The Story of The Perfumery Atelier

A perfumery concept shaped between Beirut and Bucharest.

The Perfumery Atelier was founded by Lebanese perfumer Mohamad Ali Tolombahje, with the desire to create a space where perfumery can be discovered, understood, and experienced.

The story began in Beirut and continues today in both Lebanon and Bucharest through fragrances, bespoke creations, workshops, and olfactory education.

With an initial background in pharmacy, where he developed a strong foundation in chemistry and an understanding of raw materials, Mohamad later focused his studies on perfumery.

He went on to deepen his knowledge of fragrance formulation, olfactory chemistry, and the use of both natural raw materials and aroma molecules.

Perfumery as an Art Form

For Mohamad, perfumery is a form of art. Scent can become a means of expression, capable of preserving the memory of a place, a period in time, or even the identity of a country.

This vision became the foundation of Aroma Archive, the olfactory project created by Mohamad in Beirut and built around the identity of Lebanon. The archive brings together 30 fragrances, each recreated to capture not only the country’s nature and traditions, but also its everyday life, history, and contrasts.

Among them are the scent of gunpowder, money, grandmother’s cake, cedar forests, the Beirut sea, green grass, figs, roses, Roman ruins, rain, and tobacco — very different references that together form an olfactory portrait of Lebanon.

The idea behind the project was to create something truly unique in the world: an olfactory archive capable of capturing the identity of a country through scent. Elements that may seem ordinary, personal, or historical are transformed into olfactory experiences, each becoming a fragment of memory. Together, the 30 compositions form a sensory archive of a country, captured not through images or objects, but through scent.

International Recognition

The distinctive character of Aroma Archive attracted the attention of both local and international media.

Mohamad’s story and the concept behind the archive have been featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Digest Middle East, which explored how the project transforms Lebanon’s memory and identity into an olfactory experience.