ALTER OUD [Agarwood, Dark Fruit & Spice]

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Art and Olfaction 2023 Nominated! OLFACTIVE NOTES: TOP: Mangosteen, Saffron, Dark Fruits HEART: Incense, Jasmine Rice, Vietnamese Spices BASE: Vietnamese Oud, Tumeric, Amber WHAT I S IT ALL ABOUT? Alter Oud is a woody incense perfume with spices and fruits in the opening. This scent began from the contrast I felt every day: moving through the rush of modern life, chasing productivity, speed, and progress, then coming home to something slower and rooted in tradition. The first time I smelled real Vietnamese agarwood after starting perfumery, I was shocked by how complex and alive it was. My immediate thought was how many Vietnamese people I grew up with had never smelled the real thing. Instead, we burned synthetic versions, stand-ins for something sacred that once belonged naturally to our religious life in Vietnam. I wanted to explore the alter-ego of growing up Vietnamese in the United States. The feeling of safety returning home after a long day and being greeted by the family altar (bàn thờ). The scent is ingrained in me. Even with the artificial floral-wood aroma of manufactured incense carries warmth in my heart as it burns down into a bowl of jasmine rice. Tropical fruits and small treats left as offerings release their sweetness drifting into the room blending into the familiar spices and herbs of a Vietnamese home. At the heart sits natural Vietnamese oud that is deeply revered yet increasingly commodified and inaccessible. A reminder that some things are lost not through neglect, but through being priced out of our own inheritance. Concentration: 26% Perfume + 50% Tinctures Naturals: Agarwood Vietnam,Saffron, Jasmine Rice, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Pine, Oakmoss, Vanilla Bean Madagascar, Patchouli, Black Frankincense, Boswellia Serata, Anise, Fennel, Coriander, Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamon, Star Anise, Spearmint, Lavender, Lemongrass, Turmeric Show more