Seamus Hammond
Oud is one of the most sought-after and expensive perfumes in the world. It is made from the dark, intense essential oil extracted from agarwood, a rare and costly wood. To make your own oud perfume, you can follow these steps: First, source a good-quality oud oil, which can be tricky as there are many cheaper, lesser-quality oils on the market. Then, decide whether you want to make an oil-based fragrance or a spray perfume. If you opt for oil-based, you can work directly with the core ingredients and build from there. If you prefer a spray, you will need to dilute your oud oil with a high-percentage alcohol. Next, decide on the other ingredients you want to use. Almost everything goes with oud, but it's important to have a story to tell through your ingredients. Finally, experiment with different combinations of oils and make notes until you find a recipe you like.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Agarwood, Hindi oud, rose oil, Indian sandalwood, jasmine sambac robertet, styrax, tonka absolute, olibanum absolute, violet leaf, rosemary absolute, galbanum, aglaia, wild narcissus, boronia, lie-de-vin, rose 'pepper', fennel, nutmeg, orris root butter, grapefruit, magnolia leaf, clary sage, vetiver, patchouli, attar, animalics, musk, lavender oil/absolute, ylang ylang, saffron, barnyard notes, earthy notes, floral notes, sandalwood, cedar, cypriol, kephalis, cashmeran, benzylacetone, castoreum |
| Oud oil types | Sweet, smoke, barnyard/sharp |
| Essential oils | Yes |
| Alcohol | Yes, to dilute oils for mixing |
| Online recipes | Uncommon |
| Communities | DIY community on basenotes for perfumers |
| Process | Time-sensitive and labor-intensive |
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What You'll Learn
- Sourcing ingredients: Oud, agarwood, Hindi oud, attars, essential oils, etc
- Blending: Combining with other scents like rose, musk, sandalwood, etc
- Testing: Trial and error to find the right ratios and concentrations
- Editing: Knowing when to say no to certain ingredients
- Storytelling: Creating a unique fragrance with a story to tell
Sourcing ingredients: Oud, agarwood, Hindi oud, attars, essential oils, etc
Oud, agarwood, Hindi oud, attars, and essential oils can be sourced from a variety of places to make your own perfume. Here are some tips for sourcing these ingredients:
Oud and Agarwood
Oud, also known as agarwood, is a rare and costly ingredient. It comes from the resinous heartwood of the Agar tree, which becomes infected with a specific type of fungus, releasing a sticky, dark resin that changes the colour, aroma, and composition of the wood. This resin is what gives oud its distinctive scent. The Agar tree (Aquilaria species) is native to Southeast Asia, particularly Northeast India, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia. To source oud or agarwood, look for specialty suppliers or perfumery retailers that offer high-quality, wild-crafted, or sustainably sourced agarwood products.
Hindi Oud
Hindi oud, also known as Indian oud, is a variety of oud that originates from India. It is known for its rich, complex fragrance, often described as leathery, woody, and slightly animalic. To source Hindi oud, you can explore online perfumery suppliers or artisanal perfume communities, where you may find niche vendors offering rare and unique ingredients.
Attars
Attars are concentrated, natural perfumes typically derived from botanical sources such as flowers, herbs, and spices. They are often free from synthetic additives, making them pure and gentle on the skin. When sourcing attars, look for specialised attar houses or perfumeries that offer a range of authentic attars. You can also explore online retailers that specialise in natural fragrances and essential oils, as they may carry a selection of attars as well.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are a key component in perfumery, offering a wide range of fragrances. When sourcing essential oils, it is important to choose high-quality, pure essential oils. Look for reputable suppliers that offer organic or therapeutic-grade essential oils. Online retailers and specialty stores often carry a wide variety of essential oils, allowing you to select the fragrances that appeal to you.
When sourcing ingredients for your oud perfume, it is important to prioritise quality and sustainability. Take time to research the suppliers, read reviews, and understand the origins of the ingredients to ensure you are obtaining authentic, ethically sourced materials.
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Blending: Combining with other scents like rose, musk, sandalwood, etc
Blending is an essential part of creating your own oud perfume. While some high-quality ouds can function as standalone perfumes, many benefit from being balanced, supported, and complemented by other scents.
When blending, it's important to understand the different types of oud oil. Oud oil comes in three main varieties: sweet, smoke, and barnyard/sharp. Knowing this can help guide your choices when combining with other scents. Floral notes, for example, complement the barnyard variety, while earthy notes go well with the sweet variety.
You can combine oud with a wide range of scents, including rose, musk, and sandalwood. For instance, mixing barny Indian oud with rose oil is a combination that is "hard to screw up". You can also experiment with other florals such as jasmine sambac, or spices like fennel or nutmeg.
When blending, it's recommended to start with small quantities and scale up once you've found a recipe you like. Start by creating a 10ml or 5ml 10% solution of each ingredient, mixing them drop by drop, and making notes. Once you've settled on a ratio, you can scale up to your desired quantity.
In addition to individual scents, you can also blend your oud with commercially available oud bases such as Black Agar Givco or Oud Synth. These bases often include a mix of natural and synthetic ingredients, providing a convenient starting point for your own creations.
Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment and get creative. Almost everything goes with oud, so feel free to mix and match your favourites. You can also extend the 'oud vibe' by combining it with contrasting and complementary ingredients to create a well-rounded and unique fragrance.
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Testing: Trial and error to find the right ratios and concentrations
Testing and creating your own oud perfume is a fun and creative process, but it requires patience and an understanding that it is an art, not an exact science. The first step is to source your ingredients and get familiar with them. Oud oil comes in three types: sweet, smoke, and barnyard/sharp. Floral notes complement barnyard, and earthy notes complement the sweet line.
Now, you can begin testing. Start by making a 10ml or 5ml 10% solution of each of your ingredients. Mix them drop by drop and make notes. You can use a simple combination of oils, such as barny Indian oud and rose oil, or get more creative and add in other ingredients like musk, sandalwood, or jasmine.
When you have a recipe that you like, write down the ratio. For example, if you used 10 drops of oud, 1 drop of jasmine, and 3 drops of sandalwood, your ratio is 10:1:3. To scale up, multiply this ratio by the desired volume. So, if you want to make a 50ml 10% perfume with the above recipe, you would calculate it as follows: 50 x 0.1 = 5, 5/14 = 0.357, and then multiply that by each part of the ratio: 0.375 x 10 = 3.75ml oud oil, 0.375 x 1 = 0.375ml jasmine, and 0.375 x 3 = 1.125ml sandalwood.
Remember, this is a trial-and-error process, and you may need to adjust the ratios and concentrations to get your desired result. You can also dilute your oils with 95% alcohol to make them sprayable. Always trust your own nose and inspiration when creating your perfume, and don't be afraid to experiment and say no to ingredients that don't work for you.
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Editing: Knowing when to say no to certain ingredients
When creating your own oud perfume, it is important to be discerning about the ingredients you use. While oud is a highly prized scent, with a long history in Eastern culture, it is also one of the most expensive and rare perfume ingredients in the world. The oud oil used in perfumery is extracted from agarwood, which is produced by Aquilaria trees that are over 50 years old and infected with a specific type of fungus. Therefore, it is important to be selective when choosing your oud oil, as cheaper, lesser-quality oils may have shortcomings that make them less suitable as a standalone perfume.
When selecting your oud oil, look for top-tier, wild artisanal ouds of collector's grade. These oils will have complex and fascinating scents that can be used singularly as perfumes. Plantation-grown oud oils, on the other hand, may have off-putting or muted notes and will need to be balanced and supported by other ingredients. To create a well-rounded perfume, consider using a combination of lower-grade ouds with very different ingredients. For example, you can mix and match with various vetivers, patchoulis, attars, or animalics. You can also add leafy bitter greens like violet leaf or rosemary absolute, or exotic flowers like wild narcissus or boronia.
In addition to selecting the right oud oil, it is important to consider the quality and uniqueness of your other ingredients. For example, there are mass-produced, corporate-made rose essences, but there are also artisanal batches made in small quantities that will have their own particular character and beauty. When creating your own perfume, it is important to have a story to tell through your ingredients, rather than simply using common, single notes like rose or musk.
Finally, when editing your perfume, it is crucial to know when to say no to certain ingredients. While almost everything goes with oud, it is important to consider how the ingredients will affect each other. Floral notes complement barnyard scents, while earthy notes go well with sweet ouds. Start by creating small solutions of your ingredients and mixing them drop by drop, making notes as you go. This will help you determine the right ratios and create a well-balanced perfume.
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Storytelling: Creating a unique fragrance with a story to tell
Creating a unique fragrance with a story to tell is an art. When crafting a perfume, it is essential to go beyond the scent and create a narrative that captivates and awakens emotions.
The first step in this process is to understand the power of scent and its connection to memory and instinct. Scent is a primal sense that can trigger powerful memories and instincts, making it a sure way to tell a story and create an impact. When crafting a unique fragrance, it is crucial to select ingredients that complement each other and create a harmonious composition. This involves understanding the different notes and characteristics of various scents and how they interact with each other. For example, floral notes complement the barnyard scent of oud, while earthy notes go well with its sweet line.
The next step is to build a story around the fragrance. This involves infusing it with a message or an experience that people can relate to. A unique fragrance should have the ability to evoke memories, pleasant sensations, or shared experiences. It can be a reminder of childhood, a glimpse of a luxurious lifestyle, or a connection to nature. For instance, the scent of almond can evoke childhood memories of warm milk, while cumin combined with jasmine can create an animal appeal with its tang of human sweat and voluptuous fleshtones.
To create a truly distinctive fragrance, it is essential to use high-quality and unique ingredients. While there may be simple mixes of a few great ingredients, adding a layer of complexity and individuality can make a fragrance stand out. For example, when using rose, opting for artisanal batches crafted in small quantities can add a particular character and captivating beauty to the final product.
Lastly, editing is a crucial step in the process. It involves knowing when to say 'no' to additional ingredients and when to say 'yes' to create a harmonious composition. This careful curation of scents ensures that the final fragrance is well-balanced and polished, with each ingredient complementing the other.
By following these steps and infusing a story into the fragrance, you can create a unique and captivating oud perfume that transcends the ordinary and leaves a lasting impression.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need a good collection of raw materials, 95% alcohol to dilute your oils for mixing purposes, and a fragrant wheel or ingredients chart to help you understand what is normally used in the top, middle and base notes of perfumes. You can then build on combinations of oils that you find interesting.
Oud oil comes in three lines: sweet, smoke, and barnyard/sharp. Floral notes complement barnyard, and earthy notes complement the sweet line. If you are using Hindi oud, you may find it has notes of sweet jam, cool mint, dark earth and water.
You can combine oud with very different ingredients like leafy bitter greens (e.g. violet leaf, rosemary absolute, galbanum), exotic flowers (e.g. aglia, wild narcissus, boronia), or spices (e.g. fennel, nutmeg). You can also lighten the scent with fresh and sparkly lie-de-vin and rose 'pepper'.
First, make a 10ml or 5ml 10% solution of each of your ingredients. Then, mix them drop by drop and make notes. When you have a recipe that you like, write down the ratio and scale it up to a perfume strength in the same ratio. For example, if you want to make a 50ml 10% perfume, multiply 50 x 0.1 to get 5, and 5/14 to get 0.357. Then multiply that by the parts from the ratio: 0.375 x 10 for the first ingredient, 0.375 x 1 for the second, and so on.
