Rasasi

Rasasi is a family-owned perfume house based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, founded in 1979 [9]. It began as a single shop in the traditional Murshid Bazar marketplace in Deira, one of Dubai's oldest trading districts, and grew into one of the region's larger fragrance manufacturers. The company builds its perfumes around traditional Arabian materials such as oud, amber, saffron and bukhoor, and today runs its own network of stores across the Gulf while exporting worldwide.

The house remains active. Its most widely discussed line, Hawas, continues to gain new variants into 2025 and 2026 [11], and in October 2025 the company launched a rebranding initiative called "Rasasi Perfumes 1979" [9].

Rasasi was established in 1979 by Abdul Razzak Kalsekar, who opened a small perfume and attar shop in the Murshid Bazar souk in Deira, Dubai. Attar is a traditional oil-based perfume common in the Gulf and South Asia. According to the company, Kalsekar's aim was to build something beyond an ordinary market stall — a house that would honour the Gulf's perfume traditions while emphasising quality and craftsmanship.

Sources spell the founder's name in several ways. English-language editorial coverage uses "Abdul Razzak Kalsekar" [9], while the brand's own heritage page renders it "Abd Al Razaq Kalsekar" and its retail site lists "Haji Abdul Razzak Kalsekar" [3] — transliteration variants of the same Arabic name.

The company's early growth was tied to Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), where it built its manufacturing base. Rasasi opened its first factory there in 1986 on a 5,000-square-metre plot dedicated to the manufacture and distillation of oud oil, followed by a second factory in 1989 and an aerosol production unit in 1999 [8]. A warehousing and distribution operation was added in 2005 [8].

In October 2025 the company introduced an initiative it calls "Rasasi Perfumes 1979," presented under the tagline "Legacy Reborn." Coverage of the launch referenced fragrances including Hawas, Shuhrah and the Bukhoor Jebel Ali and Bukhoor Raquiya lines.

Rasasi is owned and operated by Rasasi Perfumes Industry LLC, a family business. The brand describes the founder's vision as now being carried on by his six sons, each responsible for a different part of the business [3]. Individual family members have been named in specific roles across sources: L'Officiel UK's 2025 coverage identifies Saleem Kalsekar as chairman, Omeir Kalsekar as chief executive and Talha Kalsekar as chief marketing officer [9], while the Jafza profile names Siraj Kalsekar as managing director [8].

The company positions itself around traditional Gulf perfumery combined with a more contemporary sensibility. Its stated values are "elegance, quality, competitiveness, and innovation," and it frames its mission as honouring the region's olfactory heritage through traditional Arabic ingredients. L'Officiel UK described the house as "a symbol of Emirati craftsmanship, mastering a mix of traditional Arabian perfumery and modern sophistication" [9]. Rasasi's own materials emphasise the use of concentrated perfume oils alongside precious materials such as bukhoor and agarwood.

Rasasi's output is centred on fragrance, spanning what it labels Oriental (Eastern) and Occidental (Western) lines. Its catalogue includes long-running names such as La Yuqawam ("Irresistible"), Junoon, Daarej and Blue Lady, the last launched within its Western collection.

The brand's best-known product internationally is Hawas, a line offered in versions for men and women and extended by a large range of flankers, including Hawas Ice, Fire, Pink, Elixir, Atlantis and London. In the wider fragrance community, Hawas for Him is frequently framed as a more affordable alternative to designer scents; one specialist retailer described it as "sweeter and woodier than Invictus, less spicy than Sauvage" [10]. Across its range the house draws heavily on oud, amber, saffron, musk and ambergris.

Rasasi has been the subject of third-party profiles rather than formal awards. The Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority featured the company in 2021 as a "made in UAE" success story, documenting its manufacturing history and international growth. In 2025, L'Officiel UK covered the "Rasasi Perfumes 1979" rebrand in its beauty section.

Rasasi is active. The company reports operating around 165 stores in shopping malls and other locations across the GCC countries — the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Figures for its export reach differ between the company's own sources: its heritage page states that products are exported to more than 60 countries [3], while its retail site puts the figure at more than 90 countries [7], a difference likely reflecting continued expansion. Its corporate blog has not been updated since May 2022, but commercial activity continues through its retail sites, third-party stockists and ongoing product launches, with new Hawas variants listed for 2025 and 2026 [11].