Lattafa Antique: Fig, Black Tea and Iris on a Caramel-Wood Base
A soft, powdery woody scent: fig and coconut with cardamom and black tea, an iris-vetiver heart, and sandalwood, tonka and caramel underneath. £39.99.
Lattafa Antique is one of the quieter, more textured scents in the Lattafa catalogue. It doesn’t shout sugar or smoke. Instead it pairs milky fig and coconut with dry black tea and green cardamom, lets powdery iris and earthy vetiver take the middle, then settles into creamy sandalwood with a caramel-tonka sweetness. Fragrantica voters rank woody and powdery as its top two accords, which is a fair one-line summary.
Fragrantica lists it under the name Niche Emarati Antique, placing it in Lattafa’s Niche Emarati range, and dates it to 2024. Both Fragrantica and Lattafa class it as unisex, and no perfumer is credited.
Is Lattafa Antique a BDK Gris Charnel alternative?
That’s the comparison several Fragrantica reviewers make, and the published notes back it up more strongly than most “smells like” claims. BDK Parfums’ Gris Charnel (2019, by Mathilde Bijaoui) lists seven notes on Fragrantica. All seven appear in Antique’s pyramid:
Even the tiers line up. What Antique adds on top is coconut, jasmine, musk, amber and caramel (plus milk, on Fragrantica’s version of the list), so expect it to wear creamier and sweeter than the BDK. Lattafa doesn’t market Antique as a dupe, and we’re not claiming the two are identical; the overlap on paper is simply unusually complete.
The full pyramid
This is Lattafa’s official pyramid. Fragrantica’s matches it note for note, except that it also lists milk in the top, which fits the creamy fig-and-coconut opening.
Fig in perfume usually means the whole plant: the milky fruit plus the green, slightly sap-like leaf. Paired with coconut it becomes soft and creamy, and black tea and cardamom keep it from going too sweet. Iris is the defining material of the heart, the powdery, cosmetic-soft note Fragrantica voters list as both “powdery” and “iris” in its accords; vetiver grounds it with something earthy. The base is the comfort layer: sandalwood for creaminess, tonka and caramel for sweetness, amber and musk for warmth.
Accords, as Fragrantica voters rank them
Order taken from Fragrantica; lengths show rank only. We don’t quote longevity or projection figures we can’t source.
How and when to wear it
- Autumn and winter, smart-casual. Powdery iris and creamy woods are cool-weather textures; the tea and cardamom keep it polished enough for the office.
- Refined rather than sugary. Iris, sandalwood and tonka are soft, textural materials. If most gourmands feel too sweet to you, this is the more restrained direction.
- Unisex. Lattafa and Fragrantica both class it that way, and there’s nothing in the pyramid that leans hard in either direction.
- Two to three sprays. Iris and sandalwood are soft materials; overspraying tends to make the caramel more prominent rather than making the scent last longer.
While Antique is out of stock
If it’s the fig-and-tea idea you’re after, our Lattafa Liam Grey listing pairs fig, black tea and vetiver too. For more from the same Niche Emarati range, see Lattafa Mughal Fort (cardamom, caramel and vanilla) or Niche Emarati Hayaam. If the coconut is what appeals, our Lattafa coconut perfumes collection has what’s in stock now, and the woody perfumes edit covers the drier end.
Lattafa Antique FAQ
Tap a question to read the answer. Sources are listed below.
What does Lattafa Antique smell like?
Is Lattafa Antique a dupe of BDK Gris Charnel?
Is Lattafa Antique part of the Niche Emarati line?
What are the Lattafa Antique notes?
Is Lattafa Antique unisex?
Is Lattafa Antique in stock?
When was Lattafa Antique released?
- Lattafa’s official Antique page — the brand’s pyramid and unisex classification
- Niche Emarati Antique on Fragrantica — note list (including milk), 2024 launch and accords
- BDK Parfums Gris Charnel on Fragrantica — the seven notes used in the comparison above
Written by Shaheen Shah Abrar, Founder of Royal Scents. Notes checked against Lattafa and Fragrantica in October 2026.










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