Walk into any attar shop in India and the names come thick and fast: mogra, khus, shamama, majmua, mukhallat, dehn al oud. Most are Hindi, Urdu, Persian or Arabic words, and each one tells you something about the scent inside. This is our A–Z of 30 traditional attar names, grouped by family, with what each name means, what it smells like and when to wear it. Where we stock it, we link to the bottle.
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Classic attars to start with
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If you are new to attar itself, start with our short overview of traditional attars, or our Hindi guide itra kya hai, and come back here for the full list.
30 attar names at a glance
| Attar name | Smells like | Best season |
|---|---|---|
| Gulab / Ruh Gulab | Rose | All year |
| Ward Taifi | Taif rose, rich and spicy | All year |
| Mogra | Indian jasmine | Summer |
| Motia | Jasmine, rounder and creamier | Summer |
| Chameli | Jasmine, lighter and fruitier | Summer evenings |
| Kewda | Green, sweet, honeyed flower | Summer |
| Champa | Rich, fruity, creamy flower | All year |
| Rajnigandha | Tuberose, heady and creamy | Evenings, weddings |
| Genda | Marigold, green and bitter-sweet | Festivals |
| Mitti | Baked earth, first rain | Summer, monsoon |
| Khus | Earthy, green vetiver root | Summer |
| Nagarmotha | Earthy, woody, smoky root | Monsoon, winter |
| Kesar | Saffron, warm and leathery | Winter |
| Chandan | Creamy sandalwood | All year |
| Loban | Frankincense and benzoin, smoky-sweet | Winter, evenings |
| Ambar | Warm resin, vanilla, powder | Winter |
| Kafoor | Camphor, cool and clean | Summer |
| Majmua | Blend of florals and earth | Summer |
| Hina | Warm, spicy, herbal blend | Winter |
| Shamama-tul-Amber | Dense blend of spices and resins | Winter |
| Mukhallat | Mixed oud, rose, amber, saffron | Winter, evenings |
| Jannat al Firdaus | Sweet floral on soft woods | All year |
| Dehn al Oud | Oud oil, deep and woody | Winter |
| Oud Cambodi | Cambodian oud, sweet and fruity-woody | All year |
| White Oud | Soft oud with flowers and musk | All year |
| Black Oud | Dark, smoky oud | Winter, nights |
| Oud Zafran | Oud with saffron | Winter |
| Kasturi | Musk, warm and animalic | All year |
| Musk Tahara | Clean white musk | All year |
| Black Musk | Darker, woody musk | Winter, evenings |
Floral attar names
- Gulab and Ruh Gulab. Gulab is rose; ruh means soul or spirit. In the attar trade, ruh traditionally means the distilled oil on its own, without a base. Rose is worn all year and is India’s favourite floral. Our PV Ruh Gulab Attar is listed as damask rose, ₹299 for 3ml, and PV Ruh Gulab Luxe Attar is the premium version at ₹749 for 3ml. Our rose attar guide goes deeper.
- Ward Taifi. Arabic for “rose of Taif”, the mountain town in Saudi Arabia famous for its roses. Taif rose smells richer and spicier than garden rose. Our PV Oud Ward Taifi Attar pairs rose with oud and ambergris, from ₹499 for 3ml.
- Mogra. The Hindi name for Jasminum sambac, the jasmine of gajras and wedding garlands. Sweet, heady and summery. Our PV Mogra Attar is listed as Indian jasmine, ₹99 for 3ml.
- Motia. From moti, pearl: a mogra variety with round, pearl-like buds. In attar it reads creamier and rounder. Our PV Motia Attar pairs jasmine with sandalwood, ₹99 for 3ml. Lovely on summer evenings.
- Chameli. Jasminum grandiflorum, called Spanish jasmine in perfumery. Lighter and fruitier than mogra. Our PV Ruh Jasmine Attar is listed as jasmine flowers (₹749 for 3ml). The PV Jasmine Attar is a fuller modern blend: Spanish jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom and ylang-ylang over tonka and beeswax, ₹99 for 3ml.
- Kewda. The flower of the screwpine, Pandanus. Green, sweet and honeyed. Hyderabadis know it from kewra water in biryani and sweets. A summer attar. We do not currently stock a kewda attar.
- Champa. The golden champak flower, Magnolia champaca. Rich, fruity and creamy, with a tea-like edge. Often used in temples. Not currently in our range.
- Rajnigandha. Hindi for tuberose, literally “fragrance of the night”, because it smells strongest after dark. Heady and creamy, made for evenings and weddings. We do not sell a single-flower rajnigandha attar.
- Genda. Marigold, the flower of every Indian festival. Green, slightly bitter and sweet. Worn for festivals and pooja. Not currently in our range.
Earthy and herbal attar names
- Mitti. Means earth or soil. Traditionally made by distilling sun-baked clay so the oil captures the smell of first rain on dry ground. Summer and monsoon. We do not currently stock a mitti attar.
- Khus. Vetiver root. Earthy, green, woody and slightly smoky, the smell of wet khus curtains in an Indian summer. Our PV Ruh Khus Attar is ₹369 for 3ml. Read our full guide to khus attar.
- Nagarmotha. The root of a sedge, Cyperus, known as cypriol in perfumery. Earthy, woody and smoky. It often appears inside oud and amber blends rather than on its own. Our PV Dehn Oud Hindi Attar lists cypriol oil in its base.
- Kesar. Saffron. Warm, honeyed and slightly leathery, and among the most expensive materials in perfume. A winter note. We have no kesar-only attar, but saffron leads in blends such as PV Oud Zafran Attar. Our guide to saffron in perfume explains why it costs more.
Woods and resins
- Chandan. Sandalwood. Creamy, soft and milky-woody, and the traditional base of Indian attars. Calm enough for every season. We stock PV Ruh Sandal Attar (₹499 for 3ml), PV Sandal Special Attar, a sandalwood with amber, musk and spice (₹299 for 3ml), and the premium PV Sandal Maliki Attar (₹749 for 3ml). Our sandalwood attar guide compares them.
- Loban. In India the word covers both frankincense (olibanum) and benzoin resin. Smoky, sweet and church-like. Best in winter and for evening prayer. Our PV Oud Loban Attar combines olibanum, benzoin and choya loban, a smoky note from heated resin, with oud and opoponax, ₹199 for 3ml.
- Ambar. Not fossil amber and not ambergris. In attar, “amber” means a warm, resinous accord, often labdanum, benzoin and vanilla. Powdery and comforting, a winter favourite. Our PV Amber Oud Attar sets amber, musk and resins under cedar, guaiac wood and spice, ₹149 for 3ml.
- Kafoor. Camphor. Sharp, cool and clean, familiar from aarti and prayer rooms. A summer attar, best worn in small amounts. Not currently in our range.
Classic blends
- Majmua. Means “collection”. A traditional blend of several attars, usually florals with earthy notes such as khus or mitti. Fresh and summery. Our PV Majmua Attar is listed as floral, musky and woody, ₹99 for 3ml.
- Hina. Named after henna. A dark, warm, spicy and herbal blend, traditionally built on henna with spices and herbs. Worn in winter because it feels warm. Our PV Hina Attar combines henna, jasmine, rose and white musk with bergamot, magnolia and sandalwood, ₹149 for 3ml. The PV Hina Luxe Attar is listed with the same notes.
- Shamama-tul-Amber. One of the most complex attars, made from dozens of spices, herbs, flowers and resins. Deep, warm, smoky and slightly medicinal. A true winter attar. We stock three variants: PV Shamama Amber Attar (amber, white musk and woods, ₹149 for 3ml), the premium PV Ruh Shamama Amber Attar (Indian spices, musk and wood, ₹749 for 3ml), and PV Shamama Maliki, a fresher take with grass, mint, honey, sea notes and smoke.
- Mukhallat. Arabic for “mixed”. A Gulf-style blend, usually oud, rose, amber, saffron and musk. Rich, for evenings and winter. PV Mukhallat Dahab Attar (dahab means gold) has saffron, oud, sandalwood, incense and amber, ₹149 for 3ml. PV Ruh Mukhallat Attar is a premium blend of oud, saffron, sandalwood and amberwood, ₹749 for 3ml. Note that PV Oud Mukhallat Attar, despite its name, lists no oud: it is a powdery floral of saffron, carnation, jasmine and orris over ambergris and moss.
- Jannat al Firdaus. “The highest garden of paradise.” A sweet floral attar, worn all year. Ours opens with neroli and peach, has jasmine, rose and cinnamon at its heart, and rests on oud, amber, leather, musk and sandalwood. PV Jannat Al Firdaus Attar is ₹149 for 3ml. See our Jannat al Firdaus guide.
Oud and musk attar names
- Dehn al Oud. Dehn means oil: this is oud oil, distilled from agarwood. Deep, woody, animalic and long-lasting. Hindi on the label means the Indian style, usually the most barnyard and intense. The PV Dehn Oud Hindi Attar mentioned above is a premium blend with a long list of notes around oud, from ₹2,999 for 3ml.
- Oud Cambodi. Cambodian oud, known for a sweeter, fruitier, cleaner profile than Indian oud. Moattaq means aged. Our PV Oud Cambodi Moattaq Attar is listed simply as agarwood. Our sibling guide to types of oud compares the origins.
- White Oud. A style, not a white wood: soft oud wrapped in flowers, musk and vanilla. Easy all year. PV White Oud Attar is ₹149 for 3ml, and our white oud guide explains the style.
- Black Oud. The dark, smoky style of oud. Best on winter nights. Our PV Black Oud Attar blends oud with labdanum, patchouli, rose, mandarin and musk, ₹149 for 3ml.
- Oud Zafran. Oud with saffron, a classic Gulf pairing. Warm and luxurious. The Oud Zafran mentioned above adds honey, cedar, nutmeg and rose, ₹149 for 3ml.
- Kasturi. The Hindi word for musk, once taken from the musk deer. Deer musk is now protected and obsolete, so any kasturi attar sold today uses modern musks. We do not sell one under that name; our musk perfume guide covers the modern styles.
- Musk Tahara. Tahara means purity. A clean, soft white musk, worn close to the skin all year. PV Musk Tahara Attar is ₹149 for 3ml.
- Black Musk. The darker, woodier musk style. Ours pairs black musk with resinous balsam fir. PV Black Musk Attar is ₹299 for 3ml, listed for men.
How to choose from 30 attar names
A long list can feel like too much. A simple way in is to pick by season and setting.
- Hot days and the office: mogra, motia, khus, majmua, chandan or a white musk. They stay close and feel light.
- Winter and evenings: hina, shamama, mukhallat, ambar, loban and the darker ouds. Our guide to winter attars has more ideas.
- Weddings and festivals: rajnigandha, rose, Jannat al Firdaus or an oud with saffron.
- Prayer and quiet moments: rose, chandan, musk or loban.
Most of our attars come in 3ml, 6ml, 12ml and 24ml, and a few premium ones in 3ml, 6ml and 12ml only. A 3ml bottle is the cheap way to try a name before committing. Better still, visit our stores in Mehdipatnam, Tolichowki or Shaikpet, open every day from 11am to 11pm, and smell any attar at the counter. You can also WhatsApp us on 9059069188 with the name you are looking for.
Questions people ask
What are the most famous traditional attar names?
Ruh gulab (rose), mogra (jasmine), khus (vetiver), chandan (sandalwood), mitti, shamama-tul-amber, hina, majmua and dehn al oud are the classics. Most Indian attar shops will have some version of each. They cover florals, earthy notes, woods and blends.
What does “ruh” mean in an attar name?
Ruh means soul or spirit. Traditionally it refers to the pure distilled oil of a single material, such as ruh gulab or ruh khus, without a base oil. On modern labels it is often used for a premium or concentrated version.
Which attar is best for summer?
Khus, mogra, motia, majmua, mitti and kewda are the traditional summer attars. They feel fresh and cool on hot days. Apply one or two dabs only, as heat makes any attar stronger.
Which attar is best for winter?
Hina, shamama-tul-amber, mukhallat, ambar, loban and the darker ouds. They are warm, spicy and resinous, and they last well in cool air. Saffron blends such as Oud Zafran also suit winter.
What is the difference between majmua and mukhallat?
Both words mean a mixture. Majmua is the Indian blend, usually florals with earthy notes like khus and mitti, and it feels fresh. Mukhallat is the Arabic-style blend built on oud, rose, amber and saffron, and it feels rich and warm.
