As many of you know, Amouage pulled its line of attars from circulation in the West last year, but continued to offer them in Amouage stores in the Gulf States. There is a chance that situation might have changed and that the attars will be even further restricted in terms of availability. [Update: That situation has now happened with a total cessation of all attar production at the Amouage factory in Muscat. The possible legal reasons why are discussed in this post here from April 7th.]
Source: adjiumi.it
Yesterday, Wednesday night, I was privately informed by a reader that all the attars were pulled from the store in Dubai. Ruby gave me permission to share what she learnt and to quote her. First, you should know that she is a big Amouage customer, and someone who knows both the store and the staff quite well. She wrote to me:
I buy a lot of special orders from Amouage and I was asking about Lyric ltd edition 100 ml what was the stock the shop still had… and I meantioned I was going to buy Ajwad and tiaf rose and the last sandalwood that was at the shop. That is how I came to know, yesterday evening. It was done suddenly with no forwarning to staff.
THEY PULLED “ALL” the ATTARS off the shelves from ALL the amouage shops. Something about when they decided not to go by ifra they agreed not to sell outside Gulf Countries. But people were sellliing on Ebay and what ever. Anyhow they decided with out forwarning to staff to pull all the Attars. Oman will continue to carry and sell at discretion to whom. They have not yet implemented a final conclusion but they say the Ifra standards were not good.
The explanation was weak. I heard because people are selling them on Ebay and other places and false amouage attar etc. Also that the non IFRA attars were being bought and sold in Europe and so on. I said every company has a problem with knock offs and such. Also what does that have to do with the majority of attars that are IFRA ok’de. : ( No comment. Also They are looking to focus more on western style fragrance and expanding to 26 countries …
Last I discovered Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales in Dubai has stock still.. Only about 4 bottles in Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales about the same quantiy. The department stores have only Homage and Tribute. Harvey Nichols also has Asrar.
I don’t like to post rumours, but perfume houses never put out official releases when they discontinue a scent, and they certainly don’t when they change their plans drastically in terms of availability. The only way one ever hears of these things is from sales associates who tell valued customers.
Ruby is one of those, but I also trust her completely as she has never steered me wrong in terms of her information on any of the Arabian or Middle Eastern brands. She is also enough of a die-hard, hardcore Amouage customer that the boutique would tell her if the three attars she wished to purchase were unavailable merely on a temporary basis. Instead, they told her that they had been ordered to pull everything from the shelves. [Update 3/30 — The news has been confirmed by the manager of the Amouage Dubai boutique in an email to another reader, as talked about below in the comment section. Several other people have received confirmation as well. In the comments, you will see that one person has already been told by the main Oman store that the attars have been reserved for their “regular customers” there.]
[UPDATE 4/7/14 — Another friend of mine reached out to a contact in Oman who went to the Amouage factory. ALL PRODUCTION ON THE ATTARS HAS CEASED ENTIRELY. No more attars are being made, period.]
Source: Alla Violetta boutique. (It is sold out of all the attars).
So, if all of this turns out to be a permanent situation, what does that mean for you? A large number of you in the West currently obtain decants or full bottles of the attars from splits or reputable sellers in the Gulf States. I myself recently ordered samples from a friend (and one of my readers, Dubaiscents) who is hosting splits of almost the entire Amouage attar line in the Facebook Fragrance Friends groups. I know there was a Basenotes split a short while ago, though I don’t know if it filled up and if any attars are still left. One reason why I am posting about this situation is so those of you who have been mulling over a purchase can make up your mind before it’s too late. That doesn’t apply only to people in such groups, but also to those who want to buy full bottles for themselves. There are still online vendors in the Middle East who carry the attars, as well as one or two European stores throughout Europe. (Most just have Homage and Tribute, but Russia’s ry7 perfume site has a much broader selection.)
Unfortunately, it’s a question of supply and demand. Those bottles already in private hands can only go so far, and what happens once they are completely divided up? How many bottles can there be on sites like Universal Fragrances or ASF-Dubaishop? Demand far outweighs the already limited supply. If it is true that only the Oman flagship Amouage store will offer the attars — and perhaps only to select customers at their discretion — that provides one recourse, but how many people visit Oman frequently?
Which brings me to the issue of eBay. First, if this news is confirmed (or as “confirmed” as such things ever are), then I have no doubt that prices will soar even more from eBay sellers with a precious quantity left on their hands. Second, if it is true that eBay played a role in Amouage’s decision, then I find myself baffled. People will sell Amouage on eBay whether an item is in stock, discontinued, or in extremely limited quantities. However, if Amouage’s attars are only available in one store in the entire world, at their discretion, then both the eBay market and the possibility of fraud will skyrocket. How does this help with any concerns regarding authenticity?
Source: via profumeriapepos.eu
As for IFRA, I’m even more perplexed. Ruby says only 4 of the attars had ingredients that were potentially subject to IFRA regulation, but, as she noted, so what? Even if they all were, what does IFRA or the EU laws have to do with perfumes sold in the Gulf States? There is no jurisdiction, so how can it possibly matter? If the argument is a circular loop back to eBay, well, the last time I checked, neither IFRA nor EU laws on what companies can put into a perfume have any bearing on individuals selling items that they have previously acquired.
[Update 3/30 — It appears that the Emirate Gulf States will be adopting international standards (e.g., IFRA) in a few months. That is the explanation for this situation. You can read my findings on the EMSA‘s ECAS goal of standardization via international standards for global competitiveness in the comment section below. Or go to the updated post from April 7th.]
I reached out this morning to Amouage’s Creative Director, Christopher Chong, on Twitter to see if he could shed light on the situation or confirm it. He said he had no answer for me, because it is a management decision. The implication is that the company is still deliberating on the situation and that a final decision has not yet been reached. That confirms what the Amouage sales assistant told Ruby: “They have not yet implemented a final conclusion[.]” Nonetheless, since they ordered that all the attars be pulled immediately and without warning from the shelves of their stores, I think it is pretty clear which way they are leaning.
[UPDATE 4/7/14 — It seems clear from the EMSA/ECAS situation that all perfumes within the Emirates will probably be subject to IFRA/EU standards soon, and, as a result, Amouage decided it was better to have the attars be outside UAE jurisdiction in Oman. However, the news I received today is that they have ceased ALL production of the attars in their Oman factory. If the concern was not to weaken, alter, or reformulate the attars within UAE jurisdiction but keep them pure, I don’t understand why they have stopped producing all attars as a whole even in Oman. It has seemed as though the plan were to sell the attars to their long-time, established Omani customers, at Amouage’s discretion, but a complete cessation to production of any kind makes that impossible. From what I’ve heard, existing stock even in Oman and even for long-time Omani clients is virtually nil. Let’s hope this factory issue is a temporary issue while Amouage re-groups and decides what its future course of action may be.]
For those of you who have an Amouage attar on your wish list but who don’t want to wait to see what unfolds, here are some links to online retailers that still have quite a few in stock:
- ASF-Dubaishop (which always offers the lower Dubai price, rather than the higher Western one);
- Universal Fragrances (you will have to go through the list to find the attars, but they also have Amouage’s room sprays, amongst their wide selection);
- Russia’s ry7.
I personally have never ordered from any of these sites, but I’ve heard good things about Universal Fragrances. I have linked to them for almost a year now, and people who have purchased items from them have always been pleased. Transit times can be quite slow on occasion (2 weeks) since they are located in Kuwait, but the shipping price is very reasonable.
I doubt we’ll ever see a press release or an official company statement on the issue of the attars, regardless of what their final decision may be. We may never know what exactly prompted this latest and rather drastic move. Frankly, I find it all quite mystifying, particularly given that the oils are best-sellers amongst Amouage’s Gulf/UAE clientele. Even if Amouage wants to expand in the West, or to shift away from “Franco Arabian perfume” (as Ruby puts it), why not keep items that are already limited to their home base?
What are your thoughts on the situation?
Yikes! That is not encouraging news. Makes me feel a WHOLE lot less guilty about spending $200 a few weeks ago on decants of the Attars after resisting so long! I truly don’t understand the rationale either. Disappointing. All I can say is I hope I don’t fall in love is availability will be even more limited. 🙁
Well, hopefully you can test your decants as soon as you receive them to find if any are true love. If not, then you’re free and clear. I have to say, I’m mulling over Tribute right now, and to hell with possible batch variations!
Yeesh. Well, I’m glad that Hajusuuri and me have our split! Dearest, if you’re reading, we need to get together soon and exchange!
Lucky devils. Give that bottle of Tribute a small bow from me. lol
It is seriously a Golem-moment right now. Preciousssssss!
Bowing and no pun intended 😉
HA, very clever pun on the name. I hadn’t even thought of that! 🙂
I’m reading! I have been bopping about the internets and slowly fulfilling my swaps. We got lucky with the attar so thank you for your foresight dearest!
Oy vey, if I can’t wait until Sniffa, the 12th is a possibility. Emailing ….
This seems to make so little sense. Could it be a ploy to create an increased demand and higher price point when re introduced? It just seems odd. Any way, I have never tried one of the attars. If you were to pick one that I might like to get a decant of, which would it be? I can just feel the waves of panicked attar lovers scrambling madly!
Out of the few that I’ve tried thus far (a situation that will be rectified once my order comes in), I would say Tribute!
After that, then Tribute, Tribute, Tribute!
Er… ahem… sorry. I have a slight obsession with Tribute. It is my absolute favorite thing from the *entire* Amouage line. Period. After that, one of the two saffron attars, I think. Al Mas would be my choice. Homage is one that is quite talked about, but it is so floral and… hmm… too floral for you, maybe? I don’t know, I haven’t tried it. That is one of the samples making its way to me. (I have about 6 or so in total, so I’ll have a better idea then.) Rachael is the obvious person to ask as the Amouage attar expert.
But Tribute is an absolute MUST try, if you want my opinion. It’s utterly glorious.
Re. your point on the potential marketing ploy, perhaps. It’s certainly as likely as anything else that they’ve come up with as an excuse. (IFRA… ha.) The thing is, such a ploy would only have real impact if it were announced publicly and globally — which they’re not doing. BTW, a big LOL at “panicked attar lovers scrambling madly”… You nailed it.
I am so glad I bought a huge stock of attars for my split just a couple of weeks ago (plus even more last week) before this happened!
It really is a shock to see this since, as you say, the attars are bigger sellers here in the GCC than the regular perfumes and I can’t see why Amouage would make a business decision like this when they must be making money on them and supplying a key demographic of their customer base.
And clearly the stores were caught off guard since I was speaking to the staff at one of the Dubai stores last Friday about the newest Attar that they are making specifically for the Dubai market. They had smelled samples and sent feedback for changes – not things you do when the entire line will be discontinued.
You have to wonder if there is something else behind all of this (even besides ebay and IFRA) – it was only a few months ago that a large majority of the attars were sent back to the factory for some unknown reason (at least a reason not shared with the public) but, they did come back…. Could there be some problem they want to fix or check. I doubt they trying to “create more demand” there is already plenty of that here – the stores can’t keep them in stock!
Overall, it is definitely a mystery – a very, very sad mystery if they are gone for good. I have very little left from my splits and I am feeling the need to hoard it all for myself now… 🙂
Thanks to you and Ruby for letting us know about this! The SA at the Dubai store couldn’t believe I had heard about this when I called them at opening time this morning – the internet is amazing….
I just got a brief email from the Dubai store manager in response to my query about the reasoning behind this (he is on vacation so I couldn’t speak to him in person):
“Unfortunately we don’t have any idea about the reasons, Its instructions from Oman.
In case we have any news will update you.”
Not much help there…..
So, your SA confirmed the situation as well? That they pulled everything? (Maybe the same SA that Ruby uses. LOL.)
I heard something today that may explain why the attars were sent back to the factory a few months ago, but it certainly is a minor, easily resolved thing. Very minor. In NO way would it warrant such a drastic decision as this, coming without warning or notice. And someone else who is well-placed thinks that the decision to pull the attars (except for Oman, in their discretion) will be a final one. I trust that person’s perception and knowledge implicitly.
If all this turns out to be a permanent situation, what does it mean for me? Squatto. 🙂
I have a few Amouage samples I haven’t tested yet. Considering the price, it has never entered my mind that I would buy anything larger than a sample. I don’t feel compelled to surf through my sea of samples to discover that the holy grail has been there all along and will momentarily be snatched from my twitching paws, leaving me bereft and pining for eternity. Either I’m having a moment of lucidity, or I’m in deep denial …
Since your contact Ruby has this information, I would imagine that countless other people do as well. I checked out ASF-Dubaishop and Universal Fragrances, and they both (appear to) have plenty of stock. I have no clue if there’s been a run on purchasing the attars from them or Parfums Raffy, ebay, Amazon and so on, but I would think that IF this were to be a permanent situation, supply would be low already.
Well, the situation is a little bit different, Holly. The attars that we’re really talking about are not the common Tribute and Homage ones provided at places like STC. True, they have a handful of others, though Luckyscent doesn’t and nor does Amazon, Parfums Raffy, etc. for the most part. There are about 25-30 attars all in all, not just Tribute and Homage. These are generally not sold in the U.S. and perhaps never were. However, dedicated Amouage fans have tried a few, and are generally fascinated by the rest. People want to know more about the line, and many recently had the opportunity to try a good number of them, thanks to a Facebook group and a dedicated splitter who lives in the UAE.
Yes, my contact Ruby has this information, but it is something that just happened. Like with 36 hours. So, you’re incorrect in saying that countless others have it. Even my friend who lives in the UAE, splits all the Amouage attars, and was in the store just last week didn’t know. Neither did the actual Amouage sales assistants at that store until the news was sprung on them.
Supply already IS low, Holly. The attars were pulled from the London store just a few months ago. Since that time, no retailers outside of Russia or in Europe have any stock left, beyond the usual Homage and Tribute. The remaining 25 or so attars never WERE available in the US to begin with. But people still found ways to buy them, while others still want to try them or hold out hope to try them.
It’s fine if you’re not interested. More than fine. 🙂 But contrary to your belief, “countless other people” do not have this information. Furthermore, my post is directed at those who are already fans of the line, have tested even some of the attars, or are interested in testing more. Just now on the blog’s FB page, someone lamented that they hadn’t managed to get around to ordering decants yet from the line but it’s been on their wishlist. To them, this situation is news, and news that makes a difference.
That said, I will repeat that it’s perfectly understandable if none of this matters to you, and perfectly fine, too.
Gosh, I apologize and stand corrected on many counts.
No reason to apologise, dear Holly. It was a misunderstanding stemming from a different sense of the situation! No reason for an apology at all. Plus, we all have different tastes, and Amouage isn’t for everyone. That said, the attars are truly spectacular. A pinnacle of the Amouage luxury at unsurpassed richess. It’s the reason why they are such a big deal. But that doesn’t mean they are for everyone, especially given the price! So, believe me, I understand your feelings perfectly. 🙂
This makes no sense to me. Like you, I don’t buy either the Ebay or IFRA excuses – I deliberately refer to them as “excuses” because they feel more like that than “reasons.” Either way, its illogical at this point. Demand is constantly high for this product, therefore its a great $$$ maker for Amouage. The lower the supply the greater the demand will be for product on eBay and so the prices will be outrageous. This is all $$$ that could be going to Amouage.
Your comment: “neither IFRA nor EU laws on what companies can put into a perfume have any bearing on individuals selling items that they have previously acquired” got me thinking again on something I’ve been mulling over during this IFRA debacle. It may not have any merit in reality but its something I’ve considered. I know that eBay has rules about selling certain items such as ivory and animal parts – bear claws and the like. The word “faux” has to be used in the listing which still allows people to sell the real stuff – however, eBay can jump on a listing and pull it if they discover it’s not faux. Granted, these rules cover items that are from endangered species, which is different from the [supposed] allergenic ingredients that IFRA is bleating on about. But if stuff like ivory is restricted from being sold between individuals, I’m wondering how much of a leap it would be to get similar restrictions (on eBay) for IFRA restricted perfumes between individuals? Or am I being overly paranoid??
And as far as IFRA is concerned, they haven’t got their nasty little mitts into the Gulf area – as you say, its out of their jurisdiction. As always with any business venture I try to follow the money trail, but this doesn’t seem to lead anywhere that makes sense.
Sally, a comment posted today seems to imply that IFRA is going to indirectly get its nasty little mitts into the Gulf area. 🙁 Indirectly, yes, but it seems the UAE is going to pay some heed to IFRA rules. Let’s hope it’s only “some” and not the full extent of EU madness. I really couldn’t bear that, especially when it comes to Middle Eastern perfumery.
Kind of has the appearance of a hush hush recall.
Well, there is definitely something hush-hush that smells weird about it all!
When I first read your post, I was kind of in no surprise; because just before I clicked to your website, I read today in the local newspapers, that the emirates standards and metrology authorization(ESMA) is going to enforce strict regulations on standardizing the perfume industry in the U.A.E. starting from July 2014. Of course part of the standardization is to comply with IFRA regulations.
It kind of upset me since I own silver Oud from their Attar line and it is amazing. To think that it will have limited availability only in Oman( where there might be no regulations?) really sucks even as I am an Emarati and really close to our Omani cousins.
Great catch Taleb! You could certainly be onto something. This brief English article doesn’t mention IFRA but, you have to assume that EMSA will be looking closely at them when making their own standards.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/uae-to-standardise-perfumes-from-july-2014-03-27-1.543303
Here’s the link to the article.
Fantastic! Thank you for the link, my dear. I think everyone will find that extremely interesting. What’s better is that IFRA is *NOT* mentioned! That said, I don’t think I understand the cabinet’s goal. Standardization and uniformity seem to be a whole separate thing to anti-counterfeiting measures. If perfumes are going to be standardized across the board, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be copied or that fraud won’t occur. IFRA never stopped anyone from putting out fake Creeds or Aventus.
Really reading that article a few times, I think more and more that the focus is not on IFRA but on contraband. They talk about compiling “a list of banned products” but it’s in conjunction with CUSTOMS officials. The article also talks about the need “to control growing piracy.”
The confusing nature of the article led me to do some digging, and the kicker really comes in something that the journalist glossed over: The Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS). THAT is where all the trouble lies. I looked it up: http://www.esma.gov.ae/en-us/ourservices/ecas/pages/home.aspx There, they state:
In a nutshell, regulating products that have an impact on the public health in order for the products to be competitive in the global marketplace via the adoption of international standards.
We’re all screwed, even if most of the attars fall outside the purview of IFRA. Ruby assessed only 4 of the Amouage attars as having notes potentially subject to IFRA regulation, but will that matter to Amouage? I’m dubious. They will want to appear compliant with all rules, and it may be better to be hyper-vigilant about ingredient levels than to run the risk of some products seeming to have too much. Will they thin out the attars? Or would it simply be easier not to sell them at all EXCEPT outside the Emirates, e.g., Oman.
It would be much easier to simply sell them in Oman. That’s really the bottom line.
Excellent investigative reporting! This whole thing just makes me really angry…. I don’t know what else to say.
It’s very frustrating all around. When I receive my samples from you, I’ll obviously cover them, but I’ll feel a bit stupid because who on earth can access any attars that they might be interested in? It would almost be like putting salt into people’s wounds. :\
You, Sir, are brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for posting, and bringing the issue of ESMA to my attention. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate *finally* having an answer of some bloody kind about what the hell is going on. I think you’ve nailed it, I really do.
I don’t suppose you’d be willing to go make some trips to Oman and become our personal perfume-mule? 😉 😀 Joking aside, thank you again for providing an answer and some clarity to the situation.
I totally concur- this was some great info and went a long way to shed some light on the situation. I too think that the most prudent route for Amouage to take would be to limit sales to Oman. That way they wouldn’t run any risk of “breaking the rules” elsewhere nor would they have to compromise the formula of the attars by putting out a “weaker” product in order to keep in line with said rules.
Perhaps a road trip to Oman is in order 😉
Alas, it seems as though a road trip to Oman isn’t going to be much of a solution, since they have already reserved the attars for their “regular customers” there. 🙁 But at least Amouage isn’t compromising their standards by putting out weaker, diluted, substandard attars. I guess that’s a good thing, even if it doesn’t do any of us much good. :\
I read the article again originally in Arabic and one of the standards to check by ESMA will be whether the perfumes had to adhere to a limit of ingredients allowed by the international society/organization of perfumes(my own translation anyway).
You know I would like your take on IFRA regulations that lead to disastrous reformulations/discontinuations of many perfumes in a through post, and can higher quality synthetics can measure up. Many thanks.
I’ve talked a lot about IFRA in the past, from what the existing regulations have done to perfume levels in terms of reformulations, to what the upcoming EU 2014 changes may mean for other perfumes. Over 9,000 fragrances are probably being changed in their formulas as we speak, while the economic toll on numerous companies — in fact, whole regions in areas like Grasse, the perfume ingredient center of the world with their all fields — has been very damaging already. If you’re interested, do a search on the blog search form for IFRA and you can pull up at least 3 or 4 articles on the issue, including one on how IFRA regulations impact a “nose” like Viktoria Minya when she is hired to make perfumes for clients/companies.
Sounds like the original Arabic article was much more coherent and clear than the English version we have access to. 🙂 I’m glad the connection to international standards (i.e., IFRA) was made more clear in that one.
Interesting, a friends’s brother who works in Oman tried to buy her some Attars in the store there today after this news hit online yesterday and was told there were only limited stock which had already been reserved by regular customers?
I’m not surprised. The SA told my friend that attars in Oman would be sold at Amouage’s discretion.
Given the way they fly off the shelves at the UAE stores and how quickly they sell out under regular circumstances, I’m sure things are going to be even tighter now with everyone clamoring to buy from Oman. So, they’ll save them for their regular customers and sell the remainder (if they have any left at that point) at their discretion.
I wonder if this is a recent decision or only a decision which was recently implemented. I mean this because i remember reading last year that the UAE region would have it’s own IFRA office. Also, i remember that when i purchased my Homage Attar last year at belgium store Place Vendome when i asked for samples of other attars the seller told me that they didn’t had it anymore – they only had a few attar bottles in stock and after that they wouldn’t have it anymore. He told me that they couldn’t sell it anymore due the IFRA/UE restrictions.
This is so sad, i have tried some of them and they are really beautiful. I’m glad that i purchased my homage last year, if it’s discontinued at least i have some.
If you read last year that the UAE would have its own IFRA office, then I suspect this decision has been brewing for a while. I’m absolutely shocked that the Emirates are going to follow IFRA. I mean, honestly, is there no bloody escape from the damn thing??!
In reality, IFRA = the EU laws, since it is only the latter which are actually mandatory legal requirements. So, in effect, the EU’s insane neurosis is now being indirectly imposed on foreign countries outside of its jurisdiction. It’s completely infuriating, if you ask me.
I know, i feel the same way as you! And now they are not only destroying the western perfumery, but the very classical arab one too! After all, i suppose that not only amouage will comply with it.
I tried to find the article where i read about UAE and IFRA, but unfortunately i couldn’t. What i know is that at that time in past i didn’t thought it was a good thing and this is only confirming my impression.
I think you’re definitely right in your feeling that other companies will have to comply. But what will that entail exactly? Consider Arabian Oud which is a huge, massive seller in the region, but which is based in Riyadh. I think they have something like 160 perfumes listed on Fragrantica’s database, though not all are still in production. Are they going to pull out of the entire Gulf Coast states, losing one of their most profitable client bases, or reformulate all their perfumes?
Honestly, I can’t really see them as being the sort of company to do that. Not from what little I know about how Arabian Oud operates. Which brings me to the really intriguing question: what will be the repercussions for companies who take a lackadaisical or nonchalant approach? Will this EMSA have teeth and the power to impose hefty fines? More importantly, will they have the motivation and will to do that on non-Emerati companies who aren’t really selling in the West? Do they want to antagonise companies from other Middle Eastern regions (especially a country as powerful as Saudi Arabia), or will they prefer to just impose non-compliance fines on their own, local Emirati perfume houses?
As I obviously don’t come across Emirati or Arab articles on a regular basis (even ones in English), I hope that readers in the region will share (or email) me with anything that you find as the situation develops. I’d love to see how all this plays out, and what the reaction may be over there to the adoption of European rules that transform the very nature of their popular, local fragrances. I can’t imagine that the Emiratis will understand any of it. lol
Pingback: News: All Production of Amouage Attars Now Ceased Entirely? Kafkaesque
You maybe aware that Amouage has stopped its attar production.
We do have very limited quantities of some Amouage attars all in 12ml Oil:
Moolook – $325
Asrar – $295
Shams Al Doha – $215
Homage – $450
Afrah – $199
Tribute – $399
Rose TRO – $156
Silver Oud – $450
Sandal – $250
All prices are in our catalogs at http://perfume.zahras.com
info@zahras.com
Thank you, yes, I was the first one to report on the subject of the total cessation. You may want to repeat your comment in this post so that people can see it:
https://kafkaesqueblog.com/2014/04/07/all-production-of-amouage-attars-now-ceased-entirely/
Just out of curiosity, how many bottles of Tribute do you have left?
Are you sure they have stopped to produce attars? At the end of March when they pulled out attars from UAE my friend ( working in Amouage) called to Oman Amouage manager. And the manager told him that they will take attars from all the countries worldwide and will sell them only in Oman. They talked may be on 28-29 of March. Also I wrote to Dubai Amouage manager a day before yesterday asking him if the company stopped to produce attars. His answer: “It’s all stories, Nothing is confirmed, We don’t have any idea about this subject…”
Someone who went to the Amouage factory in Muscat is the basis of my most recent report. (The other post, dated April 7th or so.) And there was a similar story from someone else in Oman as well a few days after that. There is a theory that Oman will be instituting a law similar to the one planned in the Emirates, but that is just a theory at this point. What seems more clear or has been told to me by someone in Oman (not Dubai) is that the Muscat factory itself has stopped production, at least for now. And that report comes from someone who actually went to the factory.
Thank you. I don`t understand one thing: if they decided to stop producing attars why they pulled them out from all the countries? Not only from UAE, but from Saudi Arabia boutique in Riyadh also ( no IFRA and ESMA in Saudi) and from the others. Why they didn`t sell them in these countries till the end, why take them back to Oman? I never heard another companies do like that…
I can only guess that Amouage thought the overall cost of production would be too high if they limited it to Saudi Arabia and maybe a handful of other countries. Until I heard about the possibility that Oman itself would pass an IFRA-like/ESMA-like law, I didn’t understand at all why they stopped in Oman itself.
Having said that, I fully agree with you that the whole situation is quite unusual.
Kafkaesque Thank You! I can now report for anyone wondering about Universal Fragrances, that they are absolutely authentic and very decent people! I went there after reading this article, not Really expecting to buy anything, and deep inside their product list, I found a bottle of Vintage HOMAGE – In The WHITE BOX!!! Unwrapped and new and perfect looking. I think I put in it a cart within seconds…The price was hefty, a good $75 over retail, But I can imagine is may be the last one on the planet. Waiting there for me for about 6 years. Talk about a one of a kind find.. ( If not now, soon to be)! I emailed Kafka for advice and He/She was kind enough to impart what info was available on Universal Fragrances, I took the plunge and purchased. It was a Holiday there, he asked, do I want to wait or get a refund now?.. I was nervous, but I soldiered on LOL 12 days later, as agreed he sent it EXPRESS – it got here in 7 days. It is Absolutely Authentic, Exactly as I remember my first Bottle in the White Box bought from Scent Bar up the street from my house in 2009 (I was late to the party… I got lucky) 4 years later, I bought it also from scent bar, this time, it came in the Redbox, suddenly, it was a more cheapened Rose and Far Too Much Lemon, like Cologne… I made Scent Bar take it back for full refund! They normally don’t, but I had enough in my first bottle left to prove, they were different creatures. Moshen had this Treasure all this time and I wouldn’t have dared look without your prompting Kafka! In addition to the WELL Packaged Homage, Moshen, the store proprieter, included 3 huge 3ml+ RollerBall Samples of: Amouage OPUS VII. Amouage HONOUR Man and Amouage JOURNEY Man. Very nice of them, what a Lovely addition… Thank you Kafka for the advice and the encouraging emails too. I stuck it out. Hey Kafka, Now I can move into that cave with ‘My Precious’ muuahh! Thst is, until Amouage comes to it’s senses and sends a rescue party in the form of a BARNEYS catalog that has the CLASSIC Attars line along such lovlies as the Exclusive Serge Lutens CLOCHE Bell Design bottles that were formerly only available in France! Same classic Decanbter style with Frosted Glass Stopper like our beloved Attars! So if you’re thinking about trusting Universal Fragrances and letting that stop you, let me tell you, Nordstrom or Barney’s would never send such a carefully shipped and thoughtful package as Moshen!
I’m glad it all turned out so well and that you had a great experienced with Universal Fragrances. I’m equally glad I could help in some small way. 🙂