Walk through any Indian fragrance conversation and three words keep colliding: attar, perfume, and oil parfum. They are related — but they are not the same thing, and knowing the difference changes what you buy.
Attar: the original
Attar (or ittar) is the oldest of the three — fragrance extracted by hydro-distilling flowers, herbs or wood directly into a base oil, traditionally sandalwood. The craft goes back centuries in India and the Middle East; the city of Kannauj still distils rose and mitti attars the old way. Attars are typically single-note or simple compositions: rose, oud, kewda, musk. Beautiful, traditional — and often rustic in character.
Perfume: the modern spray
What most people call perfume today is an alcohol-based spray — fragrance oils diluted in 70–85% alcohol. It sprays beautifully and opens loudly, but the alcohol evaporates fast and takes the scent with it. In Indian heat, faster still. It is also why sprays can sting freshly-shaved skin.
Oil parfum: the refinement
Oil parfum sits deliberately between the two worlds. Like attar, it is alcohol-free and oil-based — pressed close to the skin, unfolding with body warmth, worn for up to 12 hours. But unlike traditional attar, it is composed the way modern fine fragrance is composed: a structured pyramid of top, heart and base notes, built from imported perfume oils at extrait-level concentration.
Think of it this way: attar is a folk song, spray perfume is a pop single, and oil parfum is the orchestral recording — the old instrument, played with modern discipline.
How to choose
- Choose attar if you want a traditional single-note experience and heritage character.
- Choose spray perfume if you want a loud opening and do not mind fading and reapplying.
- Choose oil parfum if you want modern, layered compositions with the longevity and skin-kindness of oil.
RAABIH composes eight signature oil parfums — from the regal saffron-and-oud of Emiri Oud to the sparkling aquatic Femme. Meet the collection, or read our story of why we removed the alcohol.