Kayali

Kayali Cafe Oud 19 EDP 50 ml

₹ 7,800.00 ~~₹ 13,150.00~~

Kayali was founded in Dubai in 2018 by Mona Kattan — co-founder of the global makeup brand Huda Beauty (founded with her sister Huda Kattan in 2013) — as a dedicated fragrance house rooted in the Middle Eastern tradition of fragrance layering. The name Kayali means 'my imagination' in Arabic. Mona Kattan's vision was to create a contemporary fragrance brand that honoured the Arabic tradition of wearing multiple fragrances simultaneously — layering different scents on different pulse points to create a personal, evolving accord — while packaging this philosophy in a contemporary, social-media-friendly aesthetic that would resonate with a global millennial and Gen-Z audience.

Kayali fragrances are created through a collaboration with leading perfumers, though the brand focuses more on the concept and the layering experience than individual perfumer credentials. Their compositions are understood to involve work from leading European fragrance studios including Firmenich and Givaudan. Vanilla 28 (2018) — the house's debut composition — uses Madagascan vanilla, caramelised musk, and sandalwood to create an extraordinarily rich and enveloping sweet warmth. Elixir Noir (2022) uses rose, saffron, black amber, and woods in the house's most sophisticated oriental statement.

Vanilla 28 (2018) became a cult hit immediately upon release — an ultra-rich vanilla composition using Madagascan vanilla absolute, heliotrope, caramelised musk, and sandalwood that exceeded any prior mass-market treatment of the vanilla theme in depth and quality. Its social media virality — driven by Mona Kattan's massive Instagram following and the Huda Beauty audience — created instant global awareness. Vanilla 28 Intense (2020) deepened the formula with more amber and tobacco. Oudé 08 (2021) — oud, rose, amber, and saffron — introduced the house's Arabic heritage most explicitly. Lovefest Burning Cherry (2022) — cherry, plum, and black woods — brought a darker, more romantic character.

Kayali occupies accessible niche luxury — EDPs from €80-€130 — positioned above mainstream designer fragrance but below established niche houses. Their social-media-native identity is an advantage: the layering system is demonstrated visually through Mona Kattan's content, making the concept immediately understandable to a generation that discovers fragrance through platforms rather than department stores.

Every Kayali fragrance at The Scent Stories® is 100% authentic, factory-sealed and brand-packaged — sourced from authorised channels and shipped worldwide.

Kayali — Common Questions

Who founded Kayali?

Kayali was founded in Dubai in 2018 by Mona Kattan — co-founder of the global makeup brand Huda Beauty (founded with her sister Huda Kattan in 2013). The name means 'my imagination' in Arabic. Mona's vision was to honour the Middle Eastern tradition of fragrance layering — wearing multiple fragrances simultaneously on different pulse points to create a personal accord — while packaging this philosophy in a contemporary aesthetic that resonated with a global millennial and Gen-Z audience discovering fragrance through social media.

What is Kayali Vanilla 28?

Vanilla 28 (2018) — the house's debut composition — became an immediate cult hit: an ultra-rich vanilla using Madagascan vanilla absolute, heliotrope, caramelised musk, and sandalwood that exceeded any prior mass-market treatment of the vanilla theme in both depth and ingredient quality. Its social media virality — driven by Mona Kattan's massive Instagram following and the Huda Beauty audience — created instant global awareness for a new fragrance brand. Vanilla 28 Intense (2020) deepened the formula with amber and tobacco.

What is Kayali's fragrance layering philosophy?

Kayali's founding philosophy honours the Middle Eastern tradition of trakiib — layering multiple fragrances simultaneously. Mona Kattan designs the collection as a system: different fragrances applied to different pulse points create personal accords that change throughout the day. For example, Vanilla 28 on the neck over Elixir Noir on the wrists creates a different experience than either alone. This interactive philosophy — borrowed from the Arabian Gulf's centuries-old fragrance culture — differentiates Kayali from houses that create self-contained single fragrances.

How does Kayali compare to Jo Malone in the fragrance layering space?

Both houses build layering into their founding philosophy, but from very different cultural starting points. Jo Malone's Fragrance Combining is English-botanical — pairing complementary colognes for subtle personal evolution. Kayali's layering philosophy is Middle Eastern-opulent — stacking vanilla over oud over rose for rich, complex personal accords. Jo Malone tends toward subtlety; Kayali toward maximalism. Both reward the fragrance enthusiast who enjoys personal experimentation over the single-signature approach.

Can I try Kayali fragrances before buying?

Yes — The Scent Stories® stocks authentic Kayali samples and miniatures including Vanilla 28, Elixir Noir, Oudé 08, Lovefest Burning Cherry, and more. All are factory-sealed and brand-packaged, shipped worldwide. The Kayali layering philosophy makes sampling multiple fragrances simultaneously a worthwhile experiment — trying Vanilla 28 alone versus layered over Elixir Noir illustrates the system's creative potential and may reveal combinations you'd never discover by sampling each in isolation.