Misguidance and Misinformation / Fake Agarwood
Let us venture into a story of misguidance and misinformation that has poisoned the essence of the perfume and incense industry. This disarray emerges from voices from the shadows, self-declared connoisseurs, and would-be masters of scent who, through forums, articles, and false advertisements, claim authority they do not possess. They weave a tapestry of deceit, sometimes birthed from ignorance, other times intentionally woven to market their merchandise, which often falls short of authenticity and is marred by inferior quality.
Unveiling the veil of illusions, we find the raw truth about natural untreated Agarwood, including 100% wild Agarwood from numerous regions worldwide. Its aroma is not an incessant or robust melody. Instead, it hums a tender, intermittent tune, becoming more pronounced only when stroked or warmed. It is not designed to cloak a room in its scent or permeate one's skin as strongly as Oud oil or burned Agarwood incense.
The highest quality raw, untreated, and wild Agarwood, such as the much-lauded Kinam (also known as Kynam or Kyara), is no different. Contrary to misconceptions, it does not radiate a constant room-filling aroma at room temperature. Furthermore, a mere display of oil boiling when heated does not vouch for its natural origin or superior quality.
The Agarwood business landscape has been so tainted by forgery and inflated claims from these self-proclaimed experts that many people's expectations have been distorted. With the surge of information on the internet, it's effortless to fall into the trap of fabricated narratives, especially when vendors who benefit from these misconceptions reinforce these beliefs.
Indeed, the image of natural Agarwood has been marred by the prevalence of synthetically enhanced Agarwood aromas. The non-disclosure of natural enhancements, such as treatment with resin or oil, and practices like injection or oil pressing and boiling, only add to the confusion.
People's sensory experiences have been so flooded with scent-enhanced products that they expect natural raw untreated Agarwood to match up, in terms of strength and visible oil content when heated or burned. However, this is not the reality. Most of these heavily aromatic products are chemically manipulated and represent fraudulent practices, while others may have been enhanced with natural resin or Oud oil.
One should note that certain traditional practices, such as rubbing Oud oil into a fine piece of Agarwood jewelry for preservation and scent enhancement, are perfectly legitimate, as long as they are transparently communicated to the customers.
We strongly advocate for transparency and honesty in the industry. While we accept certain natural enhancements like treating wood with natural Agarwood resin or natural Oud oil, aging, and drying, we ensure that we explicitly disclose these practices to our customers. Furthermore, we commit to crystal-clear classification of our Agarwood products as either Wild or Cultivated. Our stand on these matters is not merely rooted in principles but also reinforced by the fact that these practices can be easily identified by experts and verified through lab testing. We uphold our reputation fiercely and unflinchingly. Our promise of quality, authenticity, and dedication to the art of perfumery will remain undeterred.
With much love, respect and admiration to all respectful and honest companies and sellers we publish this and hope it goes viral to help in protecting the beautiful art of ancient perfumery.
- Ali Attar