Oud vs. Incense: Exploring the Differences
While oud and incense are both commonly used as fragrances that produce smoke, they have some key differences. Let’s take a closer look at oud and incense to better understand what sets them apart.
What is Oud?
Oud, also known as agarwood, is an aromatic dark oil produced from the infected heartwood of various Aquilaria tree species. When trees become infected with a mold, their defense mechanism causes them to produce a thick, resinous oil throughout the heartwood. This oil, called oud oil, is extracted through various processes like steaming or soaking wood chips in alcohol.
Oud oil has a complex, rich scent profile dominated by smoky, leathery and balsamic notes. On the skin, it often dries down with hints of spice and sweetness as well. Due to the rarity and labor intensity of producing oud oil, it is considered one of the most precious and expensive fragrance materials in the world.
What is Incense?
Incense is a dried blend of plant materials, often combined with essences or fragrant resins, that is burned to produce a pleasant scent and smoke. Common base materials used in incense include powdered resins, woods, barks, herbs, spices and flowers. Incense is crafted by compressing the fragrant blend and drying it into stick, coil or cone shapes that can be lit and allowed to smolder, emitting smoke and aroma.
Popular incense materials include frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, cinnamon, clove and agarwood powder. Incense sticks may also contain fragrant binders and fixatives like gum arabic. The smoke and scent disperse the aromatic compounds into the air surrounding the burning incense.
Sourcing and Production
A key difference between oud and incense lies in their production methods and sourcing. Oud oil is obtained through specific harvesting and extraction processes using agarwood heartwood infected by natural mold. This makes real oud oil quite rare and expensive due to limited supply.
Incense materials, on the other hand, can employ powdered agarwood along with many other fragrant plant ingredients. This allows incense blends more flexibility and accessibility compared to pure oud oil. Their mass production also contributes to incense typically having a lower price point than rare oud oil.
Form and Usage
While both oud and incense produce smoke and scent, they achieve this via different forms. Oud oil assumes a liquid form that is used in perfumery by being absorbed onto materials like wood. It can also be applied to the skin.
Incense takes the form of combustible sticks, coils or cones designed specifically for burning. Lighting one end causes a slow smoldering that wafts the aromatic blend into the surrounding air over a period. Oud oil lacks this option for room fragrance diffusion through smoke.
The most noticeable difference lies in their scents. Raw oud oil boasts a rich, deep profile characterized by smoky, leathery, balsamic notes. It is often described as intensely woody, earthy and animalic.
Incense, while sometimes including agarwood powder, encompasses a broader palette determined by the selected plant materials. This lends incense blends more versatility in their aroma, ranging from sweet florals to spicy, resinous or herbal combinations tuned for specific purposes like meditation.
Combining Oud and Incense
While distinct materials, oud oil and incense are commonly used together thanks to their complimentary properties. Here are some popular ways they integrate:
Incense with Agarwood
Many premium incense blends enrich their fragrance by including powdered oud or agarwood. This lends trademark smoky undertones that blend delightfully with other incense ingredients. Examples include Indian agarDana or Tibetan incense containing agarwood.
Some artisanal incense makers infuse sticks with precious oud oil for an upgraded experience. The slow-burning incense gently wafts oud aroma along with its usual blend. This marries oud’s depth and fixative qualities with incense’s smoke diffusion.
Enthusiasts enjoy the olfactory symphony of lightly burning incense in a room already accented with subtle oud oil application on wood, diffusers or clothing. Each enhances and fixes the other’s memorable scent trail.
Oud oil’s fixative nature means a single drop can linger on for days. Incense burnt occasionally refreshes the woody, ambery scent without overpowering. Together they create an alluring olfactory sanctuary.
While distinct materials, oud and incense combine wonderfully. Their shared ability to produce long-lasting aroma through smoke or absorption makes them a perfect fragrance duo for elevating any space. Together, their complex depths unfold a truly mesmeric sensory experience.