As geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts between the United States and Iran continue to disrupt business sentiment, the UAE, known for its fragrances, has also felt the impact. Ajmal Group CEO Abdullah Ajmal sees India as a bright spot in an uncertain landscape.
Shweta Pandey
In an exclusive interview with HT Shop Now, the Dubai-based industry leader talks about the impact of regional conflicts on trade, India’s growing appetite for fragrances, evolving beauty habits and why traditional fragrance preferences are giving way to more inclusive and experimental options.
She also shared her insights on how cultural traditions influence beauty habits, the growing role of fragrances in personal style, AI and changing perceptions around gender-specific fragrances.
Do you believe that grooming habits differ in different cultures?
Abdullah Ajmal: Absolutely. Grooming habits are strongly influenced by culture, climate and lifestyle. In fact, culture determines grooming habits. Now, let’s start from the west. Let’s just say that in some parts of Europe, fragrance use is generally less common. Nordic countries use less fragrance due to cold weather and layered clothing.
As we move towards the Middle East, grooming becomes deeply rooted in culture and tradition. People often bathe several times a day, and fragrances are applied several times daily.
Then, talking about Asia, personal hygiene is given great importance here. And due to weather conditions and humidity, deodorants and perfumes have become increasingly important. Those are the prime options.
Are there any side effects of using perfumes and deodorants regularly?
Abdullah Ajmal: I have not been without fragrance for the last 30 years. I am alright. Most of our customers, most of the people I know, have absolutely zero impact because the industry is highly regulated. Safety standards are extremely high and monitored globally.
However, potential problems mainly arise from low-quality products, personal allergies, or sensitivity to strong fragrances. But this is the minimum number globally.
Interestingly, I have a friend who sneezes a lot when he wears a strongly scented cloth. Therefore, she has to wear very light and mildly scented clothes. My sister, born in a high-class family, can’t stand strong fragrances. He gets a headache. Therefore, she also has to wear clothes with mild fragrance. In a way it sounds like a food intolerance. Not everyone can tolerate every smell.
Has the global conflict situation affected the perfume industry, and how have you managed it?
Abdullah Ajmal: The impact of the war has been significant. The current market conditions have greatly impacted business. Since our products are not considered essential purchases, many consumers are either trading down to lower priced alternatives or postponing purchases altogether, which has impacted sales. Additionally, ongoing logistics challenges have disrupted both inbound and outbound supply chains.
Delays in receipt of raw materials have disrupted manufacturing, while a sharp rise in freight costs has made exports increasingly expensive. In a recent example, a European airline required air freight to fulfill a strategic order, with logistics costs accounting for 72% of the order value, resulting in a loss on the transaction. Although alternative ports in the UAE such as Fujairah and Khor Fakkan are helping to ease some of the pressure, overall congestion is affecting trade flows.
As a result, the decline in sales and exports has had a cascading effect on marketing budgets, causing us to reduce marketing investments in the GCC. However, we remain committed to our growth plans in India and Western markets, where we continue to invest aggressively.
India, in particular, remains a bright spot, supported by healthy inventory levels, local filling capabilities and strong market performance, which is why consumers can expect to see a significant increase in the brand’s presence there in the coming months.
Q. How do you think fragrances complement and complete a fashion look in today’s style-conscious world?
Abdullah Ajmal: Fashion has evolved a lot in the last 20 years. Even in the last 10 years, you have street fashion, fast fashion, haute couture, luxury fashion. Similarly, there used to be a concept of signature fragrance also. In olden times, people usually wore the same fragrance every day and were identified by the same fragrance. Today, their choice of fragrance depends on different outfits, different occasions, and whether you are wearing a light perfume for an event during the day or a stronger perfume for the night.
For your fragrance wardrobe, you should have at least three fragrances, and then it can be any number. It should be at least three to five.
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Q: Which Ajmal fragrance would you recommend to users?
Abdullah Ajmal: Well, there are a lot of Ajmal fragrances that I would love. Again, mentioning, because obviously, we are talking in the Indian context. I would definitely recommend rich manLong lasting and woody fragrance, perfect for your nightwear. The second would be Wisal Dahab, a slightly fruity and woody scent, and the third would be Aurum Summer, which is a light summer scent.
Question: Why is the scent of flowers associated with women and the scent of wood with men?
Abdullah Ajmal: 70% of women in India wear men’s fragrances. Marketing teams created the division between “men’s” and “women’s” fragrances on a large scale to expand product categories and sales. Therefore, fragrances have traditionally always been unisex. Today, gender boundaries in fragrance are increasingly blurred. Many women prefer woody scents, while many men also wear floral scents. I would say that personal preference matters more than traditional labels.
Earlier in Indian homes there was only one bar of soap and everyone used it. But today, everyone comes with their own flavor of shower gels, soaps, bath salts etc.
It’s practically the same thing. Today, more and more brands are coming out with fragrances without specifying gender.
Q: Does skin type affect the smell of a fragrance?
Abdullah Ajmal: Body chemistry and skin type can affect how a fragrance works, but the difference is often smaller than people think. Unless one has a strong natural body odor or a specific skin condition, most fragrances will smell fairly similar on different people. Some people naturally have a strong body odor due to the chemistry of their skin, even if they are perfectly clean.
However, when a fragrance is sprayed on clothing, those individual factors have minimal impact. For example, if you and your husband both wear the same scent on your clothes, chances are you’ll smell 99% alike. More noticeable differences appear when the fragrance is applied directly to the skin. On some people, the scent may only last for a few hours, while on others it may last all day. Skin type plays a major role in the longevity and projection of a fragrance – some skin absorbs scents immediately, while others retain and prolong them for several hours.
Q: Do you think AI or technology also impacts the way perfumes are made?
Abdullah Ajmal: A fascinating application of AI Fragrance The industry is called Algorithmic Perfumery, which visitors can experience at the Museum of the Future in Dubai. The concept is simple but sophisticated: a machine connected to several bottles containing pre-made scent accords creates personalized scents based on an interactive questionnaire completed on an iPad. After analyzing the user’s preferences, the system generates three unique fragrance samples, from which the user can select his favorite and purchase it.
The technology behind it is very deep. Many fragrance houses, not consumer brands but companies developing fragrances, have been taking advantage of AI for years. They feed vast amounts of historical and market data into AI models, including fragrance formulations, ingredient combinations, consumer preferences, regional trends and sales performance over the past century. For example, a fragrance house operating in Brazil could train its AI on decades of local market data to understand which fragrance profiles resonated with consumers. It also records how preferences have evolved, which ingredients are currently in trend, and which combinations are most likely to be successful. By identifying patterns that would be difficult for humans to detect, AI helps perfumers create fragrances that are innovative and closely aligned with consumer tastes.
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