Lattafa Fakhar (the black bottle, £16.99 for 100ml) smells of crisp apple and ginger, then soapy lavender and sage, then a soft tonka and cedar skin scent. It is a clean, easy daytime fragrance that suits the office and warm weather best.
Its weak point is staying power. Most Fragrantica reviewers get three to six hours on skin, longer on clothing. If you want a quiet, likeable all-rounder, it is excellent value. If you want something loud for winter nights, look elsewhere.
Fakhar launched in 2022 and is the men’s original in Lattafa’s Fakhar line, the one in the black bottle with silver detailing. Fragrantica lists it as Fakhar Black, and it is the most-reviewed bottle in the line: 4.19 out of 5 from 8,369 votes, with more than 800 written reviews, when we checked in October 2026.
This review covers how it changes on skin over a day, what wearers report about longevity and projection, when it works best and who should not buy it. It is built from the official note pyramid and paraphrased public reviews, not from lab measurements or our own wear tests.
What are the notes in Lattafa Fakhar?
Apple · Bergamot · Ginger
Lavender · Sage · Juniper Berries · Geranium
Tonka Bean · Cedar · Amberwood · Vetiver
That is the pyramid on Fragrantica and Lattafa USA, and Fragrantica’s main accords are aromatic, fresh spicy, woody, fruity and fresh. One oddity: Lattafa’s global site lists a marine, violet and oakmoss pyramid for its men’s Fakhar. Wearer descriptions match the apple and lavender version, so that is the one we use here and on the Fakhar product page.
What does Lattafa Fakhar smell like, hour by hour?
The timings below are a rough guide drawn from the note structure and from what reviewers describe. Skin, weather and the age of the bottle all move them.
If the opening is what puts you off, give it twenty minutes before deciding. The heart and dry-down are where most of the positive reviews come from.
How long does Lattafa Fakhar last, and how far does it project?
Lattafa publishes no figures, and performance is the most common complaint on Fakhar’s Fragrantica page. Reports spread wide, so here they are in three groups, paraphrased from recent reviews.
A handful of reviewers get seven or eight hours. One says it stays strong up to the eight-hour mark before softening; another gets six to seven hours with projection between moderate and strong.
The largest group. Typical comments are four to six hours with moderate projection, or five to six hours in total. This is the realistic expectation for most people.
A minority get three hours at best, and one reviewer reports barely half an hour. A few say they had a quiet skin scent after the first couple of hours.
Two things come up again and again. First, several reviewers say batches vary and that a new bottle improves after resting for a few weeks; our Lattafa maceration guide explains why. Second, it lasts noticeably longer on fabric than on skin. One reviewer suggests six sprays to get through an office day; for most people, two or three on skin plus one on clothing is a sensible start.
Is Fakhar good for the office, a date or the weekend?
The office: this is where it shines. It is fresh, clean and unlikely to bother anyone in a shared room, and reviewers regularly describe it as an all-rounder for work. The modest projection is a point in its favour here.
Weekends and the gym bag: also a good fit. It is easy to wear without thinking about it, and compliments are mentioned often in reviews for a scent this inoffensive.
A date: fine for a daytime or casual one. For a candlelit dinner it can feel a little light and safe next to warmer, sweeter scents.
Which season suits Lattafa Fakhar?
Spring to early autumn, and daytime. It is a fresh, light composition with no heavy resins or vanilla, and Fragrantica reviewers often mention it for warm-weather wear. It can work on a crisp winter morning, but on a cold evening its freshness gets lost, and that is when a richer bottle makes more sense.
Who should skip Lattafa Fakhar?
Buy it if you want a clean, fresh daily scent for work, you like apple and lavender, or you want a cheap, low-risk first bottle. Reviewers often call it a safe blind buy.
Skip it if soapy or sweet-apple openings bother you, you need a scent that fills a room or lasts all day without reapplying, or you want something warm for winter nights.
Coming from YSL Y? Fakhar is the Lattafa people compare to Y Eau de Parfum, though most find it softer and sweeter. Our best YSL Y dupes guide sets out that comparison note by note.
Fakhar vs Jasoor and Asad: which Lattafa men’s scent should you pick?
If Fakhar sounds close but not quite right, these two in-stock Lattafa men’s bottles cover the gaps. Notes are as listed on Fragrantica.
Shares: apple, bergamot, lavender, geranium, tonka and vetiver. Differs: cardamom on top, tobacco in the heart, and leather and patchouli in the base. It is the evening, autumn-and-winter cousin of Fakhar, rated 4.40/5 from 1,845 votes on Fragrantica.
Shares: very little, which is the point. Differs: black pepper, tobacco and pineapple over coffee, iris, vanilla, amber and benzoin. Where Fakhar is clean and daytime, Asad is spicy, sweet and built for cold evenings. Rated 4.02/5 from 14,558 votes.
A simple way to split them: Fakhar for daytime, Jasoor for evenings, Asad for winter. Owning Fakhar and one of the others covers most of the year for under £40. If you are weighing up the other Fakhar bottles instead, our guide to which Lattafa Fakhar is best compares the original with Platinum, Extrait and Rose Gold.
Our verdict on Lattafa Fakhar
Fakhar is a well-made, easy-to-like fresh scent at a very low price. The apple and lavender opening is pleasant to most noses, the heart is genuinely office-friendly, and the tonka and cedar dry-down is soft and clean. What holds it back is staying power: expect a few good hours rather than a full day, and spray your clothes as well as your skin. Buy it as a daytime, warm-weather workhorse and it is hard to fault for £16.99.
Every order comes with free tracked UK delivery and no minimum spend. Orders are dispatched within 24 hours, and you have 30 days to return.
Frequently asked questions
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Written by Shaheen Shah Abrar, Founder of Royal Scents. Notes, launch years and ratings were checked against Fragrantica and Lattafa’s US distributor listing in October 2026, and prices against our live shop. Wearer impressions are paraphrased from public Fragrantica reviews and reflect individual experience, not lab testing.
- Lattafa Fakhar Black on Fragrantica: notes, accords, launch year, rating and wearer reviews
- Fakhar Black on Lattafa USA: distributor note listing
- Fakhar Lattafa Men on Lattafa’s global site: the brand’s alternative pyramid
- Lattafa Jasoor on Fragrantica and Lattafa Asad on Fragrantica: notes and ratings for the comparison