Scent as part of identity: finding your perfume signature
There are people we recognize before we see them. They are still in the hallway, but their familiar ...
Valid Awad is a name that has become synonymous with luxury and impeccable taste in the world of perfumery. This self-taught perfumer from the United Arab Emirates has managed to capture the hearts of fragrance connoisseurs worldwide. His creations are not just perfumes but true olfactory works of art, where each note sounds like part of a symphony. Today, Valid Awad is not only a sought-after "nose" for premium brands but also the owner of his own perfume house, W. A. Parfums, and a key figure in the famous niche empire Roja Parfums.
His journey began with training at the prestigious Givaudan perfume school, after which he honed his skills within the walls of the Swiss giant Firmenich. But true fame came to him in 2011 when he joined the team at Roja Parfums. There, Valid became the right hand of Roja Dove himself and the creator of numerous iconic fragrances. His career developed rapidly, from apprentice to creator of bestsellers whose compositions are listed among the best perfumes of the decade. His biography is a story of how talent and hard work transform a person into a legend.
Valid Awad is best known for his work with two monumental names. The first is undoubtedly Roja Parfums, where he created a series of bestsellers such as Elysium Parfum Cologne, Enigma Pour Homme, Diaghilev, and A Midsummer Dream. The second is the Italian niche house Xerjoff, for which he developed the legendary Xerjoff Nio—a citrus masterpiece—as well as the luxurious Xerjoff Fars. Additionally, in 2019, the perfumer founded his own brand, W. A. Parfums, where he brought his boldest ideas to life, presenting limited-edition compositions Aman, Asrar, and Barakka.
If you want to explore the legacy of this master, start with his signature works. The top fragrances by Valid Awad invariably include: Roja Elysium—a fresh and elegant olfactory ode to modern classics; Roja Enigma—a sensual cognac accord with tobacco nuances; Xerjoff Nio—a benchmark grapefruit perfume with sparkling greenery. Also among the popular perfumes worth noting are the exquisite Roja Diaghilev with oud, leather, and labdanum, and his own creation W. A. Parfums Aman—a mystical woody-resinous composition. Each of these fragrances is a must-have in the list of best perfumes for any true collector.
Valid Awad's style is easily recognizable: he balances on the edge between the classic French school and Eastern extravagance. His compositions are distinguished by powerful longevity, complex structure, and unexpected contrasts. The perfumer virtuosically works with spices, resins, leather accents, and rare natural extracts. At the same time, even in the heaviest fragrances, he manages to maintain elegance and wearability. His signature handwriting—a "spicy skeleton" of saffron, oud, patchouli, and labdanum—can be traced in many of his works, but each time it is interpreted in a new way.
The perfume community adores Valid Awad, and user reviews of his fragrances are mostly enthusiastic. An interesting fact: one of his first own fragrances, W. A. Parfums Aman, received a rating of 4.8 out of 5 on the largest perfume databases. The community notes his ability to create compositions that sound luxurious and prestigious. The perfumer himself admits that he is inspired by travel and the traditions of the Middle East, yet his fragrances are universal and understandable to the European nose. The rating of Valid Awad's fragrances remains consistently high, and his contribution to the industry is hard to overestimate—it was he who brought back the fashion for complex, multifaceted, and "dense" perfumes in an era of minimalism.
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