THE HISTORY OF ATTAR, ALCOHOL FREE HALAL SCENT AND ESSENTIAL PERFUME OIL

The origins of perfume starts with origins of human civilisation. The attar (or alcohol free halal scent) is one of the first form of fragrance that came into being thousands of years ago. According to scholar on history of perfumery, "attar reveals an ancestral tradition full of mysteries". These non-alcoholic perfumes are still popular in India, and the Middle East countries such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and even countries close to home such as Indonesia and malaysia.

The Origins of Attar and Halal Scents

Attar, a historical perfume
The attar is an oil based perfume, it is created without alcohol. Sometimes it is a pure essence and sometimes it could be diluted with other oils such as sandalwood oil, olive oil etc. Attar or halal perfumes have its origin in India's Indus valley, Mesopotamia and the Middle East.

The term attar (also written atr or ittar) is a derivative of sugandha, a Sanskrit term which means “aromatic”. Perfume was born thousands of years ago, when the original civilisation crushed and infused plants, flowers and wood bark, in water or oil.

These days perfume would mean Alcohol+essential oils. Attar on the other hand will mean Oil+Essential oils. The manufacture of attar does not require alcohol. It is substituted with vegetable oil, usually sandalwood oil.or olive oil. Hence, the attar is often very long lasting perfume. It diffused slowly, but lasts longer. A single drop is enough to to last a day or on some occasion for several days.

The Art of Creating Natural Attar

Ancient manufacturing process
The method of making attar, called degh-bhapka in HIndi, which is still used in Kannaug, India, has hardly changed since its beginnings. This artisanal process uses copper pots, that the perfumers heat with wood and cow dung. Flower such as rose, tuberose, jasmine, champa, frangipani etc, are poured into the "degh", the copper pot, and covered with water. Once this pot or vat is closed, the craftsmen seals it with cotton and clay on the edges. This seal hardens and becomes airtight during the process.

Now, the water is boiled. The petal (essential oil ingredient) also boil with it. The steam starts go on top, which is collected through a bamboo rod. This odor-laden steam is deposited in another copper tank, called a "bhapka". "Bhapka" contains the sandalwood oil, which “absorb” the wonderful odoriferous steam and becomes an attar or essential oil.

This process usually takes about ten hours and is often repeated for several days with fresh plants to reach the required concentration. The attar is then saved in camel skin bottles for a few days to ferment. This fermentation removes all the humidity. To maintain the mystery, the exact formula of each attar is kept secret and is passed on from generation to generation. Scentopia was once assigned to capture "scent of stone" or "scent of rain". When such assignments come along, this place "Kannaug" is the place to visit.

Halal Scent: A Spiritual and Cultural Connection

The uses of halal attars
Attar is a fragrant product of choice by men as by women in the Middle East. This can be applied on the body, or smoked via various product such as incense or bakhtoor. Just like alcoholic perfumes, the alcohol free attars can give off all sorts of notes. Scentopia offers several halal formulas, made from traditional saffron, oud or spoices. Or you can try our Singaporean native orchid oils. 

Scents and aroma are synonymous with pleasure. Attar was used in religious rituals to express devotion to the deities. Even today, Indian houses have "coolers" which are made of vetiver. This "cooler" rotates the water around air and cools the house. While cooling, it also scents their curtains and bed linens with vetiver attar. Attars were also used for therapeutic purposes, as evidenced by the writings of Avicenna, the great Persian philosopher and physician of the 10th century.

The origins of attar and essential oils
Origin of fragrances, likely happed in the Egyptian civilization. They were the original manufacture of perfumes from plants. However, India also has very close links with this olfactory universe since ancient times. Archaeological excavations carried out in the Indus Valley have revealed very rudimentary vats that date back to a very distant era. The oldest distillation vessels were found in Indus valley as well. 

Around 16th century, during Mughal empire India became the cradle of attar manufacturing. It is under the Mughal empire that the attar spreads. Akbar, an emperor and descended from Genghis Khan, established a culture based on refinement and pleasures. He even founded a ministry for developing perfumes and for the flavours.

Capturing Nature's Essence: The Attar Creation Process

The attar at the time of the modern perfumery
The attar is commonly used in the Middle East, especially by Muslims because of the absence of alcohol in its formula. Since the time of the Mughal Empire, attar has become very common form of perfume in India as well.

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