How attar is made in Kannauj
Copper degs, bamboo pipes and a sandalwood base: the slow method that has not changed in centuries.
What you pay for in a 3 ml, 6 ml and 12 ml bottle
Why attar is sold by weight, why prices vary so much between attars, and which size suits a first purchase.
Attar is priced by volume because the oil itself is the cost. A bottle of ruh gulab holds the scent of thousands of rose petals distilled into sandalwood oil, and both are expensive.
Take ruh gulab at ₹1,450 for 6 ml. About 60 percent of that is the attar as it reaches us from Kannauj: roughly 30 kg of fresh roses distilled for one kilo of oil, plus sandalwood, which has become costly as supply has fallen. The glass vial, cap and cloth pouch add about ₹60. Rent in Chowk, packing, sample cards and our staff make up the rest, with GST at 18 percent on top for perfumery.
That is why prices vary so widely. Mitti at ₹950 for 6 ml uses baked clay, which is cheap, though the distilling takes as long. Oud at ₹3,800 for only 3 ml is expensive because agarwood takes years to form resin and a whole tree gives very little oil.
For a first purchase, choose 3 ml. One drop a day lasts about two months, which is long enough to know whether you love it. The 6 ml size gives you better value per ml, and the 12 ml size is for an attar you already wear daily. We do not offer larger bottles for retail, because attar lasts so long that few people finish more.
