In Their Own Words

"When I consulted Dr. Ghafur for perfume advice, he immediately noticed the strong projection of my scent — he said, 'I can smell your perfume from ten meters away, when ideally, it should stay within one.'

I’d been overapplying — on both sides of my neck, on my wrists, even my clothes — and doing this multiple times a day. I loved citrus and floral scents but felt they vanished too quickly on me.

Dr. Ghafur explained it wasn’t the perfume’s fault — it was about where and how I was applying it. My oily skin and the microbiome on my neck, dominated likely by Corynebacteria and Propionibacteria, were breaking down those lighter notes too fast. He suggested applying citrus or floral fragrances on the wrist instead and opting for woody or herbal-floral blends. He also introduced me to jasmine–oudh and lavender–musk options.

The difference was incredible. My perfumes now last longer, project more gently, and I apply them only once a day. This single conversation transformed not just my perfume habits but how I think about scent entirely."

Dr. Suja, Chennai 

(name changed for privacy)

"When both of us discovered musky perfumes, we thought we’d found a shared signature scent. But strangely, the same perfume behaved completely differently on each of us. I (Priya) loved wearing it on my wrists and neck — and it lingered beautifully. But for my elder sister Divya, who preferred to apply it under her arms, the scent faded too quickly and sometimes even smelled off.

When we approached Dr. Ghafur, he made it clear that his was a fragrance wellness consultation — not a medical opinion. But what he told us changed everything about how we understood and used our perfumes.

He explained that application site matters — especially because different parts of the body have different microbiomes. The underarm area, rich in moisture and certain bacteria like Corynebacteria, can rapidly alter or degrade fragrance compounds, especially musky notes. The wrist and neck, on the other hand, might support better scent longevity and evolution for such fragrances.

We never imagined our own skin biology could influence perfume performance so deeply. Today, we both wear our favourite perfume — but now we apply it in the right places, and it works wonders on both of us."

— Priya and Divya, Bengaluru 

(names changed for privacy)

"As an architect working in Dubai, my days are split between air-conditioned design offices and scorching, dusty construction sites. I’ve always gravitated towards leather–musk perfumes — deep, comforting, sophisticated. But no matter how much I spent, they’d either fade too quickly on me or turn oddly sharp halfway through the day.

When I met Dr. Ghafur for a consultation, he made it clear that this was a wellness discussion — not a medical one. We talked in detail about my routine, my environment, and how I apply my perfumes. He suspected that the instability came from the way different sites on my skin — exposed to heat, sweat, friction, and microbial fluctuations — were interacting with the perfume notes.

He didn’t suggest a simple switch, but a layered change. He recommended I apply leather–musk perfumes to the upper arms and wrists where microbial balance is relatively stable — avoiding areas prone to sweating or friction. But that wasn’t all. He also advised trying out leather–musk blends with resinous or amber base notes, which are slower to degrade and more resilient across fluctuating environments.

That was the game-changer. I no longer carry a bottle with me. My scent stays balanced and lasts through client meetings, site visits, and late-night design reviews. It finally feels like my perfume is working with me, not against me."

Arun, Dubai 

(name changed for privacy)