4 ways to Identify real vs fake Agarwood

Agarwood (Trầm hương) – a unique and rare natural product – is increasingly favored for its great uses. However, because of its high value, Agarwood market is increasingly fierce and there are countless fake products to deceive costomers. There are different types of agarwood on the market. Therefore, those who are interested in products from agarwood need to immediately know the ways to identify fake Agarwood to avoid buying the wrong quality goods. Here are 4 ways to identify real vs fake agarwood. Follow Thien Moc Huong and find out in this article!

What is Agarwood?

Agarwood is a fragrant wood formed on the trunk of Aquilaria crassna tree. In the process of growth, the tree is injured by insects, weathering, … Wood will secrete a layer of tree protecting and shielding wounds. Gradually along with the combination of fungi and bacteria. The wounded wood transforms into Agarwood – a wood containing a special essential oil.

Agarwood is very rare and high value. People use agarwood to create feng shui products, good for health. These include burning incense, incense bracelets. Besides, the health benefits such as curing headaches, aches, stress, nausea, … Agarwood is also said to bring fortune, ward off evil, …

Because of the “miraculous” uses and rare properties. Agarwood’s value is being pushed higher and higher. Many people take advantage of this opportunity, produce and trade fake agarwood  for profit. There have been many people losing money because they don’t know how to recognize real agarwood.

How many types of agarwood on the market?

In the era of technology 4.0, everyone is holding a smartphone to browse for the products they want to buy. It only takes a few seconds for Google to get all the information you need. For example, you want to buy a agarwood bracelet. Just a “click” to find the product, a series of information appears. With a variety of prices such as 199.000 vnd, 299.000 vnd, 399.000 vnd, … But some places sell agarwood at very high prices. So the question is, “Does cheap agarwood really exist?” and “How to distinguish agarwood properly?”

Natural agarwood

Agarwood is naturally born from the Aquilaria crassna tree to heal tree wounds. This resin causes wood cell to change shape. Color and aroma. Natural agarwood has a high and heavy amount of oil. Fully submerged in water. Natural agarwood will have clear wood grain, moderate dark color. Natural agarwood emits a gentle scent and spreads in space. It exists for a long time and is not lost.

Natural agarwood is very soft, so it is difficult to process mass production. Therefore, it is extremely rare and very valuable. A natural Agarwood ring is no less than several million. There are rounds up to 700 – 800 million.

What is agarwood oil benefits? Find out now

Artificial agarwood

The main products on the market today are artificial agarwood. This is a product made from Aquilaria crassna tree. It takes about 10-20 years for the new potting plant to be drilled into the field. After transplanting, it takes about 5 years to create Aquilaria.

However, not every Aquilaria crassna tree produces Aquilaria, the success rate is very small. Therefore, artificial incense is also very valuable and high value. Although artificial agarwood is not as fragrant as natural agarwood, it still has a light scent.

Fake agarwood – cheap agarwood

This cheap agarwood is dyed to look like real, so the color is quite dark, shiny, look very attractive. The scent of this kind is a strong artificial agarwood, not as gentle as real, so long in the air will gradually lose the fragrance. Even, many types also smell quite harsh. Fake agarwood is quite light and porous, not as heavy as real incense. When boiling in pure water, the color will change much because it contains large amounts of artificial colors.

Is there exist a cheap agarwood bracelet?

It is not difficult to catch the rampant ads on social networks that sell agarwood bracelets at super cheap prices. From $10, $15 … While natural agarwood price is known for its “expensive” price. A real agarwood bracelet price often start from over $56 depending on the size, the type, the origin, and the charm.

A cheap agarwood bracelet which always has many doubts. Because the bracelet feels loose, pale. Fake agarwood has already cost a lot of money. However, fake agarwood bracelets are another type of product that deceives costumers. Cheap bracelets, fake incense which is made from wood sawdust, wood chips, plywood, pressed wood. Material with low price, mass processing by workers. The more production cycle, the less capital is spent. They impregnated with different aromas and promote the bracelet as real agarwood with the ability to spread the scent. Such a bracelet, sold for a few hundred dollars, is still very profitable for them.

How to identify real vs fake agarwood?

Fake agarwood is increasingly popular and sophisticated, so we should equip ourselves with full knowledge of agarwood as well as how to identify fake agarwood to buy quality products, avoid harming for your health. Following Thien Moc Huong will suggest to you 4 simple ways to identify real or fake agarwood:

Through surface of the wood

One of the ways to identify agarwood is observe the surface of the wood. Agarwood bracelets are always genuine natural colors, not glossy. A closer look will see the oil veins lining the wood fibers. The more the fruiting incense contains, the more essential oils. When holding a heavy hand feeling.

Frankincense incense is often impregnated with other woods, dark brown or black, because it is dyed to look like real incense, looks beautiful, shiny, so you can not see the oil layer on the wood , holding uncertain hands and lighter than real incense.

Through the smell

You can also distinguish agarwood from fake smell. Real agarwood always has a faintly subtle scent. Not passionate but fragrant and very pleasant. While counterfeit goods will smell like perfume, sometimes cause discomfort when smelling. Real agarwood often has a faint, gentle agarwood. Agarwood, cheap frankincense initially smells very intense when there is no temperature effect because it is soaked with essential oil or chemical aromas.

Shop now: Buy agarwood oil at the best price 

By burn

In addition to smell, you can burn incense samples to smell the wood because real agarwood when burning directly will give a pleasant aroma and less smoke. Meanwhile, fake chemicals so when exposed to high temperatures will have a strong, unpleasant smell. Even cause eye irritation and shortness of breath when inhaled.

Check with electric heater

Another way to identify real agarwood is to scrape frankincense into powder. Put in an electric heater, then the smell of incense will exude and no smoke. This is the main test when people test incense compared to Ky Nam.

Currently on the market, fake agarwood appears a lot with very sophisticated appearance. Difficult to detect or distinguish real or fake incense. Therefore, you should find out the reputable and quality products from agarwood. Thien Moc Huong is always proud of being a supplier of products from 100% natural agarwood. Finely crafted craft with 35 working experience.

Note:

There are a number of articles that distinguish the real agarwood bracelet by “putting it into water and boiling for 30 minutes, which makes the water yellow, brown is fake”. This is a mistake. Agarwood is really just like a medicinal plant in oriental medicine, boiling for a long time will turn into color, the color is agarwood oil mixed with oil secretion. Agarwood has many ways to distinguish. You need to choose orthodox and effective ways. Do not believe in false information.