Fragrance guides
Everything we are asked across the counter, written down: what attar is, how to burn bakhoor, which oud to choose and how to make a scent last.
What Is Attar? A Complete Guide to Ittar Perfume Oil
Attar (also spelled ittar or itr) is a concentrated perfume oil that contains no alcohol. It is dabbed onto the skin in small amounts, sits close to the body and usually lasts longer than a spray of the same scent. Attar has been worn in India and the Middle East for centuries.
Attar vs Perfume: Which Is Better and Which Lasts Longer?
Attar is an alcohol-free perfume oil that sits close to the skin and usually lasts longer; perfume (eau de parfum) is an alcohol-based spray that spreads further and is noticed more by people around you. Neither is better for everyone: choose attar for long, personal wear and alcohol-free use, and perfume for a fresh burst of scent that projects.
How to Apply Attar So It Lasts All Day
Apply attar in one or two small dabs to pulse points (the wrists, the sides of the neck and behind the ears) on clean, slightly moisturised skin, and do not rub it in. For even longer wear, touch a little onto your collar or a scarf, where attar can last for days.
How to Burn Bakhoor at Home: A Simple Guide
To use bakhoor, heat a piece of charcoal (or switch on an electric bakhoor burner), wait until it glows with a light layer of ash, then place one or two small pieces of bakhoor on top. The bakhoor releases fragrant smoke that you can let drift through the room or use to scent clothes and hair.
Bakhoor vs Agarbatti vs Oud Wood: What Is the Difference?
Agarbatti are incense sticks that burn on their own and give a light, steady scent. Bakhoor is perfumed wood chips that need a burner or coal and give a rich, Arabian-style smoke. Oud wood is natural agarwood, also burned on coal, with the deepest and most precious aroma of the three.
What Is Oud? Oud Oil, Oud Wood and Oud Perfume Explained
Oud is the fragrant resin that forms inside agarwood (Aquilaria) trees. It is used three ways: as oud wood (oud khashab) burned for its smoke, as oud oil (dehn al oud) distilled from the wood, and as the deep, woody note in oud perfumes and attars.
Best Attars for Summer in India: Light Scents for Hot Days
The best attars for an Indian summer are light, clean scents: white musk, rose (gulab), kewda, jasmine (mogra), citrus and fresh aquatic attars. They feel cool in the heat, while heavy oud and amber attars are better kept for winter and evenings.
Best Attars for Weddings, Eid and Winter
For weddings, Eid and winter, choose rich, warm attars: oud, amber, shamama, sandal and spicy blends. Cold air holds scent closer to the skin, so deeper attars last well and feel right for celebrations.
How to Choose the Best Agarbatti for Puja, Prayer and Home
Good agarbatti burns evenly, smells of the stated scent rather than harsh smoke, and suits its purpose: sandal for prayer and meditation, rose or mogra for a fresh home, and amber or Arabian blends for a richer, bakhoor-like room fragrance.
How to Make Perfume Last Longer: 9 Tips That Work
To make perfume last longer, apply it to moisturised skin straight after a shower, spray pulse points and clothes, do not rub your wrists together, and store the bottle away from heat and light. Layering a dab of attar under the spray also adds hours.
Where to Buy Perfume and Attar in Hyderabad
Hyderabad's old city, around Charminar, Yakutpura and Purani Haveli, has been the heart of the city's attar trade for generations. Ayyub Ali Fragrances, a family perfume house since 1986, has shops at Yakutpura, Purani Haveli, Mehdipatnam and Charminar, where you can try perfume, attar, bakhoor and agarbatti before you buy.
Perfume & Attar Gift Guide for Eid, Weddings and Birthdays
When you are unsure of someone's taste, give a gift set with several scents, a soft musk or floral attar, or a bakhoor pack with a burner. For couples, a matched couple perfume set is a safe and personal choice.