What is it About Arabic Perfumes that We Love?

Arab perfumes

Yet, in the Arab world appearance is perceived to be of paramount significance and the Arab culture has been practicing perfumery for thousands of years.

Generally, the Arab people are very elitist consumers of perfumes which were considered to be a part of the high-end luxury status culture centuries ago.

Despite other varieties of perfumes prevailing in the worldwide market, like perfumes for branded products, attars, alcohol-free essential oils and perfumes, and niche perfumes, Arabic perfumes allure with their distinctive and nice smells and always occupy the top positions.

It is always good to try some varieties of Arabian perfumes to grasp the characteristic Arabian heritage represented in this luxury. But in any case, it is worthwhile knowing what these perfumes are meant to symbolize and what their ingredients are.

We love Arabic perfumes among niche perfume fans because they bring joy while they are surprising and delicately stimulating to scent makers indeed and, of course, they are highly admired by the nose of the public!

However, brand after brand of artistic perfumery has lately begun to explore the scents of the Middle Eastern regions to consider them as magic and probe their favorable elements, but what makes them so irresistible to their enhanced visitors?

Intensity and persistence: Arabian fragrances have been identified as notoriously enchanting. These aromas are a little bit “concentrated” and they can stay with your skin for much longer than regular perfumes, allowing you to have a complete and lasting olfactory experience.

Precious Ingredients: The price of the product is heavily determined by the ingredients used in the Arabic perfumes, which tend to be costly. They include oud (agarwood), amber, musk, saffron, roses the panoply of resins, and balms where sweet fragrances are also mixed with woody notes.

Olfactory Complexity: Arabic scents are mostly layered and complicated with different olfactory notes that take time to unfold delicately. It can include all kinds of floral, spicy, woody, and resinous smells together that create a special fragrance.

Therefore, Let us plunge into the ocean of Arabian perfumes.

Lamar – Kajal

A legendary fragrance that is the essence of the elegance and top-end quality of Arabic perfumery, this perfume is particularly known for its depth and complexity.

Light is its name and it takes us on a sensory voyage where it all starts with amber notes at the base and Bulgarian rose as intoxicating as it is enveloping with a dash of spicy saffron which is the true light of this fragrance.

R – Pantheon Rome

Pantheon Roma is a brand of Italian niche perfumery that narrates the story of Raphael. R is a tribute to him in terms of an olfactory key, and we can discover it in the exclusive range of such products.

An Italian by name but an Arab by nature, R amuses us with a bridge between fruitiness and gourmand but ends with earthy notes of Tolu and Labdanum.

In an instant, luxury, majesty, and opulence are the words that ring in our ears when a faint hint of this memorable odor reaches our noses.

Engagement – Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

The scent, composed by Dominique Ropion, is a tribute to the feeling of luxuriousness in the Arab world.

Whoever selects this trait must be the person who loves to sparkle and gets easily noticed. Besides the rose notes of which there are two types (Turkish and Bulgarian), cedar wood and patchouli provide a rich depth to the bouquet.

Promise is a pact of honor, like what the fragrance does on the skin: indissolvable!

What is Arabic perfume?

Aromas of perfume that speak of the Arabian world are usually caused by pure oils called “Ittar” or “Attar” that have been extracted specifically for them. In the Arab regions, Islam is extensively practiced and perfumes are usually nonalcoholic. Precious components e.gOud, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Musk, and Ambergris in ancient Middle Eastern perfumery served as the surest way to provide distinctive and sweet fragrances. Rose and incense exert the same intensifier influence on the perfume-making process in the Arabian Peninsula.

Besides Attar oils, essential oil grains or dukun, bakhoor, and pure oud chips are also among the most valuable derivatives of attar oils most longed for by Arabs.

History of Arabic perfume

The term “perfume” traces its derivation from the Latin word “per fumus” which means “via fumo” – using smoke. According to the oldest fragments of human history, perfumery originated in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley civilization, which is characterized by a well-developed trade. Consequently, it was adopted and developed mainly by the Persians and the Arabic people among pioneers in this domain.

In the early days of perfume, they were mostly used for luxurious purposes. Then people gradually stopped using them as the purpose of perfume was served. It was the Arabs, however, that faithfully kept up the solemn rituals of perfumery, and just as the veneration of Islam spread across the land, that perfume was widely used and became part of everyday life for many.

In the early stages of history, the Arabs and the Persians were usually involved in trading business because of the desert regions and the long-distance travel. Hence they usually spent a lot of days moving from one community to another to exchange goods. They walked plank on ships and brought back different species to make perfumes.

Among all natural scents, saffron, musk, amber, jasmine, oud, incense, and sandalwood were the most attractive and were usually preferred by most composers. The Taif Valley transplants as well as Arabian rose are essential to the formula.

In the 9th century, Abu Yusuf Al Kindi an outstanding Arab Muslim scientist and chemist, wrote more than 100 distillation recipes for producing aromatic waters, perfumed oils, and drug substitutes in the book “Book of the Chemistry of Perfumes and Distillations”. In addition to that, he described in detail 107 manufacturing methods and equipment for perfume production.

Thus, the art of creating perfumes became one of the essential elements of Arabian culture. To this day, Arabic perfumes are witnesses to the perfumery art of this nation.

Different types of Arabic perfumes

Arabic fragrances select a few of the most noble essences. Perfumes like these occupy unique spots in the market of perfumery. Thus, we can say that they cost more.

Getting the actual Arabic scents, however, for sure will cost you more than other options. If you have not tried them before now, here are some significant issues that you would like to know before deciding and using them for the first time.

Oud

Oudh or oud is one of the most expensive and prestigious essential oils in the perfumery industry. The wood is from the bark of Agar trees (Aquilaria) that mainly grow in Southeast Asian countries. While the tree is “infected” by a particular type of mold it exudes a valuable, dark, and aromatic substance that gives us the oil of oud. Black “infected” sapwood and resin are what it is well-known as.

Oud is of such great importance in the world of perfumery. Its stink can be portrayed as warm, woody, leathery, and animalistic.

Rose

Not only Taif in Saudi Arabia has a special place in history, but it is also noticeable for the variety of ecosystems and the traditional way of life. The blending of these all makes it a wonderful oasis in the world. It is very famous in the world for growing the best roses in the world.

The flower of Taif has a distinctive scent that is considered one of the melons of rose essential oil, and it is particular to Muslims as it is the best rose oil in the world.

Saffron

The saffron threads are the most expensive stain of natural substances. It is indigenous to the locations in the southeast of Asia, the Mediterranean, and even in Italy. Whether it is ginger or aromatic, it is generally referred to as “the king of spices” or “red gold”. There is a wide range of applications in pharmaceutical industries, for perfumes and cosmetics production. Saddened, the sound tells each earthworm that it serves a greater purpose, be it for coloring or sauce-making on other planets.

Moss

For ages, musk has been respected for its ability to provide long-term fragrance retention and enjoy great popularity among all social classes as an expensive perfume ingredient. It is the enzymatic secretion of Norway, Gulmarg, and Chitral musk deers, frequently found in Nepal as well as the Himalayas. It’s a very uncommon mineral type. The moss was once randomly picked from the moss pods that had fallen naturally on the ground of the deer, but today, moss can be obtained in another way, which is to kill mature male deer.

[This is because the musk deer is classified as an endangered species, “La Via del Profumo” is one of the very few places where you can purchase this precious and rare ingredient]

Musk’s smell is a world of its own and is unique among the fragrant ingredients, characterized by the complexity of smell. The odor of it can be felt as earthy, animalic, woody, and as if the smell of a baby’s skin coming from them.

Amber

“Amber” originates from the Arabic word “Anbar”.Ambergris=waxy or solid material that comes from the sperm whale. Ambergris has become a cherished component of a perfumer’s toolbox over the centuries.

It is employed as a fixative in making excellent perfumes that characterize the international perfume market. Until now, the market has well-developed Arabic amber perfumes. However, it is now replaced by its synthetic surrogates everywhere.

Bakhoor

Bakhoor is a combination of wood chips soaked in aromatic oil and other natural ingredients. It is highly regarded in the Arab traditions. Mostly, Arabs burn bakhoor and pass their guests to perfume their clothes, hair, and hands.

Wearing the Arabic perfume, let me tell you how!

• With the Arabic way, you can create a signature smell by using different fragrances.

• Arabic perfumes are usually applied to wrists.

• The perfumes can be used to scent clothes, skin, etc.

• You can burn bakhoor or oud muattar (the remaining oil, after extraction). On the other hand, these bottles still contain a little bit of perfume. These instead contain the essential oils that release their aroma as you take off the clothes, hair, and other body parts. You can burn Bakhoor to add a pleasant scent to your home and surroundings.

Final thoughts

Even though plenty of perfume types are sold in the market, Arabic perfumes are widely known for their high quality, purity, and uniqueness all around the world. That is to say, because they are made of the rarest and most valuable materials on our planet. And if you are looking for the best perfumes in the world, you should localize your search to Arabic perfumes. Naturally, given that ingredients are all-natural. And what a shame it is that it has fallen out of use now.

So have you tasted yet the potent, seductive, and luxurious persistence of Middle Eastern perfumes?