Qubrus Parfum

In 1917 Francois Coty’s feminine Chypre was so influential that it inspired many descendants, becoming the progenitor of a whole family of related fragrances. What connected the family members in this genre was the citrus top notes, a middle centered on Labdanum and a set of basenotes derived from Oakmoss. This is the modern history of Chypre and every notable perfume house has had a take on the Chypre.

The name Chypre is French for Cyprus, the Arabic name for the Island is Qubrus. What is intriguing is that fragrances that had these very ingredients existed in other forums for centuries prior to 1917, they were just not called Chypre. The Islamic and Greek culture of the Island contributed to the existence of these amazing fragrances from oils to incenses. Arab presence on the Island dates back to the 3rd Khalif Uthman Ibn Afan 649, and there after the Umayyads made the Island flourish as the enjoyed her climate and so established a presence on the Island.

It is important to note that the Umayyads are the same dynasty that brought the Al Ghaliyah to universal fame. As such the arrival of the Umayyads and later on the Ottomans to the Island brought with them many alchemy advancements from skills of distillation to fragrant compositions. Many of the ingredients we find in the Chypre genre of perfumes were introduced by the Umayyads and Ottomans. As such this genre dates back long before 1917 however there aren’t any available renditions of those classical fragrance. Having access to those classical formulas I felt it a wonderful undertaking to bring to life such a true piece of fragrance history.

We went to great lengths in composing every aspect of this fragrance, from sourcing the ingredients ensuring exact locations, to the apparatus and method. In fact, even our product imagery has been rendered utilising imagery of artifacts from Islamic museum collections and then digitally reconstructing them to give the feel and atmosphere of the genre going back in time.