Arabian fragrances are reshaping the global perfume industry, expanding to capture consumers and shelf space in markets outside the GCC. By triangulating brand-level data, e-commerce tracking, and trade intelligence, Euromonitor sizes the opportunity and identifies where growth is concentrating beyond Arabian fragrances’ Gulf roots, with Mexico as a leading example.
Arabian fragrances expand to a USD4.9 billion industry globally
Arabian fragrances – high-concentration, oud-, musk- and amber-forward perfumes rooted in Gulf tradition and from GCC markets – are one of the fastest-growing categories in global perfumery, reaching USD4.9 billion in 2025.
Sizing this opportunity is complex, since Arabian fragrances span the GCC domestic markets and export markets. Euromonitor’s methodology shows how to size a subsegment of brands to inform investment and global expansion decisions.
E-commerce accelerates Arabian fragrances’ global expansion
While Arabian fragrances are growing across both traditional retail and e-commerce, these channels are not growing at the same pace.
Building the market: GCC domestic markets as a base
Using Passport brand-level data across five GCC countries – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar – we isolated sales of Arabian-origin fragrance houses such as Arabian Oud, Abdul Samad Al Qurashi, Ajmal, Rasasi, Deraah, and Al-Majed for Oud from Western designer brands sold in the same markets. This established the category’s foundation; roughly USD2.9 billion in GCC domestic sales in 2025, with Saudi Arabia alone accounting for the majority.
Scaling up: Global e-commerce tracks expansion
Because Arabian brands now sell worldwide, Euromonitor utilised its e-commerce system, tracking Arabian fragrance sales across 37 countries. This is where the category's international growth is most visible: Arabian fragrances grew by 50% in e-commerce globally in 2025, compared with roughly 28% across all channels. For instance, Lattafa, a UAE-based house, has expanded to more than 120 countries, generated over USD63 million on TikTok Shop in a single year, and crossed USD100 million on Amazon – channels that require no physical retail presence.
The Americas are an important growth region.
Brazil achieved exceptional growth of 286% in sales of Arabian fragrances in 2025, driven primarily by e-commerce.
Source: Euromonitor International
Demand is also increasing in established fragrance markets including the US and UK, signalling a broader global audience.
In Mexico, e-commerce has helped transform Lattafa into one of the category’s leading growth stories. What began as a niche proposition among fragrance enthusiasts has evolved into a more mainstream consumer opportunity, supported by growing consumer awareness, increasing online visibility, and a strong value proposition.
Lattafa’s e-commerce sales in Mexico have increased rapidly, with the strongest gains typically occurring during the Q4 holiday season. Growth has continued into 2026, with sales remaining significantly above prior-year levels.
Channel expansion: Trade intelligence fills the gaps
As Lattafa expands in Mexico, e-commerce data no longer capture the full picture. E-commerce growth is typically followed by expansion to health and beauty specialists. Through our on-the-ground experts in Mexico, Euromonitor confirmed that Arabian brands have already secured placement in leading department stores such as Sanborns and Liverpool, but have not yet penetrated specialist beauty retailers like Sephora or Ulta.
Euromonitor’s flexible methodology allows modifications to regions where consumer demand is over- (or under-) indexed as Arabian fragrances expand their retail footprint. This was taken into account for key markets in Latin America (like Mexico) where consumer demand for strong, concentrated scents is greatest. The gap in specialist beauty retail simultaneously signals where the next phase of channel expansion is likely to occur.
Validating the estimate: Why customised sizing matters
The final step in Euromonitor's methodology was validation. The resulting estimate, USD4.9 billion in 2025, was checked against several external lenses: the total GCC fragrances market, Arabian-brand share within the GCC, the global oud perfume market, Arabian fragrances’ digital share of shelf, channel growth rates and ratios, and publicly available information. Euromonitor is able to capture with confidence Arabian fragrances’ global growth story, using digital channels as a reliable base for sizing fast-moving categories that outpace conventional retail tracking.
For brands and investors watching emerging opportunities, the ability to build a market size from the ground up, rather than rely on figures that capture only part of the picture, is what turns a trend like Arabian fragrances into measurable, actionable opportunity.
Download our World Perfumery Congress 2026 presentation, Euromonitor Explores the Evolving Landscape of Arabian Fragrances, for detailed charts, case studies and strategic recommendations.