THE ATTAH MARKET


As a trainee perfumer in the latter part of the Sixties, I was once given 2 perfumes to match with the unlikely names of MAKWAKWAFA and ALPIDAHUDA. I remember the names more clearly than the odours but one was an early example of overdosing, in that case Aldehydes C8 and C12L. Not only were good matches required but the copies had to be soluble in both mineral oil and odourless kerosene, the latter then being the cheapest solvent/carrier available. The client was Nigerian and he was selling mostly to Muslims who bought such perfumes along with Bint for use not just as pleasant smells but as Attahs.

From Morocco to Indonesia, where you find Muslims, you will normally but not always find an Attah market. This is because, according to a good Muslim friend, there are varying traditions within Islam and while many use the Attahs as part of the cleansing ritual before the five times daily prayers or just to ward off evil spirits, others have no use for Attahs. I suppose it is a bit like Methodists and Baptists, the differences are in the detail. But why use them at all, again my friend says that in Koran it says that God holds only two things dear, Women and Perfume. Certainly not a full answer but a useful one.

Attah, Attarr, Atrah  Arttre and many more names possibly derived from Otto, which  means oil or spice. Certainly they began in the middle east and spread across the world with the spread of Islam and to a lesser extent with Christianity, though the latter is now mostly reduced to the use of Incense in High Church services only.

Early Attahs were probably mixtures of ground herbs, spices and flowers, etc together with resins (Myrrh and Frankinsence were available but pricey), all of which were macerated with a vegetable oil, probably olive. Then matured for a while before being bottled and sold. Some were sold as highly coloured powders and had a makeup element to them.

Traditional perfumes still exist today, there was a TV series, I think called Women in Islam, and in an episode set in Yemen some women prepared a traditional blend as I have described. But sadly, I did note that they also added some ingredients from bottles bearing the name of a Swiss perfumery company. I also know of a traditional perfume that calls for ground roasted crocodile nails (not the sort you can get in B&Q !).

Like Bint, these traditional perfumes are often used for celebrations like weddings and even house cleaning when you move to a new home or have a baby or want to have one. In some countries women will stand over smoldering aromatic resins in the belief that the rising vapours will ensure conception. Perfume is seen by some as a conduit between a family and God. If you have seen the shop opposite Selfridges ‘’Oud Of Arabia’’  or been to the Gulf you can see the same perfume available as an Attah, an EDT, a milky water based spray, an air freshener and a burning oil. And all the family may choose and use the same perfume. However, products from these top shops do not come cheaply and the majority of African Attah users could never afford a drop let alone a bottle.

A typical African user will normally buy from a dealer, in a wooden kiosk (or perhaps a proper shop if he is successful), in a market or even in the grounds of a mosque. Or for those who live in the Bush a travelling salesman will come weekly or monthly.  The dealer buys in bulk from suppliers and often transfers some stock into (ironically) old whiskey bottles and he will have a display of maybe 25 or 30 in a wooden tray. None are labelled and sometimes you will see not a sign of any suppliers’ drums, though this is less common than it was.  So enter a customer who takes from his robe an empty bottle which he passes to the dealer who sniffs it. He then picks up a whiskey bottle, seemingly at random, removes the cork and sniffs to reassure himself. Then he offers the bottle to the customer, who sniffs and agrees it is the correct one. By the way, I have never seen an incorrect bottle picked. The dealer fills the customer’s bottle and some coppers change hands, Deal done!
 

Sometimes people will try new or different perfumes but it is a fairly conservative market. Which probably accounts for the continuing popularity of Bint and other established brands. Some dealers also sell retail brands like Bint or 6 Flowers or pre-packed 250 ml or 1 litre aluminiums of other Attahs and some sell EDTs. In Africa, nobody seems to connect the alcohol used in perfumes to the drinkable stuff. Some will make you an EDT, there are shops which have numbered Attahs on display. The client quotes the number and the dealer with much flourish and using a hypodermic syringe, with a 6’’ needle (!!), dispenses first the perfume, or perhaps a mixture of perfumes, then the alcohol into a 50ml pump pack , adds a label and a decorative ribbon et voila, a bespoke perfume in seconds. There is even a gel in a pump pack, which dispenses a single dose. In their own way the traders and dealers try to be as flexible as possible to satisfy their clients, being very determined businessmen.

Dealers are very canny but as most are poorly educated or totally illiterate, they live very much by their wits and it takes a long time to gain their trust. Some employ their own ‘’noses’’ who totally know the dealers range and cannot be fooled under any circumstances. A few years ago a multinational cosmetic maker launched their own version of Bint under a neutral name. I showed it to a nose, who promptly said, ‘’ It is a Bint type but not sweet enough’’, and to make his point went and got a sealed bottle of the real thing and set about doing triangle test to prove himself right.

Regarding odour types, it is a big palette. Some big internationals are there like Angel and Eternity, then some less well-knowns like One Man Show and Joy are both very popular. One Arabic perfume; Bakhour, also stands out. Then there are many ‘’untypeables’’  and odd mixtures which dealers make to keep certain clients happy and to have a degree of exclusivity. Some perfumes are sold neat and some diluted often with banned solvents. I should add that most countertypes are not that close to the target and this is not really because of price but a liking for a longer lasting less toppy note. Finally there are the ‘’oils’’. I hesitate to use the word essential, as the vast majority do not contain anything natural except the name. The biggest in volume is probably Sandalwood, then there is Rose, Jasmin, Musk, Oud (and the elusive Agar wood oil) and Lavender, which was not even an artificial oil, but a name used by one large supplier for waste oils. Well, naturals do vary.

When a new perfume does arise, it is more likely to be via a shop in the Gulf, rather than some fancy presentation by a European perfume house. This is because all African dealers are ‘’AL HAJJI’’, a courtesy title which means they have completed the pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj. It is an obligation to go at least once for every Muslim, if they can afford it. Many go more than once and it is normal to take a holiday afterwards because it is very gruelling.  Retail therapy obviously occurs during the trip and if something takes the dealer’s fancy, it just might be the next big thing.

Regarding counterfeits, I do not envy the intellectual property lawyers of the International Fragrance Houses for, even using local lawyers it is almost impossible to find these people who are very clever with excellent computing skills and often you cannot tell the real from the ripoff, except by smell!!


One last word. While much of Africa has universal suffrage, women in many ways lag far behind their western sisters. Also being gay or just effeminate is either frowned or illegal. It always strikes me as odd that it is the men who use the most of the perfumes and they are largely feminine........................................

Article by Robert Carberry. Robert is currently living and working in Ghana, and if any other BSP members would like to contact him, they can do so by emailing the BSP Secretary.

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