How to Choose and Use Oud

This page exists because the most common message we get on WhatsApp is some version of "which one do I buy". Here is the short answer, in the order the questions usually arrive.

Wear it or burn it

Dehn al oud is distilled oil. It goes on skin and lasts most of a day from one drop. Oud muattar, dukhoon, mabthooth and makhmariya all go on charcoal in a burner and scent a room and the clothes in it. If you want people to smell you, buy oil. If you want people to smell your home, buy wood.

Origins, and what they actually smell like

Hindi is the heaviest: animalic, deep, not a first oud for most people. Cambodi is sweeter and rounder, the easiest to wear. Thailandi and Trad sit between the two, woody and a little sharp at the top. Maroki Arayani is sweet and resinous. Price follows age and resin content more than it follows origin.

Grades and why they cost what they cost

Agarwood only forms resin where the tree has been injured, and the older the wound the denser the resin. That density is what you pay for. A tola of a young grade and a tola of an old one weigh the same and do not smell the same.

How much to buy first

Start at 3 ml of dehn al oud or 25 g of muattar. Oud is not a scent you can judge from one wearing, and a small bottle at a grade you like beats a large bottle at a grade you were guessing at.

Burning it properly

Light the charcoal until the edges turn grey, wait two minutes, then add two or three pieces. Ten minutes is plenty. Pass clothes over the smoke rather than through it, keep the burner away from fabric, and never leave it unattended.

Wearing it properly

One drop, warmed on the back of the hand, pressed onto the wrist and behind the ear. Do not rub. Do not layer a heavy oud over a heavy spray, since they fight rather than blend.

Storing it

Closed, upright, cool, dark. Stored well, dehn al oud gets better for years.

Still unsure? Send us a message on WhatsApp at +971 56 900 3006 and tell us what you already wear. That is usually enough for us to point you at two or three grades.