Fragrance note
Oud
Oud is the most expensive material in mainstream perfumery and the one most worth sampling before buying. It ranges from medicinal and barnyard to sweet and woody depending on origin and treatment, and people rarely feel neutral about it.
What oud is
Resin formed in agarwood trees in response to a mould infection. Wild oud is scarce enough that most modern fragrances use cultivated or reconstructed material.