Attars of India | عطارۃ الہند

Patchouli from the house of S Md Ayub Md Yaqub is the cheapest natural oil in my collection. A lot of niche perfumes are based around this precious oil. While its mostly used to make blends by artisans, it can also be enjoyed as a pure, natural and unadorned oil.
What does it smell like: Patchouli starts off with extremely dark and woody notes with a slightly minty undertones, the minty notes are very dark and herbal. After the top notes settle down, smooth woody and greenish herbal notes arise. Its like entering a dense forest after heavy rainfall. The drydown is is very subtle, musky and woody. Personally, I love its middle fragrance notes the most. In my opinion, Patchouli is best enjoyed on rainy days in summer and during the winter. It can be layered with Indian Oud, Cambodi Oud, Ruh Khus,and many other oils. Or you can just use it standalone. Either way, its going to smell great.
Price: Costs between ₹600 to ₹1000 per tola (depending on the seller)
How long does it last: This oil lasts for about 6-8 hours with good sillage and projection.

The use of natural perfume oils has surged substantially over the past few years due to the ever increasing health craze. People want to make sure the things they use are not going to affect their good health.
To break it down, the Pefumes/attars can be broadly classified into three types:
1. Natural
2. Artificial
3. Synthetic
1:Natural Natural perfumes/attars/oils are extracted directly from the raw materials through various processes such as water vapour distillation. Essential oils , rose oil ,oud oil and various other oils are obtained through the same processes. Natural oils are heavely concentrated and a couple of drops is enough to enjoy the fragrance. The price of natural oils is generally much higher than the synthetic ones but it has skyrocketed during the last few years, Decent Oud oils in India start from ₹20000 per tola(1 Tola=12 grams approx.). Same is the case with rose oils known as Ruh-e-Gulaab (means Soul of the rose), which costs about ₹25000-₹30000. However, one can still enjoy some comparatively cheaper oils such as Ruh-e-Khus (oil of vetiver),Patchouli, Attar Motia, Attar Henna,Attar Gulaab which are availablein the price range of ₹1500-₹5000. Natural oils can burn a hole in your pocket but they never disappoint and are extremely calming and soothing. Everyone may not be pleased with the smell of these oils but you can't judge a natural oil by just sniffing it, because Natural oils have a complex chemistry and understanding a natural oil is a process, it will slowly begin to unravel its secrets, peeling off its layers,one by one, all you need to have is Patience and in the end all that's left is satisfaction.
2: Artificial : These perfumes are made with chemical products and are artifically synthesized and contain no natural additives at all.
3: Synthetic: Synthetic fragrance is made by copying a natural fragrance. For example: by reacting oxygen with hydrogen (2H2 + O2 = 2H2O), we obtain the same water rather than the river water...A natural synthetic water. These fragrances are derived from natural sources.
A good example is white musk, which is a alternative to natural musks( since they are extremely expensive). Natural ambrette flower seeds can be used in their natural form as a musk substitute. the seeds can sometimes be confused with raw, black musk, although in reality, their textures are very different. Ambrette seeds are more grain-like, while the texture of fresh, raw musk is similar to moist, black soil.
Even though natural oils are expensive,most of them do not last longer than a artificial or synthetic fragrance. If you are looking to buy a decent fragrance which is also long lasting and doesn't empty your pockets, go with a synthetic or a blend of natural and synthetic perfumes. I hope this post gives you some insight into the world of perfumery.

S Md Ayub Md Yaqub Perfumers was established in 1896, in the Kannauj, which is a city known for its fragrances. Ruh Khus is a concentrated perfume oil made from vetiver. Ruh Khus No.1 from the house of S Md Ayub Md Yaqub is the finest grade(quality) of Ruh Khus they sell, the lowest grade is called Ruh Khus No.240 which costs considerably less than the No.1 Grade. The vetiver used in Ruh Khus No.1 is grown in Aligarh, which is considered to be one of the finest Vetiver crop in India. Preserving the authenticity, they use the traditional method of using manual labour and time tested analogue system, this includes the hydro-distillation process, using a ‘Deg-bhapka setup’ involving a bamboo made duct system.
What does it smell like:
Ruh Khus no.1 opens with a sharp grassy,earthy,green,woody and root-like smell, however after some time all that sharpness reduces and turns into a pleasant,calm and soothing smell which cannot be expressed in words. The drydown is very sweet and creamy and is the most relaxing. If a colour were to represent the smell of this oil, it would definetly be green. Its has very beautiful scent and has a lot of fragrance notes.
How long does it last:
It lasts for about 8-12 hours and has an amazing projection and Sillage. Its one of the longest lasting natural oil in the world.
Price range: ₹240 to ₹2500 per tola; 1 tola=11.66 grams(depending on the seller).
To sum up, a couple of drops of Ruh Khus is all you need after a hot summer day to get into a state of tranquility. It cools you down during the day and is definetly worth the money!

Mohd Ayub & Co is a perfume distiller based in Colaba Mumbai.Dahn Al Oud Hindi Qadeem from the house of Attar Mohd Ayub & Co is a natural and pure oud oil which was distilled about 23 years ago.
What does it smell like: Dahn Al Oudh Kadim is an ode to days of old. Its derived from aged agarwood trees,Indian agarwood notes refined to perfection. It opens with hard hitting stinky ,leathery, barny and woody notes which dry down to a sweet and woody smell. This is what a perfect Indian oud smells like. If you haven't tried Oud, I would recommend to get a sample first. It may smell extremely unpleasant in the beginning but with the passage of time you will appreciate it. And it takes time and patience to get used to Oud and appreciate it.
Price range:₹20000-₹25000 (depending on the seller)
How long does it last:It lasts for about 8-10 hours with good sillage and projection.

Widely known as the Oil of tranquility, Ruh-e-Khus or Vetiver oil is one of the most famous oils in India. It is used in almost everything ranging from attars and soaps to sherbets.
Even though French Perfumes based around vetiver are famous throughout the world, but in my opinion nothing beats the Ruh-e-Khus, which is just the pure oil of vetiver without any additives. Its a summer fragrance and is used throughout India due to its cooling effect.In India, the roots of Ruh-e-Khus are woven into sweet-smelling sleeping mats, and hung as curtains in desert homes; when the fierce hot winds blow, people sprinkle water on these curtains, which then release their cooling vapor into the air. Ruh-e-Khus is a very viscous and concentrated oil and only a few drops need to be applied to smell pleasant.The best way to apply this oil is to rub a couple of drops on your fingertips and let the fingers lightly trail over your clothes and additionally dab some on your pulse points.
It has a dry,root-like,woody,green,earthy,smoky and sweet scent. Ruh Khus has an amazing fragrance which has a soothing effect. Its my go-to perfume oil, especially in the Indian summers. The smell of Vetiver changes gradually with time, Personally for me the top notes are a bit too woody, leathery and root-like, but the middle notes and the drydown is to die for. Its a very complex oil which has a lot of fragrance notes. The dry down is extremely sweet and creamy. Khus is distilled by many perfumers in India, using khus grown in different states, this leads to a extremely diverse variety of Ruh-e-khus, each having different fragrance notes. While one bottle can remind you of sitting in a field covered with tall green grass on a midday summer, the other can transcend you to a green and dark forest. Ruh-e-Khus is very long lasting, it lasts for about 8-12 hours and costs anything in between ₹1500-₹3000 per tola(12 grams) in India. It is one of the most complex and long lasting natural oils and is used in perfumery throughout the world. But Natural oils are not pleasing for everyone and like I said in my previous post, it takes time to get to know a natural oil and it is only after applying for a few days we get to know the complexity and beauty of the fragrance. And once you get used to Ruh Khus, there is no going back, you will be enchanted by it!

Misk Rijali or Royal misk rijali from the house of Ajmal perfumers is one of the most famous attar in India .
What does it smell like:
It is a synthetic/artificial fragrance having a very subtle and soothing fragrance. It contains a compound known as white musk, which is famously used in fragrances all around the world. Misk Rijali has a slightly musky, floral and powdery smell. Misk Rijali is appealing to everyone. No one can dislike its fragrance. And for that reason, its a blind buy!
Price: ₹800- ₹1000 for a 10ml bottle.
How long does it last: It lasts for about 8-10 hours with good sillage and projection. However the scent is so subtle that it can only be noticed by people with sharp noses.

If you have read my posts on this blog then you would know that Oud oil is extremely expensive. Hence,every Attar bottle that has the name Oud on it, doesnt necessarily contain the authentic oud oil,especially if its priced very low. Royal Oudh Kuwati is that type of a fragrance. Its gives a enjoyable experience on a very low price.
What does it smell like: Royal Oudh Kuwati is a synthetic/artificial attar from the house of Ajmal Perfumers and has smoky,woody and saffron notes. It does have a slight and subtle resemblance to the "Oud DNA". But it does not contain any authentic Oud oil. However for the price, its completely worthy to buy. It has amazing smoky,saffron and woody notes, and is quite different from the general attars available.
Price: ₹800 to ₹1000 for a 10 ml bottle.
How long does it last: It lasts for about 6-8 hours with good sillage and projection.

What if I could tell you that the smell of petrichor can be captured in a bottle and can be purchased like other fragrances? Surely, you wouldn't beleive me, until you take a sniff from the famous Gill Mitti Special from the house of S Md Ayub Md Yaqub.
What does it smell like: Gill Mitti Special is made by distilling earthen pots in India. When the first rain drops hit the earth after a hot summer day, the pleasant smell of petrichor arises. That is exactly what Gill Mitti Special smells like. The only notes it has are of Petrichor and some sandalwood oil. Its not an attar made for application but for experience. After taking a sniff from the bottle, it reminds you of the first rain after a long period of hot and dry weather.
How long does it last: Like I mentioned, its an attar for experience, so it doesnt last very long and has a very low projection. It lasts for about 2-4 hours with very low projection. Just enough for a person to enjoy the fragrance.
Price: It costs anything between ₹1200 and ₹1500 per tola (depending on the seller).

Mukhallat in Arabic means 'mixture'. Mukhallat Attar is a fragrance made by combining different perfume oils to produce a unique and new perfume.
What does it smell like: Mukhallat Humaira is a floral attar with spicy undertones. It is a perfect blend of sweet rose, saffron and spices. The warmness of the spices blends perfectly with the sweetness of the rose to produce a unique and pleasing scent. The drydown has a very subtle and sweet floral notes of saffron. and It has a very distinct smell from the other floral attars available. It is made from the highest quality raw materials and is a completely organic fragrance. It can be enjoyed during summers as well as winters.
Price: Anything between ₹1400 - ₹2000 per tola(depending on the seller).
How long does it last: Since it is a completely natural fragrance, Mukhallat Humaira lasts for about 6 to 8 hours with good sillage and projection.

Zam Zam Perfumers started its journey in year 1991 from Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi. And is a renowned brand in India.
What does it smell like: White oudh from Zam Zam Perfumers is an attar derived from natural ingredients. It has woody, musky and floral notes which are blended perfectly with slightly citrus and fresh undertones. The Balance between the fragrance notes is perfect. The prominent woody notes are very unique and are completely different from other attars available in this price range. White oodh is completely different from the other "white oudh" attars available in the Indian market and having tried most of them, it is undoubtedly the most unique and smooth fragrance.
Price: ₹600 for a 12ml bottle.
How long does it last: It lasts for about 6-8 hours with good sillage and projection.