São Paulo – A Syrian immigrant is attracting attention in São Paulo because of the way he makes and sells his perfumes. Anas Obeid is a journalist living in Brazil under refugee status. He concocts Arab perfumes on the spot, in front of his customers, to match their profiles or requests. Obeid sells his product at events and fairs held by social organizations, and at the shop he opened last May in Mooca, a district in east side São Paulo.
Buyers can give pointers or Obeid himself can create a perfume for them. In this case, he will ask the customer what their name is, what do they like, etc. before creating a fragrance for them. The product is made by mixing in oil (which provides the scent) with alcohol and a fixative. Obeid gets essences and fixative from Arab countries. He explains that Syrian fixative is good and powerful.
Obeid once had a shop that carried perfume and other items back in Syria in 2001 and 2002, while also going to college. That was when he learned to make the product. His Mooca shop also sells Eastern items such as scarves, elephant status, cushions, jewel boxes and costume jewelry.
Brazilians’ favorites include musk, sandal and oud. Perfumes go for as little as BRL 10 (USD 2.96 at the current exchange rate). “People say they’re cheap and high quality,” he claims. The Mooca shop is called Perfumes 24.
In order to open the place, Obeid saved the cash he earned at the events. He also relied on help from a Lebanese friend and some credit. Prior to the shop, he’d sell his items at fairs. He also worked – and still does – as a journalist, covering Arab events as well as taking photos. He writes for a London-based Arab newspaper, and has covered the history of the São Paulo Arab stronghold 25 de Março street, Arab women in Brazil, immigrants’ stories etc.
The Syrian shop owner is 30 years old and has been in Brazil for a year and four months. Back in Syria, he used to live in the capital Damascus. He worked on the radio, on TV and a newspaper, and with an NGO that helps young people find jobs. The war made him move to Lebanon in 2012, where he spent two years and did refugee-related work with the United Nations, plus NGOs focusing on children. “But I couldn’t stay any longer, and I found out about Brazil, or better yet Brazil found me, because it’s the only country that opened its doors to Syrians,” Obeid recalls.
On arriving, the journalist didn’t know anybody. He had only one friend, and he worked at a restaurant at first. Over time, he came upon other opportunities in his work field, and then decided to move to perfume making. “Now, I have customers, friends, neighbors; things are better now,” he says.
Obeid claims he really enjoys Brazil. So much so that he’s not sure whether he’ll go back to Syria once the war is over and let go of everything he built for himself in Brazil. “I enjoy living here. Brazilians are very good people. I do think about my country, but there’s the war right now, and I don’t know how the future will be,” he explains. He no longer has close relatives in Syria. His parents and a brother are in Lebanon, and his sister is in Germany. He lost two uncles in the war. “I don’t have much in the way of family there, only uncles and cousins,” he says.
The refugee is happy about the shop, the journalist work, and the fact that he’s learned to speak Portuguese. He claims that being strong through it all was important. “I have the willpower not to be out in the street; I might not buy clothes or eat so that I can build my own future. There are many things in life that bring loss, like this war, but one must possess the strength to look forward,” he says, adding that in making choices, he will also think of his family.
Quick facts
Perfumes 24 shop
Website: https://www.facebook.com/perfumes24/
Rua da Mooca, 2465 – Mooca – São Paulo – SP
WhatsApp: +55 (11) 977039183
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
