Giambattista Valli Spring 2018 ready-to-wear. Indigital.tv
Oil fragrances are having a moment. Lasting longer than its conventional cousin, more people are turning to the authentic side of perfume. We speak to the founder of Sous Arabia, Usman Sajid, about his inspiration to launch a fragrance company, and how he has found success in the region and beyond.
How did you come up with the concept for Sous Arabia?
I have always loved having a range of fragrances to choose from and grew up trying so many different brands. Wearing a certain fragrance made me feel a certain way. I always relate my fragrance to my mood. While getting ready for Friday prayers one day, I realized that none of my fragrances were suitable to wear. My wife and I set out to find a solution for a long-lasting, oil-based product that was luxurious but affordable too.
Where did the name come from?
We wanted something personal yet short and sweet – something that, no matter which language you speak, it was easy to say. The name SOUS means Signature Oils by Usman & Shaheena, and Arabia was added as the oils are put together locally. Customers can know that the quality and the product were created in a region which values and appreciates it the most.
Why did you choose an oil base?
Oil lasts a lot longer and diffuses over a longer period of time. Conventional fragrances that contain alcohol to diffuse smell great, to begin with, but they don’t last. We found that conventional fragrances didn’t suit everyone as a lot of people have sensitive skin, whereas oil-based products are more appealing and kinder to the skin. We wanted our products to be as natural as possible without costing the earth.
Tell us about the scents.
Each individual scent is dear to our hearts. They are all named after children in our family, with Musa, our most popular scent, named after our son. The other five fragrances are named after our nieces and nephews.
What inspires you?
My childhood. I was brought up in an era and culture when we wouldn’t always get what we wanted. My father always instilled in me that we had to work hard to get what we want. This plays a key factor in how we have placed Sous in the marketplace, for it to be an affordable luxury for all. Sous Arabia is a real people’s company where indirectly we are giving back by keeping the prices reasonable, while providing a premium product.
Sous Arabia perfume bottles. Courtesy of Sous Arabia.
Where do you source your ingredients?
The ingredients are sourced from all over the world, including the Middle East, Western Europe, and North Africa. Once our ingredients are picked, our specialist noses then mix them to make the required fragrance and leave it to mature. We only make a small batch every time to ensure the quality is always there.
What was it like launching your own brand?
To put it simply, it was like trying to play a dot-to-dot puzzle, but without numbers telling you where you had to go next! I had the end result in my head and hundreds of ideas, but I didn’t know how to get it done or even where to start. Just thinking about it was stressful but I knew I wanted to start something of my own. As with everything, you learn from your mistakes: what not do, and how to do it better and more efficiently. The process of starting our own fragrance business has taught me so much about business in general, from branding, supplying and e-commerce to marketing and web creation.
What difficulties did you come across?
There were plenty of obstacles, from sourcing the ingredients and getting the right mix to finding the correct partners for manufacturing the bottles and packaging.
What has been your biggest success so far?
Our biggest success to date is to actually have created Sous Arabia. From a vision in our minds two years ago to now having been trading for six months successfully is a huge achievement, and one we are super proud of.
What is next for Sous Arabia?
We set out with just Signature Oils fragrances. We then found that people also loved home fragrances, so we manufactured our own candles, reed diffusers, and room sprays. Also, the love for oud smells is forever growing, so later this year we are launching our first fragrance from the Oud Collection called Oud Noir.
Sous Arabia is available at SousArabia.com
