REVIEW: Fakhar black - lattafa
resembles y by YSL
If you’re hunting for a fresh summer fragrance, Fakhar Black from the Eastern brand Lattafa is worth checking out! This scent is inspired by Y by YSL, and Lattafa has done a solid job creating a good dupe.
The scent of Fakhar Black
Fakhar Black starts with a refreshing and fruity vibe, with notes of apple and bergamot right off the bat. As it develops, it blends lavender with tonka bean and a hint of ginger, which keeps it fresh but adds a bit of spice.
Top Notes: green apple, bergamot, ginger
Heart Notes: lavender, sage, juniper, geranium
Base Notes: tonka bean, amberwood, cedarwood, vetiver
The price
This dupe has quickly become popular and is available at several online stores. Prices may vary, so check the latest rates and remember delivery costs and times can differ.
Online Opinions
Opinions on Fakhar Black are pretty mixed online. A lot of people think the scent doesn’t last as long as they’d like.
On FragranceBuy, there are also lots of reviews, and most are positive here too. Again, people mention the similarities to Y by YSL, but the longevity experiences vary more: some say it lasts 8 hours, while others get just over an hour.
Switching over to YouTube, reviews are generally positive. Gents Scents did a longer review you can check out. He says Fakhar Black is a great alternative, a bit fresher and spicier than Y. Even though it's not as strong as Y, he's reasonably happy with the longevity and projection. He still gets 6 to 7 hours. The projection is best in the first 45 minutes, then it fades gradually.
Dutch YouTuber Curly Fragrance made a shorter video comparing Fakhar Black and Y. She thinks Y by YSL is slightly better in terms of both scent and performance, but Fakhar is about 80% similar and she still gives it a solid 8.5, calling it a great affordable alternative.
Paragon Fragrances ups the ante with a short video saying the Lattafa dupe is nearly identical to Y and calls it a fantastic dupe. Unlike other reviews, he finds the longevity, projection and sillage really impressive.
On Reddit, you’ll find both positive and negative experiences with Fakhar, mainly focusing on projection and longevity.
On Fragrantica and Parfumo, people seem to be pretty happy with Fakhar. On Parfumo, the scent, sillage, longevity, and presentation all get a solid 7, and the price-to-quality ratio scores a 9!
On Fragrantica, the scent gets a 4.27 out of 5, which is a good score for this dupe.
Our take
So, what should we say about Fakhar Black after reading all these mixed reviews? First off, our experience with its longevity and projection has been okay. It projects about an arm's length for the first hour, then gradually turns into a more intimate scent that sits closer to the skin. We can smell it for about 6 hours before it fades away. We did notice that when we apply Fakhar Black to our clothes, the scent lasts a lot longer.
Compared to the original, we agree with CurlyFragrance: this dupe is about 80% similar to Y by Yves Saint Laurent. Personally, we like the opening: it’s a bit sweeter than the original. The green apple is definitely noticeable, giving it a nice and unique opening.
However, Fakhar is missing some of the depth that Y has. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the scent a bit less complex. We can’t pick up on the woody notes that are present in Y during the dry-down phase.
Is Fakhar a good alternative?
attafa has created Fakhar with a similar vibe to Y by YSL. It’s a bit simpler and more straightforward, but it’s still a great summer scent and a decent alternative. We think it's a mild fragrance that works well for the office or when having drinks outside.
The performance isn't as strong as Y’s, but considering the price difference, we don’t mind sprtizing a little extra. As long as it stays around 25 dollar, we think Fakhar is definitely worth it. We agree with Curly’s final verdict and give Fakhar Black the same score: a well-deserved 8.5!