Notes Dubai

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

Arrival airports

Choose from the following airports, with convenient access to the event and venue.

Hotel tiers

A range of accommodation options near the venue and across key areas.

Local transport

Get around the city with these convenient transport options.

Frequently asked

Glossary

1

Niche perfumery

Fragrance produced by independent or specialist houses in small batches and sold through selective retail rather than mass-market distribution; this segment is the commercial core of Notes Dubai.

2

Attar (ittar)

Concentrated, usually alcohol-free oil perfume distilled from flowers, woods or resins. Attar is a standard buying category for Gulf retailers and a common format on Dubai fragrance counters.

3

Oud (agarwood)

Resinous heartwood of Aquilaria trees, distilled into oil or burned as incense. Oud grades and distillation quality drive much of the price negotiation between Gulf traders and niche houses.

4

Bakhoor

Incense chips or tablets steeped in fragrant oils and burned to scent a home, majlis or clothing. It is a distinct product family from spray perfume and is usually bought in volume by regional retailers.

5

Extrait de parfum

The highest common concentration band, typically around 20-40 percent fragrance oil. Many niche exhibitors bring extrait versions of their signature scents to trade buyers.

6

Eau de parfum

A mid-to-high concentration band, generally around 15-20 percent fragrance oil. It is the volume-selling format for most niche brands looking at Gulf and travel-retail listings.

7

Top, heart and base notes

The three-stage pyramid describing how a fragrance evaporates: bright opening materials, the core accord, then the long-lasting base of woods, resins or musks.

8

Sillage and longevity

Two performance measures buyers test at the counter: sillage is the scent trail left behind, longevity is how many hours it stays on skin. In Gulf markets both are expected to be strong.

9

Absolute

A botanical concentrate extracted with volatile solvents, for example rose absolute or jasmine absolute. Absolutes are traded alongside essential oils as raw materials for composition.

10

CO2 extraction

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction used to capture delicate naturals at low temperature, producing extracts that retain fresher top notes than steam distillation.

11

Accord

A blend of two or more materials that reads as a new, single smell (for example an amber or leather accord) and forms a building block in a perfumer's formula.

12

Brief and composition

A brand or retailer writes a brief; the perfumer composes and iterates mods until approval. Creative labs exhibiting at the show sell exactly this brief-to-bottle service.

13

IFRA standards

Restriction and prohibition limits set by the International Fragrance Association on individual materials. Compliance documentation is usually requested by distributors and retailers before listing a product.

14

Maceration

The resting period after compounding during which a fragrance matures and the blend settles. It affects the batch timelines contract manufacturers quote to small brands.

15

Selective distribution

A controlled retail network in which a brand appoints approved doors and distributors rather than selling everywhere. Most niche exhibitors arrive at Dubai looking for exactly this kind of partner.