He was born on February 11, 1894, in Salonica, as the ninth child of Yakubi Mustafa Arif Efendi and his wife Ayşe Hanım, and was named Ömer Enver. Between 1906 and 1914, he completed his middle and high school education at the Mission Laïque Française in Thessaloniki. Following his high school graduation, he interrupted his studies due to World War I. After the war, he went to France and studied at the École Supérieure de Chimie in Paris, where he received a degree in chemical engineering. He later worked with various professors at the Collège de France and the Arts et Métiers, specializing in perfumery.

In the first season, episode 5 of The Crown on Netflix, at around the 11th minute, the former King of England, the Duke of Windsor Edward, mentions that special perfumed soaps were made for him. The creator of those soaps was Enver Arif.

Ranked among the leading figures in his field worldwide, Enver Arif created nearly 20 renowned perfumes and contributed to many famous fragrances both independently and within the companies he worked for. During World War II, he began working in a special laboratory on the detection of poisonous gases and their antidotes, and he was tasked with developing a highly important production project in the city of Pau for the French National Defense.

Fluent in English, German, Greek, and Latin in addition to Turkish and French, Enver Arif was known in France as “Parfumeur Arif.” He was also an art collector.

Although he traveled extensively—from Japan to the United States—for both work and leisure after leaving Salonica for Paris, he visited Turkey only twice, and only toward the end of his life, both times for business. He passed away on October 12, 1977, at his home in Paris.

Author: Bilgi Arif Kenber (Nephew)