Ramadan is the busiest time of year for Ajmal, with raw materials such as oud, sandalwood and amber at the heart of its seasonal productions. The perfume house has launched its first signature collection called the W series. The general manager Abdulla Ajmal explains Ajmal’s regional appeal and reflects on why the UAE remains so important to his family business.
How did Ajmal begin?
The business started with my grandfather 63 years ago. I’m the first of the third generation. It was a very traditional type of business then and started as a trading operation between Bombay and the Middle East. Then slowly we opened our first store in 1976 in Dubai’s original souq, our first factory in 1987 and our latest factory in 2004.
Why Dubai?
It’s really interesting because the first trading we had was never with the UAE. My granddad was mostly trading with Kuwaitis and Saudis in the 1960s. He then began coming regularly to the UAE, first to Sharjah. He began dealing directly with the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Rashid of Dubai. He spent a lot of time with Sheikh Rashid and he was enamoured with his vision. So my grandfather chose the UAE for his first shop. He was convinced this was where all the trade was going to be in the future.
What are the key ingredients in fragrances favoured by the royal families?
Oud, a purely natural commodity. The ones royals prefer is the very best quality – this comes from India. The late Sheikh Zayed was definitely a connoisseur of oud. We’d always reserve the very best quality for him. But many royal households have an equivalent to their own perfumers. They’ll macerate oud in various oils and keep it for a year, before gifting the highnesses the new perfumes. The best qualities are available but vast quantities are extremely expensive. They could go for up to US$100,000 [Dh367, 290] a kilo.
What are the bestsellers during Ramadan?
We’ve got three genres of fragrances: the heavy Arabic fragrances; the florientals, a fusion of East and West; then comes the more Occidentals or western types of fragrances. For Ramadan, the heavy, traditional fragrances sell well. Wintertime sees high sales of oud, which people burn at home. Kuwaitis and Saudis like a specific type of oud, the Far Eastern or Cambodian variety, while Emiratis and the rest of the GCC favour Indian oud.
Tell us about the signature series you’ve launched.
It’s a set of three – the concept is focused on the most important and preferred notes in this part of the world: wood. So woods make up the base notes; and one fragrance is more sandalwoody, the other more cedary, the third more patchouli. Their signatures are niche in nature; all three are ingredient-led, refined and retail at Dh500 each. Amber Wood is very potent and favoured a lot by nationals. Santal Wood is preferred by Asians and westerners as it’s softer. And the Hatkora Wood fragrance contains lemons from Assam and has a strong appeal across the board.
rduane@thenational.ae
