Oud, Jasmine, and Spices: Gallivant’s Scent Journey to the Gulf
Written by Kristina Kybartaite-Damule
British perfume house Gallivant introduced its new Gulf Collection last month. Featuring three perfumes inspired by the Arabian Peninsula, the brand explores the rich tradition of Eastern perfumery.
With the latest releases, it feels like Gallivant is turning a new page. While the regular collection felt more conventional and didn’t do much for me personally, last year’s release, Nida, went straight to my heart (and the fact that it’s named after one of the most beautiful places in my home country has nothing to do with it — though it certainly caught my attention in the first place). Now, with the Gulf Collection, I’m even more pleasantly surprised.
With Souq Wāqif, Dubai, and Ar Riyād, Gallivant takes a completely different direction — the perfumes are stronger, more complex, and infused with a distinctly Middle Eastern character. The collection feels more grown-up, and it even includes the brand’s first oud-based fragrance. Created by Parisian perfumer Céline Perdriel, these scents push boundaries and invite you on a true olfactory journey.
“I first travelled to the Gulf in the late 1980s. The places I visited felt like nowhere else I’d ever seen. I was particularly fascinated by the beauty of the Arabic alphabet. The people and the places really captured my imagination, which was why I went on to study Arabic at university.
When I think of my visits, these are the images that come to mind: dhows with their distinctive sails, golden interiors, shimmering skyscrapers, the calm of courtyard gardens, desert horizons. The air was plump and heavy with scent. A feeling of sumptuousness and grandeur. When travel still felt glamorous, with the promise of new sensations – before so many places began to feel the same.
All three places I’ve chosen to explore and celebrate in this new collection are crossroads – ancient and hypermodern. I’m drawn to melting-pot places, where different histories, peoples, and tastes meet,” says Nick Steward, founder of Gallivant, in the press release.
Nick kindly sent me samples for review. From the very first spray of Dubai, my eyes widened in pleasant surprise — I couldn’t wait to try the others. A couple of sprays of Dubai on my right wrist, a couple of Ar Riyād on my left, and Souq Wāqif just above my left elbow… and suddenly, I smelled exactly how I imagine a royal from a desert palace might.
After giving each perfume a proper full wear on its own, here are my impressions — starting with the one I loved most.
Ar Riyād
Riyād means “gardens” and “meadows” in Arabic. But here, it’s not only about the orange blossoms and ylang-ylang — the floral accord is laced with spices: clove, cumin, nutmeg. This makes it warm and inviting. Normally, I avoid cumin as it tends to dominate a scent, but here it plays only a supporting role before fading into a soft haze of blond tobacco and delicate vanilla. I even catch amber-like nuances. I can’t wait to wear it more in the fall.
Dubai
I don’t know how the city of Dubai smells, but this perfume took me somewhere entirely different — to a late summer evening from my childhood in Lithuania. Near my house, a jasmine bush bloomed, and on warm nights its scent was mesmerizing. Dubai is built around jasmine, and in the first few seconds after spraying, you get pure, juicy blossoms. It’s not too indolic or overwhelming, and it’s beautifully blended with pear, saffron, and tea. This fragrance tells the story of an afternoon tea in a jasmine garden. As a lover of this note, I find it exceptionally well-executed — it could easily land among my top favorite jasmine perfumes.
Souq Wāqif
Souq Wāqif, the “standing marketplace,” is the heart of historical Doha. This perfume is smoky, spicy, and marks Gallivant’s first oud-based creation. It’s the darkest of the trio, less sweet, yet not overly animalic — a modern interpretation of oud, I would say (think Oud for Greatness by Initio). The composition is slightly bitter with frankincense, patchouli, and labdanum, softened just a touch by a slightly sweetened myrrh. It feels mature, refined, and even a little spiritual.