Lattafa Fakhar Platin: YSL Y L’Elixir, With a Guava Bolted On
Let’s do this properly, because every other shop is either silent or lying.
Fakhar Platin (you’ll also see it sold as Fakhar Platinum — same bottle) is built on the exact skeleton of YSL Y L’Elixir: bergamot and ginger up top, clean lavender in the heart, dark resinous incense underneath. Spray them side by side and the family resemblance is immediate and undeniable.
Then Lattafa did something nobody expected. They dropped a big, sweet, tropical guava into the middle of it.
Y L’Elixir contains no fruit at all. Not a trace. And that one addition is simultaneously the reason this isn’t a straight clone, the reason some people adore it, and the reason others can’t get past it. So let’s talk about the guava honestly, because it decides whether this bottle is for you.
How It Wears
Top — Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Cardamom. A crisp, spiky, citrus-spice opening. Bergamot leads, pink pepper adds a fizz, cardamom brings a green aromatic warmth. Be warned: on the first spray this can read sharp and sour — one wearer likens it to bitter tonic water. It burns off in fifteen to twenty minutes and it is not what the fragrance actually is.
Heart — Guava, Lavender, Ginger. Here’s the fragrance, and here’s the argument. Lavender arrives clean and cool, ginger keeps it spicy and bright — and then guava: sweet, tropical, creamy, and unmistakably synthetic. Some wearers find it juicy and joyful. Others find it a half-finished note that steamrollers the lovely woods underneath. It is prominent, and it is prominent for hours.
Base — Incense, Palo Santo, Sandalwood. And underneath, quietly, something genuinely lovely. Palo santo is dry, smoky, resinous and faintly sweet; incense adds a cool, cathedral-like smoke; sandalwood gives it a creamy woody spine. Several wearers say the base is the best thing in the bottle — and wish the guava would get out of its way.
The Y L’Elixir Comparison — With the Maths
| Fakhar Platin | YSL Y L’Elixir | |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom | Bergamot, ginger, elemi, saffron |
| Heart | Guava, lavender, ginger | Lavender, sage, juniper, geranium |
| Base | Incense, palo santo, sandalwood | Olibanum (incense), oud, cypriol, patchouli |
They share bergamot, ginger, lavender and incense, and the same three-act structure. That’s a real dupe.
But two things are genuinely different, and you should know both:
- The guava. Y L’Elixir has no fruit whatsoever — its heart is clean, herbal, almost austere. Fakhar Platin’s guava makes it sweeter, fruitier and more youthful. That’s either the best thing about it or the worst, depending entirely on you.
- Oud versus palo santo. Y L’Elixir’s dark accord is oud and cypriol — leathery, animalic, expensive. Fakhar Platin uses palo santo — drier, smokier, sweeter, less animalic. Different, and honestly rather good.
And here’s the part that’ll surprise you. A wearer who blind-bought this purely on the strength of the Y L’Elixir comparison reports that people aren’t lying about it — and that the only real difference to his nose is that the Lattafa lasts hours longer. YSL’s Elixir, meanwhile, has genuine longevity complaints from its own buyers, and is widely felt to be badly overpriced.
So: it’s not identical. It’s cheaper, it lasts longer, and there’s a guava. We’d rather tell you all three.
⚠ Two Things to Know Before You Spray
1. The first spray is not the fragrance. The opening can be sharp, sour and screechy — a synthetic-citrus bite. Multiple wearers confirm it burns off in fifteen to twenty minutes. One says it plainly: if you judge this the moment you spray it, you’re going to be unimpressed. Give it half an hour.
2. Let the bottle rest. A wearer notes it settles and matures considerably with time. As with most Lattafa, a few weeks in a cool, dark cupboard is worth it. More on maceration here →
So — Is the Guava For You?
Straight answer:
- You’ll love this if you want a fresh, bright, easy summer fragrance with an unexpected smoky-woody backbone. Wearers call it superb for warm weather, the gym, and everyday wear.
- You’ll be annoyed by this if you came for the sophisticated incense-and-palo-santo drydown and don’t want a big sweet fruit sitting on top of it for four hours. That is a real complaint from real wearers, and it’s fair.
- You’ll be disappointed if you expected a note-for-note Y L’Elixir. It isn’t. It’s Y L’Elixir with a guava.
Performance
Good. Wearers report around seven hours and more, with fair projection — and, crucially, longer than the YSL it’s compared to. It’s a warm-weather scent by nature: excellent in heat, excellent for the gym, excellent as a daily driver.
Three or four sprays. It’s fresh rather than heavy and it takes a reasonable dose.
If You Own Musamam Black Intense…
Worth knowing: a wearer describes Fakhar Platin as essentially a fresh version of Musamam Black Intense. Both are lavender-led aromatics with a smoky, resinous base. Musamam Black is the dark, cold-weather, bitter-cocoa one; Fakhar Platin is the bright, warm-weather, fruity one. They’re a genuinely good summer/winter pair.
⚠ Not the Fakhar You Were Looking For?
If the guava has put you off, don’t write the name off with it. Four separate fragrances are sold as Fakhar and they share nothing but the label. The one you actually want may be one of these:
| Bottle | The Scent | Closest Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Fakhar Platin (this one) | Citrus and sweet guava over dry, smoky palo santo | YSL Y L’Elixir |
| Fakhar | The same fresh territory, no fruit — apple, lavender and tonka, clean and office-safe | YSL Y EDP |
| Fakhar Extrait | Warmer and richer — grapefruit and tuberose over amber and leather | Paco Rabanne 1 Million Parfum |
| Fakhar Rose Gold | The outlier — a full white-floral bouquet, and firmly feminine | Givenchy L’Interdit |
Why Buy From Royal Scents
Every bottle is genuine Lattafa Pride, sourced properly and stored in the UK. And you’ve just read a page that told you the guava might ruin it for you and that the first spray smells sour. We’d rather sell you the right bottle than the wrong one twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lattafa Fakhar Platin a YSL Y L’Elixir dupe?
It shares Y L’Elixir’s structure and four of its notes — bergamot, ginger, lavender and incense — with the same fresh-citrus opening, clean lavender heart and dark resinous base. But it is not a note-for-note clone. Lattafa adds a prominent guava, and Y L’Elixir contains no fruit at all. It also replaces the YSL’s oud with palo santo. Same blueprint, one big addition.
What are the notes in Fakhar Platin?
Top notes are bergamot, pink pepper and cardamom. The heart is guava, lavender and ginger. The base is incense, palo santo and sandalwood. Be aware that at least one major fragrance retailer publishes an entirely incorrect pyramid for this fragrance, listing jasmine, geranium and vetiver — none of which are in it.
Is the guava note in Fakhar Platin a problem?
It depends on you. The guava is prominent and lasts for hours, and it is the most divisive thing about the fragrance. Some wearers find it fresh and juicy; others find it synthetic and feel it overshadows the incense and palo santo underneath. If you dislike sweet fruit notes in a fresh fragrance, this is not the right bottle.
Why does the first spray smell sharp or sour?
The citrus opening can read as sharp and screechy for the first fifteen to twenty minutes. This is normal and it passes. Judging Fakhar Platin on its opening is the most common mistake wearers make with it. Letting the bottle rest for a few weeks also helps.
Is Fakhar Platin long lasting?
Yes — around seven hours and more, with fair projection and excellent performance on clothing. A wearer who has compared it directly to YSL Y L’Elixir reports that Fakhar Platin lasts noticeably longer.
Is Fakhar Platin the same as Fakhar Platinum?
Yes. The official name is Fakhar Platin, but many retailers list it as Fakhar Platinum. Same fragrance, same bottle.
What season is Fakhar Platin best for?
Spring and summer. It is a fresh aromatic fougère and wearers particularly recommend it for warm weather, daily wear and the gym.
Written and wear-tested by Shaheen Shah Abrar, Founder of Royal Scents. Tested through an Exeter summer. We spent the first three wears wishing the guava would leave, and the next thirty missing it when we wore something else.
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