RIYADH: The city’s second Perfume Expo is showcasing a heady mix of popular and startup brands at Riyadh Front, much to the olfactory delight of its many visitors.
The event launched on Dec. 24 is part of Riyadh Season’s activities, and will continue until Jan. 9.
Featuring several social media influencers and celebrities, it has become a magnet for those seeking unique, concentrated and long-lasting perfumes. It is also providing businesses opportunities for those in the industry, including those working independently and online.
Twenty-five-year-old Nujood (who wishes to be known by her first name) told Arab News she prefers buying her perfumes at such events. “I order almost everything I need from online stores, but the one product I make sure I buy in person is perfumes.
“This is my second time visiting the expo and I always find great sales and deals there. That is one of the downsides to the digital age in e-commerce. Sellers can describe fragrance notes but if I don’t understand these scents, I won’t be able to imagine the smell,” she said.
Owner of online store September, Sara Al-Dughaiman, told Arab News that her client base increased significantly because of her participation exhibition. “The exposure September is gaining from this event is great as a lot more people are visiting my booth.
“Most of them said they would rather smell the product before spending money on it. I explain the scent by the feeling and emotion each fragrance stirs because I noticed customers don’t know what a menage of scents should smell like,” she said.
(AN photo by Basheer Saleh)
Al-Dughaiman, who is also a chemist, makes sure her products suit all skin types from sensitive to normal. Her brand offers 14 products with two perfumes and three body care sets, each having a body souffle, scrub, shower gel, and body and hair mist. September’s natural oils are sourced from the UK, fragrances from France, and Shea butter from South Africa.
“The body products are formulated with only 2 percent fragrance to make sure it’s not irritating or stripping the skin,” Al-Dughaiman said. Her two perfume scents L’Epi and Porrima are made up of fragrance and 30 percent oil. L’Epi has fresh peaches and orange flower notes, while Porrima smells like spicy cinnamon, tonka and vanilla.
There is a prominent display at the exhibition of Arabian perfumes because they are known for their unique and special notes, but producers have attempted to serve all needs by combining and experimenting with different scents.
Greenwich perfumery, another participant at the exhibition, has seen more clients purchasing from the events rather than online. The company’s sales representative, Mohammed Al-Saif, told Arab News: “The idea of Greenwich is that each specific fragrance is inspired by the scent of the city it is named after. Our most in-demand perfumes are Havana, London and Lisbon.”
Havana perfume is derived from the popular Cuban cigar industry, with undertones of tobacco, sandalwood and bergamot. All raw oils used to formulate these fragrances are from Spain and France.
There are more than 100 types of perfume on display at the exhibition offered by 300 manufacturers.
There is also a miniature factory that shows how perfumes are produced.
