Fake perfumes can pose real risks

In 2006, the Hollywood film “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” was released, based on a 1985 novel by German author Patrick Suskind.

Both the book and the film tell the story of Jean-Baptiste, who was born in a fish market in Paris in 1783.

He had an extraordinary sense of smell that allowed him to perceive all scents except his own. He used this ability to create a unique perfume by capturing the scents of beautiful women whom he subsequently murders.

Jean-Baptiste bottles this fragrance, calling it “Magical Love.” The perfume casts a romantic spell over anyone who inhales it, making them act as if hypnotized.

This concept is somewhat similar to what is known as pheromone perfumes, derived from the secretions of insects.

However, experts have debunked the idea that pheromones can have such a powerful effect on humans, and their use in commercial perfumes is often exaggerated for marketing purposes.

The previous example is quite similar to the trend of “inspired perfumes,” which have become popular in Saudi Arabia. The term “inspired” is used to sidestep the fact that these products are essentially imitations, although their creators openly admit this.

They claim that their products are inspired by international perfume brands. Some influencers proudly boast about their “inspired” perfumes, whether it is niche perfumes for the wealthy or designer fragrances for those with limited incomes.

However, one individual broke the norm by betting with another person that his imitation perfume was original. The bet reached SR10 million ($3.4 million), but in the end, he backed out for unclear reasons.

It is undoubtedly a profitable business — otherwise multitalented entrepreneur Elon Musk would not have ventured into it. In late 2022, he launched his own perfume, Burnt Hair, priced at $100 per bottle. He managed to sell more than 20,000 bottles within just a few days, with sales exceeding $2 million, according to his statement at the time.

The global perfume industry is vast and enticing, with revenues in 2022 estimated at more than $53.2 billion. The largest share belongs to the US, which alone accounts for around $8.14 billion in sales.

The Saudi perfume market is experiencing a boom, with its value reaching $1.8 billion in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Saudi perfume market is experiencing a boom, with its value reaching $1.8 billion in 2023, and expected to grow to $2.6 billion by 2032.

Saudi perfume companies are exporting their products to nearly 35 countries worldwide, and are establishing themselves as trusted brands in the traditional perfume and incense market.

Meanwhile, inspired and counterfeit perfumes attempt to mimic the scents of global brands. They often resort to foreign online stores to bypass local regulatory hurdles, such as the preapproval required by the Food and Drug Authority for perfume manufacturing.

Counterfeit producers typically analyze the composition of the original perfume in a specialized laboratory and then replicate it for sale.

In August 2023, a British newspaper reported that counterfeit perfumes might be filled with animal urine, and treated with chemicals that can cause allergies, headaches, asthma, and skin rashes.

This is certainly different from what professional perfume designers do. They work more like Jean-Baptiste, so to speak, using aromatic extracts from copper, gunpowder, clay, and petroleum, or from acacia wood, the scents of caves, haunted houses, and even the smells of electric diamonds and volcanoes.

Saudi perfumer Bader Al-Harqan even visited the real Dracula’s castle in Romania to create a fragrance inspired by fear.

A report by the US Environmental Protection Agency further highlights the severity of this issue. It reveals that most perfumes contain up to 20 hazardous chemicals, which can have adverse effects on the liver, brain, and lung tissues. Some of these chemicals are even carcinogenic.

While this report specifically targets counterfeit or “inspired” perfumes, the Kingdom is considered one of the largest markets for such products globally, a reputation we aim to shed.

According to statements by the Saudi Intellectual Property Authority, if an inspired perfume matches the original composition, it violates intellectual property rights, even if it is deemed safe.

The authority has been fulfilling its role. In 2023, it blocked 2,500 websites for infringing on global brand rights and seized nearly 1 million counterfeit products in local markets.

Penalties range from a fine of SR1 million to three years in prison, along with confiscation and public shaming.

These types of perfumes often enter the country in small shipments, supposedly for personal use. We need the intervention of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority to urgently enact legislation that can halt such practices.

• Dr. Bader bin Saud is a columnist for Al-Riyadh newspaper, a media and knowledge management researcher, and the former deputy commander of the Special Forces for Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia. X: @BaderbinSaud.