The roots of FO’AH perfumes

The story behind FO’AH is that of two inspiring individuals passionate about the generosity and hospitality of the Arab world. Eager to share the treasures of an enlightened and creative Middle East, they chose perfume as a universal language. FO’AH mirrors the curiosity of its two founders, while outlining a dreamy and olfactory heritage that celebrates the greatness of age-old civilizations, their shared emotions and the enchantment of new encounters.

​

FO’AH is born out of the encounter of two major perfume cultures: France, heart of modern perfumery and the Middle East, an ancient land filled with powerful scents that bring together the earth and the sky. Celebrating the enlighten encounter of people and ideas, FO’AH incarnates a cosmopolitan and open vision of perfumery.

​

FO’AH stems from the will of Émilie Dewell, a radiant young woman born and raised between the flowery hillsides of Grasse and the palm trees of Abu Dhabi, and that of Abdulla Al-Masaood, Heir of one the oldest Emirati families. Together, they imagined FO’AH with the idea of uniting French art of perfumery and the oriental values of hospitality and generosity.

Mirroring the connection between East and West, FO’AH represents an eclectic culture, open to the world and shaped by all its influences.

​

The name FO’AH has no equivalent in any other language. In Arabic, it specifically refers to the blooming of the date palm. Between the stunning beauty of the desert and the flowery hillsides of Grasse, the FO’AH fragrances are all inspired by this emblematic tree of the Middle East, introducing an unprecedented scent to the world of perfumery.

The “Memoires d’une Palmeraie” collection tells a story about nature, time and civilizations. Both intense and unique, the fragrances of this line are a contemporary tribute to the encounter of people and ideas, all sharing the scent of the ephemeral blooming of the date palm.

The first collection of FO’AH Perfumes is inspired by the age-old hospitality of the Emirates. It tells the story of travellers along the legendary Silk Road who would meet and gather in the refreshing shade of the oases. The scents of the rare and precious ingredients found during their distant journeys would delicately intertwine with the scent of the palm trees standing above them.

Unveiling the multiple layers of its rich olfactory personality, the Palm Tree Note blends together with scents from Europe, Arabia and Asia. Fragrances from this collection are crafted using the most noble raw ingredients and share the memory of the wind, the roaring thunderstorms and the stories from afar.

This iconic fragrance from the collection beholds an identity like no other in contemporary perfumery. Perfumer Olivier Pescheux believes that “this fragrance is the closest one yet to the Palm Tree Note. It finds its inspiration in the gusts of wind blowing through the palm grove”.

With its roots in the heart of the oases where travellers of the legendary Silk Road used to gather, this fragrance is a green harmony of wood and musk where nature leaves its soft scented touch on the skin.

This fragrance is a majestic tribute to two major perfume cultures: France and the Middle East.
According to its creator, Perfumer Olivier Pescheux, it stands as “a captivating and vibrant fragrance, an intensely seductive scent”. This perfume dreams of an enchanting journey to Grasse, the world capital of fine perfumery, and brings together the gorgeous Rose de Mai and the astonishing Palm Tree Note to form an elegantly lush floral ensemble.

This fragrance takes us to an intriguing universe and tells the story of waves unfolding on the desert sand. “I imagined a Palm Tree that would bloom on the seashore, its palms sprinkled with salt crystals,” explains its creator, Perfumer Michel Girard.

Adorned with peppery, floral, and salty accents, this perfume is a singular creation, where the Palm Tree Note demonstrates how its soft seduction can lead to irrepressible addiction.

This radiant creation brilliantly reinterprets the classic motifs of oriental perfumery. A celebration of the mythical oud wood adorned with spicy bursts of saffron, sensuously veiled by the infinite mystery of the Damascus rose which leaves on the skin a promise of voluptuous seduction. Infinitely oriental, irremediably addictive.

Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 17 tells the story of a Japanese traveller along the Silk Road.

As he reaches the arid landscapes of Arabia lined out by the curved silhouettes of the dunes, he discovers the faint outline of a luxuriant nature in the middle of the desert: an oasis.

​

He rests in its welcoming shade and the delicate fragrance of the cherry blossoms he had taken with him rises up to the sky, entwining with the scent of the palm trees around him.

​

Mémoires d’une Palmeraie 17 is a reflexion of this fleeting moment of happiness. A deliciously floral and fruity fragrance infused by the green freshness of of FO’AH’s signature Palm Tree accord. Joyful and playful!

Never before used in perfumery, the Palm Tree Note is an exclusive creation for FO’AH. Bringing together the intimate and the universal, this ingredient is the very heart of our collection of fragrances, an invitation to an intense experience connecting olfactory emotions, millenary cultures and ancestral traditions.

The date palm is one of the eternal symbols of the Middle East. A natural as well as a cultural jewel, the phoenix dactylifera is mentioned in ancient texts as the Tree of Life which nourishes with its dates, shelters with its shade and indicates the presence of refreshing water. When in bloom, the date palm exudes a green, fruity and slightly animistic scent which has been captured by modern technology.

​

Émilie Dewell and Abdulla Al Masaood worked together with Perfumer Olivier Pescheux in order to create this unique olfactory signature. A demanding effort of research was necessary to translate the intricacies and abundance of this emblematic tree. The trunk, leaves and pods of the Palm Tree but also its shade and the wind gently blowing in the oasis were caught and transcripted into an unprecedented holistic olfactory experience.

​

Inspired by the Emirates and made in France, the FO’AH bottle took several years to develop before it could truly reflect the original idea of the founders. Its faceted silhouette evoking the trunk of the palm tree is the result of the expertise and careful work of many French experts and craftsmen. To preserve the inspiration of its design, the bottle is engraved with a simple number whose meaning is kept secret, true to the personal story of one of the two founders.

​

Evoking the dancing shade of the palms throughout the day, each facet of the bottle catches the mood of every fleeting moment. The heavy glass is graced with golden hues, reminiscent of the unique and distinctive personality of each scent. Inspired by the palm tree trunk, this sculptural body is an unexpected spectacle of flowing oriental lights. Like a source of both dreams and desires, each bottle is protected by a pearly white monolith. Sealed on its upper part by an engraved metal plate, its gracefully opens into a corolla, just like the palms that embrace and reveal the Tree of Life in the light of day.

​

The palm tree is a timeless symbol of the Emirati culture. Magnificently rising above the dry lands like an emblem of life, the palm tree has withstood time and witnessed the deep changes of its native homeland. In the same manner, the FO’AH bottle is designed to be a loyal and precious companion. Similar to a lasting work of art, it was designed to be refilled and reused endlessly, out of a desire to respect the environment – a concern that has always been that of the nomadic peoples of the desert.