KAUSHIKA

Attar is a Persian and Arabic word meaning fragrance, scent or essence. An attar is a specific type of fragrance product first produced by Avicenna, who is considered to be the greatest individual physician who ever lived. Although attars can include some individual essential oils that are used in their own right as suitable fragrances i.e. sandalwood, patchouli, lavender etc., many attars are combinations of oils – sometimes as many as 30 or 40 blended together according to centuries-old secret Attari family formulas.

Most scents are obtained from the Middle and Near East and Indian sub-continent using traditional methods of collecting and gathering flower blossoms and immersing them in a base oil, usually a near-scentless sandalwood. These are the same fragrances used by both men and women of the East for centuries, to create spiritual beauty.

Ancient healers and prophets of centuries gone by used fragrant oils to enhance mood, adjust emotions and uplift the soul. Attars can be used to treat the whole person: physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The source and quality of floral oils and attars is extremely important, because only if the oil is true and pure can proper effects be achieved, especially in the realm of the soul. The attars I use are obtained via steam distillation or enfleurage methods without any chemical dilution or preservatives added during processing. There is also no child labour used or negative environmental effects caused as a result of the manufacturing or processing of these attars. Furthermore, due to the religious traditions of most of the manufacturers there is strictly no alcohol used. The manufacturing plants supplying the oils are visited regularly to ensure strict conditions of purity and quality are met.