Agarwood has been prized for centuries as one of the world's most expensive raw materials — resin-saturated heartwood that can fetch eye-watering prices, hence the nickname 'forest gold'. Now a team at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has found a way to bottle it. At the Innovation Centre in Agritechnology for Advanced Bioprocessing (ICA) on UTM's Pagoh campus in Johor, researchers have developed Fragrad, a commercially viable perfume built around Aquilaria malaccensis, the local agarwood species.
The story started in 2023, when research officer Dr Norliza Abdul Latiff was struck by the wood's aroma during her lab work. With backing from ICA director Prof Dr Hesham Ali El-Enshasy and a UTM research grant, a 13-strong expert team spent about a year perfecting the formulation. The result, launched in 2024, is positioned as a university 'signature' product — and, potentially, an exclusive UTM souvenir.
Fragrad comes in four variations: SheGrad, HeGrad, Teja and Tuah, aimed at different tastes. Each blend contains roughly 25 per cent agarwood essence sourced from local suppliers, mixed with other fragrance components. Production runs anywhere from three weeks to two months depending on the grade and formulation — a reminder of how fussy this raw material is.
That fussiness is the big constraint. Norliza notes that securing high-quality agarwood essence remains the project's biggest challenge; it isn't readily available and has to be ordered well in advance. Still, the team sees real value in building a chain from Malaysian raw materials through university research to market, turning agarwood into a high-value downstream product rather than just exported timber.
So far nearly 300 bottles have been produced, with a target of more than 600 sold across a three-year commercialisation window running 2024 to 2027. ICA UTM also wants to launch at least one new agarwood-based product every year, so Fragrad may be the first of a small family of scent-led spinoffs.
For travellers, this is a fresh take on the classic Malaysian souvenir. Instead of another batik print or a box of pewter, you can pick up a perfume distilled from the country's own forests — and one with a genuine research story behind it, not just branding. Fragrad is currently sold at UTMart on UTM's Skudai campus in Johor Bahru, plus several online platforms, so it's easy to grab if you're passing through the south of Peninsular Malaysia or ordering ahead of a trip. Johor Bahru also makes a convenient stopover point: it sits on the border with Singapore, and Pagoh is a short detour off the north–south expressway if you're driving between Kuala Lumpur and JB. Keep an eye on the project too — if the annual product pipeline delivers, agarwood-themed gifts could become a distinctive Johor speciality in the next few years. — Malay Mail Life
