Could you please shed some light on the inception of your esteemed organisation?
Our company was established by my father, late Shaikh Mohammad Saeed, a cognoscenti who pioneered perfume manufacturing in the UAE as early as 1954. He founded Al Souk, Deira’s first perfume shop under the brand name of Al Hunaidi. Nowadays the area is well known as a hub of perfumes in Dubai.
How has your organisation evolved over the years?
This 68-year-long journey in the art of perfumery has transformed our organisation from a dealer to becoming one of the largest manufacturers of Arabic, Oriental and French fragrances in the GCC.
Today, Shaikh Mohd. Saeed Est owns well-known perfume brands such as Shaikh Saeed, Al Hunaidi, Dhammasons, Giovanni Bacci, Bernard-Dimitri, Paris Delice, and Armas among others. We also provide private label manufacturing services and export across the globe.
How do you bounce between tradition and modernity to keep up with the changing market?
Our dedicated research team and state-of-the-art manufacturing unit with ultramodern machines are continuously working towards innovating new fragrances as per market trends. We have successfully innovated many popular perfumes like Hot Black, Alisha etc., which are unfortunately being copied and replicated with similar attributes.
How elaborate is the perfume-making process?
Perfumes are like a piano, comprising of multiple notes, with a perfect harmony creating new euphonious tunes for a mesmerising experience. Unfortunately, nowadays people assume that mixing fragrances is equivalent to creating perfumes, which is far from the truth.
The process of creating a new fragrance involves a lot of research and takes anywhere between a few months to years. It begins with an imaginary aroma followed by extraction, distillation, blending and aging to create a long lasting perfume with an enchanting sillage.
How can consumers purchase your products?
As of now we have 11 stores spread across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain under the Shaikh Saeed, Dhammasons and Al Hunaidi brand name. To make the purchase easier, we have an online order facility on our website www.shaikhsaeed.com and also present on major e-commerce platforms i.e. Amazon, Noon etc.
What are your expectations from this year’s Beautyworld?
We are expecting to meet people from the perfume industry to showcase our products, which have been innovated by our expert perfumers after long research. We would also like to explore other businesses and opportunities that the exhibition presents.