Agarwood International

28/10/2025

🌿 How Lao Agarwood Oud Oils Are Distilled 🌿
In Laos, agarwood oil is crafted with skill, patience, and respect for the trees. At Agarwood International, we work with both wild infected trees and carefully inoculated plantations to balance authenticity with sustainability.

Traditional fire distillation
This is still our primary method because it produces the profile most loved by our Arabic buyers. Chips are soaked and gently boiled over reclaimed wood fires for days. The result is a deep, layered oil with warm, resinous complexity. 🔥

Gas heated steam distillation.
We also distill with gas fired systems for tighter temperature control and cleaner top notes. This is often preferred in Western markets that want a brighter, more linear oud character. 💨

Supercritical CO₂ extraction
Currently we do not run SC-CO₂ in house. For bespoke projects, we can facilitate production through trusted partners inside Laos who operate high spec extraction lines. This route preserves delicate molecules, offering a very pure, true to wood profile. ⚗️

Sourcing and integrity
Wild infection gives rarity and depth.
Wild infection mixed with organic inoculation provides supply stability and conservation benefits.

Our aim is to offer both, transparently,both pure wild and a wild plus inoculation fusion in line with referestation to protect Lao forests and farmers for the long term.

25/10/2025

Argawood International · Laos → Dubai
We are delighted that Antony our 🇫🇷 proposed partner who is a highly respected agarwood and oud trader and a lovely guy to boot, who is based in Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 with a loyal client network across the Middle East, Europe and Japan 🌏 Will introduce Lao agarwood at the upcoming Health and Beauty Expo, Dubai 2025 🇦🇪.

Why Laos?
Laos is home to extensive, sustainably planted Aquilaria forests alongside protected indigenous rainforests that produce rare sinking grade wood. Much of today’s exportable supply, from entry level chips to high grade wild chunks and exquisite oud oils originate from plantations established during the late 1990s planting boom.

These trees now average 20–25 years in age, with some exceeding 30 years, produce rich resin from both natural wild infection and organic inoculations when appropriate, all in ideal tropical rainforest conditions.

Sustainability you can trust!
Argawood International upholds a simple promise. For every tree harvested, we fund the planting of 4 new trees, two on sustainable plantations and 2 within wild rainforest zones. This supports a responsible future for the Lao agarwood industry and the rural communities who protect it.

Meet Antony in Dubai
If you or you or your clients would like to explore curated lots, aged oils, or private distillation, send us a message to arrange a meeting at the Expo. Limited samples available to order for serious buyers.

14/07/2025

🌿 From Jungle Kings to Global Markets

Once carried by elephants through misty mountain trails, agarwood moved with purpose — treasured by emperors, monks, and merchants.

Today, we honour that legacy. Still rare. Still sacred. But delivered with precision to a modern world.

The same soul. A new route. This is Agarwood International.

09/07/2025

The Evolution of Lao Agarwood: From Wild Tradition to Sustainable Legacy.
For generations, the mountainous forests of Laos were home to one of the most precious natural resources in perfumery: agarwood, known as oud in the Arabic world. This aromatic resin, formed inside the Aquilaria tree when naturally infected, was traditionally harvested by local forest dwellers and hunters who relied on instinct, passed-down knowledge, and deep reverence for the forest to find the resin rich trees.
The trade in wild agarwood was small, spiritual, and highly prized. Resin was carried in sacks by elephants prior to being traded across mountain routes into Thailand and beyond, eventually reaching Arabic perfumers, who used it in everything from ceremonial incense to royal fragrances. The value of Lao agarwood grew quietly but steadily for centuries.
By the 1970s and 80s, rising demand from Gulf nations transformed the trade. Prices surged. The quiet harvest became an unregulated scramble, with entire forests targeted. This period marked the peak of wild harvesting and the beginning of ecological concern. Laos’ heartwood was now central to global oud markets, but the forests were thinning, and wild trees were disappearing fast.
Recognising the environmental threat, Lao authorities and international NGOs began implementing changes in the 1990s. These included trade controls, forestry protections, and the introduction of sustainable agarwood plantations. Rather than harvesting from endangered wild trees, growers began planting Aquilaria trees in farms and learning to inoculate them artificially simulating the resin-producing process without damaging natural forests.
By the 2000s, plantation-grown oud became the standard. Lao farmers, with technical support and guidance, developed sustainable systems that honoured tradition while meeting growing demand. The quality of plantation agarwood matured. Buyers from the Middle East and beyond began visiting Laos to witness the ethical production firsthand, finding not only high-grade oils and chips but also a renewed cultural link to the scent they loved.
Today, the Lao agarwood trade balances environmental responsibility with traditional heritage. Wild harvesting is heavily restricted, and the focus is firmly on ethical cultivation. Plantation oud is now the heartbeat of the industry with Laos standing proud as a leading exporter of responsibly produced agarwood.
For Arabic customers seeking the deep, layered fragrance of oudh, the plantations of Laos offer a powerful story: one of survival, adaptation, and respect for nature. The fragrance remains rich and revered — but its origins are now rooted in sustainability.

28/06/2025

Exciting News! 🌟 We're thrilled to announce our upcoming range of premium Cambodian agarwood, courtesy of our new joint venture with Cambodia's largest agarwood plantation owners! 🌳💼

Get ready to experience the finest agarwood chips, chunks, and oud essential oils, expertly crafted by skilled artisans and distilled to perfection. 🔥💧 Our new partners are renowned globally for their aged oud oils, cherished by agarwood connoisseurs for decades. 👑

"The Wood of the Gods" just got even more divine! 🙏 Stay tuned for the launch of our new range, featuring the rich, resinous aroma of Cambodian agarwood. 🌴✨

10/02/2025

There are around 6 million Agarwood trees currently in Lao but education and funding is needed to infect and reforest.

28/01/2025

🎉 Exciting News! Agarwood International is thrilled to announce our 1st order for USA Agarwood! 🌟 A variety of premium Lao Agarwood grades will soon be flying into sunny Florida! 🛫✨

🌿 Bringing the finest, authentic agarwood from Laos to the USA. Stay tuned for more updates on this aromatic journey!
Agarwood International – preserving heritage Across Continents 💼🌏

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17/01/2025

Thanks Mr Jan for visiting the factory and taking these photos of agarwood chips available from Agarwood International

27/11/2024

As promised, we’re excited to continue our oud incense series! 🌟 Today, we introduce Laos agarwood of the very highest quality, truly befitting sultans and sultanas, kings and queens.

From time to time, we receive small amounts of wild sinking oud through a special connection. Recently, we sold 1.6 kg of this VIP Lao oud to collectors from Saudi Arabia, And other collectors from Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman are often willing to pay between $20,000 and $100,000 per kg depending on several factors:

Name and Location of the natural forest.
Age and Species of the mother Aquilaria tree.
Fast Sinking or Regular Sinking.
Solid Pieces or Semi Solid.
Preferred shapes such as shell shapes and what they call shoshny, meaning bullet-shaped!

Of course, the scent profile is paramount when determining value.

If you wish to join our VIP oud list and receive updates on when we have VIP Lao agarwood in stock or wish to view by shared video footage please contact us!

Soon, we will travel to view a VIP oud near China’s border with Lao.

Stay tuned for our next post where we'll explore the different types of oud chips and chunks available in larger volume at cheaper prices! 🌿✨

Call now to connect with business.

25/11/2024

Thanks for checking in for today’s update! We’re thrilled to continue our journey with you and introduce our current and only oud special guest star: a very special Thai oud essential oil. This exquisite oil has been featured in several fragrances for over 10 years due to its remarkable qualities:

Professional Approval: It received initial nose approval in Grasse, France, in 2014 by a professional perfumer who was part of the Tom Ford Oud Wood team.

IFRA Compliance: The oil has passed IFRA GC MS analytics, confirming its Grade A status—the highest achievable grade for technically compliant oud essential oils.

Note: In the professional world of oud, terms like "5 AAAAA" or "3 AAA" are misleading and often lack technical proof.

VIP Thai Oud Oil Availability and Pricing
Production Method: Organically induced infection through agar heartwood inoculation.
Average Tree Age: 7 - 14 years
Price: $9,000 per liter
Sample (12ml): $250 FOB
Sample (1ml for MS GC Test): $50 FOB
IFRA MS GC Test: €60 (Laboratory in Barcelona, Spain)

Payments: International payments via WISE Payment Protect.
Shipping: Includes CITES Certificate from Thailand.

Stay tuned for our next post where we'll introduce the different varieties and grades of Laos agarwood, exclusively from Agarwood International™! 🌿✨