Issuu

001

F I RST E D I T I O N

INSIDE THE PUERTO RICO FRAGRANCE EXPO

FIRST EDITION · OCTOBER 2026

San Juan, in Scent Arabian Perfumery

Beyond the Note

On Skin

Origin is not a ranking · p. 20

Note, accord, ingredient · p. 24

How we will test · p. 28

Cover: a visitor tests a scent strip, Puerto Rico Convention Center, San Juan, 16 Oct 2026, at the Niche Dubai stand (a brand of the magazine's founder). Photo: Isaque Andrade.

MANIFESTO

Discover what is emerging. Understand who makes it. Learn what happens on skin. Magazine Niche covers niche, independent and artistic perfumery: the fairs where it is shown, the people who compose it, the materials it is built from and the market that carries it to the shelf. Contemporary Arabian perfumery has its own place here, judged by the same criteria as any other house. We make four promises.

Verified news. A launch is called a launch only when it can be shown that it was launched. When proof is missing we write “not confirmed” — and keep looking.

Method in the open. When we wear a fragrance, we publish

the conditions, the number of wears and the limits of what we observed. No arbitrary scores.

Real voices only. Interviews carry real answers, approved for attribution. Until we have them, we publish none.

Relationships declared. Our founder works in the fragrance business. Every page that touches those interests says so.

Magazine Niche is the magazine. Its companion catalogue, Niche Lovers, is in preparation: the magazine tells the stories; the catalogue will keep the records.

— Magazine Niche Right: Puerto Rico coastline, 18 Oct 2026, the day after the fair. Photo: Isaque Andrade. MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

Contents 02

Manifesto

Editor’s Letter

The New Releases · The Awards

The Houses

Field Notes / San Juan

Who Was There

Arabian Perfumery

Raw Materials / Beyond the Note

The Radar

On Skin

Inside the Industry · The Calendar

Sources & Service

M N 0 0 1 · F I RST E D I T I O N · O CTO B E R 2 0 2 6

Why this magazine exists What launched, and who won

RDZ, Lattafa, Ajmal, House of Dastan, Armaf

C LO S I N G

Facts checked up to 23 October 2026. This first edition is free to read. C R E D I TS

Founder & Editorial Director: Isaque Andrade. Photography: Isaque Andrade. Research, drafting and layout assisted by AI tools, under editorial review. Spanish, Portuguese and Italian editions: AI-assisted translation.

Two days at the first Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo Every name on the fair’s walls, and what we documented Origin and positioning are different axes Note, accord, ingredient, and vanilla as a case Signals, with evidence and limits How we will wear a perfume before judging it

D I S C LO S U R E

The founder works commercially in fragrance. He is responsible for the brands Niche Dubai and Marco Philip Milano, both listed as exhibitors on the fair’s website and photographed in this issue, and is involved in fragrance retail and private-label businesses. No brand paid for advertising, articles, features or coverage in this edition. It carries no advertising.

How a fragrance reaches a shelf; dates ahead Every source, and how we work

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

EDITOR’S LETTER

A magazine you can check

erfume is easy to sell and hard to describe. A bottle can be photographed; what happens when it meets skin cannot. Fairs are where new perfumes meet their first noses, and where a great deal is said about them in very little time.

You will find verified releases, reportage from the floor, one material explained, a method for wearing perfume honestly, and a reading of the market. You will not find launches we could not confirm presented as launches, scores without tests, or quotes nobody said.

On 16 and 17 October 2026, the first Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo filled the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. We were there — and not as neutral observers. Two of the brands on that floor are mine. That is why this issue opens with a declaration instead of a promise of neutrality.

Where we could not confirm something, such as what a brand showed or who composed a scent, we say so in the text. Interviews and wear tests start in coming issues; until they exist, we publish none. Every claim here carries its source.

Magazine Niche is built on a simple rule: say what we know, show how we know it, and say clearly what we do not know yet.

This is MN 001, our first edition. It is the start of a project, not a one-off: we will keep following the fairs, the houses and the materials, and each new edition will be announced when it is ready.

Isaque Andrade FOUNDER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Niche Dubai stand (founder’s brand), 16 Oct 2026. Photo: Isaque Andrade. MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

THE NEW RELEASES

Launched, or only announced? The fair’s website promised brands “making their Puerto Rico debut” but named no products. We checked the brands’ own stores and posts, and the organizer’s. Six products are tied to the event by someone with a name; how strongly varies. LAUNCHED AT THE FAIR

RDZ Parfums · p. 7

LAUNCHED, PER THE BRAND

Ahuja · Booth D

BEST LAUNCH AWARD

Lattafa · p. 8

FEATURED, PER ORGANIZER

Armaf · p. 11

NEW · LINK NOT CONFIRMED

Terra Mater · Puerto Rico

CLAIMED · NOT VERIFIED

“Majestic” · brand unclear

BORIKÉN

“Created with Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo,” says the brand. Limited to 500 bottles, US$10 each to Make-A-Wish Puerto Rico.

Tea in Rain · Moon Whisper

On 15 October the brand posted that it “proudly presents its newest fragrance creations” at Booth D and unveiled both names.

Khamrah Mira

Named Best Launch by the organizers on 18 October. Teased by Lattafa from 5 October; not yet listed on its US store on 23 October.

Club de Nuit Elite

A booth video posted by the fair calls it “uno de los lanzamientos destacados”, one of the featured launches. Armaf has not said more.

PROCESS by Terra Mater

Five 30 ml Eaux de Parfum at US$100, added to the brand’s store on 19 October: Tabonuco Incense, Berry Rose, Sandalwood Milk, Wine Marmalade, Coco Gourmand. Made with director Darwin J. Marrero and perfumer Juan M. Pérez. The brand showed at the fair with its perfumer; whether PROCESS was on the table is not confirmed.

Four Majestic fragrances

Joel Sierra, who describes himself as CEO of Guao Fragrances, posted about “our four newest Majestic fragrance launches” at the Expo. We could not identify the brand or the four names.

Launched at the fair: documented by the brand as made for or launched at the event. Puerto Rico debut: first shown on the island there; sold elsewhere before.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

Already on sale: shown there, existed before. Not confirmed

means we lack proof, not that nothing happened. Sources: brand stores and posts, 15–23 Oct 2026; full list p. 31.

THE AWARDS

The organizers’ winners

Published by the Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo on 18 October 2026. The fair announced a five-member jury; its members and criteria have not been published. These are the organizer’s awards, not ours. PERFUMES

Best Perfume of the Expo

Club de Nuit Intense Fuego Armaf

Best Launch

Khamrah Mira Lattafa

Best Niche Perfume

Barítono Nobleman Fragancias

Best Perfume Inspired by Puerto Rico

Anarchy 100x35 LR Lux

Most Curious Presentation

Club de Nuit Intense Fuego Armaf

B RA N D S & P E O P L E

Best Booth · Best Brand Experience · Best International, Niche and Arabian Brand

Armaf seven distinctions in all, the brand posted on 19 Oct

Best Perfumer

Ángel Ríos Desklab

Favorite Content Creator · Most Fun Influencer · Creator Who Motivated You to Collect

Daniel René

Breakthrough Creator

@fragance_spot

Category names rendered in English by us; product names as the organizer spelled them (Armaf’s US store spells it “Intenso Fuego”). Source: @puertoricofragrance, Instagram, 18 Oct 2026; @armaf, 19 Oct 2026.

THE HOUSES · 1 OF 5

RDZ Parfums

LAUNCHED AT THE FAIR

“Born in Puerto Rico. Made in Philadelphia.” The local house made the fair its own scent, and brought a salsa singer to the stand.

O N T H E R E CO R D

BORIKÉN Type · Eau de Parfum, 100 ml Edition · limited to 500 bottles Price · US$150, brand’s US store, 23 Oct 2026 (sold out) Perfumer · not stated by the brand Status · launched at the fair

T H E LAU N C H

BORIKÉN

An Eau de Parfum the brand says was “created with Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo”, named with the island’s Taíno name. Limited to 500 bottles of 100 ml, US$150 on the brand’s US store, where it showed as sold out on 23 October. RDZ says US$10 from each bottle goes to Make-A-Wish Puerto Rico, itself a partner of the fair. TeleOnce reported the presentation on 10 September. Declared notes. Passion fruit, mango, coconut, bergamot, green tea; tiaré, ylang-ylang, sea breeze, solar notes; guaiac wood, cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, musk, amber, vanilla. The brand’s list, not an analysis. O N T H E STA N D

Base. Puerto Rico and Philadelphia, by its

RDZ posted that SEIS 8 UNO was available at the event, with the singer Michael Stuart at the booth.

At the fair. Niche wall; commemorative scent

A LS O N E W T H I S Y E A R

Retail. Distribution deal with Glamour

Coco-Crash, with Dara Caro (April), “inspired by Playa Crashboat”. Wooder Ice (August). Philly Blunt and Cereza extraits, US$160, added on 13 October. No documented tie to the fair.

own tagline

reported by Metro Puerto Rico, Feb 2026

Sources: rdzparfums.com, product pages accessed 23 Oct 2026; @rdzparfums, Instagram, Oct 2026; TeleOnce, 10 Sep 2026; Metro Puerto Rico, 8 Feb 2026. Still unknown: BORIKÉN’s perfumer; bottles sold at the event.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

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THE HOUSES · 2 OF 5

THE FAIR’S PRESENTING SPONSOR · BEST LAUNCH

Lattafa

The fair’s presenting sponsor left San Juan with the organizers’ Best Launch award, for a perfume its own US store does not list yet.

O N T H E R E CO R D

Khamrah Mira First teased · 5 Oct 2026, Lattafa’s Instagram Perfumer · Jordi Fernández, “one of the perfumers”, per Lattafa Price · not listed on the US store, 23 Oct 2026 Status · Best Launch, organizers’ award, 18 Oct 2026

Base. UAE At the fair. Presenting sponsor, per the fair’s

THE AWARD

Khamrah Mira

Lattafa began teasing it on Instagram on 5 October and posted its notes on 9 October: jasmine sambac, redcurrant, chestnut, roasted tonka absolute and an accord it calls “Cocoa Pulse”. On 22 October it named Jordi Fernández as “one of the perfumers”. The organizers named it Best Launch on 18 October. Whether it went on sale at the fair is not confirmed. A D D E D TO T H E US STO R E , 9 O CTO B E R

Give Me Gourmand Matcha Swirl · Give Me Gourmand Harlequin Cream · Atlas Glacial Valley · Atlas Canyon · Beyond Precious. A week before the fair; no documented tie to it. A LS O R E P O RT E D

Fearless, listed as a 2026 release by the perfume database Fragrantica. No documented tie to the fair.

website

Store. lattafa.com redirects to lattafa-usa.com

Sources: @lattafa, Instagram, 5–22 Oct 2026; lattafa-usa.com product data, accessed 23 Oct 2026; @puertoricofragrance, 18 Oct 2026; Fragrantica. Still unknown: what Lattafa showed on the floor; Khamrah Mira’s price and release date.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

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THE HOUSES · 3 OF 5

THE FAIR’S CO-PRESENTING SPONSOR

Ajmal

A Dubai house with Indian roots, now putting its perfumers’ names on its newest scents.

O N T H E R E CO R D

Chapter 5 Perfumers · Coralie Spicher and Fabrice Pellegrin, per the brand Price · AED 300, brand’s UAE store, 23 Oct 2026 Listed as · new arrival Status · new; link to the fair not confirmed

AT T H E FA I R

The brand’s presence is documented by the fair’s sponsor list and by a post of Patricia Corcino visiting the Ajmal space. Which perfumes were on the table is not confirmed. AU T H O RS O F A J M A L

Chapter 5 · Blanche III, IV, V

The UAE store lists Chapter 5, credited to Coralie Spicher and Fabrice Pellegrin, at AED 300. On 22 October Ajmal’s US account posted Blanche III, IV and V and an “Authors of Ajmal” series featuring Maurice Roucel. A house naming its perfumers is worth noting; how widely it does so, we have not checked. OT H E R N E W A R R I VA LS ( UA E STO R E )

Base. Dubai; founder Haji Ajmal Ali, from Assam, India, started in Mumbai in 1951

At the fair. Co-presenting sponsor; its mark

Evoke Red Edition for Her and for Him (AED 175) · Qasida Dahabia · Amber Wood. Bois Soleil is listed as 2026 by Fragrantica. No documented tie to the fair.

on the official T-shirt

Anniversary. Recent posts carry the tag #Ajmal75

Sources: en-ae.ajmal.com and us.ajmal.com (About us), accessed 23 Oct 2026;

@ajmalperfumeus, Instagram, 22 Oct 2026; Instagram post of the visit, Oct 2026; puertoricofragrance.com. Still unknown: products shown in San Juan; US prices.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

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THE HOUSES · 4 OF 5

House of Dastan

THE FAIR’S VIP SPONSOR

Listed among the fair’s Middle Eastern names, made in New York by founders of Persian heritage: a case for keeping origin and style apart (p. 21).

O N T H E R E CO R D

12 Faces Type · Extrait, 100 ml, limited edition Perfumer · Richard Herpin Price · US$275, brand’s store, 23 Oct 2026 Status · already on sale, since Dec 2025

AT T H E FA I R

The brand’s VIP sponsorship came with the event’s VIP party, documented in posts from the night. What was shown or poured at the stand is not confirmed. T H E F LAG S H I P

ALREADY ON SALE

12 Faces Limited Edition

An extrait credited to the perfumer Richard Herpin, with oud, saffron, sandalwood and almond among its declared notes, at US$275 for 100 ml. It has been on the brand’s store since 3 December 2025; the brand says only 1,000 hand-numbered bottles exist. NEW THIS YEAR

Base. New York; founded in 2024 by the siblings Hamed and Sonia Arefian

Silent Love, introduced on 18 August 2026. A Discovery Collection of seven 10 ml bottles, June 2026. No documented tie to the fair.

At the fair. VIP sponsor; hosted the VIP party

Sources: houseofdastan.com, brand story and product pages, accessed 23 Oct 2026; Fragrantica brand page; Instagram posts of the VIP party, Oct 2026; puertoricofragrance.com. Still unknown: products shown in San Juan.

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THE HOUSES · 5 OF 5

BOOTH L3 · SEVEN AWARDS

Armaf

The biggest winner of the night: seven of the organizers’ distinctions, for a perfume first shown in Dubai earlier that month.

O N T H E R E CO R D

Club de Nuit Intenso Fuego First shown · Beautyworld Middle East, Dubai, opening day (6–8 Oct 2026) Price · US$70, armaf.com (US), 23 Oct 2026 Perfumer · not stated by the brand In San Juan · Best Perfume of the Expo

B E ST P E R F U M E O F T H E E X P O

FIRST SHOWN IN DUBAI

Club de Nuit Intenso Fuego

Gulf News reported its debut on the opening day of Beautyworld Middle East in Dubai, which ran from 6 to 8 October. Armaf’s US store added it on 21–22 October, at US$70, describing a fresh-woody scent with a charred-pineapple note. In San Juan it took Best Perfume of the Expo and Most Curious Presentation. Whether San Juan was its first showing in Puerto Rico is not documented. F E AT U R E D , P E R T H E O R GA N I Z E R

Club de Nuit Elite, called “one of the featured launches” in a booth video posted by the fair. Base. UAE At the fair. Booth L3; “The ARMAF House” party; its mark on the official T-shirt

A LS O A D D E D TO T H E US STO R E , 2 1 – 2 2 O CTO B E R

Club de Nuit Bling Gold (US$70). An Odyssey Spicy Collection at US$55 each: Bloody Hot, Jalapeach-O and Ring My Bell, built, says the brand, around Bloody Mary, “living jalapeño” and green bell pepper accords. Odyssey Mandarin Sky Elixir and Li’chi Lush appear on its Instagram. See The Radar, p. 26.

Sources: armaf.com (Official US) product data, accessed 23 Oct 2026; @armaf, Instagram, 19 Oct 2026; @puertoricofragrance, 16–18 Oct 2026; Gulf News, Oct 2026. Still unknown: whether Club de Nuit Elite is new.

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FIELD NOTES / SAN JUAN

Two days in Miramar One convention hall, a first edition, and a simple question: what does a new fragrance fair actually show — and what does it only promise?

Puerto Rico Convention Center, San Juan, 16 Oct 2026, early afternoon of the first day. Photo: Isaque Andrade. Reportage and captions: Magazine Niche.

FIELD NOTES / SAN JUAN · CONTEXT

A first edition, by its own account The Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo held its first edition on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October 2026, from noon to 8 pm, at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan’s Miramar district. The event’s website names Lattafa as presenting sponsor, Ajmal as co-presenting sponsor and House of Dastan as VIP sponsor; its footer credits Puerto Rico Fragrance LLC and Pertinacia Perfume. Tickets were sold through Ticketera, whose event page names Gully Events Corp. A press release published by Cintronízate PR on 8 September describes the concept as belonging to Álex Fontánez, who owns a perfume shop in Bayamón, with his brother Ronald Harrington as organizer and sales manager. “El 90 por ciento de estas marcas nunca han estado en Puerto Rico,” Harrington said — ninety per cent of these brands had never been to Puerto Rico. It is the organizer’s claim; we could not check it brand by brand.

An official expo T-shirt on the floor, printed “Presentado por” with the marks of Lattafa, Ajmal, House of Dastan and Armaf. Niche Dubai stand, 16 Oct 2026. Photo: Isaque Andrade.

The announced programme: on Friday, courses for local perfume creators and a stage show hosted by Javier de Jesús, “El Machazo”; on Saturday, awards judged by a fivemember panel and a closing concert by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Tickets cost US$60 (general), US$100 (premium, with a sample kit) and US$500 (VIP). P R O M I S E D B E FO R E T H E E V E N T

CO N F I R M E D A F T E R T H E E V E N T

5,000+ expected attendees · 50+ exhibiting brands (Primera Hora said 100+) · 40+ influencers and creators (press releases said 150+) · US$500K+ “projected economic impact” (W Journal reported US$500,000 as the investment).

Award winners: published 18 Oct (p. 6) · El Gran Combo closing concert: held · Brands: “90+” in a Primera Hora post · Final attendance and sales: not published.

Organizer’s website and pre-event press.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

Organizer and brand posts, 16–22 Oct 2026; Primera Hora.

FIELD NOTES · THE GESTURE

Left and top right: Niche Dubai stand (founder’s brand), 16 Oct 2026, 14:38. Bottom right: a visitor smells a card, 16 Oct 2026, 15:00; stand not identified. Photos: Isaque Andrade.

Most of a fair happens on a strip of paper

Blotters let a visitor smell many perfumes in minutes without wearing any of them. Paper, however, does not warm, sweat or move. A strip says something about a perfume’s opening and structure, little about how it lasts or radiates on a person. That is why a fair impression is not a review (see On Skin, p. 28).

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

Filming at the Niche Dubai stand, 16 Oct 2026, 14:54.

Recording at the Marco Philip Milano stand, 17 Oct 2026, 16:00. Both stands belong to the founder’s brands. People not identified by us. Photos: Isaque Andrade.

FIELD NOTES · ON CAMERA

A fair made to be filmed

The organizers put creators at the centre of the pitch. The website advertised 40+ influencers and creators, invited more to apply, and announced special guests including Jeremy Fragrance, Daniel René and Patricia Corcino, alongside local fragrance accounts. On the floor, phones on stands were part of the furniture.

PLACED ON THE FLOOR

Jeremy Fragrance. At the Pertinacia booth, 17 Oct, per Pertinacia’s post.

Daniel René. Received three of the organizers’ creator awards (p. 6).

Patricia Corcino. Posted from the Ajmal space.

Announced is not the same as present, so we looked for posts from the floor. Three of the named guests can be placed there; the rest we leave as announced.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

FIELD NOTES · MARKET READING

Why San Juan, and why now? The fair did not arrive in an empty market. In April 2025, the newspaper Primera Hora reported that at Farmacias Caridad, a Puerto Rican pharmacy chain, about two in ten new perfumes reaching its stores in 2020 were Arabian; five years later, about six in ten. The chain sold them in more than 30 stores at roughly US$15 to US$78, according to its fragrance category manager. A shop owner in Río Piedras told the paper he had gone from about ten Arabian options to more than 300. In September 2026, El Nuevo Día framed the expo as a sign that the island’s own perfume industry is growing. Among the local exhibitors’ recent products, the names tell the story: BORIKÉN (RDZ), San Juan Spritz (Terra Mater), CocoCrash (RDZ with Dara Caro, “inspired by Playa Crashboat”) — island places and words used as the identity of a scent.

2→6

in 10 new perfumes at one Puerto Rican chain were Arabian, 2020 → 2025 (company’s account, Primera Hora, 28 Apr 2025)

US$4.9bn

global retail sales of Arabian fragrances in 2025, up from US$2.8bn in 2023 (Euromonitor, 14 Sep 2026)

O U R R E A D I N G (hypothesis)

Puerto Rico sits where two currents meet: Gulf houses that grew on accessible prices and online reach, and small island brands that sell place and identity. A first fair puts them in one room. Whether that becomes a lasting market, one edition cannot tell. Missing: island import data for perfumes; sales by channel. Photo: Niche Dubai table (founder’s brand), 16 Oct 2026, 14:24. Photo: Isaque Andrade.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

WHO WAS THERE · 1 OF 3 · NICHE WALL

Niche and island houses

The 25 names on the fair’s niche wall, in the organizer’s category. A logo is a declared link, not proof of a stand; where a brand or the organizer documented more, we say so.

Blend Oud

Marco Philip Milano* · Niche Dubai*

Casa Niche · Conde Parfums · Emmir Milano · Flambo PR

Opus Echo Parfums

Dara Caro

Parfums Del Valle · Primera Perfumes · PRP Perfumes

Posted that it was in Puerto Rico “for the first time”.

The founder’s brands. Stand photographed in this issue. Present. New on its store: Nirvana (21 Oct), Sempiternal (1 Oct), Rose Lumière (Aug), US$160.

On the wall; nothing further documented yet. Co-signed Coco-Crash with RDZ, April 2026.

On the wall; nothing further documented yet.

Desklab Parfums

RDZ

Present; its Ángel Ríos named Best Perfumer (p. 6).

BORIKÉN, the fair’s own scent (p. 7).

Fragancias Pitorro

Perfumer Clément Gavarry at the booth, per the brand. Mists from US$15 (30 and 80 ml), per its post.

Fragrance One

SUPERZ Budapest

Dominance Gold Pumpkin Noir, limited, 50 ml, US$110, on its store since 31 Aug.

Shown by co-presenter Pertinacia, whose booth Jeremy Fragrance visited on 17 Oct.

Terramater

JEODY by JVM

The Harmonist

Jeroboam · Jovoy · Lorenzo Pazzaglia · Maiora Parfum

VOET

Created by the artist Joedy Villegas Mercado.

On the wall; nothing further documented yet.

Presented with its perfumer; PROCESS line added 19 Oct (p. 5). On the wall; nothing further documented yet. Atelier capsule: Paradise, Serenity, Elysium, shown at Colombiamoda in July.

T H E I S LA N D ’ S O W N H O US E S

Several names here describe themselves as Puerto Rican: RDZ, Terra Mater, JEODY by JVM, Fragancias Pitorro. Perfussense, which presents itself as made on the island, sits on the retail wall (p. 19). * Brands of the magazine’s founder; the site spells one “Marco Phillip”. Left: a stand built as an island house, beside the Niche Dubai table, 16 Oct 2026, 14:03. Owner not identified. Photo: Isaque Andrade.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

WHO WAS THERE · 2 OF 3 · MIDDLE EASTERN WALL

The largest wall, the thinnest record

The organizer’s “Middle Eastern” wall holds 25 names and a placeholder logo reading “Brand Name”. The three sponsors are listed separately. “Middle Eastern” is the fair’s label for a style; it is not a statement of origin (p. 21).

T H E FA I R ’ S S P O N S O RS · F U L L PAG E S

Lattafa

Presenting sponsor; Best Launch for Khamrah Mira (p. 8).

Ajmal

Co-presenting sponsor (p. 9).

House of Dastan

VIP sponsor; New York-based (p. 10).

O N T H E W A L L , W I T H S O M E T H I N G D O CU M E N T E D

Armaf

Booth L3; seven of the organizers’ awards (p. 11).

Ahuja

Booth D. Posted on 15 Oct that it was presenting its newest creations, Tea in Rain and Moon Whisper.

Ahmed Al Maghribi

Oud and Roses Auric, marking ten years of its Oud & Roses line, in a sponsored Khaleej Times supplement of 9 Oct. No documented tie to the fair.

Afnan · Zimaya

Zimaya is sold as an Afnan line, per retailers; Afnan is a UAE house (Fragrantica).

O N T H E W A L L , N OT H I N G F U RT H E R D O CU M E N T E D Y E T

Abyat · Al Absar · Al’ard Wal Sama · Arabiyat Prestige · Atralia · Bharara · Dumont Paris · Elyseus · Fragrance Story · Frais et Frais · Game of Spades · Karma · King of Kings · Louis Cardin · Luniche · Onyx Fragrances Dubai · Orientica · Rai Phalail · Rayhaan · Ron Marone S E E N I N P O STS F R O M T H E F LO O R , N OT O N T H E W E BS I T E

Arabian Crest Dubai · Al Zain Imports / Al Zain Perfume · Shaikh Saeed Perfumes

What no one has published: what each house on this wall showed, whether it was a Puerto Rico debut, and who distributes it on the island. A name here is a logo, not a review.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

WHO WAS THERE · 3 OF 3

Shops, partners, guests

The businesses that sell perfume after the lights go out, the partners who signed on, and the people the fair and its brands put on camera. How the channels work: p. 29. D I ST R I B U T I O N & R E TA I L W A L L · 3 0 ABC Perfumes · Aroma Concepts · Aroma Glam · Aromatico · Aqua D Parfum (booth H13) · Atacatum · Beauté POS (software) · Big Boss Essence · Chucherías · DH Distributors · Esto Es PR · Farmacia Coralis · Fragancias Oasis · French Perfumes International · Gift Express · JCPenney · JF Perfumes · Li.Ke Store · Lilis Fragrance · Mojitos Decretos · Olfativo · Parfum by Aloryana · Perfume Plus Distributors · Perfumes of the World (POTW) · Perfumora · Perfussense · Pertinacia Perfume (co-presenter) · Simply Bella Distributor · The Scent House · Tuko Alberto Names as on the fair’s website, alphabetized. Several are brands as much as shops.

A LS O P O ST E D F R O M T H E F LO O R Kumbra · Olfactory X · Predator Performance · Química de Perfumes · Scent Sensational US · Skin Body Oils · Nobleman Fragancias (Best Niche Perfume) · LR Lux (Best Perfume Inspired by Puerto Rico) · “Majestic”, per Joel Sierra (p. 5) P E O P L E O N C A M E RA

El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Closing concert. Jeremy Fragrance. At the Pertinacia booth, 17 Oct, 6 pm, per Pertinacia.

Daniel René. Three creator awards (p. 6).

PA RT N E RS

Derick Xander. Announced as special guest.

JCPenney Plaza Las Américas. Official clothing sponsor,

Michael Stuart. At the RDZ stand.

per posts.

Make-A-Wish Puerto Rico. Partner; beneficiary of BORIKÉN.

Automobilia PR. Seen among partners in posts.

Patricia Corcino. Visited the Ajmal space. Clément Gavarry. Perfumer, at the Fragancias Pitorro booth.

Ángel Ríos. Desklab; Best Perfumer. Javier de Jesús, “El Machazo”. Announced as host.

Sources: puertoricofragrance.com, accessed 23 Oct 2026; Instagram posts by the organizer, brands and guests, 15–22 Oct 2026. “Seen in posts” means a brand or guest posted from the event; it does not tell us the size of a stand or what was sold.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

ARABIAN PERFUMERY

Origin is a place. Positioning is a promise. At the first Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo, Lattafa, Ajmal and House of Dastan headlined as sponsors, and a whole wall of logos was labelled “Middle Eastern”. That label tells you where a brand says it comes from. It says nothing about how a perfume is made, who composed it, what it costs or how good it is. Over four pages we separate those questions: country, house, authorship, creative proposal and price tier, each with its own evidence.

Right: a visitor smells a strip at the Niche Dubai stand (founder’s brand; based in Orlando, Florida, despite its name), 16 Oct 2026, 14:29. Photo: Isaque Andrade. 20

ARABIAN PERFUMERY · COUNTRY

What the “Middle Eastern” wall actually holds

We checked where each house says, or is reported, to come from. Where a brand’s own site says nothing, we fall back on databases and trademark records, so the “evidence” column matters as much as the answer. HOUSE

ORIGIN AS REPORTED

EVIDENCE

ROLE AT THE FAIR

Lattafa

UAE

Euromonitor analysis, Sep 2026

Presenting sponsor

Ajmal

Dubai-based; founder Haji Ajmal Ali came from Assam, India

Brand’s own sites (UAE, US)

Co-presenting sponsor

House of Dastan

New York; founders of Persian Brand’s own site heritage

VIP sponsor

Armaf

UAE

Gulf News

Logo wall

Afnan · Zimaya

UAE; Zimaya sold as an Afnan line

Perfume database; retailer pages

Logo wall

Ahmed Al Maghribi

Dubai

Brand directories; trade listing

Logo wall

Arabiyat Prestige

UAE, part of My Perfumes Group

Sponsored press

Logo wall

Rayhaan · Dumont

Rayhaan: UAE. Dumont: Dubai Perfume databases factory

Logo wall

Bharara

New York, USA

Brazilian trade press

Logo wall

Game of Spades

Not confirmed; a Jo Milano Paris line

US trademarks held by Jo Milano Paris Inc.

Logo wall

Louis Cardin

UAE

Perfume databases

Logo wall

Ron Marone

Not confirmed

A retailer gives two different Logo wall founding stories; US marks owned by a US distributor

14 more on the wall

Not yet confirmed

—

What it shows. “Middle Eastern” is partly a style

category. Two houses tied to the fair, the VIP sponsor and Bharara, are documented as American; Ajmal began in Mumbai before moving its headquarters to Dubai.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

Logo wall

What it doesn’t. Origin is not a grade. A Dubai address says nothing about quality, price or performance on skin.

ARABIAN PERFUMERY · MARKET & AUTHORSHIP

A regional tradition on a global shelf The research firm Euromonitor put global retail sales of Arabian fragrances at US$4.9 billion in 2025, up from US$2.8 billion in 2023, with e-commerce sales more than tripling over the period. In 2025 alone, it says, the category grew 50% online, against roughly 28% across all channels, and 286% in Brazil, driven by e-commerce. It describes Lattafa as present in more than 120 countries, with over US$63 million generated on TikTok Shop in a single year and more than US$100 million on Amazon. Price is one axis; authorship is another. In the same Primera Hora article, Farmacias Caridad’s fragrance category manager credited Lattafa’s Teriaq to the perfumer Quentin Bisch, and linked him to Delina (Parfums de Marly), Le Beau Le Parfum (Jean Paul Gaultier) and Guidance (Amouage). The same names move between price tiers. And high perfumery has Arab addresses too: Amouage presents itself, on its own “Our story” page, as a house of Omani origin. Being Arabian and being niche are not opposites.

In Puerto Rico. One chain’s share of Arabian new

arrivals went from about 2 in 10 to 6 in 10 between 2020 and 2025, by its own account (p. 16).

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

A RA B I A N F RAG RA N C E S , G LO B A L R E TA I L S A L E S

US$4.9bn

US$2.8bn

2023

2025

Source: Euromonitor International, “The rise of Arabian fragrances”, 14 Sep 2026. Bar heights to scale. Figures are the firm’s estimates.

Limits. Market estimates are not sales audits. We found no import figures specific to the island.

ARABIAN PERFUMERY · METHOD

Five questions we ask of every house

The same five, whether the bottle costs US$15 or US$500. Each answer carries its own source, and “not stated” is an answer.

1 2 3

Country. Where is the company registered, and where is the juice made? These can differ.

Proposal. What does the scent set out to do, in the brand’s own words, and does it claim to

Price tier. Price, currency, market and date of the price. No automatic conversions.

House. Who owns the brand, and is it a line within a larger group? Authorship. Is a perfumer named by the brand? If not, we say so rather than guess from a database.

reference another perfume?

A P P L I E D TO T H E FA I R ’ S T H R E E S P O N S O RS , F R O M P U B L I C S O U R C E S PRODUCT

COUNTRY

AUTHORSHIP

PRICE TIER

Khamrah Mira · Lattafa

UAE

Jordi Fernández, “one of the perfumers”

Not yet listed, US store, 23 Oct 2026

Chapter 5 · Ajmal

Dubai; founder from Assam, India

Coralie Spicher, Fabrice Pellegrin

AED 300, UAE store, 23 Oct 2026

12 Faces · House of Dastan

New York

Richard Herpin

US$275 / 100 ml, US store, 23 Oct 2026

House: all three are sold under their own names. Where the juice is made, and each scent’s proposal in the brand’s own words, we have not found stated. Sources: pp. 8–10.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

R A W M AT E R I A L S

Beyond the Note A note pyramid is a menu, not a recipe. Before we explain any material, four words need to stop meaning the same thing.

Ingredient

A material that is actually in the bottle: a natural extract or a single molecule. Only the maker, or a laboratory analysis, can document it.

Accord

Several materials combined by the perfumer to produce one impression none of them gives alone.

Note

A word the brand uses to describe the smell. “Sea breeze” and “solar notes”, both in BORIKÉN’s pyramid (p. 7), describe effects; nobody distils a breeze.

Perception

What a wearer reports. It varies between people and over time, and it is evidence about the wearer as much as about the perfume.

Our rule: we never deduce a formula from a pyramid. Natural does not mean better or safer; synthetic does not mean lesser.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

R A W M AT E R I A L S · C A S E S T U D Y

One word, three things: vanilla

“Vanilla” closes BORIKÉN’s pyramid, and dozens of others. The word alone does not tell you which of three different things the perfumer used. THE PLANT

THE MOLECULE

THE CONSTRUCTION

Vanilla

Vanillin

Extracts made from the cured pods of the vanilla orchid. A natural extract is a complex mixture of many compounds, not one smell.

A single molecule, the best-known aroma compound of vanilla. It can be obtained from the pod or produced by other routes, including chemical synthesis and biotechnology.

Gourmand accord An accord built to suggest something edible and sweet. It may use vanillin and related materials, but it is a perfumer’s design, not an ingredient.

Why it matters. A listed note is a description.

A note is a word. An ingredient is a fact. An accord is a design.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

Whether a perfume contains vanilla extract, vanillin, both or neither is information only the brand can give — and most do not.

What we will ask. When we interview a perfumer: which materials were decisive, and what the pyramid leaves out.

Next in this series. Oud as a note, and agarwood as a documented material.

The Radar 01

EDITORIAL RADAR

Signals worth checking, not trends we declare. Each carries its evidence, its period and its limits.

Gourmands beyond sugar

Evidence. Scentmate, a service of the ingredients company dsm-

firmenich, presented less-sweet gourmands, peach and green florals among its fine-fragrance directions for spring/summer 2026.

Period. Spring/summer 2026, as framed by the supplier. Limits. A supplier’s forecast, not sales data, and not evidence for autumn 2026.

At the fair’s brands. In October, exhibitors added Lattafa’s Give Me

Gourmand Matcha Swirl, Terra Mater’s Coco Gourmand and Armaf’s floral-gourmand Bling Gold. Armaf went the other way too, with pepper and Bloody Mary accords (p. 11). Names, not a count; whether less sweet holds needs wearing.

EDITORIAL RADAR

New molecules, new extraction

Evidence. dsm-firmenich presents its 2026 ingredient launches under the name “Sharing Innovation 2026”; Givaudan describes its work on fragrance molecules, including biotechnology, on its science and technology pages. Period. 2026 programmes, as published by the companies.

Limits. Performance and sustainability claims are the suppliers’ own. We do not link any of these ingredients to a specific perfume without the brand’s confirmation.

Sources: Scentmate, “Fine fragrance trends 2026: 3 scent directions”, 15 Jul 2025; dsm-firmenich, “Sharing Innovation” page; Givaudan, “Fragrance molecules” and “Innovating responsibly” pages, accessed 23 Oct 2026; brand stores (p. 31).

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

THE RADAR · FROM THE FLOOR

HYPOTHESIS TO FOLLOW

The island as an ingredient story

Evidence. Recent products from Puerto Rican exhibitors carry island

names: BORIKÉN (RDZ), Coco-Crash (RDZ with Dara Caro, April 2026), San Juan Spritz (Terra Mater), a Pitorro de Coco and Pitorro de Mango line (Fragancias Pitorro), Dirty Guava and El Yunque (DeskLab, 2025, per Fragrantica).

Period. 2025–2026 releases. Limits. A naming pattern is not a smell pattern. Four small brands are a sample, not a market. We will check whether the compositions, not only the labels, use local materials.

HYPOTHESIS TO FOLLOW

The phone as the shop window

Evidence. The fair built its pitch around creators (p. 15). Euromonitor

attributes more than US$63 million in a single year on TikTok Shop to Lattafa, and finds Arabian fragrances growing faster online than overall.

Period. 2023–2025 data; October 2026 observation. Limits. One brand’s figures and one event’s staging. We have no data on what visitors bought after watching.

Visitors pose for a photo with a cut-out from the Marco Philip Milano stand (founder’s brand), 16 Oct 2026. Photo: Isaque Andrade. MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

NO RESULTS IN THIS ISSUE

ON SKIN · METHOD

On Skin

How we will wear a perfume before we say anything about it. An editorial, observational protocol, not a laboratory test. We publish it before any result, so readers can hold us to it; the first wear diaries appear in a coming issue. Who. Two evaluators where possible, each wearing the

What. One perfume per session. We record the bottle

How much. Two sprays as the starting reference.

Conditions. Application site, no rubbing, moisturizer

perfume at least three times on different days. We publish the real number of wears.

or sample, its origin (bought, received, founder’s brand), concentration and batch where shown.

Atomizers differ, so we never claim equal doses across brands.

or other scents used, temperature, weather and setting. We follow the product’s directions and stop at any irritation.

T H E D I A RY

15 min

30 min

We keep going while the perfume can still be detected. Duration is published as an observed interval: last time detected and first time not detected, never a single invented number.

Longevity

Projection

Sillage

How long the perfume is detectable on the evaluator’s own skin.

Whether another person detects it at fixed distances, for example 0.5 m and 1 m. No instrument precision claimed.

The trail left as the wearer moves. Observed separately; not the same as projection.

What we admit. Noses adapt; evaluators disagree, and we publish the disagreement. A strip test at a fair is not skin. Our own brands are reviewed only by an outside evaluator, with the relationship stated.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY

From a stand to a shelf

The fair’s third logo wall is the least glamorous and maybe the most telling: it lists the businesses that move perfume once the lights go out. Their variety maps the island’s channels. Department stores. JCPenney, with “more than 650 stores in the

U.S. and Puerto Rico” (company releases, Oct and Dec 2025). In September 2026, El Nuevo Día reported that UFC Fragrances chose Puerto Rico, through JCPenney, for its Latin American debut.

Pharmacies. Farmacia Coralis is on the wall; chains such as

Farmacias Caridad sell Arabian perfumes across the island (p. 16).

Independent shops. Perfume shops such as Atacatum and JF Perfumes, alongside smaller sellers and island brands (p. 19).

Online sellers and distributors. Online and wholesale sellers such as Gift Express, Perfumora and Perfumes of the World, and distributors such as Perfume Plus and DH Distributors.

Local brands, new routes. In February 2026, Metro Puerto Rico

reported a distribution agreement between RDZ Parfums and the retailer Glamour.

Tools. Point-of-sale software built for perfume shops had its own stand (left).

Left: the Beauté POS stand, 16 Oct 2026, 14:03. Person not identified. Photo: Isaque Andrade.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY · DISCOVERY & ACCESS

A region that buys perfume first

65%

share of fragrance in total Latin American beauty sales in 2025

15%

growth of the fragrance category in the region that year

286%

growth of Arabian fragrance sales in Brazil in 2025 (Euromonitor)

First two figures: Circana data, as reported by Premium Beauty News, 21 Sep 2026. Third: Euromonitor, 14 Sep 2026.

Discovery is a product. At San Juan, the premium ticket (US$100) included a perfume sample kit; the VIP ticket (US$500) did too. Strips, kits and travel sizes are how a visitor meets dozens of brands in an afternoon, and how small houses get a first nose without a shelf.

Packaging travels before the juice. On the floor, oversized bottle mock-ups and cut-outs were built to be photographed. A bottle that photographs well reaches phones before it reaches skin.

Access is the open question. Which brands left San Juan with a Puerto Rican distributor? That is the result that matters most for an exhibitor, and the one nobody has published.

The Calendar 5–7 Nov 2026

A visitor receives a gift bag at the Niche Dubai stand (founder’s brand), 16 Oct 2026, 14:04. Photo: Isaque Andrade.

Dates from the organizers, checked 23 Oct 2026

ScentXplore 2026 · CENTER415, 415 Fifth Avenue, New York. The founder’s brand Marco Philip Milano exhibits.

24–27 Feb 2027 Esxence 2027 · Allianz MiCo, Milan. The reference fair for artistic perfumery. No date has been announced for a second Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo. Sources: scentxplore.com; esxence.com.

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

Sources & service 1 Puerto Rico Fragrance Expo, official site, accessed 23 Oct 2026; @puertoricofragrance, Instagram, 15–22 Oct 2026 2 Cintronízate PR, press release, 8 Sep 2026 3 Noticias de Bayamón, 8 Sep 2026 4 W Journal (Puerto Rico), 11 Sep 2026 5 Buenas Nuevas, 25 Aug and 6 Oct 2026 6 Primera Hora, 28 Apr 2025 and 8 Sep 2026 7 El Nuevo Día, 6 and 23 Sep 2026 8 TeleOnce, 10 Sep 2026; Presencia PR, 16 Sep 2026 9 Ticketera, event page 10 Gulf News, Oct 2026 (Armaf at Beautyworld Middle East) 11 Khaleej Times supplements, 6 and 9 Oct 2026 (sponsored) 12 Noticias RCN, 27 Jul 2026 (VOET)

13 Metro Puerto Rico, 8 Feb 2026 14 JCPenney newsroom, 28 Oct and 15 Dec 2025 15 Euromonitor International, 14 Sep 2026 16 Premium Beauty News (Circana data), 21 Sep 2026 17 Brand sites and stores, accessed 23 Oct 2026: RDZ, Lattafa

USA, Armaf (US), Ajmal (UAE, US), House of Dastan, Terra Mater, Opus Echo, SUPERZ, JEODY by JVM, DeskLab 18 Brand and guest posts on Instagram, 15–22 Oct 2026 19 Scentmate, 15 Jul 2025; dsm-firmenich; Givaudan 20 Amouage, “Our story” 21 Fragrantica and Parfumo, perfume databases; US trademark records 22 scentxplore.com; esxence.com

P H OTO G RA P H Y

CO R R E CT I O N S

All photographs: Isaque Andrade. Puerto Rico Convention Center, 16–17 Oct 2026; Puerto Rico coast, 18 Oct 2026. Bottles, labels and logos are shown as photographed, without retouching. No brand-supplied images are used in this edition.

Errors are corrected in all four language editions at once, each with a dated correction note.

SAMPLES

A DV E RT I S I N G & A I

When we test, every sheet will state whether the sample was bought, received from the brand, or is a product of the founder’s brands. Receiving a sample buys neither coverage nor a result.

Advertising, sponsorship and affiliate links will always be labelled; this first edition, free to read, has none. Research, drafting, layout and translations were assisted by AI tools, under the editor’s direction.

MN 001 · First Edition · October 2026 Editorial Director: Isaque Andrade

MAGAZINE NICHE · MN 001 · OCTOBER 2026

THE WORLD OF NICHE & INDEPENDENT PERFUMERY

Puerto Rico coast, 18 Oct 2026, the day after the fair. Photo: Isaque Andrade. MN 001 · First Edition · October 2026