The origins of perfumed oils dates back to Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, before Jesus was walking around turning water into wine. That tradition hasn’t gone away in the Middle East, nor in South Asia. My dad would wear perfumed oils every Friday for Jummah prayers. Many of us with Indian and Pakistani roots will remember the popular Jannatul Firdaus perfume oil that our parents wore.
Perfume oils can be easily purchased in the likes of India and Pakistan and most Gulf brands will sell fragrance oils, as well as spray perfumes and bukhoor (incense you burn to fragrance your house and clothes).
What’s the purpose of perfume oils?
Fragrance oils are widely used in South Asia and Middle East for various reasons:
- Layering fragrances – as mentioned in my personal fragrance journey post, fragrances are an integral part of Khaleeji or Arab culture. Fragrance oils are a must have in the Middle East when they layer their fragrances.
- Cultural reasons – perfumed oils are widely used in South Asia and the Middle East as it’s part of the culture.
- They are alcohol free. Some Muslims don’t agree with applying alcohol to the skin.
- They could be gentler on the skin than alcohol based fragrances. Making it ideal for those with sensitive skin.
Al Majed Oud brand – who are they?
Al Majed Oud are a Saudi Arabia based brand, widely available in the Middle East with over 80 branches. The brand dates back to the 1950s, where they started out trading oud on a wholesale level, before eventually expanding out into consumer level.
They sell a wide variety of alcohol based fragrances, bukhoor and perfume oils. Some of their fragrances are quite affordable too. For example, one of my favourite scents by them is called Wood Gray, which comes in a 75ml bottle. It’s a long lasting, powerful fragrance with fantastic sillage that set me back just £34!
Al Majed Oud staff at City Walk in Dubai told me many of Abdul Samad Al Qurashi (a prestigious Saudi based brand) customers are now coming to Al Majed Oud for their perfume oils as they are more affordable and perform just as well. Me being the skeptical person that I am though, brushed it off. That was, until I actually tried their oils for myself.
Musk Tahara by Al Majed Oud
First thing’s first, we should probably address the unusual, and possibly unexpected colour of Musk Tahara oil. As you can see from the photos, it’s not a translucent or transparent liquid at all, as you may have come to expect from a fragrance, but is in fact a milky white instead.
Musk Tahara isn’t real musk. Real musk, or Black Musk, is a dark brown colour as it is derived from the glands of a male musk deer. It’s incredibly cruel as usually the deers are actually killed for their glands. Some claim that the glands can be removed from the musk deer without killing it, nor injuring it, but I am skeptical of such claims.
Musk Tahara, or White Musk, is a cruelty-free alternative to Black Musk and is also purely botanical and all natural. It’s derived from flowers and is most commonly used in the Middle East after taking a shower or bath. Some even use it around intimate areas as they claim that given its all natural, it’s safe to use there.
Musk Tahara has a thick consistency, very gloopy and much more viscous than what you’d expect from a perfumed oil. So you need the tiniest amount and you’ll be able to apply it to all your pulse points given its thick formula.
Where I apply Musk Tahara oil
Well firstly, I don’t use this on my intimate areas. I apply a drop, perhaps even two drops, of Tahara Musk:
- Behind my ears
- Sides of my neck
- Back of my neck
- Inside my elbow
- Chest
- In between my cleavage
- Armpits
These spots are classed as ‘pulse points’. This means these spots are extra warm on the body and warmth is what helps your fragrance to project.
A good example of this is in a warm location like Dubai, where I’ve been able to smell trails of perfume coming from people – think of those old Looney Tunes cartoons where Tom is led to a delicious pie by the trail of smell emanating from it. People in the Middle East have similar trails, albeit, much more pleasant (in my opinion) than a pie. This is not only because they layer their fragrances and use high quality perfumes, but because the Dubai heat helps fragrances travel far. Heck, even body odour travels in the heat, which many of us may have noticed during a British heatwave.
As mentioned, given the thick and goopy texture, a little goes a long way. I first apply a drop to my wrists and use my wrists to dab it onto other areas of my body.
What does Musk Tahara actually smell like?
It smells like a clean musk. Thinking of comparative fragrances in the UK, The Body Shop’s white musk is a close point of reference, but this smells much more pure, far less synthetic in comparison and much more potent. It’s pleasantly powdery and soapy with subtle hints of florals. I detect jasmine in this, along with the faintest whiff of thick, jammy rose petals.
It’s such a fresh, clean and airy scent. When I wear it, I feel like a born again virgin. I get why this is worn in the Middle East after people have bathed as it smells of cleanliness and purity. It’s not a particularly challenging scent given its fresh and clean scent. Anyone can wear this, except the office jobsworth perhaps.
Longevity and sillage
This lasts ALL day on the skin. In fact, I have detected the scent the day after, particularly if I’ve applied it to my clothes.
It’s so potent, that the projection or sillage is incredible for an oil perfume. The projection is much stronger on the husband as he’s much more warm blooded than I am. He was sat on the sofa and I was getting wafts of Musk Tahara about a meter away from him.
I on the other hand, am cold blooded. I have cold hands and feet. However, I too can smell Musk Tahara when I’m out and about in the cold, damp streets of Manchester. Particularly when the wind blows, and the breeze stirs up the fragrance, which is simply a delight.
The warmest parts of my body are the creases like inside my elbow, as well as my chest. When I’ve applied this to those areas, the fragrance performs superbly and radiates the scent. The scent transfers onto my clothes as well given its thick, oily texture.
If you’re just starting out in your fragrance journey and love musk, I recommend everyone to get a bottle of Musk Tahara. It is an easy to wear and potent oil that won’t let you down.
What other scents I would recommend by Al Majed Oud
I have several fragrances from Al Majed Oud. Aside from Musk Tahara, the fragrances I own are:
- Wood Gray
- Prestige Black
- Mukhallat Malaki Asli
- Various fragrance oils
Price of Al Majed Oud Tahara Musk
I actually have no idea how much Musk Tahara cost me at the time, but I do remember thinking at the time of the purchase that the oil was much cheaper than Abdul Samad Al Qurashi’s version.
They don’t typically bottle their oils. They decant it from a jumbo glass bottle into an attar glass bottle. If you hear the term ‘tola’, that means 12ml. I got a full tola of Musk Tahara. You can get less by asking for half a tola. I’d also recommend you ask for the price, and if you do, please comment below and tell me!
Kizzy
January 27, 2025This sounds gorgeous 😍😍