A newly launched creative centre in Dubai hopes to significantly boost the future of fragrance design in the Middle East. Within Dubai Science Park, the Scent Dubai Creative Centre is the latest expansion of International Flavours and Fragrances Inc’s fragrance facility.
More than just a space for perfume creation, it will serve as a hub for innovation, offering educational programmes and inviting visitors to co-create bespoke scents alongside world-class experts and master perfumers.
Spanning 2,000 square metres, the centre fuses advanced innovation with the centuries-old tradition of Middle Eastern perfumery. In a region where scent is deeply tied to identity, memory and rituals, IFF’s investment sends a message about how the future of fragrance lies in this region.
“The Middle East is a key market for our global growth,” says Erik Fyrwald, chief executive of IFF, a French-founded perfume creation studio that has produced some of the world’s most popular scents. “We have been operating in Dubai for 15 years, so expanding our facilities in this very high-growth market where we already have expertise and experience was a natural decision.”
With the Middle Eastern fragrance market projected to reach $7.6 billion by 2034, this expansion is timely. But IFF’s move is about more than numbers; it’s about proximity to artistry and a deep cultural alignment.
This new creative epicentre offers clients direct access to world-class perfumers, semi-industrial production capabilities and a fully immersive perfumery art studio that fosters co-creation. “It is an attractive location to collaborate even more closely with our customers to deliver leading innovations in fine and consumer fragrance even faster,” Fyrwald adds.
The centre features several evaluation booths dedicated to a variety of scent categories – from fine fragrance to home, fabric and beauty care – each outfitted with the latest technologies for olfactory testing and development. A dedicated perfumery academy also supports the next generation of scent designers. The centre also integrates traditional Arab architecture, including a majlis, which will become a space for stories to be told through scent.
Few understand this storytelling process better than Jean-Christophe Herault, one of IFF’s leading perfumers. Known for his bold, expressive creations, Herault sees fragrance in the Middle East as a way of life. “The Middle East has a rich and storied tradition of fragrance that dates back centuries,” he says. “Fragrances here are not just about personal scent, they are also used in rituals and celebrations.”
Herault explains how visiting Dubai allows IFF perfumers to engage more deeply with local culture, resulting in scents that are culturally resonant. “Fragrances that resonate more deeply with the local audience and innovate in ways that are culturally relevant” are now within reach. But he admits that creativity does not come without challenges.
“One of the biggest challenges is balancing creativity with sustainability. Ensuring that our creations are innovative and sustainable requires ongoing research into alternative, eco-friendly ingredients.”
IFF’s Dubai space also connects seamlessly with its global creative network. The new art studio is a local expression of the brand’s Atelier du Parfumeur in Grasse, as well as its Shanghai studio, bringing together East and West in a single collaborative space. The centres act as creative hubs where perfumery artists from around the world can demonstrate their skills alongside regional talent. Many of the company’s master perfumers were in Dubai for the opening of the centre and are expected to visit the space regularly moving forward.
Veteran IFF master perfumer Pascal Gaurin, who has created perfumes including Giorgio Armani’s My Way and Tom Ford’s Amber Intrigue, likens scent creation to songwriting. “I design fragrance pretty much the same way you build a song,” he shares.
“A story, a memorable riff to get your attention in the first few seconds and a catchy chorus to remember.” For Gaurin, this new space is a blank canvas of sensory potential. “The fragrances I design are not about me… my name is not on the bottle. Brands come to me to access skills and a signature I acquired over 30 years and ask me to translate their story olfactively.”
Where does he find inspiration? “Daydreaming,” he says, “and new captive molecules developed at IFF”. He also highlights IFF’s natural division based in Grasse: “We have a new collection of incredible citruses … bringing a lot of added value to our existing palette.” Yet for all the innovation, Gaurin reminds us that true fragrance icons are not made overnight. “What makes a fragrance icon? Time is the ultimate judge.”
IFF’s Scent Dubai Creative Centre offers a vision of fragrance as a collaborative art form. “Perfumery is in our DNA,” says Fyrwald.
“We’ve played a significant role in many industry-leading innovations since our company was founded more than 135 years ago. That is what enables IFF to continue creating alongside our customers to bring products to market that meet consumers’ rapidly evolving needs, but also in a way that’s good for people and the planet.”
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
The%20Little%20Mermaid%20
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
LOVE%20AGAIN
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
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Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
