Moudh (mood)

Ingredients

Why is Oudh one of the most expensive ingredients in the world ?

Oudh comes from a highly fragrant resin, called Agarwood, found within the wild ‘Aquilaria’ tree native to the rainforests of South East Asia and India. Its use for perfumery goes back several thousand years, and is referenced, for example, in the Old Testament several times using the term ‘aloes’. It is known as “The Wood of the Gods” used as a consecrated item for worshipping, in sacred oil blends and for ceremonial anointings.  Due to its rarity, high demand, and the difficulty of harvesting it, oudh oil is one of the world’s rarest and most expensive commodities – kilo for kilo more costly than gold. Leading perfumers and investors have recently been beguiled by Agarwood’s unique scent resulting in diminishing supply as consumer demand grows and the tree from which it is sourced becomes increasingly endangered.

The scent of Oudh

Oudh descriptions can range from a deep woody smell rich in nuances – ranging from sweet undertones to earthy, smoky, honeyed, vanillic, spicy, herbaceous, amber, camphorous, creamy, light floral and sweet. Notes of leather, pepper and tobacco or sensual animalic notes resembling musk/castoreum can also be described.

Commercially, broad categories of scent are assigned to the regional variations –  generally oudh from India is animalic, Cambodia fruity, and Thai oudhs sweet.

The Making of Moudh

MELIS Moudh is an evolution of our debut Motus No 4 scent. New Oudh and Violet accords were developed to create Moudh or Moudh No 4 as it’s also referred to.

MELIS Moudh took several years and a significant investment to benchmark our favourite Oudh parfums and  trial various Oudh selections from multiple suppliers from various countries – including Cambodia, Thailand, India and Vietnam.nThis research enabled us to select our preferred Oudh and vision for Moudh.

The final selection was based not only on its scent, but its sustainability, traceability and accessibility for future releases. It is sourced from a reputable forest in Vietnam where the trees are sustainably harvested and periodically replanted. The trees are inoculated by hand when they reach 10 years of age; after the infection has been allowed to propagate for 2 – 5 years, the trees are manually harvested for hydro distillation.

For further education about Oudh visit our  ‘With Intent’ Moudh Blog 

Moudh ingredient list;

Organic Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil,
Aquilaria malaccensis (Agarwood/Oudh) oil,
Iris pallida rhizome (Orris) root extract
Citrus x paradisi (Grapefruit) peel oil,
Piper nigrum (Black Pepper) seed oil,
Cistus ladaniferus (Labdanum) leaf extract,
Cedrus atlantica (Cedarwood) oil,
Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) oil,
Abies sibirica (Fir Needle) leaf oil.
Ionone Alpha Natural Isolate (EU Standards)

All Natural, Vegan Friendly and Cruelty Free.