In 1983, at the request of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sayyid Hamad bin Hamoud al-Busaidi, then Minister of the Royal Court's Diwan, founded the Amouage company with the aim of reviving the Arab tradition of luxury perfumes. Their first fragrance, launched in 1984 under the same name, was created by Guy Robert, a perfumer from Grasse, the French perfume capital.
The design of the bottles - gold, silver and semi-precious stones - is entrusted to Asprey, a London-based luxury goods brand.
Amouage contains over 120 natural ingredients (including three varieties of rose, jasmine, geranium, iris, bergamot, tuberose, peach, apricot, lime, patchouli, sandalwood, cistus, myrrh, frankincense, ylang-ylang, vanilla, vetiver, ambergris, civet, and musk), chosen from among the rarest and most expensive on the market. These ingredients have earned Amouage the reputation of "the most expensive perfume in the world," a slogan already claimed in 1930 by Jean Patou for Joy. The bottles remain luxurious, now made by Baccarat and Brosse, but more affordable packaging has also been introduced.
