March 19, 2014
America may be the home of Hollywood, Calvin Klein and 'The Bold and the Beautiful' - which is being filmed in Dubai right now of course - but fragrance fans in the UAE are splashing out more on perfume than those in the US.
Latest figures show that the sweet scent of success saw UAE perfume purchasers shell out $21.30 per capita on premium fragrances in the year 2012.
And they are set to spend as much as $25.50 come 2017. This leaves a right whiff over in the US, where consumers spent $16.10 on perfumes in 2012 - increasing to just $16.80 in 2017 - according to analysts Euromonitor International.
However, Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Beautyworld Middle East organiser Epoc Messe Frankfurt, is not surprised by the figures.
"Fragrances and fine perfume have always played a significant part in the Arab lifestyle, which explains the relatively higher levels of expenditure on perfumes across the region," said Pauwels, whose Beautyworld event runs at Dubai International and Convention Centre from May 27 to 29. He adds: "More importantly, Middle Eastern consumers have also been willing to pay a premium for high quality perfumes, making this a key market for the world's leading perfume brands."
Something Victoria Christian told 7DAYS at a previous Middle Eastern fragrance event she completely agrees with. She's the daughter of Clive Christian, the designer of the world's most expensive perfume.
A bottle of Number 1 Imperial Majesty perfume, pictured left, costs an eye-watering Dhs660,000 - while a mere ounce costs Dhs34,500. Christian said: "Arabians have never forgotten about fragrances. They have been dealing with oud and dense oils since time began.
"It's part of their culture, like brushing their teeth."
However it is cologne consumers in Saudi Arabia who are really smelling pretty, though. They spent $34.40 per capita on premium fragrances in 2012 - a figure estimated to rise to $49.10 by 2017.
© 7Days 2014
