The Spirit of Dubai: Ajyal, Sama, Rimal, and Majalis compared
The fragrances from The Spirit of Dubai have Arabic names, and most questions in the store begin exactly there: What is the difference between Ajyal, Sama, Rimal, and Majalis? Here, we introduce the four fragrances we carry, along with their scent notes and a brief guide to help you decide.
What is The Spirit of Dubai?
The Spirit of Dubai is a niche perfume house from Dubai. The fragrances work with oud, amber, spices, and woods in an opulence rarely seen in European perfumery. Each scent tells a story of a place or an idea from the city's culture. All four fragrances we carry are Eau de Parfum in 50 ml.
Ajyal: fruity and floral
Ajyal means generations. According to the perfume house, the Ghaf tree is the inspiration, a symbol of persistence. The fragrance opens with bergamot, plum, citrus fruits, and green accords. The heart features cherry blossom, jasmine, magnolia, mimosa, orchid, and lavender, with a base of cedarwood, patchouli, tonka bean, amber, musk, brown sugar, and vanilla. Of the four fragrances, Ajyal is the brightest.
Sama: oriental-floral
Sama means sky. Apricot, lemon, mandarin, bergamot, passion fruit, and Turkish rose open the fragrance, accompanied by black pepper and ginger. In the heart, osmanthus, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, cinnamon, and frankincense unfold. Oud, amber, leather, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, musk, and tonka bean give Sama its warm base.
Rimal: warm and spicy
Rimal captures the warmth of the Arabian desert. The opening is slightly sweet and spicy, with vanilla, fruity notes, white flowers, saffron, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The heart consists of patchouli, styrax, frankincense, rose, and ylang-ylang, with a base of caramel, leather, amber, vetiver, labdanum, sandalwood, musk, and agarwood.
Majalis: coffee, dates, and oud
Majalis is inspired by Arabian hospitality, the majlis as a place of gathering. Bergamot, sweet orange, rose, cardamom, and frankincense open the scent. The heart features sandalwood, vetiver, saffron, ginger, clove, and a date accord. The base of oud, leather, patchouli, vanilla, musk, honey, myrrh, and Arabic coffee makes Majalis the densest of the four fragrances.
The four fragrances compared
| Fragrance | Character | Defining Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ajyal | fruity, floral, bright | Plum, cherry blossom, jasmine, tonka |
| Sama | oriental-floral | Apricot, Turkish rose, osmanthus, oud |
| Rimal | warm, spicy, sweet | Saffron, cinnamon, frankincense, caramel |
| Majalis | dense, gourmand, woody | Coffee, dates, oud, myrrh |
Which fragrance suits me?
- You like flowers and fruit but not heavy scents: Ajyal.
- You like a balance of rose and oud: Sama.
- You like warm spices and a sweet base: Rimal.
- You like dark, dense scents with coffee and leather: Majalis.
Testing in Dortmund
Oriental fragrances change more on the skin than fresh ones. Therefore, it is worth applying the scents at our store at Brauhausstraße 3-5 and smelling them again after a while. You can find all the house's fragrances in the The Spirit of Dubai collection, and more niche fragrances in our fragrance selection, including État Libre d'Orange from Paris.
