The Perfumery Museum is a journey for the senses and an introduction to the history, science, and stories behind the craft of perfumery through time and the world.  

Hidden inside an intimate chamber within the Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC), the Perfumery Museum is both an educational museum and interactive exhibit telling the story around the strong cultural ties between fragrance and society. By visiting this space, you will discover perfumery’s opulent origins as a symbol of luxury and how it has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. Equipped with this new knowledge, test your senses at the scent strip station and learn about how some of the most notable fragrances of ancient times came to become the phenomenon they are today. 

The Perfumery Museum is open to visitors during QAIC’s normal business hours. Visits are arranged by appointment only using the scheduling form at the bottom of this page or by clicking the button below. The Perfumery Museum will be closed on federal holidays and during special events as indicated on the QAIC event calendar.

Upon entering the space, visitors are briefly introduced to the history of fragrance followed by a curated display of vintage perfume bottles from fashion houses such as Guerlain and Lanvin. On loan by Qatar-based antiquities collector, Reem Abu Issa, these ornately designed bottles provide insight into the aesthetic complexity of perfumery branding dating back to the start of the 20th century. Going back further in time, visitors also learn about several traditional objects still used today for fragrance in the Middle East, whether at special occasions or around the home, like the oud-infused incense bukhoor that’s burned inside a diffuser called a mabkhara.  

Special thanks to the partners of QAIC’s Perfumery Museum