$1.3M perfume enters race for world's most expensive fragrance

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(CNN) — An Emirati perfumery claims it has created the most expensive perfume in the world. Called Shamukh -- "deserving the highest" in Arabic -- and priced at a nostril-flaring $1,295,000 for three liters, its makers say it's the product of three years of research and 494 perfume trials.

It comes in an Italian Murano crystal bottle, which is adorned with a gold falcon, Arabian horses, roses and a globe, contains 3,571 diamonds -- 38.55 carats in total -- giant pearls, 2.5 kilograms of 18-karat gold and 5.9 kilograms of pure silver. What's more, the bottle sits on a cushioned leather stand nearly two meters tall.

Creators The Spirit of Dubai, part of luxury fragrance brand Nabeel, say the bottle's bejeweled animals and the perfume's ingredients, pulled from different corners of the world, tell the story of Dubai.

The his/hers perfume apparently contains hints of sandalwood, musk, Ylang-ylang, Turkish rose, Indian agarwood, musk and patchouli. But it is the bottle that has set two Guinness World Records: for most diamonds set on a perfume bottle and for tallest commercially available remote-controlled fragrance spray bottle, certificates for which were shown to CNN.

Founder and chairman of Nabeel Perfumes Group Asghar Adam Ali stands next to the $1.295 million bottle of "Shumukh."

courtesy The Spirit of Dubai Parfums

Details of a buyer for the one-of-a-kind bottle have yet to be disclosed, but the public can see it on display at Dubai Mall until March 30.

Shamukh joins a niche market for ultra-opulent perfumes. According to Guinness World Records, the most expensive perfume commercially available is Clive Christian No.1 Imperial Majesty, which was released in a 10-bottle run in 2005 at $205,000 each for 500 milliliters (price included delivery via Bentley).

There are other expensive one-off creations. In 2011, DKNY launched the Golden Delicious Million Dollar Fragrance Bottle, made from yellow and white gold and covered in 2,700 diamonds and 183 yellow sapphires. Billed as "the world's first million-dollar fragrance bottle" and containing a petite 100 milliliters of perfume, the bottle was not commercially available, instead sold at auction with profits going to charity. DKNY today is unable to confirm how much it sold for.

In 2018, CNN featured Le Monde sur Mesure by French company Morreale Paris, with a bottle finished in two kilograms of gold with 1,000 diamonds, and a unique fragrance designed by the buyer. Morreale Paris told CNN via email that the five-liter bottle sold for $1.8 million.

A diamond-studded bottle of Le Monde sur Mesure by perfumery Morreale Paris.

Morreale Paris

Despite Le Monde sur Mesure's higher price tag, Shamukh is more expensive per milliliter ($431.70 vs $360), and The Spirit of Dubai is claiming a world record by this metric.

CNN attempted to clarify the matter with Guinness World Records, but they did not respond in time for publication.

Irrespective, Shamukh's claim might not last for long. Morreale Paris told CNN it is currently working on a perfume with a 10-liter bottle covered in gold, diamonds and rubies which they value at this point over $18 million -- hypothetically $1,800 per milliliter.

It smells like competition is in the air.

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