Brazil's UAE perfume imports jump sevenfold since 2023

The number that stands out

In 2023, Brazil spent US$ 1.76 million on perfumes and colognes from the United Arab Emirates. Two years later, that figure reached US$ 12.6 million — seven times the starting point, with no deceleration across any single year in the window.

Year-by-year trajectory

The sequence is stark: 2023 set the baseline at US$ 1.76 million. In 2024, the figure more than doubled to US$ 4.0 million, rising +130%. In 2025, the pace accelerated further to US$ 12.6 million — a gain of +213% over 2024. Compound growth across the period: +620%.

That pattern of progressive acceleration is unusual in trade data. More commonly, an initial jump stabilizes as the base effect kicks in and percentage comparisons get harder. Here, each year outperformed the last in absolute terms — a signal of structural demand, not a one-time reordering event or inventory correction. When the percentage grows and the base grows simultaneously, the sectoral signal is consistent.

Why the UAE?

The UAE is home to some of the world's most industrially capable Arabic perfume houses. The country produces fragrances built on specialty ingredients — oud, ambergris, sandalwood — that have developed differentiated demand in the Brazilian market over the past decade. These brands offer mid-premium pricing that European luxury houses rarely match at that tier.

Global demand for oriental and Arabic fragrance styles has expanded well beyond traditional Middle Eastern markets. Brazil, with its large beauty-conscious consumer base, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing destinations for this segment. Multichannel perfumeries and direct-to-consumer e-commerce have both served as growth drivers, reaching consumers across income brackets. The lower barrier to entry for lesser-known brands via international e-commerce has accelerated the shift.

Currency context

The 2023-2025 window overlapped with a depreciating Brazilian real. A weaker BRL typically lifts the cost of USD-priced imports in local currency, which would normally compress importer margins or reduce volumes. Neither happened here in any sustained way.

Volumes kept climbing, suggesting the market absorbed the FX pressure — either through margin compression at the importer level or through price pass-through that consumers accepted without significant demand destruction. That behavior reinforces the thesis that the Arabic fragrance segment has earned consumer loyalty, not merely passing curiosity.

Concentration risk

A seven-fold jump concentrated in a single supplier country raises a straightforward supply-chain question. If the UAE now accounts for a growing share of Brazil's perfume imports, any logistical disruption or bilateral tariff adjustment could have outsized effects on the premium fragrance segment's availability and pricing.

France, the US, and other origin countries still supply the Brazilian market, but the pace at which the UAE gained share suggests active substitution, not merely category expansion. The risk is real but manageable: the category allows for safety stock in a way that perishable goods do not, and alternative suppliers within the oriental segment — Turkey, Egypt — exist.

What this means for you

For exporters: Brazilian perfume ingredient exporters — ethyl alcohol, glass packaging, fixatives — may find the UAE's growing production base worth prospecting, as the sector's scale and complexity are expanding rapidly to meet global demand.

For importers: map supplier concentration now; Turkey and Egypt offer comparable Arabic fragrance categories at competitive price points and reduce single-country exposure; build FX hedges for 2026 contracts given continued BRL volatility; review SKU mix as demand for oriental fragrances shows no sign of moderating in the near term.

The trajectory holds for the third straight year of acceleration. The next annual data point will show whether momentum sustains or begins to normalize on this higher base.