About the Author: Muhammad Bin Shaheen

Muhammad Bin Shaheen runs Perfumeo, a UK retailer of Arabian and designer fragrance, and writes the guides published here. He buys and wears the stock the shop sells, and covers the houses the British market knows least well, from Lattafa and French Avenue to Ard Al Zaafaran and Khadlaj. His guides focus on what a scent actually smells like, how it performs through a British day, and whether it is worth the money.

What these guides cover

Most fragrance writing aimed at British readers is built around designer houses. Perfumeo is not. The guides here concentrate on Arabian and Middle Eastern perfumery, which is where the most interesting work is being done and where UK shoppers have the least reliable information to go on. That means the established Emirati and Saudi houses such as Lattafa, Ard Al Zaafaran, Khadlaj and Bujairami, alongside newer names like French Avenue that sit somewhere between the two markets.

How these guides are written

These are written from wearing the stock the shop sells. That matters most for longevity and projection, because a note list tells you what is in a fragrance but never how it behaves on skin through a British day, from a cold morning commute to a warm room in the evening. Where a scent is widely discussed as an interpretation of a designer original, that comparison is named openly here rather than hinted at, because it is usually the first thing a shopper wants to know.

Guides by Muhammad Bin Shaheen

Get in touch

Questions about a bottle, a note or a comparison are welcome. Perfumeo Ltd is a UK retailer of Arabian and designer fragrance, and you can reach us through the contact page.