DXB Dubai was launched in 2012 from the Scent of Departure line of niche fragrances inspired by different cities of the world.

I suppose any fragrance you’ve experienced in a city can remind you of that city, but the unisex fragrances in the Scents of Departure line are different in that they are “Not only a perfume, not just a souvenir, The Scent of Departure is the essence of a city in a bottle. A gift to a loved one, a souvenir as a reminder of a wonderful time, an object to collect as you travel the world…” I totally get the idea behind the brand, but surprisingly, the city scent that resonated with me the most, was DXB Dubai – a place I have never been.

It has a beautiful citrusy, herbal opening from bergamot, orange and thyme. Florals - rose, jasmine and violet – follow and match the opening perfectly. The rose is intense, deep and lush, but it’s the metallic aspect of violet that always takes me by surprise. I love waiting for it. But it wouldn’t be a Middle Eastern fragrance if the rose wasn’t paired with oud and the oud here is potent but not overpowering, making DXB Dubai rich and woody. Musk hovers as incense warms it all up, and patchouli, earthy, dark and sweet, completes it.

The drydown is rich, warm and refined. I can still smell the thyme, the flowers and the oud. It smells like what I imagine a warm desert breeze, carrying scents of flowers and the market, would smell like. As the website says: “Close your eyes; you are already far away.”

Notes: citrus, bergamot, orange, thyme, rose, jasmine, violet, oud, musk, patchouli and incense.