Agarwood EO

First off: it means a lot that this is sustainable. I cannot overstate that. Second: prepare for the unexpected, if you are only a recent Agarwood initiate and you love EB's CO2. This may be the Oudh that transports you into the heart of a polarizing olfactory puzzle! Not gonna lie--my naïveté really served it to me, as I took the plunge on a small vial of this (not cheap) but immediately wondered if, upon anxiously smelling, I shouldn't have ordered the $12 sample instead. Thus I would encourage others to tiptoe onto this bewitching EB territory--it is a worthy experience, so DO sample it. My shameless adoration of the Agarwood CO2 (along with the tempting description for this Fine variety) made me totally swing for the fences here :) Ultimately it's been a good leap of hope, as now I have a nice amount of diluted Oudh to continue exploring. Trust me, at about 5% this baby is still STRONG. Really though? I am perplexed by how radically different the two species are, and how this one threw me. It takes a LOT of other oils to take the sheer spunky edge off of it; by comparison, Aquilaria agallocha is like a gentle wash of sugary dew. (Perhaps this is the "classic" divisive smell that I have heard so much about--the barnyard note?) To be honest, this is the first EB product that has actually stung my nose. Having never experienced that, I am hesitant to say that's a bad thing, just something new for me to respect when working with this stuff. I am having trouble getting a sense of the "noble woods," the incense, the honey and all that, even when regularly evaluating the drydown (which I concede is rather beautifully intriguing once it begins to mellow). I have also never smelled castoreum so I am curious if that note is responsible for the inescapable, instantaneous "Wow--that's fecal," every single time I crack this open. This is followed by a curiously chemical sensation, like strong band-aid or degraded plastic. What exactly am I smelling? It's acrid. I would love to be educated here by the Oils Room! All in all, I admit I have grown fond of this simply because of how often I have stood up in the middle of my day or night just to study this as I chew on other thoughts. I have excellent associations so far, and may even be addicted. I think if you stay open-minded about this Agarwood, it will grow its oozy, enigmatic roots into your psyche and beckon you to understand it further--if that's not very definition of interesting, I don't know what is!

Review by Rebecca 8/26/2016

This compares to the tiny $150 bottle of wild grown Agarwood that I have. Although this isn't quite as bold when smelling straight from the bottle, it doesn't disappoint! My wild grown smells exactly like this when placed on the skin. Warm, smoky, deep and amazing. I will definitely be purchasing more of this rare beauty to hold onto!

Review by Kelly 8/19/2016

I have sampled a few agarwoods and they are all very different. This one is leathery and smokey. It reminds me very much of another sample I purchased which cost quite a bit more! It is strong and long lasting and could be used alone or mixed into a floral or sweet smelling perfume to add depth and character. It would certainly work well as a scent for men. I also sampled the CO2 agarwood which is sweeter, less leathery and quite addictive. Either way you will keep sniffing yourself. The best thing is you can be assured it is unadulterated and ships from the US at a reasonable price, compared to other oudh products which are mixed with solvents and who knows what else!

Review by Natasha 7/15/2016