What is oud perfume — and why does it last all day?

Oud — also called agarwood — is the resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria tree, produced only when the tree is infected by a specific mould. It takes decades to form. A single kilogram of pure oud oil can sell for more than $30,000 USD. It is, by weight, one of the most valuable natural substances on earth.

For thousands of years, oud has been the scent of ceremony, royalty, and devotion across Arabia, Persia, India, and East Africa. The Prophet Muhammad described oud as "the perfume of the people of paradise." It arrives at mosques, at weddings, at the courts of sultans. If you have ever been in a room where someone was wearing real oud, you already know: it is unmistakable.

What makes oud different from any other fragrance ingredient is its depth. Most perfume ingredients live on the surface of the skin. Oud sinks in. It interacts with your body chemistry, warming and changing over hours. No two people smell oud exactly the same way. This is why oud-based fragrances carry a personhood — a signature — that synthetic fragrances cannot replicate.

At Hareem Istanbul, our Oud Collection — Veni, Vidi, Vici — is built on this principle. Each composition opens differently on every wearer. Veni announces with saffron and black pepper before settling into a rose oud heart. Vidi is gentler — a Bulgarian rose above vetiver and white musk. Vici is the boldest: straight cardamom and agarwood, nothing apologised for.

All three are available in our boutiques across Nigeria — in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt — and at West Hills Mall and Accra Mall in Ghana. If you have never worn oud before, Vidi is the right place to start. Ask our in-store team to apply it to your wrist and wait ten minutes before you decide. That is how oud is chosen.