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The fragrances we encounter throughout our lives are more than fleeting sensations; they are profound markers of memory, emotion, and identity. A single whiff can summon long-forgotten moments, evoke the warmth of a cherished embrace, or transport us to places etched deep in our hearts.
For Amna Al Habtoor, fragrance is deeply ingrained in her Emirati heritage – an intrinsic part of daily life, tradition, and emotional memory. “Scent is the only sense that goes straight to emotion, and for me, each one brings something beautiful – a place, a person, a feeling I never want to forget. I genuinely don’t have a negative scent memory. Smell has only ever been a source of joy and warmth in my life,” she tells GRAZIA. “Being Emirati, scent was never just fragrance; it was part of life and culture – bakhoor welcoming guests into a home, oud passed around as a gesture of warmth and hospitality. It was always tied to something meaningful, making me pause and feel. Whether it’s a moment of reflection, a rush of gratitude, or being instantly transported back to a memory, scent has always had that power over me.”
Here, Amna takes us on an olfactory journey through the key scents that have defined her life. From the smells that instantly conjure a loved one to those that bring comfort and calm, these are her scents of purpose.
The scent that makes me feel like a child again is…
Versace Red Jeans, which was everyone’s go-to scent back in the day. It came out in 1994 and we were all so amazed by the bottle, since in the ’90s, Dubai didn’t have much except for oriental fragrances and ouds. My parents came back from Paris, where we used to do our perfume shopping – Sephora was the place to go – and I remember seeing the packaging of Red Jeans, and that’s what really struck me. It was fruity, yet floral and light. The whole idea of the Jeans collection was so playful, and I was really drawn to it.
The scent that saw me through my teenage years was…
CK Be. I was in a phase of mixing perfumes and it had a screw top so you could experiment as much as you wanted with it. I used to mix it with musk or a drop of oud, and it was always in my backpack at school. I remember all of my friends, girls and guys, especially from the Arab community, opening my bag, taking it out, and spraying it. It was so unisex, and they loved that it was mixed with oud, which made it stand out. That was the scent of me during high school. I was a quiet and rebellious teenager, not confident at all – I really kept to myself. But perfume gave me that added sense of strength.
The scent of someone I’ve lost is…
Thierry Mugler Angel, which is what my mother wore. I lost her around 24 years ago. It was the most iconic scent of the ’90s and she pulled it off. Everything – even her hair – smelt of it. When I smell it, even now, I get teary-eyed. I love it, but I can’t spray it.
The scent that got me addicted to fragrance is…
my grandmother’s creations; she loved mixing her own oils. She was so OCD, she wouldn’t open the windows because she thought germs would get inside. She was super clean and had, like, 10 bars of soap in her shower. No one was allowed to touch her until they’d taken a shower. When you’d hug her, her smell would stick to you – that’s how much oil and bakhoor she would use. She’d sit on the couch with her incense and oils ready for after lunch, and that was her ritual. She’d put the oil on her hands and then on her sheila, and then would put the bakhoor under her dress so it would smoke up, all while sitting and having a casual conversation with us. She’d be brewing Arabic coffee in the back, so seeing how easy it was for her to create something so beautiful, with all of those smells overlapping, really got me addicted to fragrance. It was this beautiful marriage of scents you’d smell as soon as you opened the door to her house – and you could smell her from a mile away. There was no way you could lose her [laughs].
The scent of my first love is…
Bleu de Chanel – my husband wears it all the time and I’m totally obsessed with it. Yes, I have a fragrance brand, but it’s still one of my favourite scents on him, and sometimes he layers it with other fragrances. It’s become his iconic scent, and that’s one thing I love about perfume – you can easily identify people with a certain signature scent. It’s very powerful.
The scent that makes me feel safe and comforted is…
my garden. We have a little gazebo-type thing where we sit and have our tea when the weather’s good. I love it just after it rains or while it’s raining or drizzling. There’s something about having your tea with milk, watching the rain, and smelling everything around you. It really brings a sense of comfort. We have a lot of plants, including one from the gardenia family, and it smells beautiful.
The scent that makes me feel strong and powerful is…
oud. It is such an overwhelming scent, and not a lot of people can pull it off , but a little really goes a long way. It’s one of those things that you don’t need in abundance; it’s kind of hidden, in a way, but it’s so powerful. It’s like a metaphor – it’s so small yet makes you feel powerful, because it exudes that kind of energy. I have allergies, and it can give me a rash because it’s such a strong oil, so I use just a little bit. You don’t want to smell like you’re dripping in oud because it can smell metallic or dirty if used or mixed or packaged and kept in the wrong way. It’s delicate yet powerful and creates such a big impact.
The scent that transports me to my favourite place in the world is…
the smell of the tea ceremonies in Japan. There’s the scent of matcha brewing as incense burns in the background… so many layers of smells. The smokiness of the incense, the dryness and sweetness of the green tea leaves… just the whole process of those overlapping scents is beautiful. I love Japan – it’s so clean and safe, and the people are so kind and respectful. They have a work ethic that I admire a lot, focusing on one thing and perfecting it, which takes a lot of resilience. There are many things I admire about it, not just the food, but the culture behind the traditions, even when it comes to scent. When I travel there, I try not to spray a lot of perfume – even though I love to! – because although it’s not frowned upon, you’re not supposed to overpower with it, to avoid making anyone feel uncomfortable. I think that’s amazing.
The scent that got me through a tough time is…
Gucci Envy from the late ’90s. It’s such a floral, green perfume and has something really relaxing about it. The name will put you off , I know [laughs]. It’s light and powdery but also has an oomph to it. It helped me at a time when I was trying to fi gure myself out. When you’re young, you’re building your personality. You’re sort of confused, you don’t know which group you belong in. I was very introverted, and I took myself away and really thought about how and what I wanted to be as a person. I took my time. Even as a mother and a wife, I discover so many things about myself. There’s always room for improvement; there’s always room to grow and learn.
The scent I wish I could bottle forever is…
my mum’s famous banana cake. Every time I want to have that specific taste profile, I can never find it. She had a cookbook, but sadly we can’t find it. It was my dad’s favourite cake, and she only baked during the holy month of Ramadan. The minute we’d walk into the house, we knew Ramadan was just around the corner if mum was baking it.
The scent I want people to associate me with forever is…
Arcadia Infinity, which I think people have associated with me for a while, even before I created my brand. It was my first scent, my baby. I actually wore it on my wedding day. I wanted to create something that represented my husband and me, that you could go back to and find that memory again, like an archive or a song. Yes, you have your photos, you have your dress, which you’re probably never going to see again [laughs], but I wanted something that people could take home and remember that day by. It was the memento, and even now, when I smell it, it brings back those memories. It all started from there, and look where we are now.
Infinity opened the doors into the fragrance world in more depth, and it’s been an amazing ride. I’ve learned so much and I’ve gotten to share so much in my culture and within the Emirati tradition that people didn’t know. It’s also a nice way to spread knowledge of perfumery within Eastern culture.
“Scents of purpose” IS PUBLISHED IN THE 18TH EDITION OF GRAZIA MIDDLE EAST. ORDER YOUR COPY HERE.
