Blend Oud, The Voyages Collection
In Angkor Night, Blend Oud journeys to a twelfth-century Cambodian city famed for its massive temples dedicated to the Hindu gods Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. Later deserted, and ravaged by time and nature, Angkor fell into semi-ruin before it was restored as a pilgrimage site and a tourist attraction. Blend Oud has captured this history in a bottle as green as the tropical forest that overgrew the ruins of Angkor’s temples in a “fascinating and indissoluble tangle of architecture and nature.” Angkor Night combines oud with green notes of juniper and geranium, woody notes of cedar and hinoki, and incense-y notes of labdanum and amber, mixing natural landscape and spiritual devotion.
Aloeswood. Agarwood. The wood of the gods. Liquid gold. Oudh. No matter what you call it or how you spell it, you’re very likely aware that oud is an ancient and prized material in perfumery. Its aroma is multifaceted—earthy and woody, sometimes intensely animalic, occasionally sweet or leathery. Oud originates in the wood of aquilaria trees that are native to Southeast Asia: when these trees are infected with a certain parasitic fungus, they produce an aromatic resin to protect themselves. For thousands of years, the damaged (but uniquely scented) wood of infected aquilaria has been burned as incense chips or subjected to steam distillation in order to extract a fragrant oil for perfume.
From Southeast Asia to the Indian subcontinent to the Middle East, oud has been used in religious rituals and traditional medicine, to scent homes as a symbol of hospitality and to fragrance the body as a means of seduction. As it gradually became incorporated into European culture and Western perfumery, oud has continued to fascinate its wearers, even as the harvesting of oud from natural forests has been outlawed, requiring perfumers to turn to plantation-grown oud and synthetic ingredients that mimic oud’s complex character.
Blend Oud, established in 2014, invites us to follow an “exciting route to the discovery of local treasures where the most precious oud serves as the compass” and to share in an “olfactory culture of thousands of years encapsulated in precious and unique fragrances: a journey through time.” Blend Oud’s Voyage collection takes geographical travel as its theme, looking to various locations associated with oud’s long history. Here are just two of them.
BLEND OUD ANGKOR NIGHT
In Angkor Night, Blend Oud journeys to a twelfth-century Cambodian city famed for its massive temples dedicated to the Hindu gods Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. Later deserted, and ravaged by time and nature, Angkor fell into semi-ruin before it was restored as a pilgrimage site and a tourist attraction. Blend Oud has captured this history in a bottle as green as the tropical forest that overgrew the ruins of Angkor’s temples in a “fascinating and indissoluble tangle of architecture and nature.” Angkor Night combines oud with green notes of juniper and geranium, woody notes of cedar and hinoki, and incense-y notes of labdanum and amber, mixing natural landscape and spiritual devotion.
BLEND OUD OUD ZANZIBAR
From A to Z: Oud Zanzibar is an olfactory tribute to Zanzibar, an island off the eastern coast of Africa. Its vibrant bottle suggests the crystalline blue waters that surround Zanzibar and its composition is full of scent-references to this spot’s natural bounty and diverse cultural history. Melon and lemon notes allude to the fruit crops grown in its sultry, sunny climate, and white florals extend the tropical mood. A spicy heart reminds us of Zanzibar’s longtime status as a regional center of trade, and all these exuberant accords are balanced by a more contemplative base with sandalwood and patchouli that join Oud Zanzibar’s oud note-like voices in prayer.
More Oud Blend posts to come, with looks at the brand’s other collections!
