Arabic perfume brands explained: which brand belongs to which family?

Anyone discovering Arabic perfumes quickly loses track. Lattafa, Lattafa Pride, Maison Alhambra, Ard al Zaafaran, Nusuk, Riiffs… are these all separate brands, or are they connected? The answer: many well-known names are sub-brands or lines of a handful of large perfume houses, mostly from the United Arab Emirates. In this article we map out the most important brand families. For each brand you’ll find a link to a detailed article in our blog Perfume brands.

1. The Lattafa family (UAE)

Lattafa Perfumes Industries comprises several brands:

• Lattafa – the main brand. Affordable eau de parfums, often with a modern, international profile.
• Lattafa Pride – the premium line in luxurious bottles, such as Al Qiam Gold, Nebras and Ansaam Gold.
• Maison Alhambra – a line with a more European look, with scents such as Decadent Dream and the Jean Lowe series.
• Asdaaf – affordable scents from Lattafa, such as Shaghaf.
• Rave – modern, Western-style scents for a young audience, such as Rave Now.
• Niche Emarati Perfumes – a line with artistic bottles.
• Vurv – linked to Lattafa by databases and retailers, although the brand has no page of its own on the Lattafa website.

2. Ard al Zaafaran (Dubai)

Ard al Zaafaran is an independent perfume house from Dubai and does not belong to Lattafa, even though the two are often mentioned in the same breath. The brand has a very large range of traditional and modern scents, such as Ghaaya Be a Legend, Shams Emarat Khususi and Hayaati. Ard al Zaafaran’s brands include Mega Collection and Suroori. See also the Ard al Zaafaran brands.

3. Nusuk, Riiffs and Fariis – the Attarwala group

Nusuk, Riiffs, Fariis, Al Fakhr and Manasik are, according to various sources, made by the Attarwala group, a family business with roots in Mumbai, with production in India (Freedom Fragrances) and the UAE. Sources partly differ on the exact ownership.

• Nusuk excels at modern oud and amber scents, such as Fawah Midnight and Mahab. The Rihanah line (Private Musk) comes from the same stable.
• Manasik stands for classic oud scents, such as Ameer al Oud.
• Fariis is a younger brand, with scents like Monarch.

Fragrance Couture and Khususi also appear to belong to this group, but this has not been officially confirmed.

4. Afnan (Dubai)

Afnan Perfumes is known for 9PM and the Supremacy series. Its sub-brand Zimaya brings bold, sweet scents.

5. Sterling Perfumes: Armaf and Hamidi (UAE)

Armaf is the best-known brand of Sterling Perfumes Industries and became world-famous with the Club de Nuit series, such as Club de Nuit Urban Man. Hamidi, known for perfume oils and eau de parfums with an oriental character, also belongs to Sterling.

6. Al Haramain and Orientica

According to the brand, Al Haramain was founded in Makkah in 1970 and has been producing in the UAE since the late 1980s. It is best known for perfume oils such as Al Haramain Musk. Orientica is linked to Al Haramain by many retailers, but has its own company; that link has not been officially confirmed. A well-known example is Orientica Platinum.

7. The Fragrance World family (Dubai)

Fragrance World is known for luxurious-looking perfumes such as Barakkat Oud Satin and the Barakkat series. French Avenue is the ‘French’ line of the same house. According to retailers and databases, Marque Collection and Athoor al Alam also belong to Fragrance World.

8. My Perfumes and Arabiyat (Dubai)

My Perfumes is the group behind brands including Arabiyat and Otoori.

9. ABC International: Al Wataniah and Grandeur Elite (Dubai)

According to the brand, Al Wataniah is the flagship of ABC International. Grandeur Elite probably comes from the same company.

10. Paris Corner, Swiss Arabian, Rasasi and Ajmal

Paris Corner makes affordable scents with a Western profile; the Emir and Pendora Scents lines also fall under Paris Corner. Swiss Arabian (Sharjah, since 1974), Rasasi (Dubai, since 1979) and Ajmal (since 1951) are among the oldest major perfume houses of the Gulf.

11. The perfume oil specialists: Al-Rehab, El-Nabil and ADN Paris

12. Other brands

Khadlaj is an independent perfume house from Sharjah, known for Hareem al Sultan Gold. You can read more about other brands in our shop in the individual articles, such as Nabeel, Reef Perfumes, Khalis, Dorall Collection and Wadi al Khaleej. You’ll find an overview of all brands in the blog Perfume brands.

Why is this useful to know?

• Quality: brands from the same group are often made in the same factories, so their quality can be comparable.
• Style: if you know the parent brand, you roughly know what to expect. If you love Lattafa, Maison Alhambra or Lattafa Pride is a logical next step.
• Price: sometimes you’ll find a similar scent style for less money at a sister brand.

You’ll find every brand from this article in our shop. Start with the Lattafa Top 25 or the Perfume Oil Top 25.