Data from Perfumist, an app tracking perfume preferences more than 3m consumers worldwide, shows which Middle Eastern labels gained most traction outside the region last year. Interestingly, the top four is a mirror of what is currently working in the fragrance industry.
The first is accessible dupes at scale with Lattafa and Armaf that hold the number one and two spots. Both have expanded globally through Amazon, where they rank as the second and sixth bestselling fragrance brands on the platform in Q4 2025 according to Pattern®.
The second is ultra high luxury exemplified by Amouage, based in Oman and ranking third. Its perfumes use high concentrations with a 100ml Eau de Parfum typically sells for more than $300. The brand, which received an investment from L’Oréal last year, generated $430m in sales in 2025 growing 66% year-on-year.
The third is celebrity influence with Kayali, founded by Mona Kattan ranking fourth. Kattan has 4m Instagram followers and her brand was the top trending brand at Sephora in the US this year, according to rAIviews, a customer reviews analytics firm.
Ultimately what is also telling in that ranking is that seven of the ten brands are Emirati, with Amouage being the only non Emirati brand in the top five. This confirms the rise of the UAE as the new global fragrancee powerhouse moving from tenth place among global perfume exporters in 2014 to third in 2025, with annual exports nearing $3bn.