It’s official: KAYALI’s scent of the season has become the scent of the year. The UAE-born fragrance house, founded by beauty mogul Mona Kattan (A.K.A sister and co-founder of Huda Beauty), has just clinched one of the fragrance industry’s most prestigious accolades – Fragrance of the Year: Women’s Prestige – at the annual Fragrance Foundation Awards in New York City.
The star of the show? KAYALI’s unapologetically playful Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42. Since its launch in May 2024, the fragrance has become a fast fan-favorite – selling out in key markets, igniting TikTok trends, and converting skeptics into diehard spritzers.
In classic Kattan fashion, the win was anything but quiet. “This moment is the culmination of passion, persistence, and an incredible community,” Mona said in her acceptance speech. “We believe fragrance is more than a product it’s a story, a mood, a bookmark to our memories. To everyone who has worn our fragrances and made them your own you are the reason we do this.”
If “candy-coated sophistication” were a fragrance, it would be Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42. Created in collaboration with perfumer Gabriela Chelariu of dsm-firmenich, the scent layers candied pear and violet leaves over a whipped heart of bubblegum, white caramel, and jellybean, all tied together with rock sugar and patchouli. It’s sweet – but never shy.
And this isn’t KAYALI’s first time under the spotlight. Since its founding in 2018, the brand has built a name around layering, luxe storytelling, and regionally-rooted creativity. With 27 fragrances now in its lineup and presence in over 30 countries, KAYALI continues to prove that Middle Eastern sensibility and modern maximalism make an irresistible match.
The Fragrance Foundation Awards, long dubbed the “Oscars of the fragrance world,” honor global excellence across scent, design, and storytelling. For KAYALI, this win isn’t just a trophy – it’s a moment. A sweet, scented, rock sugar-coated one.
