The international expansion of Middle Eastern fragrance houses has found particularly fertile ground in Latin America. According to Circana data cited by Premium Beauty News, fragrances represented 65% of total beauty-market sales in Latin America in 2025, while the category grew 15% during the period.
The figures help explain why brands from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Gulf countries are looking at the region with much greater attention.
A region where fragrance is part of everyday life
Latin America has an especially strong relationship with fragrance. Perfume, cologne, body splash and scented body products are part of daily consumption across several markets in the region.
According to the Premium Beauty News analysis, category performance is linked to frequent fragrance use and demand for products perceived as intense and long-lasting. This creates an important meeting point with part of Gulf perfumery, known precisely for strong concentrations, resins, woods, musks, spices and gourmands with a powerful identity.
Arab perfumery is no longer a local phenomenon
In recent years, Arab brands have moved beyond specialist stores and enthusiast communities. Houses such as Lattafa, Afnan and Armaf have gained consumers across multiple continents, driven by international distribution, social media, reviews and a strong relationship between price and perceived luxury.
At the same time, the Arab fragrance universe is much broader than stereotypes based only on oud, amber or extremely sweet perfumes. Gulf houses today are exploring citrus, aquatics, modern florals, clean musks, transparent woods and minimalist compositions.
Why Latin America attracts Gulf houses
The Latin American market offers three especially attractive factors: frequent consumption, growing interest in high-performance fragrance and room for brands that still lack mature distribution in the region.
For Middle Eastern manufacturers and distributors, this creates opportunities across several channels:
- local importers and distributors;
- e-commerce and marketplaces;
- specialist perfumeries;
- beauty chains;
- brand-owned operations;
- partnerships with regional retailers.
Brazil could become a central piece
Within this movement, Brazil is likely to become one of the most important markets. The country combines a large population, an intense fragrance culture and a consolidated beauty sector.
This can increase not only competition between Arab houses and Western brands, but also the competition among Gulf companies themselves for distribution, recognition and retail presence.
An expansion that is still beginning
The advance of Arab fragrance houses in Latin America does not look like a short-lived trend. It is part of a broader shift in the geography of global perfumery, in which Middle Eastern brands stop being treated as regional alternatives and begin building global identities.
For Latin American consumers, this means access to more houses, styles and propositions. For the industry, it means a new territory of competition.
Sources consulted
Premium Beauty News — Latin America’s fragrance appetite shifts toward the Gulf
