why hide? What are brands really afraid of revealing by being more transparent? I thought one of the beauties of perfumery was the ability to conjure something from nothing.

The way I see it, these past few decades have seen a dramatic increase in interest for the craft of perfumery. We need to foster that interest. At the heart of that fascination is the growing curiosity about our ingredients. This should come as no surprise given that we do talk up these materials each and every chance we get. Indie brands, now armed with these same olfactive tools, are ushering in a new era of increased transparency and accessibility in fragrance. Smell is being further democratized. Knowing that, it seems counterintuitive to persist with the old methods of bait and switch, while feigning naiveté. Yet, looking at the example of oud… this behavior clearly continues.

Know this. I do not desire to recreate a scent hierarchy that favors only a privileged few. In my opinion, this type of superficial elitism discourages greater olfactive understanding, and only stifles creativity. I make fragrance to expand appreciation, not to restrict it. Classism and sanctimonious snobbery are not now, nor never will be welcomed here at CM. Transparency is at the heart of the work we do. Therefore, I will always endeavor to be honest and up front about the materials used in formulation along with the means of production used. I will always tell you who plays oud (or any of my other stars) in every olfactive narrative I release. That’s my commitment to you. That’s also me remaining true to my olfactive stories.