Heritage
A house, in its own words
Ali Alzaabi grew up in Abu Dhabi surrounded by the scents of incense, spices and the sea. He recalls mixing essential oils with his mother as a child, an experience that sparked a lifelong fascination with fragrance. After completing a degree in chemistry, Alzaabi turned his hobby into a business, launching Jazeel Perfumes in 2018. The inaugural launch featured Wid, a woody oud that set the tone for the house’s emphasis on high‑quality raw materials. In 2019 the brand expanded its portfolio with Ghala and Heyam, both of which received attention at regional fragrance events. 2020 saw the introduction of Shouq, a composition that blended floral notes with a deep amber base, reinforcing Jazeel’s willingness to experiment within the oud framework. The following year, The Palace arrived, offering a regal blend of leather, incense and oud that resonated with collectors seeking opulent depth. By 2022 Jazeel released Amsterdam Intense, Millennium Star, Sunrise Ruby and Amsterdam Intense, each pushing the house’s narrative of modern Arabian perfumery. Participation in the Esxence trade fair in 2022 and 2024 gave the brand a platform to meet international buyers and to showcase its evolving aesthetic. Throughout its first five years, Jazeel has maintained a steady output of eight core fragrances, each launched with a focus on craftsmanship and story‑driven marketing, rather than mass‑market expansion. The house continues to operate from its Abu Dhabi studio, where Alzaabi oversees formulation, sourcing and packaging decisions. Jazeel approaches perfumery as an emotional dialogue between scent and memory. Alzaabi believes that a fragrance should evoke a specific moment, whether it is the hush of a desert night or the bustle of a souk. The brand therefore prioritises ingredients that carry cultural resonance, such as agarwood, frankincense, saffron and rose from the Gulf region. Jazeel’s creative process starts with a narrative sketch, followed by a series of hand‑blended trials that aim to capture the intended mood. The house values transparency in sourcing, opting for sustainably harvested oud and partnering with small‑scale distillers who practice traditional extraction methods. Rather than chasing trends, Jazeel seeks to reinterpret classic Arabian accords for a modern audience, blending them with Western structural techniques to achieve balance and wearability. This philosophy informs every launch, from the naming of each scent to the choice of supporting marketing materials, which often reference poetry, architecture or regional folklore.