New Fragrance Foundation Arabia {Fragrance News}

The president of the Fragrance Foundation Rochelle Bloom went to Dubai recently to sign an agreement to set up a chapter of the foundation which will cover the Middle East market.

Cosmetics International has now confirmed that the new branch, called Fragrance Foundation Arabia is based in Dubai and is headed by chairman Shahzad Haider and president Grit Pannier... Other international chapters are located in the UK, Italy, France, Germany and Australia.

"Haider said the new organisation was a mark of the growing maturity of the Middle Eastern fragrance market. "The interest of the top players in the UAE to be part of the Fragrance Foundation is very keen. Everybody, be it the local distributor of international brands or the local manufacturer of fragrance, sees the benefit of an industry body catering to the needs of all involved in the business," said Haider.

The UAE's fine fragrance market is valued at $250m, a quarter of the Middle East's $1bn market."

It will be interesting to see the FiFi awards put the spotlight on perfumes and brands from the Middle East as these are overall less well-known in the West, a modern paradox when you think about the region's original historic importance in the development of perfumery.