Fragrance Guide &
Scent Dictionary
Here we explain everything you need to know — from strengths and fragrance families to Arabic terms and technical expressions. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced fragrance lover.
How strong is your perfume?
The concentration of perfume oil determines how long and powerfully a scent carries. The higher the concentration, the more intense and long-lasting the fragrance.
The strongest and most concentrated form. Provides an extremely rich and complex fragrance experience that lasts on the skin for 12–24 hours. Apply sparingly — one to two sprays lasts all day.
The most common strength in our range. Good projection and longevity of 6–10 hours. Arabic EDPs often contain higher concentrations than Western ones in the same category.
Lighter and fresher than EDP. Popular as an everyday fragrance and summer perfume. Typically lasts 4–6 hours. Suits those who prefer a discreet presence.
The lightest and most airy form. Often fresh and citrusy, lasts 2–4 hours. Frequently used as a refreshing scent after a shower or workout.
Alcohol-free and applied directly to the skin with a roller or brush. Intense, warm and extremely long-lasting — often 12+ hours. Popular in Arabic perfume tradition and recommended for those with sensitive skin that reacts to alcohol.
A perfume is not one static scent
It develops over time in three phases. Understanding these phases helps you choose fragrances you will love — both in the opening and after hours on the skin.
Top notes
The first thing you smell when you spray the perfume. Light, volatile molecules that evaporate quickly and set the first impression. Never judge a perfume just from the first spray — let it develop on your skin.
Heart notes
The soul of the perfume — they emerge after the top notes have faded and form the core of the fragrance experience. It is the heart notes that are most often described in reviews and that define the fragrance family.
Base notes
The foundation of the perfume and what lingers longest on the skin. Deep, rich and slow molecules that cling to fabrics for hours. Particularly prominent in Arabic fragrances — one of the things that makes them so long-lasting.
Find fragrances you like based on what you already love
Perfumes are grouped into fragrance families based on their dominant character. Knowing these makes it much easier to navigate the range.
Floral
The most classic fragrance family, dominated by flowers such as rose, jasmine, peony and lily of the valley. Arabic floral fragrances are often richer and more intense than Western ones — with a depth that surprises.
Woody
Fragrances dominated by sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver and patchouli. Provides a warm, earthy and masculine character. Very popular in Arabic perfumery, often combined with oud for extra depth.
Gourmand
Sweet, dessert-like fragrances inspired by food and sweets — vanilla, caramel, chocolate and praline. Arabic perfume houses are world champions at gourmand. Especially well-suited for autumn and winter.
Fresh / Aquatic
Light, airy fragrances inspired by the sea, green nature, citrus and fresh herbs. Perfect for summer and everyday use — discreet and pleasant for everyone around you.
Spicy / Oriental
Rich, warm and exotic fragrances with cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and clove. A cornerstone of Arabic perfumery — mysterious, sensuously warm and extremely long-lasting. Excellent for evening and winter use.
Oud / Smoky
Dominated by oud, smoke, leather and dark resins. Powerful, complex and extremely long-lasting — a signature of premium Arabic perfumery. Not for beginners, but unforgettable when you're ready.
Citrus / Fruity
Bright, energetic fragrances with bergamot, lemon, orange and grapefruit — or sweeter fruits like peach, pear and mango. Easily accessible and suited for all ages and occasions.
Ambery / Musky
Warm, soft and sensuously skin-close fragrances dominated by ambre, musk and tonka bean. Very versatile and function as an invisible frame around other fragrance families.
Talk perfume like an expert
The perfume world has its own language. Here are the most important terms to know when reading reviews, discussing fragrances or choosing your next perfume.
Sillage
Pronounced "see-yazh". The French word for "wake" — the scent trail a perfume leaves in the room as you move. High sillage means people notice your scent from a distance. Arabic perfumes are known for their impressive sillage.
Projection
Describes how far from the body the scent radiates. A perfume with good projection fills the room around you, while a perfume with low projection stays close to the skin — more private and intimate.
Longevity
How long a perfume stays on the skin. Affected by concentration, ingredients, skin type and temperature. Arabic perfumes with oud and ambre bases generally score high — often 8–14 hours.
Dry-down
The phase where the perfume "dries down" on the skin and the base notes emerge. Typically takes 30 minutes to 2 hours. It is in this phase that you truly experience the perfume's real character — never judge just from the first spray.
Accord
A harmonious blend of several fragrance molecules that creates one unified scent experience — like a musical chord. Perfumers talk about a "rose accord" or "ambre accord" as building blocks in a composition.
Perfumer / Nez
A perfumer, in French called "nez" (nose), is the artist behind a perfume. They compose fragrances in the same way a composer writes music — by combining hundreds of ingredients into a cohesive experience.
Decant
A small sample bottle — typically 2–5 ml — filled from an original perfume bottle. Lets you properly test a scent on your own skin over a full day, before investing in a full bottle. We always recommend trying via decant first.
Flanker
A variant or follow-up to an existing perfume that shares a name and DNA, but is adjusted in profile. E.g: Lattafa Angham and Angham Second Song are flankers — same base, different character.
Inspired by / Dupe
A perfume that resembles a more expensive designer fragrance, but is sold at a lower price. Arabic perfume houses are known for very good inspirations. Note that inspirations are not copies — they are independent perfumes in the same fragrance family.
Skin chemistry
Your personal skin chemistry — pH level, moisture and temperature — affects how a perfume smells specifically on you. The same perfume can smell different on two people. Always test on your own skin.
Fougère
Pronounced "foo-zhair". A classic fragrance family characterised by lavender, oakmoss and coumarin. The cornerstone of many masculine perfumes — herbal, fresh and slightly sweet.
Chypre
Pronounced "sheep-ruh". A sophisticated fragrance family characterised by oakmoss, bergamot and labdanum. Timeless and elegant fragrances — some of the most complex the perfume world has to offer.
A thousand years of fragrance history
Arabic perfumery has a tradition spanning over a thousand years, with its own raw materials, techniques and terms. Here is an introduction to the most important ones.
Oud
The heart of Arabic perfumery. A dark, resinous substance formed in the heartwood of the Aquilaria tree when infected by a specific type of fungus. Real oud is one of the world's most expensive perfume materials — deeply woody, smoky and animalic.
Attar / Ittar
Traditional Arabic perfume oil extracts, distilled from flowers, herbs and wood in sandalwood or oud oil. Alcohol-free, highly concentrated and applied directly to the skin. Among the longest-lasting perfumes in existence.
Bakhoor
Wood chips or compressed blocks of natural ingredients — oud, sandalwood, floral oils and resins — that are burned on coals to fill rooms with scent. An ancient Arabic tradition for perfuming homes, clothes and hair.
Musk / Misk
One of the most used base notes in Arabic perfumery. Arabic musk fragrances are typically white, creamy and very skin-close — they sit like a warm, invisible film on the skin and contribute to long longevity.
Ambre / Amber
A blend of labdanum, benzoin and vanilla. Provides a warm, sweet and golden scent that is a cornerstone of oriental blends. Contributes strongly to longevity and depth.
Taif Rose
The rose from Taif in Saudi Arabia is considered one of the world's most exclusive roses for perfume production. It has a particularly rich, honeyed and slightly fruity character that sets it apart from Bulgarian and Turkish roses.
Dihn Al Oud
Means directly "oud oil" in Arabic. A pure, undiluted oud oil applied directly to the skin or used as a base in attars. The most genuine and concentrated expression of oud perfumery.
Santal / Sandalwood
Sandalwood is one of the most used raw materials in Arabic perfumery. Provides a creamy, soft and almost milky woody scent that binds other ingredients together. Mysore sandalwood from India is considered the finest.
Now you know what you're looking for —
find it in our range
Start with a decant if you're unsure, or go straight for a bottle. All our products are 100% authentic and shipped from our warehouse in Oslo.
