Attar or Eau de Parfum?
Most fragrances on this site are sold twice: once as an attar and once as an Eau de Parfum. It is the same scent either way. What changes is how it is carried, how it wears, and how long it stays with you.
The short answer
| Attar (perfume oil) | Eau de Parfum (spray) | |
|---|---|---|
| What is in it | Fragrance oil. No alcohol. | Fragrance oil carried in alcohol. |
| How you put it on | Dabbed onto pulse points. | Sprayed from about 15cm. |
| How it behaves | Sits close to the skin and warms with your body, so the deeper base notes come forward. | The alcohol lifts it off the skin, so it projects outward and the opening reads brighter and sharper. |
| How long it lasts | Longer. Nothing is evaporating it away. | Shorter, but far more noticeable while it lasts. |
| Sizes we sell | 3ml, 6ml, 12ml, 24ml | 30ml, 50ml, 60ml, 100ml, 200ml |
| Best for | Long days, close quarters, layering, and anyone who dislikes alcohol on skin. | Being noticed across a room, and topping up during the day. |
Why the same name appears twice
Around 244 of our fragrances exist in both formats, which is why you will sometimes see what looks like the same product listed twice. It is not a duplicate. Every one of those pages now carries a link to its counterpart, so you can switch between the oil and the spray without searching again.
Which one actually lasts longer
The attar, and the reason is simple chemistry rather than strength. An Eau de Parfum is mostly alcohol, and alcohol evaporates. As it goes it carries the fragrance with it, which is what makes a spray so noticeable in the first few minutes and why it thins out over the day. An attar has no alcohol in it, so nothing is pulling it off your skin. It warms slowly instead, which is also why an oil smells deeper and less sharp than the same fragrance in a bottle.
That is a trade, not a ranking. The attar wins on longevity; the spray wins on reach. If you want people two seats away to notice, buy the spray.
How to wear an attar
- Dab a small amount on the pulse points: wrists, behind the ears, the base of the throat.
- Do not rub your wrists together. It crushes the opening notes and shortens the whole wear.
- Apply to moisturised skin. Dry skin holds fragrance poorly, oil or not.
- Start with less than you think. An attar is concentrated, and you stop smelling your own perfume long before other people do.
How to wear an Eau de Parfum
- Two or three sprays, from about 15cm, onto clean and moisturised skin.
- Spray onto clothing as well if you want it to carry through a full day. Fabric holds a scent much longer than skin does.
- Reapply once in the afternoon if you need it to last into the evening.
What about bakhoor and incense?
A small part of our range is bakhoor and incense, sold by weight in 200g, 250g and 500g rather than by millilitre. These are burned to scent a room, not worn on skin. If a product page quotes a gram weight rather than a millilitre size, that is what you are looking at.
Every fragrance we sell is our own composition. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any other fragrance house. Read our full disclaimer.
Still not sure which scent?
Format is the second decision. The first one is the family the fragrance belongs to, and that narrows things down much faster.