ByPuja Gupta

January 20, 2020 (IANSlife) Ajmal has been crafting perfumes for nearly seven decades, ever since its founder Haji Ajmal Ali, created the brand in 1951. As a trader of Oudh and Oudh oil, Haji Ajmal Ali opened his first store in Mumbai in the 1960s. Today it has over 300 products in its portfolio at present, Ajmal Perfumes is present in 34 cities and across over 50 countries. 

Today this family-owned business is steered by the passion of the second and third generation Ajmal.

IANSlife caught up with Abdulla Ajmal, known as the 'King of Perfume“, while he was in Delhi to launch Maryaj -- a contrast line of fragrance to Ajmal, targeting the youth.

Excerpts:

What inspires you to create a new fragrance?
We as perfumers understand the alchemy of essence that can craft fragrances which will evoke the most intimate memories and open the senses to distant worlds. Our desire to be distinctive and unique inspires us to create, re-imagine fragrances for every generation of the global consumer.

Ajmal is the only brand that brings Farm to Fragrance concept. Please elaborate on this.
Ajmal is the only company in India which has an integrated value chain from sourcing raw materials to delivering products to the end consumer. As one of the world’s leading authorities in Oudh, Ajmal has a plantation of over 1 million Agarwood trees in Assam offering the highest quality of essence straight from the source. What started with Oudh for us in 1951 and Oudh Oil & Oudh-based fragrances has now transformed into a complete house of fragrances; manufacturing and retailing through state-of-the-art manufacturing units with retail and distribution points globally.

Tell us about Maryaj. How does it target the youth?
Ajmal has identified consumer needs that existed but were not defined. Most importantly, the buying pattern is very pyramidic and is determined by price points. To address the consumer economic capabilities between price points in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,800, we are looking at a second line called Maryaj. 

It is a result of years of painstaking research to create high quality, reasonably priced perfumes for the Millenials. Born out of a quest for creativity and flamboyance, Maryaj is the brainchild of Ajmal Perfumes. A young brand that brings a fresh spin on lifestyle fragrances with its packaging and juice, Maryaj reflects the search for contemporary traits in perfumes.

How one can decide on a fragrance according to their personality?
Start with lighter scents and limit your explorations to sniffing three scents or less per visit. Request samples and spray on yourself to see how it reacts with your body chemistry. Fragrances evolve over time, see how yours has evolved after two hours.

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Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in