Since the early 2000s, West Philadelphia shop owners have been importing Middle Eastern perfume oils to help build a bridge between Black and Brown communities.

More recently, several Philadelphia-based Black creators on TikTok and Instagram have popularized these Middle Eastern-imported fragrance oils as affordable alternatives to high-end designer perfumes, writes Mariyum Raina Rizman for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In many Arab cultures, fragrance is perceived as a powerful symbol of self-care and cleanliness.

Brittni Smith, a West Oak Lane resident, has built a big social media following by creating and reviewing perfume and hair-related content on TikTok and Instagram.

Smith was introduced by her Muslim friends to some of the oil shops in West Philly, where she first searched for Lattafa Yara. The popular Arabic amber- and vanilla-based perfume had gone viral on TikTok.

One of her perfume review videos got over 54,000 “likes” when she showcased a fragrance from the Islamic shop, Al-Amanah, on 52nd Street.

“He always has everything you see on TikTok; any oil in there he can make into a perfume,” Smith says in her video.

Tamjah Hankerson of North Philadelphia has 64,000 TikTok followers and 1.6 million “likes” on her perfume reviews.

She advises those interested in buying Middle Eastern perfumes “go to the oilman first” instead of Amazon.

Read more about the growing popularity of Middle Eastern perfume oils in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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