Dewsbury shoppers: Discover bespoke & designer scents at Scent Salim in Leeds
From recreating luxury designer fragrances to bringing treasured memories back to life through scent, Leeds-based Scent Salim has built a reputation for doing things differently.
Now, founder Ilyas Salim is taking the business into a new chapter with the launch of Elijah’s Perfume Lab. Discover how his passion for perfume, expertise in specialised ingredients and personal approach are helping customers find – or create – their perfect fragrance.
Established in 2010, Scent Salim was a pioneer in creating a shop for niche fragrances, Arabian perfumes and Oud sprays in the
Its main store in Leeds has long been popular amongst Oud lovers and perfume collectors – but now the shop has entered a new chapter with the launch of Elijah’s Perfume Lab, a new fragrance brand founded by Ilyas, as well as introducing an ‘online perfume creation’ portal on its website.
Scent Salim has built a reputation for creativity, originality and a passion for distinctive fragrances. Ilyas has been developing his expertise in perfumery since 2009, with a particular focus on Oud-inspired scents, niche collections and bringing Middle Eastern fragrance influences to a wider audience. His interest in perfumes began as a boarding school student, where he began to collect fragrances. This led to a fledgling business, and, with a nose for specific scents and ingredients as well as a passion for sourcing the best, Scent Salim was born.
Elijah’s Perfume Lab builds on that experience, combining styles associated with luxury Western designer fragrances with traditional Middle Eastern ingredients and influences.
The collection explores three main fragrance profiles. Enigmatic oud and cedarwood offers a deep, smoky and woody character, combining Arabian oud, cedarwood and resins. Warming vanilla, saffron and musk brings together creamy vanilla, golden musk and saffron for a softer, more sensual finish. A third collection focuses on fresh citrus, florals and light amber, offering a brighter, uplifting alternative.
The launch follows years of development at Scent Salim, which has expanded beyond fragrance sales to offer bespoke creations, personalised experiences and perfume-making workshops.
The company has attracted recognition and support from Lord Alan Sugar, made famous for his role on BBC’s The Apprentice, whose marketing company has partnered with the brand and praised its creative approach and distinctive products.
Ilyas believes quality and authenticity remain essential in an increasingly competitive fragrance market.
These days, we see far too many brands focusing on quick production and inexpensive fragrances. At Scent Salim, our philosophy has always been different.
“We believe in taking the time to create something distinctive, using quality ingredients and developing products that offer customers something genuinely special. We have spent over 17 years developing our expertise, and that experience is reflected in what we create.”
He said quality of perfumes, and ingredients, was more important than how long they last.
He said “A long-lasting perfume is good if it is a lovely scent, if it’s something you don’t like, it’s just going to give you a headache.”
Perfume provides more than just a nice fragrance, Ilyas explains. It can make change your mood, make you feel happy, and evoke memories.
One family came to him to see if he could re-create a specific scent presented to their father by the Saudi king in the 1980s.
“The man was in his 90s and had dementia,”Ilyas explained. “But when his family unearthed this old, damp bottle in a dusty presentation box in the attic and opened it up, it unleashed a host of memories for their father when he smelled it.
“They travelled from Newcastle to the shop and there was still a tiny bit of dark brown liquid in the bottom of the bottle.” Ilyas knew immediately this was an oud, not only that, but he knew it was an oud from Assam, and knew which specific distillation would be closest to that scent.
Customers travel from across the UK to come to the shop, whether for bespoke fragrances to mark a wedding, birthday or special occasion, or whether they are looking for a particular type of fragrance.
Creating a fragrance of your own
One of Scent Salim's popular experiences is its Make Your Own Perfume Workshop, where visitors can explore fragrance ingredients and create a personalised scent with expert guidance.
The workshops cater for individuals, couples, groups and corporate events. The business also offers a bespoke fragrance service online through Scent of Memory, helping customers create perfumes with personal meaning.
Here you can describe a scent or a fragrance that evokes a certain memory and can build your own distinctive fragrance online. He’s even been able to recreate a scent from the fragrance left on an item of clothing.
“Ideally we would like the empty bottle, or even the lid. Something that can tell us what fragrances have been used, and we can work out if they were a top note, or a deeper note.”
And because everything is made and sourced by Scent Salim customers know exactly where products come from. Ilyas says they understand the importance to clients of knowing something has not been tested on animals or in recycling – Scent Salim will even recycle your old perfume bottles for you.
The launch of Elijah’s Perfume Lab marks a further step in Ilyas Salim's ambition to develop distinctive fragrance collections while continuing to grow the Scent Salim brand.
Black Friday Sale
The shop is a treasure trove for anyone who loves a fragrance, whether you’re shopping for the ultimate gift of a bespoke perfume, looking to recreate your favourite fragrance, or want a fun stocking-filler like a car air freshener. Ilyas has even created a mood-lifting car air freshener with happy messages on to cheer up a lonely commuter stuck in a traffic jam!
Don’t miss the Black Friday Sale which runs from November 19 to December 2. Follow Salim Scents on Instagram for the latest offers, news, fragrances and developments.
You’ll also find them on Facebook and to discover more about the fragrances, workshops and bespoke services, visit www.scentsalim.com online or call into the shop at Clock Buildings, Roundhay Road Leeds, LS8 2SH.
And find out more about Elijah’s Perfume Lab here: