ALTER OUD [Agarwood, Dark Fruit & Spice]

  Art and Olfaction 2023 Nominated! OLFACTIVE NOTES: TOP: Mangosteen, Saffron, Dark Fruits HEART: Incense, Jasmine Rice, Vietnamese Spices BASE:  Vietnamese Oud, Tumeric, Amber   WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT? Alter Oud is a woody incense perfume with spices and fruits in the opening. This scent began from the contrast I felt every day: moving through the rush of modern life, chasing productivity, speed, and progress, then coming home to something slower and rooted in tradition. The first time I smelled real Vietnamese agarwood after starting perfumery, I was shocked by how complex and alive it was. My immediate thought was how many Vietnamese people I grew up with had never smelled the real thing. Instead, we burned synthetic versions, stand-ins for something sacred that once belonged naturally to our religious life in Vietnam. I wanted to explore the alter-ego of growing up Vietnamese in the United States. The feeling of safety returning home after a long day and being greeted by the family