This Kuwaiti Perfumer Creates Scents Based on Your Life Story

Vogue Arabia

3 days ago

Imagine that someone is able to capture your essence as a scent in a bottle, and this scent could transport you wherever your heart desires and even to your future self. This ability is the forte of Hassan Al-Sarraf. The Kuwaiti innovator doesn't create perfumes; he creates identities, emotions, impressions, feelings, and movements. 'Perfumery is a language you have to practise in order to be able to speak it. Calling me a perfumer is not my goal; being a creative and a visionary is,' says the Kuwaiti perfumer and creative olfactive director. As one of the most creative perfumers in the industry, it is a given that Al-Sarraf is a trendsetter. 'I want to refine this industry to what I see through my eyes. I can revive companies with my scents and my mind.'
Hassan Al-Sarraf Photographed by Sarah Buabbass
Al-Sarraf's passion blossomed in childhood. 'I was known as the little boy who smelled everything before eating or drinking,' says the scent mastermind. Al-Sarraf also used to sneak into his father's room and mix the perfumes inspired by the sillage he left behind on his way to work. Today, Al-Sarraf creates scents that stem from his imagination and are later refined by fashion, people, stories, and sentiments. 'Sometimes situations allow me to create a scent in my mind,' adds Al-Sarraf. The perfumer can be inspired at any time of the day, even in his dreams, but reaches his highest level of creativity when listening to Om Kalthoum. 'I feel a scent before I create it; I taste it before I smell it.'
With training and certifications from Cinquième Sens in Paris, Grasse Institute of Perfumery in Grasse, the Pratt Institute in NYC, The Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles, and PerfumersWorld in Bangkok, to name a few, it's no surprise that Al-Sarraf retains high-profile clients from the Kuwait Royal Family to prominent celebrities.
To create a custom scent, Al-Sarraf first sends the client a questionnaire. He then studies their lifestyle through social media. Step three requires an in-person meeting to hear the client's stories, sync with their emotions, sympathise with their feelings, and learn their likes and dislikes. Clients visit Al-Sarraf's perfume lounge, where scents are explored while on plush couches surrounded by moody décor and views of Kuwait City. Just behind the wall, out of sight from clients, is Al-Sarraf's bright white laboratory where the magic happens. The last part of this intricate process involves having the client smell his private scent palette. From these series of events, Al-Sarraf begins creating the client's one-of-a-kind scent. He becomes a storyteller and quite literally bottles the client's experiences to create a bespoke scent. This intricate process can take Al-Sarraf anywhere from three hours to three months.