Artificially Scented Oud: How Do You Detect the Added Scent?

If dyeing deceives the eye, artificial scenting deceives the nose: a perfume or synthetic compounds are added to a faded wood to give it a false scent. But the added scent differs from natural resin in a way that gentle heating exposes. In this article we show how scenting is done, and how you distinguish the natural scent from the added.

What is artificial scenting?

It is spraying or soaking a resin-poor wood with perfumes or synthetic aromatic oils so it acquires a strong, false scent. The aim is for the buyer to think the piece is rich in resin merely because it "gives off a scent." And the adulterator may combine scenting with dyeing to deceive the eye and the nose together.

But the difference is essential: the scent of natural oud emanates from the resin formed inside the wood, so it evolves and lasts; while the added scent sits on the surface, and collapses quickly because it does not spring from within the piece.

How do you detect the added scent?

Your strongest weapon here is gentle heating, because it does not burn and thereby hide:

• The chemical character: the added scent often carries a screaming "perfumey" or chemical note that does not resemble the depth of natural oud.
• The fast collapse: it begins sharp and strong then fades quickly, revealing a poor wood beneath it, unlike the natural which evolves and lasts.
• The absence of layers: the natural scent has a top note, a heart, and a base, while the added is often a single flat breath then emptiness.
• The cold scent: a scented piece may give off a strong smell even without heating, which raises suspicion if it is accompanied by a light weight.

The rule: the honest scent evolves, lasts, and harmonizes with the wood; and the added is sharp, separate, and collapses. Train your nose on the documented natural so you detect the alien easily.

What do you do if you are in doubt?

If a piece gives off a strong, screaming scent but it collapses quickly or carries a chemical character, stop. Gently heat a sample and watch whether it evolves or collapses, and pair that with the weight and the cross-section. And do not pay the price of a rich oud merely for a strong, superficial scent. And in the following article we move to a close form: oil-soaked oud, which adds weight along with a deceptive scenting.