Agar (known also as agalokha or ud) – the tree growing in Southeast Asia whose wood locals call wood of gods. From Uda by infection with its certain type of fungus, extract viscous pitch which is used in perfumery, mainly the selection. From 20 kg of wood Uda it is possible to receive only 12 ml of oil therefore cost Uda is exclusively high.
The dense and sweet aroma of agar weakens, helps organism to struggle with stress and even depression. It is also the strongest aphrodisiac. It is one of the most expensive perfumery components therefore it is used only in the selection or niche perfumery, and there are such spirits much.
Technology of receiving oil from udovy tree extremely sophisticated: the tree is infected with fungus or bacteria therefore in the struck areas protective aromatic pitch collects. The core Uda cannot resist to infection therefore sooner or later the tree perishes. For this reason dark brown Uda pitch is highly appreciated so: its production always inevitably leads to destruction of tree. Fortunately, the udovy tree is unpretentious and capable to grow even on the poor soil; it is everywhere widespread in Southern and Southeast Asia.
One more reason of high cost – uniqueness of agar oil. It cannot be received artificially, and all synthetic analogs of agar very bear a faint resemblance to the original. The original agar has the balsam, warm, enveloping aroma with wood notes, synthetic reminds leather or smoked wood. According to Abdullah Adzhmal, the executive director of the Ajmal Perfumes company, it is not in many spirits as a part of which the agar appears actually. At best, there is unconvincing artificial analog. Use of agar remains the privilege of perfumers of the top class. The cost of the most expensive kind of agar – kiara – exceeds 450 dollars for grammchashche all agar use during creation of east aromas therefore the first name which occurs at the mention of this component – Pierre Montale, the guru of oriental perfumery. The agar is present at the majority of aromas of Montale. He has devoted to udovy tree the whole collection in which it is possible to allocate such compositions as Montale Original Aouds, Montele Royal Aoud, Silver Aoud. Tree oil ud is present also at the majority of aromas from Ajmal as, however, and in many other east spirits. The agar also plays major role in the well-known Wonderwood from the vanguard Comme des Garsons brand, in Midnight Oud from Juliette has a gun, Intense Oud and Pure Oud from Kilian.