“We aren’t saying we’re selling Tom Ford; we’re saying we’re selling our inspiration of Tom Ford. You can’t trademark imaginations.” Mahsam Raza, CEO of The Dua Brand, shares his thoughts while talking to Mel Magazine.

As far as morality is concerned, Raza’s case is weak. On the other hand, this is not so atypical of the methods used by larger, more well-known perfumeries.

Generally speaking, luxury brands have little to no legal recourse against a perfumer dealing in clones as long as a buyer is not likely to be confused by the identification of a product, which for perfumes is often confined to the design of the bottle or its name.

The fact that perfume companies typically can’t patent their scents makes this sort of subterfuge possible. While some smells, such as the scent of Play-Doh, have been registered, it is because the US Patent and Trademark Office found that the smell had no utilitarian purpose and also was unique enough to warrant the stamp.

If you want to know how hard it is for a fragrance manufacturer to trademark their scent, go no further than Chanel No. 5, which, according to research from IP WatchDog, is considered ineligible for registration in spite of significant consumer recognition.

 

Meet Mahsam Raza: The Father of the Dua Brand

It was in 2015 that Raza first began cashing in on this gap in the perfume market. Even though Dua was among the first to produce and sell clones, other manufacturers have dabbled in making knockoffs of expensive perfumes.

Before entering the perfume business, Raza worked as a subcontractor on several projects for the United Nations and the United States Departments of State and Defense. These initiatives included setting up contracts for air chartering to provide food to South Sudanese refugees and setting up camps for training the Somali Army.

Raza had always been passionate about fragrances, so one day, when he was in Nice, France, he approached a perfume shop. The shopkeeper took a whiff of his clothes and asked him what he was wearing. You may compare the aroma to a blend of Angel for Men by Thierry Mugler and Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford. When the shopkeeper discovered that Raza was layering perfumes, he invited him to his basement laboratory to learn more about his methods.

When Raza lost his job in 2015, he had no idea how he would provide for his family with his first baby on the way. He didn’t let go of the hope to turn his dream brand into a reality, and with the help of his mother, who gave him her entire savings, he took a leap of faith and made ‘Dua’ a reality.

Raza utilizes a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique, often utilized for evaluating drugs or determining the presence of environmental risks, in combination with the knowledge of scientists working within the French facility to crack the fragrance’s chemical code. Then, he’ll rely on his nose to determine what materials he’ll need to recreate the scent.

According to him, this is the best method for determining the missing aroma ingredient.

Architects are only responsible for the structure’s design, not its interior design or decoration. A professional interior decorator is needed so that the space can be given new vitality. Raza sees himself as an imaginary interior decorator. After the GC-MS machine generates a list of chemicals, Raza will add whatever else he thinks is essential to the perfume to make a spot-on replica of the original scent.

It appears like Dua Brand is resolved to cash in on the anticipated uptick in demand. According to the Perfumes and Fragrances Market, the worldwide perfume and fragrance market is expected to rise from its current 2022 value of $1.95 billion to $2.52 billion by 2028. This also explains the health crisis’s significant economic effects. The projected period is expected to be a period of rapid expansion for the perfume and fragrance sector, thanks in large part to rising demand from online retailers.

Despite the evident difficulty of this endeavor, people working for The Dua Brand have consistently received positive feedback from clients thanks to the CEO Mahsam Raza, COO Anam Raza, and the team’s rigorous quality control.