Small shop creating custom fragrances to rival designer brands

A store in Liverpool is offering a fragrance to suit “whatever environment you’re in”.

Hashim Sharif said he had wanted to open his own shop since his early teens – but finally realized his dream in February 2023 and opened MNZL (which means home in Arabic) in containers on Lodge Lane, Toxteth.

The 25-year-old started collecting perfumes when he was around 14 years old. Fragrances are house made and many similar to high street brands as well as many unique own brand scents.

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Hashim told the ECHO: “I’ve always loved perfume from a young age. I wondered what it would be like to create my own.

“I made one of my own called Nostalgia, then contacted a couple of factories that could do bulk production for me. In the process, we discovered that you can buy these in bulk, the actual essence of perfumes, then add alcohol and a few additives to make the actual perfume.”

With this information, Hashim then spoke to family members to see if he could get them to support his plans, which they did and invested in him. He has plans to expand the business which can offer cheaper prices than the retail price of popular brands.

Hashim said: “In Somali culture we love our normal essential oils in terms of pure oud oils and musk oils that we carry with us every day.

“If you ask a Somali about any type of perfume nine times out of 10, they would have Black Musk or Pure Oud, a type of perfume oil.”

He talked about popular designer brands coming out with these oud perfumes that they mix with a few other additives like patchouli, a perfume flower from the mint family. Patchouli is widely used in the creation of perfumes, cosmetics and incense, and although it is from the mint family, it has what can be described as an earthy, woody and musky smell.

MNZL has over 150 fragrances similar to or the same as high street brands. They also make their own such as; Gallia, Velvet Noir and Nostalgia, which Hashim made first.

Hashim said: “We offer a unique service. We have a team of perfumers in store who break down your preferences by running a series of tests on what you like in a fragrance.

“We can ask questions like: where do you spend most of your day to find out what type of perfume would be right for you. For example, in an office or door-to-door working environment or whatever environment you are in. at most, even if you are going to a wedding and want a turner perfume, we offer this service.

“We have men’s, women’s and unisex fragrances, and we can increase the concentration of the oil, which will result in better (longer-lasting) performance. Many of our fragrances use more natural products, which are better for the skin.”

Hamed Omar, an 18-year-old family member who helps make the perfumes, said: “When you work, you kind of learn the perfumes, all of them, and you know what each perfume has. You figure it out by trial and error until you find two fragrances, and sometimes more, that fit together like a puzzle and work really well.

“Surprisingly, most people aren’t too fussed about gender because we have women who like men’s fragrances and men who like women’s fragrances. Personally, I like to wear anything that smells nice.”

They have two bottle sizes in store 50ml and 100ml. Their online service through their website offers sizes from 10ml and up with free delivery on select orders.

For information visit MNZL HERE

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