Frankincense, bakhoor, attars: perfume is deeply rooted in Omani culture, starting with the Latin roots of the word, per fumum, meaning through smoke. The love of fragrances can be found throughout the Middle East, inextricably linked to how people see themselves and others, to their personal values, to the social rituals that unfold in daily life or at special occasions.
Renaud Salmon, Chief Creative Officer at Amouage and Dominique Roques, perfumery ingredients sourcer, discuss the precious tree’s renaissance in Oman.
The partnership between Amouage and Oman, which aims to relaunch the local incense industry, takes place in the historical and geopolitical context of the sultanate. The brand’s intention is to contribute to the social and economic development of the country, while promoting Omani culture.
In 2022, Amouage signed a partnership with Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to relaunch the frankincense industry in the sultanate. This initiative follows on from the inscription of the Land of Frankincense on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. Renaud Salmon, Chief Creative Officer of the Omani fragrance house, takes up the story.
On the occasion of the International Exhibition of Raw Materials for Perfumery (SIMPPAR) which will take place on May 31 and June 1 in Paris, we invite you to discover a series of articles originally published in the book From Plant to Essence – A World Tour of Fragrant Raw Materials. Today, let’s talk about ginger, grown and distilled in Madagascar by Symrise.
Ricardo Omori is Vice President of the Fine Fragrance division at Symrise. According to him, the “red island” in the Indian Ocean is an extraordinary place, which owes as much to the plants that grow there as to the people using them to create exceptional ingredients for perfumery.
Alexandra Carlin is a Symrise
perfumer. She spoke to us about how
Madagascan ginger became one of
her favorite fragrance ingredients.
A hundred years after the first botanical trials were run there, Madagascar remains an extraordinary open-air laboratory.
