Why the UAE is the world’s perfume capital: Inside its rich oud and scent heritage

The romance with frankincense had already begun before 1500 BC, and humans had already discovered the beauty in the resin tears of frankincense trees.  They slowly made their way to the outside world and formed the foundation of the incense road, according to researcher Elise Vernon Pearl, the author of Scent: A Natural History.

And as traders discovered frankincense and myrrh, they made every effort to bring them out from the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. And by 200 AD, it was one of the most important trading activities of the ancient world. Arabia was shipping more than 3,000 tons of incense to the Mediterranean world.

And so began, the world's love affair with perfumes began and never ceased. Centuries later, that relationship with fragrance still feels most alive in the Gulf.

Fragrance in the UAE here is deeply embedded within the culture, identity and daily life, explains Ammar Nabeel Adam Ali, Assistant to CEO at Swiss Arabian Perfumes. "Historically the region sat along key spice trade routes, where many of the core perfume ingredients like frankincense, oud, amber were traded." As he says, what makes the UAE unique is that it preserved this rich heritage while building a modern global fragrance industry around it.

In that regard, UAE has emerged as one of the world’s perfume capitals: Not just because it sells fragrance, but because scent is woven into everyday life here in a way few cultures can rival.

You can read more about how perfumes are made in the UAE, here.

At the centre of this identity is oud, often called 'liquid gold' in perfumery. Unlike rose or jasmine, oud cannot simply be cultivated and harvested. It forms when Aquilaria trees undergo a biological defence reaction after infection, producing a dark resin deep within the wood. The resin eventually becomes oud oil, one of the rarest and most expensive raw materials in perfumery.

“Oud is among the most technically complex raw materials in perfumery,” explains Abdulla Ajmal, CEO at Ajmal Dubai. “Not every tree develops resin, and even within resinous trees, the concentration, aroma profile, oil yield and maturity vary significantly.”

Its rarity partly explains why oud became synonymous with luxury in the Gulf. However, the UAE’s perfume culture goes far deeper than exclusivity.

“In this part of the world, oud is not something people ‘discover’ through perfumery, they grow up around it,” Ajmal says. “You smell it in homes before guests arrive, in clothing, during celebrations, in prayer spaces, even attached to family members and memories.”

While the fragrance landscape became increasingly global and contemporary, oud never disappeared from the cultural centre. Instead, it adapted, he continues. "Younger audiences today may wear oud in fresher or more refined structures, but emotionally, the ingredient still represents familiarity, confidence, hospitality, and identity. For many people in the Gulf, the scent of oud feels like home before it feels like luxury."

Furthermore, there is almost a gemstone-like grading system within oud, Ajmal explains. “Colour, resin saturation, diffusion, depth and ageing potential all influence value.”

In order to harvest Oud, farmers injure the tree by scratching it with nails, screws, or hatchets to harvest the resin. This damaged or infected resinous wood is separated from the healthy white wood. The chips are then ground down, soaked for days, sometimes weeks and fermented before extraction begins.

 The process takes even longer when nature is left undisturbed, as Dubai-based perfume connoisseur and collector Mariam Kandeel had told us earlier. “The process of forming an ‘infected tree’ takes 7-12 years when forced by humans, and if it is naturally infected, it takes 20-50 years; the latter results in a rare and expensive one with an animalic note in it.”

“Small variables like water quality, soaking duration, pressure and temperature can dramatically change the final olfactive profile,” Ajmal says. “A large part of oud evaluation still depends on experience rather than machines.”

That artisanal process is one reason oud continues to hold such prestige in the Gulf. However, climate also plays a role in shaping regional fragrance preferences.

In Gulf summers, lighter citrus or floral perfumes evaporate quickly in the heat. Oud, amber and musk, however, evolve slowly on skin and fabric, revealing smoky, woody or leathery facets over time.

 An ingredient so rare that has melded with with centuries of trade history, is unsurprisingly embedded into the cultural DNA of the Gulf.

The Arabian Peninsula was a trading hub, especially for traders from India heading to the Levant, serving as a bridge linking East and West,” Kandeel said. “Oud and silk were exclusive to the royals and the rich. It also has a spiritual reference as it became part of Friday prayer rituals.”

Moreover, the climate also plays a role in cementing the region’s scent preferences. In soaring Gulf temperatures, lighter fragrances vanish quickly.

The Middle East’s climate is a major factor. Light, citrusy, or floral scents evaporate almost instantly in 40°C+ temperatures. Oud is a heavy, high-molecular-weight base note.”

 This preference for depth and longevity, became one of the defining distinctions between Arabian and Western perfumery.  “Arabian fragrances are generally different in terms of their richness and depth,” Ammar Nabeel Adam Ali, Assistant to CEO at Swiss Arabian Perfumes explained. “These fragrances tend to use specific traditional ingredients as a base, such as oud, amber, musk, and saffron.”

Richer perfumes naturally perform better in desert climates, which molded the Middle East’s long-standing preference for intensity, projection and longevity. In Gulf heat, lighter citrus or airy floral fragrances tend to evaporate quickly, while heavier ingredients such as oud, amber, musk and saffron unfold slowly over hours, revealing different facets on skin and fabric.

This relationship with scent is one of the biggest distinctions between Arabian and Western fragrance traditions. “Arabian perfumery was built around intensity, layering and atmosphere,” explains Ajmal, “Whereas Western perfumery historically evolved around freshness, structure and seasonal wearability.”

In the Gulf, fragrance was never treated as just a finishing touch before leaving the house. It became part of lifestyle, hospitality, grooming and ritual. Perfume is expected to have presence, to hover in a room, leave a trail and evolve throughout the day.

That expectation changed the region’s entire perfume culture. Arabian perfumery traditionally embraces deep, textured raw materials such as oud, incense, amber, rose and musk, often blended in richer concentrations than many Western fragrances.

The ritual of layering also remains uniquely central to the UAE and wider Gulf region. Perfume is rarely worn as a single product.

People may first burn bakhoor into clothing and hair, allowing the smoke to cling to fabric. Oud oil, or dehn el oud, is then applied directly onto pulse points, before a final perfume is sprayed over it to create a personalised scent signature. Some households even perfume rooms with oud chips before guests arrive.

The result is immersive. Fragrance becomes part of the atmosphere itself.

Ajmal says this emotional relationship with scent begins early in the Gulf. “You smell it in homes before guests arrive, in clothing, during celebrations, in prayer spaces, even attached to family members and memories,” he explains. “For many people in the Gulf, the scent of oud feels like home before it feels like luxury.”

This ritualistic relationship with scent is part of what transformed the UAE into a global fragrance powerhouse. Dubai, in particular, has become a meeting point between traditional Arabian perfumery and modern international trends. Luxury niche houses, heritage Gulf brands and global perfume giants now coexist in the city’s malls and souqs.

Yet even as trends evolve, oud remains emotionally central.

“What shaped oud’s significance in the UAE is the way the country balanced preservation and modernity,” Ajmal says. “While the fragrance landscape became increasingly global and contemporary, oud never disappeared from the cultural centre. Instead, it adapted.”

That adaptation is increasingly visible among younger consumers. Traditional dark, animalic oud oils still exist, but modern interpretations are becoming cleaner, fresher and more wearable internationally.

Western perfume houses now regularly incorporate oud into mainstream launches, while Gulf perfumers experiment with lighter compositions and contemporary structures.

“Modern perfumery is increasingly seeing a dialogue between the two worlds,” Ajmal says. “Western brands are embracing oud and richer materials, while Middle Eastern perfumery is exploring more contemporary aesthetics.”

But despite the globalisation of perfume trends, the UAE’s fragrance culture remains distinct because scent still carries emotional weight here.

Perfume is tied to memory, prayer, celebration and home. Perhaps that's why bakhoor still burns before gatherings, and why oud oils are gifted between families. Maybe, why perfumes are discussed with the same discernment others reserve for watches, jewellery, as Ajmal explains.

And perhaps that is why fragrance continues to feel almost mythical, even now.

Perfumes fade from skin eventually. But in the UAE, their meaning rarely disappears with them.