Fragrance means serious business for the top UAE perfume brands. After all, scent is not just treated as a quick spritz before you head out the door. Rather, it is a ritual in itself. For some, it infuses a few precious moments of self-care into a busy routine. Others look to these glass vials to travel back through time with nostalgic memories of home.
Delve deeper within the region’s fragrance legacy and you won’t just find conventional notes bottled over and over again under newer monikers. Instead, you will discover the innovative ways that classic fragrance notes like oud are being contemporarized for a modern audience. You’ll discover the world’s most expensive perfume: Shumukh, by Nabeel Perfumes, crafted in 18-karat gold and dressed with over 3,500 diamonds. You’ll find fresh ways of carrying forward a centuries-old legacy while remaining loyal to its roots. Ready to find your favorite fragrance?
Which perfume brand is famous in UAE?
- When looking to infuse yourself in the scents of the region, you’ll want the most trusted perfumeries by your side.
- The fragrance landscape of UAE doesn’t disappoint. Contemporary names garner fresh audiences, while legacy icons continue to hold people spellbound.
- Sure, you’ll find the best long-lasting perfumes. But you’ll also discover the timeless stories that they tell. Ahead, a closer look at the best perfumes in Dubai to add to your shelf.
If you’d like to add sustainability to your fragrance shelf: Arcadia by Amna
Any quest for the finest UAE’s perfume brands will lead you to the doorstep of Arcadia. When Amna Al Habtoor first launched the unisex brand in 2015, a new chapter was written in gender norms. Now, she has her sights set on scripting a more sustainable future. Think cruelty- and paraben-free perfumes packaged in recyclable materials. Sounds like a win, yes?
Add to cart: Arcadia by Amna’s London Scent will have you dreaming of endless mornings in the city with an enchanting mix of pear, freesia and bitter orange.
If you’d like to indulge in ancient Arabic beauty rituals: Whind
Moroccan beauty rituals find fresh meaning in everybody’s favorite UAE-based perfume brand: Whind. When you first hear the name, you’ll feel the kiss of the golden hour sunlight on your skin. You’ll want to take a minute to pause and feel the gentle whisper of wind in your hair. And then, there are the fragrances themselves. Whether you are looking to feel refreshed, playful or sophisticated, there is something for everyone.
Add to cart: Spritz on the Lalla La Rose fragrance if you’d like to bathe your skin in the sweet scent of sugared rose petals.
If you’re looking for a fresh take on legacy favorites: Maison de Noya
Born into the family perfumery of Rasasi, fragrance wasn’t just a business for founder Talha Kalsekar. It was a way of life. But it is while studying in the UK that he found himself truly captivated by the power of storytelling that each fragrance embodies. The result is one of the finest perfume brands born in UAE. Expect notes of coffee, tobacco, leather—and above all else, the warm, seductive embrace of oud.
Add to cart: The fragrance composition of Ode to Oud serves as the UAE perfume brand’s best-kept secret. But there’s no denying the heady spell of warm oud that it leaves in its wake.
If you’re looking for an immersive experience: Lootah
When Lootah says “scent for every moment,” they mean it. The Emirati perfume house offers finely formulated perfumes, but it doesn’t end there. A range of hair mists will keep your tresses scented all day. Incense jars and fragrant oils take the journey forward. Finally, a range of home fragrances steps up to the plate to ensure that your living space smells as unforgettable as you do.
Add to cart: Pink Poison, Jiwan and Luminous all make for pleasant daytime fragrances. but if you’d rather go bold than go home, you’ll want a spritz of Black Oud.
If you’re looking to upgrade your fragrance shelf: Afnan Perfumes
Over the course of the last two decades, Afnan Perfumes in UAE has been raising the bar for perfumeries in the region. The result is a lineup of exquisite fragrances housed in highly covetable bottles. The linear lines of the Tribute range are doused with cultural motifs while the Historic Doria seeks inspiration from quintessential Greek pillars.
Add to cart: If you are partial to floral and fruity fragrances, the Historic Doria EDP from this UAE perfume brand makes for a sure winner as day turns to dusk.
If you’ve been looking for the best bakhoor in Dubai: Nabeel Perfumes
Few conversations on perfume companies in UAE can conclude without the mention of Nabeel Perfumes in Dubai and across the MENA region. Since 1969, the company has served as the pioneering force of bottling the region’s cultural legacy. Today, it serves as the go-to name for perfumes, incense and fragrant oils.
Add to cart: If you are looking to carry your fragrance journey beyond aromatic bakhoor, invite its fragrant notes into your perfume rotation with Bakhoor Al Salam.
Arab-owned perfume brands that are widely loved in UAE
If you’re looking for your next signature scent: Wadha
Since 2010, the Qatari fashion house has crafted a distinct language of minimalism for itself. The same approach extends to its line of fine fragrances. Expect to find your new signature scent from founder Wadha Al Hajri’s roster of sophisticated compositions. Each fragrance then sparks a new memory, each note designed to envelope the senses.
Add to cart: If you are looking for floral fragrances with gravitas, Revere grounds the notes of bergamot and orange bigarade in oud accord.
If you’re looking for niche perfumes: Abdulla Al Abdulla
Dawn or dusk? Regardless of what you choose, you’ll emerge a winner with Abdulla al Abdulla’s niche perfumes. The Qatari influencer’s eponymous brand offers up all-natural skincare, but he chose not to stop there. Inspired by his Arabian heritage, he made his foray into the luxury fragrance aisle with an array of ungendered scents.
Add to cart: The Dusk & Dawn bundle has something for everyone. Reach for the former if you’re looking to make heads turn wherever you go with the alluring notes of raspberry and saffron over woody amber. Opt for the latter if you’d like to envelope yourself in the crisp notes of cardamom and pink pepper.
Abdulla al Abdulla Dusk & Dawn Bundle
If you’ve been on the hunt for the best attar in UAE: Amouage
‘The gift of kings’ is not a title you’d attach to most Arabic perfume brands. But it fits seamlessly with a heritage UAE perfume brand founded in the Sultanate of Oman by the Albusaidi family. An icon among perfume manufacturers in UAE, Amouage believes it is not just the attar you choose. But rather, how you apply it. First, smear a drop on your pulse points. Then, gently dab it in to “wake the attar up.” Finish by running your hands through your hair for a scent that lingers all day.
Add to cart: The Amber Sogara Attar will transport you to the halls of Al Sogara with notes of basil rose, clove and sandalwood.
If you’ve been looking for innovative perfumeries: Ojar
Halwa kiss. Eagle-eyed stranger. Kashmir print. Words that will cue into Ojar’s heady world of not-your-usual fragrances. Inspired by founder Sheikha Hind Bahwan’s travels around the world, the perfumery borrows some influences from the East and some from the West. The result is a novel approach to the centuries-old craft of perfume making.
Add to cart: So you never knew that you needed the notes of saffron, dates, rose and dry fruits in your everyday fragrance? Halwa Kiss EDP will ensure that now you do.