Emirati woman Amna Al Habtoor is the founder of Arcadia, a fine fragrance series based on the power of scents. The idea came to Amna during vacation in New York, when she realised that lots of scents were triggering memories for her.

Inspiration for an early scent came from her mother, who she lost at a young age. She wanted to keep her memory alive, so began mixing scents that reminded her of the times they had together.  

“We take our sense of smell for granted”, Amna tells Dubai Post. “We never enjoy the scents and smells we come across on a daily basis. For me, as an Emirati, I grew up with scents that had a huge meaning in my life and culture. I wanted to take that further. Perfume was the best thing to start this emotional journey and creating memories. There’s always a time when you walk down the road when you smell something and it takes you back to a certain moment in time”.

As a businesswoman, Amna has a message for Emirati women: “Go for it, do it, don’t be afraid to take that step to actually creating new things, don’t think your product isn’t good. Always try to push forwards.”