Historic Sahara

I'll add a TLDR right at the beginning - If you're here because you're confused with which Althaïr clone to pick, seriously pick either Liquid Brun or Historic Sahara and you won't miss out. You can't notice the difference in the air. But if owning the objectively better fragrance will put your mind at ease, get the Afnan. But for those advanced folks interested in splitting hair, the Afnan is has a slightly more spicy opening (added faint hint of cardamom that's present in neither Althaïr nor Liquid Brun) and is quite smooth. There is a smooth herbal edge due to the elemi note as well. The Liquid Brun is heavy on the Ambroxan base so it immediately stings your nose right in the opening. Partly could be the higher dose of the orange blossom, rougher elemi note which is ever so slightly toned down in Historic Sahara. Basically, the Afnan opens up with a smoothness that Liquid Brun achieves about 20-30 min into the dry down which makes Afnan the slightly superior blend. In the dry down, the creamy nutty almond note with praline and a very high quality vanilla note gives makes for an absolute treat of an olfactory experience. The longevity straight out of the box is pretty decent but over time the ability to diffuse improves and it becomes a little more dense although it's just as sweet as Liquid Brun. I personally get about 6-7 hrs on skin and about a good 10-12 hrs of feel on fabric. Your fabric will carry faint whiffs that waft through the air gently the morning after. This is a great Althaïr alternative on the cheap and the "twist" is simply far too subtle for most folks to notice so for all practical purposes, an amazing 1-1.

Sahara stands out with an intense cinnamon-bubblegum opening. The progression layers are separate and easy to detect: later, it becomes a little more sugary and nutty. In the deep drydown, it turns photorealistically woody-spicy, almost as if the spices had been poured straight out of a spice rack. Under that cinnamony stuff, there's also a clear cardamom-driven cologney lift, which keeps it from feeling like a pure edible gourmand. One of the more interesting things here is that I get something rubbery from it, maybe a bit like an eraser. I like that because I always enjoy that kind of rubbery effect in fragrances. The performance is strong, at times even too strong and room-filling at first for this dense, sweet-spicy construction, so application in the warmer months requires caution. But it's not cloying unless you really overdose it. Out of this whole crowd of Althaïr clones/inspirations I tested, this is definitely the best one because it's the only one that doesn't smell purely derivative, and I should point out that I haven't smelled the original. I'd suggest forgetting those pointless fillers and simply buying a cheap Al-Rehab Golden Sand CPO or just Sahara, because it's a universal choice in this style, totally unisex. If the descriptions of it appeal to you, just get it. It's a bit on the pricey side, though, especially with that trophy-like column bottle. Opening note: 8+ Sillage/Projection: 9- Drydown: 8 Longevity: 9- Blend/Composition: 8 Versatility: 8- Uniqueness: 7 Value for money: 7 Bottle design/Aesthetics: 8+ Overall experience: 8+ Blind-buy rating: 8+

I’ve never smelled Parfums de Marly, and honestly, I don’t really care to compare. This review is just based on what I experienced. If I had to describe this fragrance as a person, it would be someone sophisticated, elegant, and effortlessly well put together. It leans mature — not playful or youthful — and carries itself with quiet confidence. For around $30, this is an instant buy for me. That said, I wouldn’t call it a safe blind buy for everyone. It’s one of those fragrances where you’ll either love wearing it yourself, or prefer it on someone else. These kinds of inspired fragrances are seriously impressive. And if you’ve never smelled Parfums de Marly, smelling this on someone would easily make you think it’s something high-end. At the end of the day, stop over-comparing budget fragrances to their expensive counterparts. Appreciate them for what they are — and this one definitely delivers.

This is the best clone out there hands down!!🔥 BUT..!!! People, plz hear me out! I'm into this hobby for so many years and i speak from the bottom of my heart! I literally own all the well known clones of PDM's Althair , and none of them deserves all that hype that they get from YouTubers and Influencers.. Do the smell good..? YES! Do they last and project..?? NONE of them!!! I tested them side by side every single day for a month straight! And believe me my skin chemistry is always above average with almost every scent out there.. So, down below, i rank them for the BEST to "WORST" 1. Historic Sahara (Afnan) 2. Liquid Brun (Fragrance World) 3. Island Vanilla Dunes (Khadlaj) 4. Desert D' Arabie (Adyan) 5. Art Of Nature (Lattafa) 6. Perseviron (Paris Corner) 7. Monarque (Armaf) 8. Lutfa Light In The Heart (Arabiyat Prestige) 9. Brulee (Ahmed Al Maghribi)

Althair without the orange blossom. Because of that, this is not a 1 to 1 clone. It is Altahir with that twist - got rid of the orange blossom fresh cleanliness and replaced it with a heavy dose of spices and sugar. I personally love this, as when I tried Althair, I thought I would enjoy it more if it didn't have such a heavy focus on the orange blossom aspect, which to me smells somewhat like wet wipes. Performs and lasts like an Extrait de Parfum. Althair is not that great for hot weather anyways, but Historic Sahara is even less. I sprayed myself 5-6 times and I felt a bit overwhelmed after the opening started to settle down, so beware this is way heavier than Althair also. You gotta like spices a lot, this is almost as spicy as Spicebomb Extreme. Pretty unique in my opinion! Quality is great. Congratulations, Afnan!

Historic Sahara is a fragrance that, unfortunately, doesn’t get the hype it deserves. It’s basically Liquid Brun (Althair), but improved in every possible way you can imagine. Less orange blossom, the almond note is blended beautifully, better performance and concentration, slightly more masculine and... just... better. It deserves all the hype that ends up going to Liquid Brun, which is only more popular because it’s closer to Althair—not because it’s the better version of this DNA. I love it. It’s perfect for cold weather, but it still has a touch of versatility thanks to its slightly fresh opening. If the daytime temperature is mild or cool, it can work just fine. But in real heat—morning or night—there’s no way around it, it will feel suffocating. Scent: 10/10 Performance: 10/10 Value for money: 10/10

I recently discovered Afnan Historic Sahara, and it instantly became one of my favorite fragrances. The opening is warm and inviting, with a subtle sweetness that feels luxurious but never overwhelming. As it develops, the rich spicy and woody heart notes unfold beautifully, creating a sophisticated aura that feels timeless. What I love most is its balance — it's bold but smooth, exotic yet comforting. The longevity is impressive, lasting me the entire day without being too heavy. It projects just enough to draw compliments but stays refined and elegant. Afnan Historic Sahara is perfect for evenings out, formal occasions, or whenever I want to feel confident and grounded. It truly captures the spirit of an endless desert journey — mysterious, warm, and unforgettable

This is criminally underrated. I'll keep this short, if you currently do not have an althair dupe, don't give this one a second thought, it really is the best and I'll explain why in a second. But if you have liquid brun or another dupe and you enjoy it don't bother unless you truly collect fragrances or do content or whatever. I have compared this to liquid brun and in my opinion on my skin: the scent profile is better (more spicy so not overly sweet, im not usually a fan of spicy but it makes so much sense here), the performance is a joke (around 9-11 hours with a strong sillage) and the bottle looks much better 😉. For me it is a 9/10 and the only reason I don't give it a ten is because its not as smooth as Althair but i never expect that from dupes.

I was looking for a gourmand perfume and decided to check out a dupe for Parfum de MarleyAlthair. I tried Nude Coral Diamond, which was okay at best, and Liquid Brune, which I didn’t like as much as I thought I would. It smelled weird to me, like overheated sugar. Historic Sahara, on the other hand, was way better than I expected. It isn’t exactly like Althair, but probably what Afnan wanted it to be. I really like it—it’s creamy, almondy, vanilla, and sweet, of course. Just 2–3 sprays are enough for anyone nearby to notice it. Overall, it’s a great perfume. If you’re stuck between Liquid Brune or Historic Sahara, you won’t regret choosing either—it all depends on your personal preference.

If you don't know what to pick for your Althaïr dupe pick this one. It simply just smells better then its competitors (For me). Great performance in every aspect, and specially for a winter fragrance. The only downside is that if you do not like heavy sweet fragrances you may find this very cloying. For me I imagine my self wearing this into something not classy but formal (in a way), as its sweetness takes over kind of a seductive part and its perfect for a winter date night fragrance at a fancy restaurant in which you are trying to make the other person feel warm and welcoming. Review #1: 8.5/10

Afnan easily could have put another so-so clone of Althair on the market, but they decided to come up with this very interesting twist on the DNA. Historic Sahara is spicier (with a beautiful and prominent oriental cardamom note), better blended, less cloying and more masculine than the other alternatives and they significantly toned down the quickly becoming boring note of orange blossom. The almond in the drydown gives it a more of a nutty and clean vibe alongside the ambroxan ramped up. Performance is very good as well and it leaves a beautiful scent trail, banger for Fall and Winter. 9.3/10

This is a much better and more deep and elegant version of the althair dna... but I rather don't want to compare it to althair since this is much better in my opinion. the vanilla / cinnamon combo is really well done here. I own liquid brun too, and that is way more closer to althair but allthough that this one is my favourite winter fragrance for real. I had compliments on it, everybody I asked seem to like it too. This is truly a masterpiece.

Wow, this blew me away. The quality in this is really high and performs very well. Although I can't speak to the similarity of this and Althair, I can say that I don't really care to know either. What I got in this is very rich, warm spicy, a little powdery, almost gourmand fragrance. This reminds me of sand if it were sweet somehow, but that could just be the design. Leans masculine and I would consider this very good for the price.

What an amazing fragrance- they have toned down the orange blossom from the OG and ramped up the spices. It is way smoother than Liquid Brun in my opinion. Totally unisex- Afnan has made possibly the best dupe so far and it is worth it. Wow, this is so addictive, cannot stop smelling my wrist. As so many people now have one of the other dupes of Althair this stunner will not get the hype it deserves, which is such a shame.

Super nice smelling! Really gives me a warm and comfort feeling. Totally matches up with PDM Althair. To me not a clone but an improvement. Afnan is not cloning but gets inspiration, then improves it. Can recommend this to everybody. Also It is for every season and for every weather hot or cold, wet or dry. Everyday it is suitable. It is also long lasting and strong!

if you are buying your first althair dna clone get this one. This is just better than LB and Vanilla Dunes. A more masculine take on the Althair DNA with more spices, very well blended and smooth fragrance, the projection is not strong as Liquid Brun but performs longer than it because it's in extrait concentration.

Brilliant one. Let it sit for a while and you will see this one performing like a champ. Not as sweet as the OG, ever so slightly more spicy. It's like a hybrid between Althair and Viktor and Rolf spicebomb extreme. Lasts easily 8 plus hours and it easily projects for 2-3 hours. Can't go wrong

This slaps. It's a creamy praline vanilla but in a way that isn't overbearingly sweet and more subtle and mature. The performance isn't subtle on the other hand, and this smells good around you for a loong time. It's become my go to wear for the colder months, banger.

This punches way above its price tag. Great scent, great projection and great longevity. Definitely a great value. Reminds me a lot of spicebomb extreme but lighter and airier. But that doesn’t negatively impact the performance at all. Perfect for fall and winter.

smells warm spices, smoky, sweet cinnamon popcorn, flat crispy rice snack, Tortilla or maybe a corn root tea. its definitely for winter. I didn't like of opening but it smells excellent after dry down! however it takes forever to be dry down stage.

First oriental scent I'm trying and I love it! It's lighter than I was expecting which is perfect! It feels masculine, slightly heavier on the musk than I was expecting. This is 100% going to be my go-to for winter.

This is a creamy and spicy sweet gourmand. It is delicious. It pulls compliments. You’ll feel like you want to eat your arm off. To me it’s my number 1 dupe.

The best winter fragrance I’ve tried This one is a perfect 1:1 clone. It smells absolutely beautiful and is very addictive.

@michobe Yes this is their take on Altaïr according to Smelly Cat, and based on the notes if you look at them side-by-side.

they are late to the clone party but for what sure they did hit well really good and better quality and liquid brune

this fragrance is one ofmy favorite fragrance in my collection, i really love the twist that afnan made

Magnifiscent warm spicy vanilla with really strong sillage, strong projection for the first 2 hours

Smells 85% the same as liquid brun just more gourmand and a little sweeter I prefer this

I smelled both liquid Brun and Sahara ... Sahara is smell higher quality bought one

I love her. Sweet and spicy. Perfect for fall and winter. Unisex all the way.

I also own LB. This is better. More open, wider, stronger, longer lasting.

YOWZZA.... THAT'S SOME GOOD STUFF!!!

I hate the overpowered cinnamon in this.Afnan, stop messing around with the original DNA . However I would need to see if after macerating it would get better, but right now. Khadlaj Vanilla Dune is a way better Althair clone. Also Afnan is very sneaky, their afnan collector edition also has concentrated atomizer like this one, its doesnot "spray" but more like "spit", the amount of fragrance is sprayed in a small area so you have to spray more in order to get better sillage, thus you used up the bottle faster.

This is potent! It’s powerful. But even the orange blossom and sweetness doesn’t prevent this from being masculine leaning. Don’t get me wrong, a powerful woman can definitely pull off this sexy beast of a vanilla, orange blossom, and spicy powerhouse. I’m just not quite sure I’m that woman. I think I’d personally feel more comfortable adding a bit of sweetness with one of my many sweet vanillas. It’s a wonderful fragrance - just not completely for me: I would love this on my husband!

I'm quite new to the whole fragrance world of ME dupes. However, this is the one for which I received a loud compliment at the office. And I'm enjoying it too. Masculine-leaning gourmand vibes is what I can sum it up to. With 4-5 sprays, you can fill up a room. It is a little headache-inducing for me. But that's me with many fragrances.

Good clone of althair obviously, but not the best. I personally prefer khadlaj vanilla dunes.

Is it better than liquid Brune chat?

Liquid brun last longer and better

@Jadelizax u might be going insane

Afnan threw their PdM Altair dupe into the proverbial ring along with Liquid Brun, Island Dunes and the Art of Nature II. It’s not a terrible interpretation of this orange blossom + woody accords + cardamom scent DNA but it’s not the strongest either. The ambroxan and musk at the base don’t read as well-blended compared to the other clones. I also don’t love the almond note. The cardamom reads as both artificial and thin. I had big hopes because I love the smell of elemi resin and that note was listed. Oh well. I’m glad I sampled it, and I’m glad it’s available in the Altair interpretation lineup. However a bottle doesn’t need to live on my shelf 6.25/10

Just got a bottle of this recently & don’t quite know what to make of it, does anyone else get a soapy note from theirs or is it just me? Not as rich & intense as I was expecting, had Liquid Brun when it first came out which I found too sweet & over powering, was expecting something similar with this but easier to wear... This is one I’ll have to try for longer, but initial impressions so far I don’t think this is going to be a keeper.

I blind bought this .....way too gourmand for me. The praline and edibles nature of the fragrance is too much for me. But the quality is definitely there. I am getting rid of my bottle. But at least I tried.

Performance & quality are impressive for that price. The flanker doesn’t feel cheap like trashy clones. Unfortunately I’m not into gourmands, so I’ll give it away to someone who enjoys gourmands.

Not what I expected, it’s a good smell but I expected something a little more warm and for some reason I get a strong “bubblegum” or “juicy fruit gum” smell too it.

Althair's dupe, but closer to French avenue's liquid brun than Althair. Spicy and just as strong.

From the very first whiff, this fragrance hit me like a cloud of sharp, synthetic fumes, so harsh it genuinely felt like needles piercing my lungs. The opening is overwhelmingly chemical and unpleasant. That said, if you can push past the aggressive, low-quality synthetic blast, the underlying scent profile itself isn’t entirely bad. However, it’s important to be clear: this release shares no real resemblance or synergy with the high-quality masterpiece Liquid Brun by French Avenue. The difference in refinement, balance, and composition is simply on another level. Rating: 3/10. Harsh, unrefined, and disappointing. Only consider if you have very high tolerance for aggressive synthetic openings.

Too sweet too potent headache and nausea inducing

Don’t waste time hunting for an Arab clone of Althaïr — none reach even 50% of the original’s beauty. They’re all harsh, synthetic, linear, and lack any real depth or evolution. The most common clones trying to imitate it: • Liquid Brun • Art Of Nature II • Island Vanilla Dunes • Historic Sahara • Chaos Samam • Al Dirgham Special Edition • PERSEVIRON (Paris Corner) • Lutfa Light in the Heart (Arabiyat Prestige) They’re light-years away from the purity, smoothness, and beautiful development of the real Althaïr. The gap isn’t 10 or 20 % ... it’s heaven and earth. Try the original once, and every clone will end up forgotten in a drawer forever.

I can't believe everyone says male only. I find it super feminine and super sweet on me. It has praline and sugar at max power ! :) Its Althair's DNA but only 70%. There is a lot less; the cinnamon in Althair is firey and is missing here and so much more depth and woody in A, so its not a 1on1 dupe, but it's in the same family, so if you like Althair you will like this too! Althair is a masterpiece of complexity and blending, this is just it's cousin def worth a try ( and buy ! ) I mean it's also in a different universe when it comes to price range ! On me is sweet, creamy, woody with just a hint of spice. Strong but not overpowering at all ( at just one spray) I find it quite delicious actually. I see it as mature ritch woman fragrance, very sensual. Yes it would smell amazing on a man I can see that, and it would make any woman lean in for more. I do not find it at all screeching, I find it blended with care and no headache inducung so far and im super sensitive, no idea if this is due to the fact that the sample i tried on me had been probably open and matured a while. It's a lovely fragrance, I have left so many bad reviews and this one is not worth any ! I please ask more women to try this !!!! And men to wear it after a time of maturation, it will be a magnet ! Men could also experiment using it as super great base for adding more pungent woody masculine layer on it ( after waiting an hour ), i can immagine this with a hint of oud or cedarwood or vetiver would be more complex and intriguing. I was surprised ! Coming home with me, it will be a perfect gift gorgeous bottle ;)

This is the best of the lot. I own liquid brun & vanilla dunes. While i dont admire liquid brun since it is heavy on the sweetness. I was on the lookout for something less sweet within the same profile. I then purchased vanilla dunes which is a spicier version. Over there, they have reduced the sweetness and amped up the spiciness. It is a spicer version where it smells like a spicy chai (tea) while retaining all the other components. Historic sahara is at par with liquid brun in terms of projection and longevity and the overall scent profile but its very well balanced. It has the sweet and spicy notes very well balanced. Smells almost identical to liquid brun but the expert noses will pick historic sahara over liquid brun because of the quality. It stays for around 7-8 hours on clothes with 10 sprays and projects quite good for 1-2 hours. So if you are confused between liquid brun or this ,i will suggest going for historic sahara.