Oudh Attar:-
Oudh Attar has an oriental-woody and very soft fruity-floral aroma characterized by a sweet-balsamic note and hints of vanilla, musk and amber. Its principal aromatic ingredients are Aquilaria malaccensis from which Agarwood or Aloes wood essential oil is obtained and Sandalwood (Santalum album)
Attars, and Oudh Attar in particular, by their very nature are expensive - why? The ingredients used are some of the most expensive in the world.
Attars are some of the oldest known perfume combinations in the world going back to ancient Egypt where they were originally made using what we would now call "enfleurage" which involves the steeping of botanical material in vast quantities in a neutral base oil and then ageing the result for up to ten years which improves and matures the aromatic quality. With the advent of Abi Ali al Sina and his remarkable heat water distillation process, however, which he invented and introduced a thousand years ago they have become very much more affordable since although they are still aged in the same fashion. They were most popular during the Mughal period.
They are usually distillations of highly prized floral and botanical oils in Sandalwood, Agarwood and other rich, rare and epensive wood oils.
They are strong, alcohol free so much favoured in those societies where alcohol is not regarded well, and they are long lasting and penetrating - a small amount goes a very long way. It depends on your skin chemistry but a drop might last all day on you.
This Oudh Attar lasted three days on me and I shower at least once every day! The Ambar lasted just a day.
They are usually sold at high prices for quite small amounts in Ittardans ( elaborate shaped perfume bottles ) which are quite impractical in the modern world so we sell ours which we buy direct from the manufacturing perfume company in India each time we travel there in modern cobalt blue rollerball stick bottles which makes it easy to control how much you use, are easy to carry around without leakage and ensures no wastage.
History of Oudh Oil:-
Oudh, Agarwood or Aloeswood (Aquilaria malaccensis), from which the essential oil is obtained, is a highly fragrant, much prized and valued, resinous wood used in incense and particularly in perfume. It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when they become infected with a type of mould as a result of penetration by a wood and oily resin feeding insect.
Because of its rarity and expense, is one of the most graded ( and adulterated ) products in the world - Its highest grade is thousands of pounds per kilo and is generally made from wood that has been naturally affected by the Ambrosia Beetle. Artificial infection reduces the price somewhat and is obtained through managed plantations of the trees - some would say that this affects the overall and final product's aroma. In either case it is the latter which the industry tends to use because the cost is so much less and almost all the oil sold in world markets is from this source, as indeed this oil is.
The insect belongs to the family of the Ambrosia beetle named Dinoplatypus Chevrolati. After penetration a life-long infection can occur, and in response, the tree produces a self defense material or resin to control and seal the damage caused. While the unaffected wood of the tree is relatively light in colour, the resin dramatically increases the mass and density of the affected wood, changing its colour from a pale beige to yellow, orange, red, dark brown or black.
Prior to this infection, the heartwood is odourless, relatively light and pale coloured; however, as the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark and very aromatic resin which is called aloes or agar (as well as gaharu, jinko, oud, or oudh), in response to the attack, which results in a very dense, dark, resin embedded heartwood.
There are seventeen species in the genus Aquilaria which are large evergreen trees native to southeast Asia. Nine of them are known to produce agar wood. In theory agarwood can be produced from all members; however, until recently it was primarily produced from Aquilaria malaccensis (this product) . A. agallocha and A. secundaria are synonyms for A. malaccensis
A. crassna and A. sinensis are the other two members of the genus that are usually harvested.
The principal reason for the rarity and high cost of agarwood is the depletion of the wild resource. Since 1995 Aquilaria malaccensis, the primary source, has been listed in Appendix II (potentially threatened species) by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) In 2004 all Aquilaria species were listed in Appendix II; however, a number of countries have outstanding reservations regarding that listing.
First-grade agarwood is one of the most expensive natural raw materials in the world with 2010 prices for superior pure material as high as US$100,000/kg, although in practice adulteration of the wood and oil is common, allowing for prices as low as US$100/kg. A whole range of qualities and products are on the market, varying in quality with geographical location, botanical species, the age of the specific tree, cultural deposition and the section of the tree where the piece of agarwood stems from.
Oudh oil is distilled from agarwood, and fetches high prices depending on the oil's purity. The current global market for agarwood is estimated to be in the range of US$6 – 8 billion and is growing rapidly
Payments
We accept direct payments through Etsy by credit/debit card or Paypal transfers to make it as easy as possible for you.
You have the right to cancel an order within 24 hours of placing the order or by request at any time prior to despatch.
Shipping from United Kingdom
We aim to despatch within 2 working days of receipt of order but will inform you if this differs for some reason for any product you may have ordered. We use a tracking service which requires your parcel to be signed for and you will be able, in many instances, to track the progress of your package from door to door.
Orders to destinations outside the EU will have a customs and excise declaration - customers from outside the UK should make themselves aware of any local restriction on imported plant material and the Natural Herbalist can accept no liability for custom and excise intervention in your order at transit or delivery stage.
PLEASE READ – IMPORTANT
ALL ORDER WILL ONLY BE DESPATCHED USING TRACKED AND SIGNED FOR DELIVERY WHERE APPROPRIATE (some countries provide tracked OR signed for only rather than both)
WE GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO PROVIDE TRACKING ON YOUR PURCHASE SIMPLY SO THAT YOU CAN, AT ANY POINT ON YOUR PARCEL’S JOURNEY, AND WHERE APPROPRIATE AND APPLICABLE, CHECK ON YOUR PARCEL’S PROGRESS.
TRACKING NOT ONLY INFORMS YOU OF WHERE YOUR PARCEL IS BUT ALSO IF THERE ARE ANY PROBLEMS WITH DELIVERY THAT ONLY YOU CAN CORRECT SUCH AS MISADDRESSED PARCELS, NOT BEING IN WHEN YOU HAVE TO SIGN FOR THE PARCEL OR RE-ARRANGING A DELIVERY TO SUIT YOUR SCHEDULE.
AVOIDING USE OF TRACKING WILL ONLY LEAD IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES TO YOU LOSING YOUR ORDER WHERE YOUR ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED BY THE CARRIER TO COMPLETE DELIVERY.
PLEASE USE THE TRACKING SERVICE – IT IS SIMPLE AND EASY TO USE AND WILL HELP YOU AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
We hope you enjoy your purchase
YOU WILL BE REQUIRED BY YOUR DOMESTIC POSTAL SERVICE TO SIGN FOR YOUR PARCEL UPON ITS DELIVERY – IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO SIGN FOR YOUR PARCEL YOUR DOMESTIC CARRIER WILL LEAVE A NOTICE FOR YOU TO CONTACT THEM REGARDING YOUR ARRANGEMENT FOR A MORE SUITABLE TIME FOR DELIVERY OR YOUR COLLECTION OF THE ITEM FROM THE SORTING OFFICE – THEY WILL NORMALLY ALLOW UP TO THREE WEEKS FOR YOU TO ACCOMPLISH THIS.
IF, FOR SOME REASON, YOU DO NOT RE-SCHEDULE A SUITABLE TIME FOR YOUR LOCAL CARRIER TO RE-DELIVER YOUR PARCEL, IT MAY BE RETURNED ULTIMATELY TO US. THIS IS BY NO MEANS CERTAIN AND ALWAYS TAKES LONGER THAN THE OUTWARD JOURNEY BUT ONLY UPON RECEIPT OF THE RETURNED PARCEL WILL A REFUND ON THE PURCHASE PRICE BE MADE. WE WILL NOT SEND THE ITEMS AGAIN NOR REFUND THE ORIGINAL CARRIAGE CHARGE.
Our Shipping Terms and Conditions are shown in detail here...
http://www.luminescents.net/information/shipping/
Our General Terms and Conditions are shown in detail here...
http://www.luminescents.net/information/terms-conditions/
No MSDS or COA certification is provided with your order as per our terms and conditions.
Returns & Exchanges
I gladly accept cancellations
Request a cancellation within: 24 hours of purchase
I don't accept returns or exchanges
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Returns and exchange details
If your order is incorrect or has been damaged then send a photograph of the damaged goods and return them for which we will then make a refund. Return postage is the responsibility of the customer only where cancellations are concerned after an item has been despatched. Be aware that we have a reputation for despatching items very quickly (see reviews)
You have up to 6 weeks from the date and notification of despatch to report non delivery - limitations apply beyond that time and you cannot claim that something has not been delivered three months or more after despatch and certainly not when the carrier has proof of delivery
Privacy
GENERAL DATA PROTECTION (GDPR):-
The Natural Herbalist does not collect data on visitors to its website except where such a visit results in an order being placed in which instance the details entered by the purchaser of items being ordered and the billing and delivery addresses ( if different) are retained in order to fulfil the delivery of the order. This is quite normal.
When paying for the order the visitor is taken to a third party payment portal (PayPal or Etsy Payments) to make payment by whichever method is chosen. No-one at The Natural Herbalist can ever see your payment transaction details. You are returned to the The Natural Herbalist website after payment is authorised or refused.
You do not need to make an account to place an order you may do so as a guest.
The Natural Herbalist has never advertised and does not carry advertisements on its website nor does it cross or upsell its products. It does not e mail or operate an e mail list based upon its previous purchasers or enquirers through it “contact us” page..
The Natural Herbalist has never shared any details of any of its customers nor ever intends to do so with any third party other than as regarded by the GDPR rules, the sharing of your delivery address for an order placed with a third party carrier ( in this case the Royal Mail who may then share the information with other third party carriers if delivery is overseas) is regarded as sharing and is legal in the pursuit of our obigations to fulfil the item you have ordered.
The Natural Herbalist has never e mailed, nor ever intends to do so, any of its purchasers with promotional or marketing e mails but reserves the right to e mail those having registered their e mail address with an order to confirm despatch and delivery information for that order inpursuant with normal legal requirements in the operation of our business. Your agreement to our terms and conditions when placing an order confirms that you have accepted this. We use the Etsy site messaging service for this purpose and not any e mail address you may have advised to Etsy themselves.
The Natural Herbalist is happy to respond to those who might wish to check if we hold information given by them at any point in their commercial relationship with us and if so would like to exercise their “right to be forgotten” sometimes and also known as a “right to erasure”.
Simply ask for a data information request via the Contact Us page in the first instance. Your request will be acknowledged and you will be asked to provide documentary proof that you are who you say you are ( a photocopy of a recent (within the last 6 months ) utility bill or a driving license or passport will suffice. Any information will be despatched using tracked and signed for postage to an address provided on any one of the methods used to prove identity. A fee of £10 will be levied for each information request as per the ICO’s recommendations and all straight forward requests will be met with a response within 40 days of receipt of the requisite identifaction material and fee being received where possible.
Sharing Information:-
The Natural Herbalist relies on a number of legal bases to collect, use, and share your information, including the following:
As needed to provide our services, such as when we use your information to fulfil your order, to settle disputes, or to provide customer support;
When you have provided your affirmative consent, which you may revoke at any time, such as when contacting us via our “contact us” page
If necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about your purchases if required by tax law; and
As necessary for the purpose of our legitimate interests, if those legitimate interests are not overridden by your rights or interests, such as 1) providing and improving our services. We use your information to provide the services you requested and in our legitimate interest to improve our services; and 2) Compliance with the our Terms of Use.
Service providers. We engage certain trusted third parties to perform functions and provide services to our shop, such as principally The Royal Mail and its overseas partners. We share your delivery information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these services.
Business transfers. If we sell or merge our business, We may disclose your information as part of that transaction, only to the extent permitted by law.
Compliance with laws. We may collect, use, retain, and share your information if We have a good faith and a belief that it is reasonably necessary to: (a) respond to legal processes or to government requests; (b) enforce our agreements, terms and policies; (c) prevent, investigate, and address fraud and other illegal activity, security, or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property, and safety of our customers, or others.
Data Retention:-
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to provide you with our services and as described in our Privacy Policy. However, we may also be required to retain this information to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. We generally keep your data for the following time period: 7 years.
Transfers of Personal Information Outside the EU:-
We may store and process your information through third-party hosting services in the US and other jurisdictions. As a result, we may transfer your personal information to a jurisdiction with different data protection and government surveillance laws than your jurisdiction. If we are deemed to transfer information about you outside the EU, we rely on Privacy Shield as the legal basis for the transfer, as Google Cloud is Privacy Shield certified.
Your Rights
If you reside in certain territories, including the EU, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. While some of these rights apply generally, certain rights apply only in certain limited cases. we describe these rights below:
Access. You may have the right to access and receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the Contact Us page in the first instance. Your request will be acknowledged and you will be asked to provide documentary proof that you are who you say you are ( a photocopy of a recent (within the last 6 months ) utility bill or a driving license or passport will suffice. Any information will be despatched using tracked and signed for postage to an address provided on any one of the methods used to prove identity. A fee of £10 will be levied for each information request as per the ICO’s recommendations and all straight forward requests will be met with a response within 40 days of receipt of the requisite identifaction material and fee being received where possible.
Change, restrict, delete. You may also have rights to change, restrict our use of, or delete your personal information. Absent exceptional circumstances (like where we are required to store data for legal reasons) We will generally delete your personal information upon request.
Object. You can object to (i) our processing of some of your information based on our legitimate interests and (ii) receiving marketing messages from us (should we ever decide to embark on this course) after providing your express consent to receive them. In such cases, We will delete your personal information unless we have compelling and legitimate grounds to continue using that information or if it is needed for legal reasons.
Complain. If you reside in the EU and wish to raise a concern about our use of your information (and without prejudice to any other rights you may have), you have the right to do so with your local data protection authority.