Discover the world of fragrances with Ali Bokhari

Hi friend, my name is Ali Bokhari, the founder of aliperfumewala.com. I am a professional writer with more than twenty years of experience and a lifelong fascination with fragrance as both a personal pleasure and a cultural artifact. I created this site for an audience that is often overlooked: readers who value careful observation, strong prose, and thoughtful, literary engagement with perfume.

(If you want to know how I became a writer, read this: https://aatifbokhari.blogspot.com/search?q=how+I+became+a+writer)

My relationship with fragrance began early. Some of my clearest childhood memories involve long drives from our small Illinois town into Chicago for religious and social gatherings. My parents almost always wore perfume. I remember the quiet drift of top notes toward the back seat, mingling with anticipation and the sense that we were heading somewhere meaningful. That association—scent as atmosphere, memory and emotional cue—has never left me.

One day while shopping as a teen with a friend, I noticed he picked up a bottle of Davidoff Cool Water for men and mentioned how awesome it was. Curious, I took a sniff. One spray was enough, I immediately was hooked.

When I told my mother how much I wanted my own bottle of Cool Water, she did more than indulge a passing interest; she encouraged it. Soon, bottles began appearing regularly, classic department-store designers that shaped my early sensibilities. Armani Acqua di Gio, Clinique Happy, Clinique Curve, Bvlgari Black, Ralph Lauren Polo Sport, and Calvin Klein Escape were among my first true attachments. At the time, niche perfumery was entirely outside my awareness.

I feel lucky to have been so into fragrances during the 90s as I have something to compare modern perfumery with, a priceless gift for one so much into fragrances. But like many people, I drifted away from fragrances. I mean, I still loved to wear them, but I did not think about fragrances as deeply. My attention was more focused on things like getting my degree in communications.

That changed while I was living near Dubai between 2007 and 2010. As an international journalist, I found myself immersed in a region where scent is not an accessory but a language. I vividly recall walking through a local mall with my wife and following a trail of incense through the corridors until it led us to a Swiss Arabian boutique. That shop became a regular stop. I smelled everything. I bought instinctively. I had no technical framework yet, only intuition, curiosity and pleasure. Fragrance, then, was simply something that made me feel deeply content.

Years later, at the end of 2023, a return trip to the Middle East reawakened something dormant. Unlike mainstream North America America, perfume was everywhere again: worn generously, spoken about casually and woven into daily life. When I returned home, I felt compelled to re-engage, but I quickly realized how much the landscape had changed. I needed guidance, particularly because I often could not rely solely on my own sense of smell.

I turned to online reviewers, first on YouTube and later on TikTok, determined to avoid costly mistakes. I watched obsessively while rebuilding my collection, then expanded my research through Facebook fragrance groups and established online communities such as Fragrantica, Parfumo, Sniff, and Base Notes. Watching soon gave way to reading. I wanted depth, not hype.

While video influencers were occasionally useful, it became clear that many were operating in close alignment with the brands they promoted. What I truly wanted was something rarer: independent, deeply considered written criticism—work that treated fragrance with seriousness, restraint, and respect for the reader’s intelligence. I wanted a journalist to guide me, not a salesperson.

I joined iFragrance as a fragrance reviewer but left after a few months. I wanted to do something different than only write about clones and I felt the requirements of the publication stifled me. At the time I wanted to join a publication that was professional, was agnostic when it came to types of fragrances it covered (I wear everything from $10 fragrances to $500+ frags), and encouraged beautiful writing.

When I couldn’t find that voice, I decided to become it.
In doing so, I built a devoted following, particularly within Facebook fragrance communities. Brands began sending me their fragrances for review, not because I was agreeable, but because I was honest. I have always maintained my independence, praising when deserved and criticizing without hesitation. To my surprise, many brands valued this candour and continued to seek my perspective.

In December 2025, I launched AliPerfumewala.com as a permanent home for my writing and a clear point of contact for fragrance houses. Ali is my preferred name. Perfumewala is an Urdu term that loosely translates to someone known for fragrance, whether as a buyer, a seller or an obsessive. It felt accurate.

This site is a passion project, not a commercial venture. I frequently purchase bottles specifically to review them, and while I occasionally receive fragrances for consideration, this work is sustained primarily by personal investment and genuine enthusiasm. It is, quite simply, a labour of love, not how I make money.

I have 20+ years of writing experience, including for some of the biggest brands in North America such as TD, Ford and Black & McDonald. My writing has also been viewed 100,000,000+ times online. Today, I live in the Toronto area and own landscaping and writing businesses.
 
If my writing resonates with you, I invite you to connect with me!:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aatifbokhari/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aatifalibokhari
Email: ali@aliperfumewala.com