Arab-inspired fragrance brands are in the midst of what one might describe as a generational run.

While the fragrance category at large has been booming since 2021 — most recently growing 6 percent in the prestige market during the first half of 2025, and 17 percent in mass, per Circana — interest in Arab-inspired fragrances in particular has been mounting at a rapid clip.

Data from Spate shows that TikTok and Google Search interest in “oud perfume” has grown 20.5 percent year-over-year, while “Arabian perfume” is up roughly 63 percent versus last year across platforms. This growth becomes even more pronounced, however, when considering the brands at the forefront of the space.

Kayali, the über-viral, United Arab Emirates-based fragrance brand launched in 2018 by influencer Mona Kattan, was the number-one fragrance brand at Sephora during the first half of this year, reports YipitData, outpacing even Sol de Janeiro. The brand is best known for its $100 gourmand eau de parfums, as well as its Oudgasm collection, which this month is gaining two additions: Chocolate Oud | 11 and Milky Musk Oud | 30.

“The boom in gourmand fragrances has primed consumers to embrace richer, more indulgent scent profiles,” said Mathilde Riba, beauty insights analyst at Spate, adding that “Sweet Arab perfumes, which fuse gourmand notes with oud and resinous accords, have seen remarkable traction, such as those by Lattafa and Alrehab.”

Indeed, even though Lattafa and Alrehab, based in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, respectively, were both founded decades ago, TikTok has propelled global awareness of these brands to new heights. Owned and run by the Lattafa family, Lattafa is best known for its accessibly priced (usually under $50) eau de parfums, with the vanilla-powdery Yara Eau de Parfum being its top seller.

“Four years ago, post-COVID-19 around when blind-buying became a big thing, there was this completely organic growth where people began talking about Lattafa,” said Abdul Rahim Shaikh, head of research and development for the brand and son of its cofounder, Sheikh Shahid Ahmad, referring to the trend of buying perfume online without smelling it first. The brand has a roughly 55-45 ratio of women to men consumers, with Gen Z and Millennial fragrance enthusiasts being its most engaged base.

The brand’s online buzz catalyzed its TikTok Shop performance, too: According to charm.io, Lattafa’s sales via the platform exceeded $63 million from August 2024 through July 2025, indicating 174 percent growth versus the brand’s $23.1 million total the year prior.

While the brand sells at department stores like Centrepoint in the Middle East, its global presence is mainly digital, though it is betting on pop-ups to further engage international consumers. In fact, this weekend the brand will take over the Iron 23 building in New York for a “Bite Me Bakery” pop-up inaugurating its new Give Me Gourmand fragrance collection.

“We want people to see what goes into the fragrances; to be able to experience and smell for themselves,” said Shaikh.

It’s not just accessible offerings driving interest in Arab-inspired fragrances, though.

Oman-based high perfumery house Amouage has similarly seen a boom, with annual sales in 2024 exceeding $260 million, marking a 30 percent uptick versus the year prior.

The brand, which was founded in 1983 and counts frankincense among its signature notes, sells a typical eau de parfum for $395. Its more highly-concentrated extraits, which comprise more than 20 percent of the total business, said chief executive officer Marco Parsiegla, are around $550. This year alone, the brand will add 15 boutiques, including openings in the U.S. and Riyadh, adding to its existing 16 boutiques.

“We’ve never seen ourselves as the fragrance house from the Middle East, for the Middle East,” said Parsiegla, adding that more than 60 percent of the brand’s consumers are repeat shoppers. The brand’s U.S. business, he said, has grown nearly 70 percent during the first half of 2025. “By the end of 2025, Amouage will have doubled its revenue versus 2023,” he added.