Rasasi
Based in Dubai
Founded in 1979 by Abdul Razzak Kalsekar and still a family business.
Known for oud, attars and bakhoor alongside spray perfumes. Blue Lady was its breakthrough in the West.
Directory
Discover the beauty houses
Explore fragrance and beauty brands shaping the region's distinctive beauty culture, with where each one began. We verify each brand's details before adding it.
Arabian fragrance houses
Ajmal Perfumes
Based in the UAE
The family business began with oud in Assam, India, in the early 1950s. It opened its first Middle East shop in Murshid Bazaar, Deira, in 1976.
Known for mukhallat blends, oud oils and Arabic perfumes. Ajmal says it was the first brand to launch a mukhallat fragrance. Its roots are in India, so it is a Dubai-based house rather than one founded in the UAE.
Swiss Arabian
Based in the UAE
More than 40 years in the business, and often described as a pioneer of the UAE fragrance industry.
Known for perfumes, perfume oils, incense and Shaghaf Oud, a woody oud with sweet touches.
Arabian Oud
Founded in Saudi Arabia
Established in 1982 in Saudi Arabia, with hundreds of shops across the region, including the UAE.
Known for oriental perfumes, incense and oils. Blue Oud pairs Indian oud with blue musk.
Amouage
Founded in Oman
An Omani house with an office in Dubai.
Known for rich, luxurious blends. Interlude Man has leather, oud, patchouli and sandalwood in its base.
Makeup brands from the region
Huda Beauty
Based in Dubai
Founded in 2013 by Huda Kattan.
Known for makeup, with skincare and fragrance too. Its foundations, liquid mattes and eyeshadow palettes are widely sold across the region.
Regional makeup founders
Across the Gulf and the Levant
When Ulta Beauty opened its first UAE store in January 2026, it spotlighted founders of homegrown beauty brands from the region.
They included Nadine Njeim Beauty, Bex Beauty, Asteri, Noha Nabil Beauty and Bassam Fattouh Cosmetics. Melia will add profiles as she checks each brand's origin.
New to Arabian perfume? Start with our guide to oud, attars and bakhoor.
Read the guideListing a brand does not mean it partners with Ask Melia. These details come from company statements and press reports, and they are being checked. If something is wrong, or you run a fragrance house and want it listed, write to hello@askmelia.com.