Mohammed Ne’emah: The scent master

Kuwaiti perfumer Mohammed Ne’emah built a business based on his passion. He started small and now is the face of Ne’emah. His journey as a perfumer started when he was a teenager, his love for perfumes came from his parents who own a huge collection of scents.
“I believe I am blessed with a unique gift, a great sense of smell,” he said. “I love adventure and innovation and it is from my travels worldwide that I pick up different memories to create beautiful fragrances,” he added.
We spoke to the famous perfume guru who enlightened us about himself, his life and his passion.

What first got you interested in perfumes and scents?
My journey as a perfumer began at the age of 17. My parents had a huge collection of perfumes, meant for special occasions such as weddings, festivals, and other important events. I could recognize and distinguish one scent from another and I remember them vividly and can recognize them everywhere, even today. However, at that point I was more inclined toward becoming a pilot or a computer network developer. I tried experimenting with a few ingredients to create a perfume, which became hugely popular among family and friends. From there on, I realized that perfumery was a field that was meant for me.
Perfumery has thus been a part of my culture and tradition. Being the third generation pursuing this craft, the art of perfumery and the tradition of the Orient are within my family roots and I believe that becoming a perfumer was my chosen destiny.

What is the definition of perfume to you?
A perfume is something that represents a person’s character and state of mind. It serves as a reflection of a man or a woman’s personality. If I have to draw a physical parallel, I would say that just like a classic timepiece is iconic to a man and high heels to a woman, a perfume characterizes a human being. A perfume’s scents can transport us from this moment and take us with them to blissful memories.

What are the qualities that are needed to be a perfume specialist and designer?
Simply put, there is just one quality that makes someone worthy of being a good perfume specialist and designer — ‘a good nose.’ Without a good nose, one cannot move forward in this field. Being a dreamer helps you understand different smells, different tastes, and different aromas. Two perfumes may smell very similar to a layman, but to a perfumer, each perfume has its own distinct scent. It takes great passion to understand the field and stay loyal to the art of perfumery.

What inspired you to start your own perfume brand? What inspires you when working on a new perfume?
I am greatly inspired by the Orient. My inspiration is endless and finds its source in the world that I like to explore, and the many different people I meet. To me, every place has its own scent, and every single person his own olfactory character. I sense and capture everything that I can from my visits world over, and keep it alive in my memory. I believe that smelling stretches the mind and enables one to travel in space and time.
Ne’emah fragrances are tailored for the world and the modern times. Every one of my creations is based on my life, my personal experiences. I embrace every religion and culture and I have made the planet my home.

Tell us about the process you take to manufacture your scents.
I spend a great amount of time thinking about people’s needs and tastes. I try to keep the flavors from the Orient alive, yet create perfumes that are suitable for the modern times. No perfume is perfect the first time; I experiment till I get that perfect scent.
The process is not short. It begins with choosing the right ingredients in the right quantities, and creating the right mixture. I experiment with the quantities of each ingredient and group them in different batches for 3 months. Once the ingredients have soaked in the flavors of one another to create these beautiful scents, I come back to smell each one of them and see which concoction is perfect for Ne’emah, which then go to final production.

Take us through the 18-year-old journey of your brand.
The brand Ne’emah was established in 1997 in Kuwait. Back then, we were a small shop selling only a few fragrances, and we have come a long way since. Right from its inception, Ne’emah became a source of quality, excellence, and luxury. It has become a signature in the market, and has built a reputation that has brought us tremendous success. We started off with just three scents, but now my range is a lot bigger and contains intricate products. My first huge success came with selling my products at Sephora stores in the Middle East. My brand quickly ranked among the top 3 best selling fragrances, among numerous other international brands. This was a great source of motivation for me, which then inspired me to expand to the Asia Pacific region.

What is your ultimate goal when it comes to perfumery?
The sky is the only limit and nothing is ever too grand. Perfumery has evolved greatly in recent times. It has now grown into a vast field with infinite possibilities, and I am happy to contribute to the growth of this wonderful industry that I have been a part of for 18 long years. I aim to simply create memories for people and keep them alive through scents that I make.

Who wears your perfumes? And who do you want to wear them?
We have a wide range of 40 unique fragrances that cater to the likes of different tastes and different people. Ne’emah fragrances are suitable for both men and women from the age of 18 to 65. We have strong scents for the bold, and milder scents for people with a delicate nose. We have fragrances that embrace dominating flavors from the Orient, as well as more modern fragrances with notes of Vanilla, Rose, Peach and Mandarin.
Of course I want everybody to wear Ne’emah!

You are your own brand ambassador, how is this working for you and why did you choose yourself to be your own ambassador?
I chose myself to be the ambassador of my brand because this is what I have always aimed for. I am proud to be the first perfume designer in the world who has represented himself as a brand ambassador in Vogue. I believe that no one knows or understands a product as intricately as the designer himself. No one knows my fragrances better than me, and no one can represent my brand the way I want it, better than me.

Out of all your designed perfumes, which one defines you the most and why?
Though I have created all my fragrances for a reason, and I am attached to each one, I particularly love Laya because I believe that it is the most beautiful perfume that I have created. With soft notes of Vanilla, surrounded by cedarwood and a background of musk and dry wood, this fragrance contains all my favorite ingredients that are perfect for just about any occasion. It has been one of my best selling fragrances since 2009.

What are you working on right now?
We plan to take Ne’emah international and make it historical. I hope that the brand becomes an inheriting legend. We plan to expand our business to other markets, and open our brand’s boutiques in various locations globally. And of course, we are working on online retailing to target a wider consumer demography.

Where are you based? Where do you sell your perfumes and where do you want to sell?
I am traveling almost every other day, so I’m practically based on an airplane!
I sell my perfumes exclusively at Sephora Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Ne’emah is undergoing an expansion. As of now, we have covered the GCC with great successful partnerships in department stores. Nevertheless, Ne’emah owns its standalone stores in Kuwait and in the future, we plan to open up boutiques worldwide.
Ne’emah is currently available in Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA, Bahrain, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Sydney.
I want to expand business to the US, the UK and Europe.