One of the many things I love about traveling to the Gulf is shopping for oud (aloeswood). While I have yet to find pure oud wood or oud oil that matches what I can get locally here in California at Oudimentary. During my travels (almost all the Oud I have seen in the Gulf is waxed, which ruins the natural smell of burning oud) I always enjoy smelling the new Oud mixes by regional and global perfume houses. Three years ago I visited Saudi Arabia and you could see the beginnings of the big global perfume companies making oud fragrances for middle eastern markets. Today you would be hard pressed to find a major player in the global perfume trade who does not have at least one oud fragrance on the market.
