Arabic Perfume & Attar

What makes a perfume Arabic?

Two things: the format and the structure. An arabian perfume is a concentrated oil with no alcohol, so it sits on the skin instead of flying off it. And it is built around a different set of materials than a European fragrance, leaning on oud, musk, amber, rose and spice rather than citrus and aquatic notes. The result is warmer, sweeter and much heavier in the base, which is why one application in the morning is usually enough.

Arabic attar, arabian attar, oriental perfume: are they different?

In everyday use, no. Arabic attar and arabian attar are the same thing, and arabic ittar is just another spelling. Oriental perfume is the term the wider fragrance industry uses for this family of warm, resinous, amber-heavy scents, and you will see it on Western bottles that are built the same way. The practical difference is not the word but the format: an oriental perfume in a spray bottle is usually cut with alcohol, while everything on this page is neat oil.

The blends in this collection

Twenty-five attars, grouped by what leads:

• Oud blends: Wesal Oud, Jazral Oud, Oud Raheeq, White Oud and Oriental Oud sit at Rs.1,500 to Rs.1,950 for 3 ml, with Precious Oud and Premium Oud above them. Softer and more wearable than neat oud; if you want the unblended oils instead, they are on pure attar and oud attar.
• Musk: Crystal Musk, Body Musk, Musk Silk, Musk-Ul-Hind and Rose Musk, the lightest things here and the usual starting point for anyone new to attar.
• Named classics: Safa Marwa, Hateem, Husn-e-Yousuf, Aseel, Al-Muaad and Mughal Attar Oil, traditional compositions people tend to buy by name and re-buy for years.
• Sweet and warm: Coco and Vanilla Oud, dessert-sweet blends that suit winter and evening wear.
• Herbal: Shamama, the classic spiced Kannauj attar, which also sits in our pure attar range.

For heavier oud compositions built to the same idea, see mukhalat oud.

Which arabic attar should you choose?

If you have never worn attar, start with a musk. Crystal Musk or Musk Silk are clean, soft and hard to get wrong at the office or at university. If you want something with more presence for evenings, shaadis and winter, take an oud blend such as Wesal Oud or Precious Oud. For daily wear that reads as grown-up without shouting, Safa Marwa and Hateem are the two we are asked for most by name. Men and women both wear all of these; almost nothing in this collection is gendered, though our men and women pages group things by what each tends to prefer.

How to wear it so it lasts

Use less than you think. One dab on each wrist and one at the base of the throat is a full application, and rubbing the wrists together only crushes the top notes. Oil holds better on skin that is slightly moisturised, so apply after a shower rather than onto dry skin. A touch on the collar or dupatta will outlast anything on the body, which is useful for a long function. If you want it to carry further without using more oil, put a musk down first and an oud blend over it.

Arabic perfume price in Pakistan

Most of this collection runs Rs.1,400 to Rs.2,000 for 3 ml and Rs.4,500 to Rs.6,000 for 12 ml, with the premium ouds such as Precious Oud, Safa Marwa and Premium Oud between Rs.10,000 and Rs.12,000 for the larger bottles. Shamama is the cheapest way in at Rs.1,306. That puts a full-size arabic attar at roughly the price of a mid-range body spray, except that a drop at a time makes a 12 ml bottle last a very long time. Buy the 3 ml first if you are unsure; it is a real bottle, not a sample, and nothing here is priced as a tester. For Eid and wedding gifting the 6 ml is the size most people settle on.

Ordering

Everything on this page ships cash on delivery across Pakistan, usually within four to five working days. If you would rather smell before you commit, the shop is at Bahria Orchard on Raiwind Road in Lahore, and we have been selling fragrance there for six years. Exchanges are accepted for 15 days on bottles that are still at least 95% full, though sale items are excluded. Customers ordering from outside Pakistan should message us on WhatsApp rather than checking out online. If you want a spray rather than an oil, those are in our perfumes collection.

Questions about arabic perfume and attar

Is arabic perfume the same as attar?

Not always. Attar is specifically the oil. A lot of what is sold as arabian perfume in Pakistan is an alcohol spray in the same style. Everything in this collection is the oil.

What is the arabic perfume price in Pakistan?

Here, mostly Rs.1,400 to Rs.2,000 for 3 ml and Rs.4,500 to Rs.6,000 for 12 ml, starting at Rs.1,306.

Which arabic attar lasts the longest?

The oud blends, because agarwood sits heaviest in the base. Wesal Oud and Precious Oud are the two that hold longest in this range.

Are these suitable for men and women?

Almost all of them. Musk and the named classics are worn by both; only a couple of the heavier ouds lean noticeably masculine.

Can I wear arabic attar for namaz?

Yes, there is no alcohol in any of them.

Which one should I buy as a gift?

A 6 ml of Safa Marwa or Hateem. Both are recognised by name, neither is difficult to like, and the 6 ml presents better than a 3 ml without the cost of a 12 ml.