Journal

Buying Oud in York Region: Markham to Richmond Hill

York Region approaches oud from two directions at once, Persian and Chinese, and neither one treats it primarily as perfume oil. That changes what is on the shelves.

Sep 25, 2026

Try to buy oud in Markham the way you would in Brampton and you will come home confused. York Region does stock oud, in quantity, but frequently as wood rather than as perfume oil. Chips, blocks, electric burners and incense turn up far more readily than tola bottles.

That is not a shortage. It is a different tradition arriving at the same tree from another direction. Most buying guides written for the GTA assume the South Asian and Gulf attar model, and in York Region that assumption quietly fails.

This covers why the region's shelves look the way they do, where oil is still findable, and how to buy agarwood well when the counter in front of you is selling it as incense.

Two Traditions, One Tree

Two communities shape what York Region carries, and neither treats oud primarily as a skin fragrance.

Iranian Canadians are concentrated here more heavily than anywhere else in the country. The Greater Toronto Area counted 97,110 residents of Iranian origin at the 2016 census, the largest such concentration in Canada, with Richmond Hill named among the principal centres. Ontario recorded 155,855 by 2021. Persian fragrance culture is deep and old, and it leans toward rosewater, saffron, and burning aromatic wood at gatherings rather than toward concentrated oil worn on the wrist.

Markham and the surrounding municipalities also hold one of the largest Chinese Canadian populations in the country. In that tradition agarwood, known as chenxiang, is valued as incense wood and as a collectible material. It is graded by the wood itself, bought by the gram in chip or block form, and burned rather than applied.

What this produces at retail:

Wood outsells oil. Chips and blocks are the default format on offer.
Electric burners are everywhere. Charcoal is comparatively rare in this retail.
Grading language differs. Expect sinking grade and origin talk rather than tola and concentration.
Oil, where stocked, is often very good. Smaller quantities, better provenance, higher price per gram.
Bakhoor appears alongside chips. Compressed scented blocks sit beside raw wood on the same shelf.
Price is quoted by weight almost everywhere. A useful habit the oil trade could stand to copy.

Where to Look, by Municipality

Richmond Hill and Thornhill

The Persian commercial presence along Yonge Street through Richmond Hill and into Thornhill is the region's strongest. Look for aromatics inside grocers, gift shops and homeware retailers rather than in dedicated perfume shops. Rosewater, saffron and burning wood are the through line. Oud oil is stocked selectively rather than broadly.

Markham

Markham is where agarwood is most likely to be sold as material rather than as fragrance. Prices are quoted by the gram, the wood is graded on its own terms, and staff frequently know a great deal about origin and density. If you want to understand what you are burning, this is an instructive place to shop, and oud vs attar explains which of the two formats you actually want before you spend.

Vaughan, Newmarket and Aurora

Retail thins considerably north and west. Vaughan carries some through its Middle Eastern grocery trade. Newmarket and Aurora have very little, and buyers there generally order online or drive south. Treat these as delivery markets rather than browsing ones.

Wood or Oil, Decided Simply

If you want	Buy	Sold by	Where in York
Scent on your skin	Oud oil or attar	Tola, ml, gram	Selective, Richmond Hill and online
Scent in a room	Agarwood chips	Gram	Markham, widely
Scent for guests	Bakhoor blocks	Box or gram	Across the region
Something to collect	Graded wood	Gram, by grade	Markham, specialist counters

The honest summary is that York Region is an excellent place to buy agarwood to burn and an inconsistent place to buy oud to wear. Knowing which you came for saves an afternoon.

What This Means for a York Region Buyer

There is a real advantage here that other parts of the GTA lack. Buying wood by the gram, from people who grade it seriously, teaches you what good agarwood smells like at source. That knowledge carries directly into judging an oil later, because the oil is distilled from the same material.

The gap is on the oil side. If you want an alcohol free attar to wear daily, the region's retail will not reliably supply one, and the drive to Peel or downtown Toronto is not short. We bottle by hand in Toronto and deliver into York on weekdays, Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Newmarket and Aurora included, which removes the drive from the equation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is oud sold as wood in Markham rather than as oil? Because agarwood is valued as incense wood and as a collectible in Chinese tradition, graded and burned rather than distilled and worn.

Is burning agarwood chips better value than oud oil? Per gram it is usually cheaper, and it scents a room rather than your skin. They are different purchases rather than competing ones.

What does sinking grade mean? Agarwood dense enough with resin to sink in water. It is a traditional quality marker, commands high prices, and is worth verifying rather than accepting on a label.

Where in York Region can I actually buy attar oil? Selectively, through Persian and Middle Eastern shops along the Yonge corridor in Richmond Hill and Thornhill. Range is narrower than in Peel.

Do I need charcoal to burn chips? Not usually here. Electric burners dominate York Region retail and give you finer heat control without smoke.

Do you deliver to Newmarket and Aurora? Yes, on weekdays, along with the rest of York Region. There is no weekend delivery.

Hand-Bottled in Toronto, Driven into York

Burning wood and wearing oil are two different pleasures and we only do one of them. Ours is a single alcohol free attar, oud blended with musk, sandalwood and amber, bottled by hand in Toronto with the fill weight stated. If York Region has taught you what good agarwood smells like on a burner, you are better prepared than most to judge what is in the bottle. Weekday delivery across the region. Join the launch list for the first batch.