Vietnamese Oud Steps Into the Spotlight with Dior’s New Sauvage Extrait

Dior newly launched Sauvage Extrait has brought attention to one of perfumery’s most distinctive raw materials Vietnamese oud. Dior describes it as the beating heart of the fragrance, bringing leathery, honeyed and frankincense notes to the composition.

The presence of Vietnamese oud in a house as prominent as Dior reflects a much bigger shift in the fragrance industry. Oud has moved beyond its traditional use and is no longer limited to regional or niche markets. It is now globally recognized by major fragrance houses and increasingly used as an important raw material in modern fine perfumery. This growing recognition opens a new chapter for oud and shows how a traditional ingredient can find a new place in contemporary luxury fragrances.

Oud in Vietnam is produced mainly from Aquilaria crassna and extracted through hydro distillation. Among the different origins, it has the most animalic and leathery scent profile, with a distinctive character reminiscent of skin.

At Abd Majid Oud, we produce four different expressions of this material.

Vietnam AN is the most animalic of our pellet. It has leathery notes, followed by goat, cheese and ketonic facets, supported by woody vetiver. It also reveals powdery chalk, violet, plum and honeyed notes.

Vietnam Kalakasi is a co-distillation of two Aquilaria species. It has earthy, woody and a bit leathery notes, with patchouli and cypriol facets. At the same time, its floral rosy notes and the character of a Moroccan tannery add further depth.

Vietnam Boya is softer and less animalic and fatty as compare to other boya in our pellet. It has dry cedarwood, paint and glue notes, together with velvety plum, apricot skin, radish and a crisp green bitterness. 

Oud Boya is a combination of oud and boya raw materials in specific proportions before distillation. It is one of our best creations and works in a formula as both oud and Oud Boya. It is earthy, sweet, woody and camphorous, with cedarwood, pink pepper, incense, red plum and animalic, butyric facets.

These different profiles show the true diversity of Vietnamese oud and why it is becoming an important material in modern fine fragrance.