London and Paris: The World’s Fine Fragrance Havens, Right? Well, That’s All About To Change!

Saudi Arabia! Here we come! We all know of course that specifically Arabian luxury inspired niche fragrances are popping up all over the place – with a large amount of designer houses and niche brands coming up with a variety of oud based fragrances to appeal to a specific consumer demographic. It would not be surprising, however that this shift in change from the very commonly European fragrance noted perfumes, would have to shift not only the composition and type of fragrance products that are on offer, but they would also have to look at shifting their business operations as a whole. This helps us to understand the changing scene on the mainstream western fragrances markets from typically vanilla and floral notes in perfumes, to more oriental woody fragrance notes, which appeal immensely to the Middle Eastern fragrance markets.

Big fragrance creating operations, such as formally Spain based Eurofragrance are now moving their base to the United Arab Emirates – most probably to serve their local clientele and end-consumer better. In fact, Eurofragrance spent a whopping AED10,000 on a fragrance creation centre in the UAE and is it said that the Middle Eastern and African fragrance market is the second largest in the world, and will be until at least 2019. But looking at how the market is being driven, it seems that without a doubt, the market size and value will increase further. It is currently said to be worth $5.8Billion, and I am sure many will agree with me, when I say that a large chunk of that is dedicated to Arabian fragrances, or Arabian inspired fragrance and other oud based fragrances.

The slowdown in the western fragrance markets isn’t the only one – there are slowdowns in China and Russian fragrance markets too, showing consistent stability in Middle Eastern fragrance markets. Not only does this mean consistent growth in the Middle Eastern Fragrance market, but it also shows a shift in the taste in the type of fragrances that people wear, especially in the west. Ultimately, people are looking for something different. People are now demanding something unique, something that will turn heads, and something that is personal and exclusively available to them and due to this demand, it serves as a driving force for the growth of the Arabian fragrance markets. 
We know that big players in the western fragrance industry are now moving east – but what about the local and regional Arabian fragrance markets? Well, according to some reports, the fragrance tastes of the local GCC populations, will continue to narrow their choices and become more selective. The demand for premium fragrances is growing, with people shunning mass produced fragrances, for the more opulently personal fine and niche fragrance that are available, with exclusivity being the key.

I truly hope that we can continue to see this trend towards Arabian inspired fragrances and that it will continue to grow! Even if it only means more wonderful oudy juice to sniff at!





.