Lattafa Fakhar: Green Apple, Barbershop Lavender and Soft Tonka
Fakhar is the scent of a freshly pressed shirt. It starts with a crunch of green apple, sharpened by bergamot and a small pinch of ginger, then turns towards the barber’s chair — lavender, sage and juniper, with geranium adding a faintly rosy, soapy edge. Underneath, tonka bean, cedar, amberwood and vetiver give it a smooth, slightly sweet woody floor. It is the original black-and-silver bottle in the Lattafa perfumes range, the one that started the name, and the first place to look in our Lattafa Fakhar collection if you want something fresh, groomed and easy to wear to work. Fakhar means “pride” in Arabic; on Fragrantica the same fragrance is catalogued as Fakhar Black, a men’s release from 2022.
The Scent Profile
Top — apple, bergamot, ginger. The apple is green and tart rather than candied — closer to a Granny Smith than a toffee apple. Bergamot keeps the opening bright and slightly bitter, and ginger adds a gentle warmth that stops the fruit from reading as a shower gel. This is the loudest part of the fragrance and it is gone within the first half hour, which is exactly what you would expect of a citrus-and-fruit opening.
Heart — lavender, sage, juniper berries, geranium. Here Fakhar becomes a proper aromatic fougère. Lavender is the lead: clean, herbal and a touch powdery. Sage gives it a dry, green masculinity, juniper a crisp gin-like freshness, and geranium bridges the herbs with a mild floral soapiness. The overall impression is barbershop rather than garden — tidy, freshly shaved, well turned out.
Base — tonka bean, cedar, amberwood, vetiver. The drydown is softer and sweeter than the heart suggests. Tonka brings a creamy, almond-hay warmth; cedar and amberwood supply a clean, slightly mineral woodiness; vetiver adds just enough earth to keep it grounded. It sits close to the skin from here on and is the part most people end up liking best.
How Fakhar Compares to YSL Y — the Honest Version
Lattafa has never officially named an inspiration for Fakhar. The comparison comes entirely from wearers: Fragrantica reviewers often compare it to Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum, and the published pyramids explain why — the same apple, bergamot and ginger opening, the same lavender-sage-juniper-geranium heart, and a woody-ambery base in the same spirit.
Where it differs is in balance. Reviewers generally describe Fakhar as the sweeter, softer, more linear of the two, with the apple more prominent in the opening and the lavender pushed further forward in the heart. Several also report that it performs less strongly than the YSL on skin. So: a close relation in style, not an identical twin, and we would not describe it with a percentage.
Lattafa Perfumes is an independent UAE fragrance house with no affiliation to, licence from or endorsement by Yves Saint Laurent or L’Oréal. We name YSL Y only to help you place the style.
Lattafa Fakhar Performance & When To Wear
Performance data for Fakhar is limited, and what exists disagrees. We could not read a clean longevity and sillage vote tally from Fragrantica, so the bars above are a qualitative summary of what its reviewers write rather than a measurement. Those reports range from around three or four hours on skin at the low end to six to nine hours at the high end, with several people putting the difference down to batch and skin chemistry. The one point most of them agree on: it lasts noticeably better on clothing than on skin. A spray on a shirt collar or scarf is the easiest way to get a full working day out of it.
The profile makes the occasions obvious. Fakhar is a daytime fragrance — the office, a lunch, a weekend in town — and at its best in spring and early autumn, when the apple and lavender feel fresh without being thin. In a hot summer it reads sweeter; in deep winter the fresh top notes get lost. It is not a black-tie scent, and it does not try to be.
Who It’s For
Fakhar suits someone who wants to smell clean and put together rather than distinctive — the man who likes the modern designer-fougère style, wears it five days a week, and does not want to pay designer prices to do so. It is marketed to men and styled that way, though lavender, apple and tonka are hardly exclusive; anyone who enjoys a soapy aromatic will get on with it. As a first Lattafa, or a gift for someone whose taste you are not sure of, it is about as low-risk as fragrance gets.
How It Compares With the Other Houses We Stock
If lavender is what draws you to Fakhar, Khadlaj Azure Velvet (£24.99) is the nearest relative on our shelves: it opens on lavender, bergamot and mint rather than apple, and dries down powdery and faintly incensed rather than tonka-sweet, so it reads cooler and slightly more grown-up. For the opposite direction — lavender and tonka pushed warm and spicy — Khadlaj Zayaan Gold (£29.99) wraps the same two notes in plum, cinnamon, cardamom and benzoin; it is an autumn-and-evening scent where Fakhar is a daytime one.
Fakhar’s Siblings
The Fakhar name covers three more bottles, and none of them smells like this one. Fakhar Platinum (£18.99) keeps the lavender but pairs it with guava and palo santo, a fruitier, woodier take for spring and summer. Fakhar Rose Gold (£17.99) is the floral one, all tuberose, jasmine and vanilla, and suits evenings out. Fakhar Extrait (£18.99) sets grapefruit and tuberose against leather for something bolder and better on cooler nights. You’ll find all four together in our Lattafa Fakhar collection.
Price, Size & What You Get
At £20.00 for 100ml, Fakhar works out at 20p per millilitre — among the cheapest bottles on our site and a fraction of what the style costs from a designer house. It comes in the 100ml Eau de Parfum spray. Be aware that several other Lattafa fragrances also carry the Fakhar name and smell nothing like this one; if you want the fresh apple-and-lavender bottle, check for the black-and-silver design.
Why Buy From Khaleej Scents
Every bottle we sell is 100% authentic, sourced from authorised distributors and shipped factory-sealed — never refilled, decanted or repackaged. Checkout is secure, dispatch is fast, and UK delivery is free on every order with no minimum spend. Unopened bottles can be returned within 14 days. And where a fragrance’s performance is disputed, as Fakhar’s is, we tell you so rather than print a flattering number.
Lattafa Fakhar FAQs
What does Lattafa Fakhar smell like?
Clean, fresh and groomed. Tart green apple, bergamot and ginger open it, a lavender-led barbershop heart with sage, juniper and geranium follows, and it settles on creamy tonka and soft woods. Think freshly laundered shirt with a hint of sweetness.
What are the full Lattafa Fakhar notes?
Top — apple, bergamot, ginger; heart — lavender, sage, juniper berries, geranium; base — tonka bean, cedar, amberwood, vetiver. That is the pyramid listed on Fragrantica, where the fragrance appears as Fakhar Black.
Is Lattafa Fakhar a dupe of YSL Y?
Lattafa makes no such claim, but Fragrantica reviewers often compare it to YSL Y Eau de Parfum, and the two share much of their published pyramid. Reviewers generally find Fakhar sweeter, softer and more linear, with a more prominent apple. Related in style, not identical. Lattafa has no affiliation with YSL.
How long does Lattafa Fakhar last?
Reports vary more than for most fragrances. Fragrantica reviewers describe anything from three or four hours on skin to six to nine hours, and most agree it lasts longer on fabric. We would plan on a moderate performer and spray a collar if you need it to go the distance.
Is Lattafa Fakhar for men or women?
It is marketed for men and Fragrantica lists it as a men’s fragrance. The notes themselves — apple, lavender, tonka — are not gendered, so anyone who likes a clean fougère can wear it.
How much is Lattafa Fakhar in the UK?
£20.00 for the 100ml Eau de Parfum at Khaleej Scents, with free UK delivery and no minimum spend.
Is Fakhar the same as Fakhar Black?
Yes. The black-and-silver men’s bottle is often sold simply as “Fakhar” or “Fakhar for Men”, while Fragrantica catalogues it as Fakhar Black. It is a different fragrance from Fakhar Platinum, Fakhar Extrait and Fakhar Rose Gold, which share the name but not the scent.
Notes verified against Fragrantica in September 2026, where this fragrance is listed as Fakhar Black (2022); no perfumer is credited there. The YSL Y comparison is a community one reported by Fragrantica reviewers — Lattafa does not claim it. Performance is summarised from Fragrantica reviewer comments because a clean vote tally was not available to us, and we have not added any wear-testing figures of our own. Written by Shaheen Shah Abrar, Khaleej Scents.
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