I first spoke about water perfumes (some refer to them as shower perfumes) last year on my Instagram stories during my visit to Dubai, where these types of perfumes are pretty popular.

Every time I mention water perfumes, I’ve noticed it seems to pique some interest, so I figured I’d share much more on what I know about them, and point you in the direction of some brands who offer this type of perfume.

So what the heck is a water / shower perfume?

Great question. Your typical fragrances are alcohol based, as the alcohol acts as a solvent that binds the perfume oils together, and evaporates quite easily. This is what helps a fragrance leave a scent trail, and is the meaning of the term sillage - how far you can smell the fragrance from your wrist.

As the same suggests though, a water perfume is actually based on water, and contains no alcohol. They’re widely used in the Arab world, and are mainly used as a body mist after taking a shower. They say these types of perfumes stick to the body when the skin is still damp, which is why you might hear it being referred to as a ‘shower perfume’.

Just a note, without the alcohol in there to act as a solvent, it’s important to give the bottle a good shake before you spritz it on.

Throughout this post I'll be talking about Ibraheem Al Qurashi's Special Musk range. Whilst these are classed as shower perfumes, they do actually contain a little bit of alcohol in them, so are not completely alcohol free. That being said, they have the same 'feel' as a full-on water perfume.

What are the pros and cons of water perfumes?

There are several pros and cons to water perfumes. Let’s start with the main pros:

• They could be a feasible option for those who have sensitive skin that might be irritated by alcohol based perfumes. For example, body mists by the likes of Bath & Bodyworks are alcohol heavy and could lead to skin irritation.

• As it’s alcohol free, it’s ideal for those that believe applying alcohol to the skin is haram (forbidden)

• If you like layering different types of products on to improve the sillage of your fragrances, such as applying a scented body cream, then applying a perfumed body oil on top, etc. Then applying a water perfume after a shower on damp skin as a base could help improve the sillage and/or projection of the other fragrances you want to apply on top.

Main cons:

• Shelf-life: sadly, water perfumes usually don’t have a long shelf life at all. One water perfume I have says it’s best used within 12 months of opening.

• You will likely not get much sillage from a water based perfume when it’s the only product you intend to use. That being said, it is fantastic for layering, particularly as a base for all of your other fragrances.

In what order should water perfumes be applied when layering?

That is entirely up to you. The husband mists the perfume all over straight after a shower on damp skin.

I on the other hand, tend to moisturise the body first, usually with a scented body cream as I love layering scents for stronger sillage and projection. Whilst the cream is still damp on the skin, I will mist the water perfume all over so the fragrance has something to cling onto. Think of it in similar terms to how makeup primers work with foundation. It needs a tacky base for the foundation to grip onto to prolong the wear of your makeup.

Who makes water perfumes?

I found on my travels to across the Middle East, to the likes of UAE, Qatar and Oman, that there are countless brands offering water based perfumes, with a pretty big range in price tags too.

Here are just a few options to think about:

>>> Ibrahim Al Qurashi Musk Collection:

Ibrahim Al Qurashi are a Saudi brand who started off their business in Mecca, but their range is not completely alcohol free. Despite that, it has the feel of a water-based perfume, although the alcohol makes the sillage a lot stronger. I’ve been using the musk collection by Ibrahim Al Qurashi for several years now and it’s the one I most often reach for. From speaking with the locals, the range is super popular in Arab countries and also offers the same scents in hair mists.

The husband typically applies Powder Musk after his morning shower, and there's fairly strongly sillage to this one. It typically radiates from his chest, even in the evenings, although I suspect this has something to do with the alcohol content.

Their range contains many different types musks for all tastes, including blueberry musk, candy musk and even a cardamom musk. My favourites are Powder Musk, Special Musk, Blueberry Musk and Luban Musk. However, this range is not the easiest to get hold of in the UK. Which leads me to…

>>> Ard Al Zaafaran Ithra Dubai collection

Ard Al Zaafaran is much more readily available in the UK and their Ithra Dubai collection looks and sounds suspiciously similar to Ibrahim Al Qurashi’s musk body mists, with pretty much the same types of musks. From my research, the Ithra Dubai collection is alcohol free and is about half the price of Ibrahim Al Qurashi’s range. You can find them on Amazon here.

>>> Lataffa Thameen Collection

Lataffa are a UAE brand and their products are widely available for purchase in the West. They are also really affordable. They created their Thameen range which looks suspiciously similar to Ibrahim Al Qurashi’s collection, again with multiple different types of musks on offer.

I personally haven’t tried Lataffa’s Thameen collection but I am aware that these are not actually alcohol free, despite being intended for use in the same way as a water perfume. The scent ‘So Poudree’ from the Thameen collection looks and sounds very similar to my fave ‘Powder Musk’ by Ibrahim Al Qurashi. You can find their So Poudree here on Amazon.

>>> My Perfumes Water Perfume Collection

I came across My Perfumes whilst visiting the perfume souk in Dubai, which can be found within the gold souk area. My Perfumes are ridiculously affordable and I purchased the scent Oud Sharqiya, which cost me around £5! The scent is gorgeous, but is one that sits very close to the skin. They also sell a matching perfume oil.

>>> Islamic stores

Ah, the good old Islamic store. If you’re based in the west, UAE brands may be a bit tough to get your hands on. But fear not, if you just happen to live near an Asian population centre in the UK, you’re bound to find an Islamic store somewhere, and these days they’re pretty much bound to sell water perfumes, or as they might call it - alcohol free perfumes.

The concept isn’t exactly new, and has been around for a number of years already, as some Muslims don’t agree with applying alcohol based fragrances to their skin. When Googling, try searching for terms such as ‘alcohol free perfumes’ and you will find lots of Islamic stores selling these types of fragrances at fairly affordable prices.

And that’s my round up on water perfumes. Any questions, let me know.