Arabian Perfume Oils

The notes behind Arabian perfume

A handful of materials give Arabian-style scents their character. Most of our oils combine two or three of them.

Oud

Oud is the dark, resinous wood that forms in agarwood trees, and real oud oil is rare and costly. Its scent is deep and woody, with a smoky, slightly leathery edge. Our attars don’t contain oud: the ones with Oud in their name capture that scent profile in their notes. Try oud and woods, or read what oud is and why it’s so prized.

Rose

Rose in Arabian perfumery tends to be rich and jammy rather than light. Taifi rose, from the mountains around Taif, is the classic. Emarati and Crimson Petals set rose against saffron and woods. See floral.

Musk and amber

Musk ranges from soft and clean to deep and animalic. Amber is golden, resinous and a little sweet. Together they make the warm base that so many of these scents rest on. Black Musk and Red Arabian Musk sit here, in amber and musk.

Saffron

Saffron is honeyed and leathery, with a dry, almost metallic spice. It’s often the first thing you smell. Bedouin Oud and Jild al-Sahra both open with it. More in warm and spicy.

Incense

Frankincense, myrrh and bakhoor give a dry, slightly sweet smoke. Luban is built on frankincense, and Bakhoor captures the smell of scented wood smouldering at home. See smoky and incense.

Why Arabian perfumes feel strong

People often say Arabian perfumes are intense. There are a few reasons for that.

• Heavy base notes. Woods, resins and musk are slow to fade, and these scents use plenty of them.
• Concentration. A perfume oil isn’t thinned with alcohol, so a little goes a long way.
• Layering. The tradition is to build scent in layers, from smoke on clothes to oil on skin, so it feels deep.

How long a scent lasts depends on your skin and the blend.

How Arabian perfume is worn

Attar under a spray

Many people wear an attar on the skin and a spray on top, so the two layer together. Apply the oil first and let it settle.

On clothes

Scenting a scarf, thobe or jacket is a long tradition, but oils can mark some fabrics, so we recommend applying your attar to your skin rather than your clothing.

With bakhoor

In many homes, clothes and rooms are scented with bakhoor smoke before the attar goes on. If you burn bakhoor, ventilate the room and never leave burning charcoal unattended. Read everything you need to know about bakhoor.

For men and for women

Many Arabian-style scents are shared, and oud, rose and musk notes are worn by everyone. Still, some lean one way. Jild al-Sahra, Obsidian Oud and Black Musk lean darker and bolder. Emarati, Ward Al Layl and Mukhallat Halwa lean softer, with rose and vanilla. Amber Oud and Bedouin Oud sit comfortably in between.

If you’re new to these notes, the Discovery Set is an easy way to compare a few oud, rose and musk scents side by side. For shorter lists, see men’s perfume oils and women’s perfume oils. To understand the oil base itself, read about alcohol-free perfume.