I get a lot of questions about Middle Eastern Houses especially about the clone houses that a lot of people consider Middle Eastern although those houses are popular here in America and in Europe, not in the Middle East I have compiled a minor list of houses that are truly Middle Eastern luxury up to niche that are not clone houses. Middle Eastern perfume houses (niche / heritage) — not “clone houses” Oman - Amouage (Oman) — true high-perfumery niche house; artistic, resin/amber/ incense DNA. - OMANLUXURY (Oman) — modern niche, Omani identity, quality blends. - OJAR (Oman) — Middle Eastern-inspired luxury niche; often built around ingredients + ritual. UAE - WIDIAN (Abu Dhabi, UAE) — luxury niche with a very “polished” Western-meets-Gulf style. - Anfas (Dubai, UAE) — niche/heritage-leaning Emirati perfumery; strong Gulf signature options. - The Spirit of Dubai (Dubai, UAE) — high-end “Dubai luxury” style; statement scents. - Hind Al Oud (UAE) — Emirati luxury house; lots of character, oud/incense/musk focus. - Ghawali (UAE) — positioned as modern niche; more curated than mass-market. - Swiss Arabian (UAE) — heritage UAE brand; not a clone house, but more mainstream/masstige today (still plenty of original catalog). Saudi Arabia - Arabian Oud (Saudi Arabia) — major heritage house with its own long-running catalog. - Abdul Samad Al Qurashi (Saudi Arabia) — ultra-heritage luxury oud/incense/perfume house. - Ibrahim Al Qurashi (Saudi Arabia) — heritage Saudi house with a big original catalog; not a clone brand, though some releases may get “inspired-by” comparisons online. Gulf / Kuwait (often associated with Kuwait/GCC retail) - Gissah — modern Gulf niche/luxury vibe; some scents get compared to Western hits (common with popular brands), but it’s not marketed as a clone house. Middle East–style niche (boutique house) - Maison Anthony Marmin (Middle East niche positioning) — niche oud/musk/amber direction; not a “dupe brand” identity.

as someone who’s been opening his eyes to collecting fragrances and starting to move in a direction to higher quality stuff, i’ve started to become a bit of a snob now when it comes to anything involving scents lol. scented candles, air fresheners, even lotion dude, but one that’s really caught my eye is body wash. i’ve started to expand my tastes and get some better, slightly higher end stuff. not by much, but just a smaller upgrade. so a question for you guys. as people who curate fragrances, do you do the same with other products like body wash and enjoy the higher quality stuff? i definitely do. i’ll share my personal favorites. my all time favorite brand for body wash is cremo, i love the profiles of their scents, and the cool combinations they put together, not to mention their bottle aesthetic is just cool af to me. the two i use depending on the day are bergamot black, which actually smells a bit like creed aventus absolu with some bergamot and patchouli and whiskey cherry, which is a boozy, woody, and rich scent with smoky cherry, whiskey, and oak. super unique but smells amazing. i like to coordinate my wash with my scent. for something bluer or fresher, i go with bergamot black, and something sweeter i go with whiskey cherry. i like to coordinate and match, so it makes me happy during my mornings lol.