Ajmal Perfumes
Six decades of Indian-Arabian perfumery
Ajmal Perfumes is the Indian-Emirati fragrance dynasty whose founder, Haji Ajmal Ali, gave up rice farming in 1951 to chase the trade of oud. Starting with a capital of 500 rupees — about 25 dirhams in modern money — he built what is now a multi-million-dollar fragrance empire with over 300 perfumes, more than 280 stores across the GCC, and an export network across 45 countries. Ajmal is one of the oldest Arabian perfume houses still in family ownership, and the brand that earned its founder the unofficial title of King of Oud.
The Founder's Story
Haji Ajmal Ali was born in 1923 in the Assam village of Alinagar, near Hojai. His father, Abdul Majid, was a marginal farmer who sold rice for a subsistence income. The young Ajmal learned about the profit margins available in trading oud — fragrant agarwood — and decided to abandon farming entirely. He moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) in the 1950s and began blending oils in a small apartment, selling to the Gulf traders who came to India seeking spices, textiles, and perfumes. In 1976 he sent his second son, Fakhruddin, to Dubai to establish the first overseas outlet in Souk Al Kabir. That single shop, in the Kuwaiti mosque area of Murshid Bazaar, became the foundation of the modern Ajmal empire.
Heritage & Timeline
Ajmal opened its first Mumbai outlet in 1951 in Crawford Market. The Dubai expansion in 1976 — led by Fakhruddin Ajmal — marked the brand's pivot from oil-attar focus to spray-perfume innovation, after Fakhruddin noticed Dubai's under-40 buyers were preferring imported French eau de parfums. The Ajmals responded by introducing the Oriental perfume spray, blending Arabian raw materials with Western-style application. The third Ajmal generation, led by current CEO Abdulla Ajmal, took the brand international through the 2010s. The brand celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2021. Today Ajmal operates a farm-to-fragrance vertically integrated model — controlling oud sourcing in Assam through to retail distribution in 45 countries — and is one of the few Arabian perfumeries to do so.
Signature Style
Ajmal is the master of oud — the brand most directly associated with high-grade Indian and Cambodian agarwood. The Oriental range leans heavy: oud, musk, amber, rose, saffron, sandalwood. The Western-style range, developed since the late 1970s, covers florals, aquatics, and gourmands but is less commercially central. Pricing sits a clear tier above Lattafa and Armaf — Ajmal positions itself closer to luxury niche than to value clone-house — and the brand routinely commands R1,500-R2,500 for hero scents in South Africa. The farm-to-fragrance integration shows in raw-material quality, particularly the oud distillations.
Iconic Fragrances
Aristocrat
warm woody-spicy masculine, the brand's modern flagship
Dahn Al Oudh
pure oud oil — the foundational product, sold by the gram for thousands of rand
Amber Wood
rich amber-woody composition, popular among masculine wearers globally
Nuit
sweet-gourmand evening scent
Carbon
smoky-leather modern masculine
Wisal
rose-saffron-oud feminine opulence
Where to Buy in South Africa
Selected lines at Skins SA, Edgars (limited), and online via Takealot and dedicated e-tailers. R800-R2,500 typical.
Did You Know?
Haji Ajmal Ali started the business with 500 Indian rupees — roughly 25 UAE dirhams in modern conversion.
The family's farm-to-fragrance approach means Ajmal controls oud sourcing from Assamese agarwood plantations through to retail — a level of vertical integration almost unique in modern perfumery.
Ajmal's pure oud oils (Dahn Al Oudh) are sold by the gram and routinely retail for thousands of rand per tola (12g).
The third-generation CEO Abdulla Ajmal grew up in Mumbai before moving to the UAE in 1988 and spent formative years in the UK — the brand's modern East-meets-West aesthetic reflects that personal trajectory.
Ajmal's first Mumbai shop in Crawford Market is still operational today.