In West Philly, Middle Eastern perfume oils are seeing a rise in popularity thanks to social media

Among the Black-owned businesses around 52nd and Chestnut Streets in West Philadelphia, some shop owners have been importing Middle Eastern perfume oils since the early 2000s, helping to build a bridge between Black and brown communities.

In a city like Philadelphia, where the Black community plays a key role in shaping culture, even the perfume scene can be influenced by Black culture. Several Philly-based Black content creators on TikTok and Instagram have popularized these Middle Eastern-imported fragrance oils, which were once associated with low-income, working-class immigrants and Black Muslims.

Known as #PerfumeTok, Middle Eastern perfume oils are growing increasingly popular on social media platforms as affordable alternatives to high-end designer perfumes, with prices ranging from $5 to $60. Philadelphia’s Al-Bustan News Service documented in a recent story how the phenomenon is playing out locally.

West Oak Lane resident Brittni Smith (@astoldbybrittni) has built an audience of more than 116,000 combined followers on TikTok and Instagram, where she creates and reviews perfume and hair-related content while also working in the childcare industry.

“My mom only had about two to three perfumes, and I just knew that when I smelled that fragrance on her, I knew she was going out for the night,” Smith said. “I believe it was like a Vera Wang fragrance. Later on in life, when I was 17, she bought [me] that fragrance for my birthday.”

In many Arab cultures, fragrance is a powerful symbol of self-care and cleanliness. So it’s no wonder that many of these popular fragrances are imported from the Middle East.

Although Smith is not Muslim, her Muslim friends introduced her to some of the oil shops in West Philly, where she first searched for Lattafa Yara, a popular Arabic amber- and vanilla-based perfume that had gone viral on TikTok.

Last February, one of her perfume review videos got over 54,000 “likes” when she showcased a fragrance from Al-Amanah, an Islamic shop at 46 S. 52nd St.

“He always has everything you see on TikTok; any oil in there he can make into a perfume,” Smith says in her video. “Girl, the Baccarat smells just like the Baccarat, and so does the YSL Libre,” she said, referring to the affordable replica oils that smell nearly identical to their high-end counterparts.

Over the last few months, Smith has developed a relationship with Al-Amanah owner Mohammad Khan, whom she affectionately calls Mr. Mohammad.

“What really drew me in was the smile that the owner had on his face,” Smith said. “He has the most patience in all of Philadelphia, like he is so patient with his community in general. He sees hundreds, maybe thousands of people, and he will open every single bottle that you like.”

Khan, a Bangladeshi immigrant, has owned and operated Al-Amanah since 2012, serving the city with Dubai-imported fragrance oils and ouds as well as other Islamic goods like abayas, hijabs, thawbs, and prayer mats and beads. While some customers have known about Al-Amanah for years, others are just learning through TikTok.

Akilah Jones, a New York-based model, has purchased oils from her local “oilman” in Brooklyn.

“I’ve seen so many of these [Middle Eastern] oils go viral on TikTok,” Jones said. “I had been purchasing them in Brooklyn, but I saw a TikTok that showed a much wider selection at one of the stores in Philly. I decided to check one out when I was visiting a friend.”

Those who have taken SEPTA might be familiar with an oilman — or at least their marketing tactics. Often a Muslim man dressed in a thawb, an oilman can be found hustling fragrant oils, attars, and ouds from his pockets, catching the attention of subway commuters with a swipe of an Yves Saint Laurent replica rollerball.

But the evolution of the oilman can also be seen in the Islamic stores of West Philly, where South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants sell perfume oils as a halal, alcohol-free alternative to Western, alcohol-based perfumes.

Smith isn’t the only Philly-based creator who has made a name for herself reviewing perfumes, with many others visiting and reviewing the oil shops by the 52nd Street SEPTA station.

Tajmah Hankerson (@astoldbyyytaj) of North Philadelphia is a hospital secretary by day and a lifestyle content creator by night. She has over 64,000 TikTok followers, and her perfume reviews have gotten more than 1.6 million “likes.”

Growing up in a predominantly Muslim and West African community, Hankerson said she is no stranger to the now-viral Islamic perfume shops. She advises that people interested in buying Middle Eastern perfumes “go to the oilman first” instead of Amazon.

“These are my neighborhood shops,” Hankerson said. “I’m familiar with oils. In the Black community, we have an oilman who carries those little roll-on oils. That’s my culture; it’s what I’m used to. I’ve been frequenting these Black and brown businesses for black soap and shea butter — things that are regular to me. It’s not something that’s trendy, but then all it takes is for it to become a trend. Just one day you walk into a shop for your regular shopping and see stuff trending online, like the Arab fragrances.”

But, as the popularity of Middle Eastern perfume oils continues to rise, driven by both local influencers and social media trends, it’s clear that the tradition of the oilman is not only enduring but evolving with perfume lovers from all over the country wanting to find their favorite scents.

“Now there’s a virtual communal understanding, like, ‘Oh, there are oilmen or oud shops, or brown businesses I can support,’” Hankerson said. “[People are thinking,] ‘I have to locate the brown community in my Western town, or I can approach a brown person and inquire about oud to see what they know. Maybe they can point me to hidden shops, creating a pipeline of knowledge and community.’”