As he unveiled a special edition CREED fragrance created for Harrods – Millesime 1949 – seventh-generation family perfumer Erwin Creed revealed that he and his father Olivier have no idea whether they’ll be able to get their hands on enough high-quality oudh wood – even as soon as next year – to continue to produce not only this exclusive fragrance, but the other oudh-based scent in the luxurious CREED portfolio, Royal Oud.
‘Right now, everyone is looking to use oudh,’ explained Erwin, speaking to perfume insiders in Ladurée’s Black Room, in Harrods. ‘It’s a super-fashionable ingredient. As a result, there is a real shortage of the very best oudh – and it’s a real problem for us.
Oudh – or agarwood – is the most precious and expensive wood used in perfumery: the wood mostly grows in India, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia and Brunei – but it’s not simply a case of planting more trees. The wood itself is left to mature (or rather, to rot) for hundreds of years before it gives up its fragrance to perfumery and incense-making. ‘We like to use natural elements at CREED, so a synthetic version is not an option for us.’
CREED Millesime 1849 blends this unique ingredient with Calabrian bergamot, generous swags of jasmine and ylang-ylang, and in the base (which lingers for ages), Bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, musk and patchouli. (Why 1849? Because that’s the year Harrods was established.)
Will CREED find the oudh they need to continue making Millesime 1849…? We’ll all have to watch this space. But meanwhile, for more info about this precious ingredient, click here.
You can try CREED Millessime 1849 at Harrods, 86-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL
