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Demand for non-alcoholic perfumes goes up
With the start of holy month Ramzan, the demand for perfumes, particularly attar (non-alcoholic) has gone up. Shops selling attar are expecting to generate good profits given the fact most of the namazis avoid using perfumes with alcoholic content.
Moazzamjahi Market: With the start of holy month Ramzan, the demand for perfumes, particularly attar (non-alcoholic) has gone up. Shops selling attar are expecting to generate good profits given the fact most of the namazis avoid using perfumes with alcoholic content.
Even though opinion of scholars remains divided over usage of perfumes containing alcoholic content, in India most of the devout prefer traditional attar over modern perfumes, as consumption of alcohol is prohibited in Islam.
Even though some scholars argue usage of alcohol as perfume does not amount to consumption, most of the namazis feel it is better to avoid alcohol-laced high-street perfumes. During the month of Ramzan devout from both genders who offer prayers in public places like mosques and specially arranged Taravih prefer to apply this traditional perfume.
Saad Khaled Bin Mehfooz owner of Bin Mehfooz shop and manufacturers of attar, which is located at Moazzamjahi Market has been in the industry for over two decades asserted that it was possible to make thousands of fragrances by using different combination of compounds. His father late Khaled Bin Abdullah Bin Mehfooz started the business.
The fragrances regularly used in attar in the season are mehak, ehbab, hijaar, baksoor, mehfil, sandal, jannat ul firdous and some other known traditional names. Some of the old fragrances like shamama, heena, suhaag, amber, khus, mitti, gulab remain in demand. “Hard perfumes are usually used by women and light perfumes by men, because women sweat more than men. But in India the men use hard Perfumes instead of women,” said Khaled.
Even though the high-street perfumes has the largest market share, the attar continues to enjoy the patronage of the people and remains unaffected by alcohol-laced perfumes. However, attar has a mix of aphrodisiac essence, which acts as soothing effect and an anti-depressant. Arabic perfumes like Muqallat E Sultan, Muqallat Al Arab, Al Jawahera, Muqallat Al Shams, Hijaar continues to be in demand.
Some of which are combinations of saffron and sandal. The original attars like Oudh, which are 60% 80% 100% pure ranges between Rs 2000 to Rs 25,000 (which is fully natural). Musk which ranges between Rs 1,400 to Rs 10,000 is said to be prepared from a substance with a persistent odour, obtained from a gland of the male musk deer. White musk is made up of floral which is starts from Rs 200 to Rs 1000. Ambar starts from Rs 200/- to Rs1000/- which is made-up of whale vomit.
While other perfumes like mogra which starts from Rs 100 to Rs 10,000. “1 tonne of mogra is used to take out 60 grms of perfume, which is also used for Thyroid and BP Patients,” added Khalid.
Sandal starts from Rs 200 to Rs 26,000, which is made from with pure oil of sandal. Gulaab starts from Rs 100 to 10,000. It is believed that Gulaab is helpful to BP patients due to its odour. Some of the ladies’ attar are also available like mehek, amarage, mothiya, gulaab, angel and also suhaag.
by MM Farooqui
