Iris Ghalya

Iris Ghalya by Jinkoh Store

We use the word Ghalya far too easily in artisanal perfumery today.

The Arabic ghāliya is connected to what is precious, costly, of exceptional value. Historically, ghaliya referred to some of the most luxurious compound perfumes of the Arab world compositions centered on materials such as musk and ambergris, with other precious aromatics including agarwood. The name itself was inseparable from the value of what went inside.

For me, that is precisely why Ghalya should never be just a name. It has to be earned by the materials.

Iris Ghalya began more than two years ago.

Royal Assam Oud 1985, Battambang Cambodian Oud 2024 and Royal Assam Oud 2022 were combined with two exceptional orris butters — Iris pallida at 21% irones and Iris germanica at 18% irones — together with absolutes of both Iris pallida and Iris germanica.

This entire iris–oud composition was then left to macerate for over two years directly with Tibetan, Kashmiri and Mongolian musk grains.

After the musk grains were finally filtered, I completed the composition with violet leaf absolute, traces of terpeneless bergamot and clementine, civet absolute, castoreum resinoid, orange blossom, costus, ambergris, ambrette seed CO₂ and a trace of Chinese magnolia heart.

Nothing here was selected because it sounds impressive on a list. Every material had to justify being inside a perfume carrying the word Ghalya.
The result is my interpretation of what that name should represent today: not simply iris, oud and musk placed together, but exceptional materials given exceptional time.

A name this expensive in meaning should not be inexpensive in execution.