For those that don’t know, various conmen lurk in the shadows of the agarwood trade. As a distiller and procurer of some of the best woods and oils we will only ever bring you 100% pure oils and woods.
However, here is a list of some of the dirty tricks out there.
1. Fake sinking grade - Sinking grade oud is one of the most highly valued due to its high resin content. Very often wood of a lower grade is painted and pressure is added to inject the fibres with resin and sometimes filled with metals other adulterants to create the sinking grade effect. This really takes a keen eye to spot as these criminals are very clever at what they do. People often only find out when they get home or not at all. One of the ways to find out will be to actually burn a shaving of it to check the smell.
2. Mixing high grade oils with inferior oils such as Boya - This is another dirty tricks where wild oils are mixed with plantation oils and the buyer is wrongly informed the oil is of the highest grade and 100% wild. At Oudbase we will always be clear on the grade and quality of the product you receive.
3. Mixing oud oils with synthetic & natural non oud adulterants - This is probably the worst trick of the lot and deserves the scorn of the entire oud community. A pure Oud oil is often mixed with various synthetic compounds which mimic the smell of agarwood. Occasionally, lower cost natural oils such as Vetiver are used to dilute the oil. The reason for this is clear - more profit for the distiller or reseller.
Let us help you navigate the jungle. At Oudbase we pride ourselves on honesty.
A man is only as good as his word and at Oudbase we have a large clientele of happy customers. If needed we can even arrange for you to speak to one.
Visit oudbase.com and if you have any questions reach out. Stay safe guys!