Agarwood Conservation: CITES and Responsible Oud
Few perfume materials carry the history and depth of agarwood. Its scarcity has also made it one of the most closely regulated botanicals in the world. For anyone who loves oud, it is worth knowing how that protection works and what responsible sourcing looks like.
Why agarwood is under pressure
Agarwood is not a species but the result of a defence reaction in trees of the genera Aquilaria and Gyrinops, native to South and Southeast Asia. The fragrant resin forms only after the tree is wounded and infected by fungi. In the wild, only a small share of trees ever form it; estimates vary widely and are usually given in single-digit percentages.
For a long time this led to destructive harvesting: healthy trees were felled in the hope of finding a single resinous core. Rising demand over the last decades pushed several Aquilaria species towards the edge.
What CITES is
CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, was agreed in 1973. More than 180 parties have joined it, and it covers tens of thousands of species. Its purpose is to make sure that international trade does not threaten survival in the wild. Aquilaria malaccensis was listed in 1995, and since 2004 all Aquilaria species are listed in Appendix II.
What Appendix II means
A listing in Appendix II is not a ban. It covers species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction today but could become so without controlled trade. For agarwood this means:
- Non-detriment findings: scientific authorities in the exporting country must confirm that the export does not harm the species in the wild.
- Export permits: every cross-border shipment of agarwood oil or wood needs a valid CITES permit from the country of origin.
- Legal acquisition: exporters must show that the material was obtained in line with national law.
Cultivation instead of wild harvest
The answer to overharvesting has been cultivation. On plantations, Aquilaria trees are grown and resin formation is started deliberately through controlled inoculation, so wild forests are left alone. The resin still needs time, usually eight to fifteen years, to develop its depth. Cultivated agarwood that has matured long enough gives an oil with the warmth and complexity oud is known for, and well-run plantations provide stable incomes for rural communities.
How to recognise responsible oud
- Origin: a house should be able to name where its oud comes from and whether it is cultivated.
- Clarity: clear statements instead of vague words like “precious oud”.
- Plausibility: real agarwood takes years to grow and must be traded legally; a very cheap “oud” is usually a synthetic accord.
- Giving back: a concrete commitment with a stated scope rather than a general promise.
M’OUD’s approach
All four M’OUD extraits de parfum contain natural oud from Thailand and are composed in Switzerland at 30 to 35 percent. The house carries the Swiss Label, an independent certification of Swiss origin. Through One Bottle. One Tree. M’OUD has one tree planted with One Tree Planted for every 100 ml flacon sold; the trees are currently planted in Europe.
Conservation is shared work between governments, scientists, perfumers and the people who wear perfume. CITES gives the framework; careful sourcing and honest communication give it meaning.
