Ingredient
Understanding Oud: The Most Precious Ingredient
From the forests of Southeast Asia to your skin
July 2026 · 8 min read
Agarwood — oud — is formed over centuries when a specific mould infects the heartwood of Aquilaria trees. The result is the most coveted ingredient in perfumery, worth more than gold.
Oud is not an ingredient. It is a phenomenon — resin formed when Aquilaria trees are infected by Phialophora parasitica, a process that can take decades.
The result is agarwood: dark, complex, and extraordinarily expensive. Middle Eastern perfumery has revered oud for millennia. Western luxury discovered it through houses like Tom Ford and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
At Biris, we guide clients through oud with intention — starting with accessible compositions like Oud Wood before exploring the depth of pure oud extrait.