The fragrance of perfumes has always pervaded the streets of Hyderabad, whose historical and cultural ties with Gulf countries have influenced the city's perfume industry and whose markets sport a wide range of foreign scents.
Besides, India has a long history of perfumery expertise and the familiarity amongst Indians backed by strong cultural factors has given indigenous fragrances a unique character.
Toufiq Ahmed, a perfume seller in the Tolichowki area, said he has been working in this field for around 20 years now, and mostly deals in luxury and international perfumes.
"We also create perfumes. We also have a wide range of natural perfumes, Arabic perfumes and Bakhoor (a form of Agarbatti). We have natural perfumes like amber, mushk, saffron and sandalwood. We also create and sell mild fragrances for office use and also seasonal perfumes. The long-lasting fragrances last for 8-12 hours," Ahmed told ANI.
The Arabic perfumes are mostly based on Oudh incense.
"We provide strong, light and also customised perfumes which is a combination of different fragrances as per customers' demands. The Bakhoor we have are mostly of Arabic tones as they are made of Oudh chips. We provide any fragrance in the form of perfume or attar. We have all types of burners including Chinese, Brass, Ceramic, non-electric and electric. We have Oudh of 1 lakh grade which is 50 years old and in the purest form," Ahmed added.
The price range starts at around Rs 2,000 to the premium quality of Rs 20,000.
"We fulfil the customers' wishes and provide them at economical prices. We have a special called Shyam Crystal that is clinically proven as a medication for hypertension and relaxation. It also works as an air purifier. We are trying to bring in the trend and quality of foreign countries like Dubai into Hyderabad in economic prices." he added.
In Hyderabad markets, attars are available starting at Rs 400 and perfumes at Rs 250.
Soyal, a customer said he has been buying perfumes in Hyderabad for some time.
"I am satisfied with these products. It is better than other shops. It is long-lasting. Perfumes of all price ranges are available here," Soyal added.
Further, Abdul, a resident of Banjara Hills locality also shared his perfume-buying experiences.
"I come here to get the best quality perfumes at affordable prices. There are many varieties of fragrances in French, English and Arabic. I have purchased perfumes of around Rs.10,000 to Rs.12,000. There are strong, mild, official and party perfumes. I have nicknamed this shop as 'Feel in Dubai' as it's a great experience every time I visit the place. The staff are also well experienced," Abdul said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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