Exotic scents a hit with wide range of customers

The shopfront of Jamal Kazura Aromatics is bound to intrigue, with window displays stocked full of intricate hand-blown bottles from Egypt and exotic agarwood and frankincense.

The perfumery in Kampong Glam, set up in 1933, was previously patronised largely by pilgrims going on haj and congregants from the nearby Sultan Mosque, but it now has a clientele that is more diverse.

By blending essential oils such as saffron, sandalwood and frankincense, the business has created non-alcoholic perfumes, or attar in Arabic, that attract tourists and young people with their longer-lasting scent and the way they diffuse differently on skin.

The citrus-smelling Moonlight, for instance, is especially popular among Japanese tourists.

Yesterday, the National Heritage Board unveiled a "mini-museum" in front of the perfumery, one of seven newly created ones. Each tells the story of the shop where it is located.

The perfumery's display includes a pipette and beaker used to measure and mix various extracts and scents. It also contains an elaborate burner used to contain incense, as well as a page from a book used by the founder's son Jamal Hanifa to record formulations for six perfumes.

The family-run business has come a long way since founder Hanifa Shariff migrated to Singapore from South India early in the 20th century. He died in 1979 at 62.

Mr Samir Kazura, 37, the founder's grandson, has now introduced some Western notes to cater to the shop's more multi-ethnic customers.

He recalls being called "perfume boy" by his classmates, as his father would test his perfumes on him. "I went to school smelling like many different things. There was no animal testing but there was children testing," he quipped.

"By curating this exhibit, I have learnt more about my grandfather. He travelled to more places - on steamships and Soviet jets between the 1930s and 70s - than I have. He sourced for materials in jungles in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea."