Bakhour

I agree that it has a misleading name.in my mother tongue(persian) bakhour is:vaporized water with a humidifier which is used for refreshing skin and cleansing pores.also sometimes they pour drops of herbals like lavender drops or ocaliptous in it to help curing cold.on the other hand it makes me think of oud,incense,myrrh but Al Rehab bakhour is nothing about herbals or oud When first sprayed(I have a 35mil bottle which has spray not a roller)there was something retro and vintage-smelling in it.like a heavy floral scent with carnation made in 80s.there was also something off in it.something chemical and sharp like glue.but it goes away in a minute or two and I can smell that classic floral scent and something like benzoin.in this stage I thought some men who love classic feminine fragrances can pull this off.but this stage doesn't last more than a few minutes either and I'm left with a super gorgeous,feminine,softly powdered floral scent,blended with sweet fruits in a warm,balmy and sweet base of amber,vanilla,woods and musk.this is a very sweet scent on my skin and I love sweet perfumes.it smells so good that I'm shocked.all in all I'm a huge Al Rehab fan,I collect al rehabs(in spray form.I don't like rollerballs) and there's many of them I like a lot,"soft,chocomusk,lovely,nebras,rawan,dalal,fantastic,silver,golden sand,susan" are some of my al rehab loves;so I expected to like bakhour too.but I LOVE it so much that I think I need ten backup bottles,at least! and I really don't recommend it to men.it's super feminine in most of it's life I don't care for it's opening and first ten minutes but then.mmmm.Flowers are Devine here.I don't know which flowers are in it.perhaps rose?honeysuckle?heliotrope?orchid?gardenia?jasmine?I can't even distinguish it's fruity notes as separate ones.perhaps some sweet berries?litchi? I can't explain how amazing and gorgeous it smells.it sometimes reminds me a lot of popular sweet perfumes on the market.but it's better than all of them and longevity is also great.it projects well without getting too heavy. This very delicious and intense stage is with me for an hour or two.then sweetness calms down a lot.fruits fade away,flowers dry down to a soft floral powder and I can mostly smell benzoin,sandalwood and amber.warm and clean and sensual and more refined comparing to the recent syrupy sweet floral-fruity-vanilla level.I enjoy it's dry down too It's interesting how a perfume acts differently on different people.for me,it's wearable year round except hot weather.and I prefer it for evening and even night wear. "Bakhour" worthes a lot more than it's price tag.it can beat a lot of popular high-end fragrances.I love how it develops on my skin and once again I'm so happy to discover this cheap but great brand.it's a pity that they're not widely available where I live Highly recommended

THIS....is the reason I buy hundreds of perfume/samples at all price points...so that I may come across something like this. It is a particular kind of scent I'm after, and have been looking decades for. Creamy, powdery, vanillic, delicately sweet floral with a tinge of "sour", feminine. And from the reviews, I see that there are others out there looking for THIS. A person can decipher all the notes present in a perfume, but even the most detail list of notes used cannot predict the psychological experience one would have, when actually smelling it. This is not the perfect perfume, but it does hit that magical spot for me. I must warn, though that to reach the beautiful dry down of Bakhour, you have to get past the initial brassy cheapness of the first hour, which I loathe. Some of these Al-rehabs can turn out to be gems after it develops, but it seems that all of them have a strong, intense, often unpleasant beginning. Other than ordering hundreds of samples, digging through modern commercial perfume, niche perfume, vintage perfume, artisan perfume, I rely on the reviews of others to help narrow the search. Now that I'm reading the reviews since 2015, I see references to those key words I always look for: creamy, powdery, feminine, vanilla floral, makeup/lipsitck etc. Sometimes, people seem to refer to it as the smell of "expensive lotion." But before the recent year, some of them hinted at these things, but not directly, so it was not on the top of my list to try. And I never was looking for "this" type of perfume in an Al-Rehab, convinced it would be from an obscure European perfumery. I was just playing around, experimenting with non-western scents. Luckily, I ran into it by accident in 2013, as a free gift with multiple purchases of Al-rehab perfume. I'm writing a review on this because I've benefited from the review of others and would love for mine to be of use to someone else. If anyone is also really into this "thing" I'm talking about that Bakhour has and would like to discuss sources for more of this type, feel free to message me. I'm into many many different kinds of perfume, but "this" type has been elusive.

All I got at first was galbanum, like hing powder-- asafoetida. I was tempted to insert my arm into a pot of simmering dal and add some roasted spices. Nothing like the actual bakhoor I sometimes burn for an atmospheric scent. Then a note of barber shop emerges. Maybe Aqua Velva, like a bad date in high school or The Thin Red Line. I dislike fruity floral fragrances but I'd douse myself with La Vie est Belle at this point, to dispel the memories. Still waiting for some floral relief. The memory of my clothes molding in the Himalayan monsoon is now uppermost. It's...nostalgic. Living in Egypt now, I never thought I'd say, "Could use more oud." Unique. At least I hope so. Even so, I'll give the oil a try.

Bakhour is a beautful perfume - floral and vanilla, although to my nose, not like any of the Angel/Alien perfumes. It's different and very bright - I've received comments that I smell like Spring wearing this oil. The drydown has a musty quality which I rather enjoy and which cuts through the innocence of the florals, adding a greenhouse effect. Bakhour is great paired with other Al Rehab oils, especially Al Sharquiah. Rub these oils into your skin (rather than just applyng them by roll-on bottle) for the full development of the perfume. Update: Bakhour is a beauty on its own...absolutely stunning floral that is warm and bright at the same time. I love it more each time I wear it.

I really love this smell. To me it smells like honeyed roses. Like walking into a hookah bar. My wife loves it too, she is from Morocco and it gives her a nostalgic feeling. I only wear it if we go to the hookah bar since to me it’s too feminine to wear anywhere else. I enjoy some “feminine” smells if it is complex and has many layers but do to this fragrance being a bit linear floral smell it’s not something I can wear regularly out and about. As I said I do like some sweet and floral fragrances but for everyday casual use I have to draw a line somewhere haha. My wife loves it and I love it on her and on me occasionally. It’s cheap and worth to have around.

Not everything is a dupe people! Anyway... I have really come to love this. At first I also found it smelled strongly of detergent. But I’ve hung onto the rollerball for around three years now and maybe it’s sweetened, or I just learned to appreciate it. It smells like sun warmed honey like florals. It really smells like the picture! Golden, ambery, stick your head in a bouquet your perfumed friend is giving you next to a pot of honey. Sammbac, your review is beautiful and so inspiring!

I can't get enough of this scent. I've looked for years for a scent like this. It's so perfect on my skin. After about an hour it mellows into the most wonderful creamy, spicy, sweet and mysterious scent. Some perfumes I would wear would make me feel like someone else, but this makes me feel like my truest self, the embodiment of what I should smell like. I can't give this a high enough review. I am in love.

A very clean floral perfume, smells fresh and minty yet warm and comforting. reminds me of a vintage floral soap. personally i wouldn’t wear it since it smells very vintage but still it is absolutely amazing and definitely worth a try. I own both the oil version and spray version, the spray version smells more fresh while the oil version smells more comfy.

The perfume oil has redeemed this one for me. I made the mistake of first buying the spray. Alrehab uses a vile alcohol for its atomizers that some people can't tolerate. The Bakhour oil, however, takes me right back to my days in Sudan, and its aroma of bakhur and oud everywhere, even on the open air. It's almost too painful to bear now.

Un de mes préférés, sentit par hasard lors d'un voyage au Maroc, depuis je l'adore, j'ai fais un stock, vaut bien les parfums de luxe; j'ai l'huile, sent vraiment très fort, je pensais qu'il y avait de l'oud et en fait non; je ne peux plus me passer de cette odeur difficile à décrire, fleurie, sucrée, boisée

Such a lovely, lovely scent and a beautiful companion to Hermes Faubourg 24 used as a body and hair oil. They are somewhat similar. I use it in the same way with Ghoroob from Arabian Oud. All three has an obvious kinship and I love them all. Feminine, sublime and strong, never sharp or intrusive.

I got this as a gift when I was thirteen and I was obsessed with it for years. It’s one of the nicest things I’ve ever smelled. The fruity amber notes are gorgeous. It reminds me of my early teens, it’s a bottle of pure nostalgia for me now.

I get mostly old-fashioned violet in the floral top, with other notes being only very faint. Clean, soapy, powdery, cool violets. Violet lovers need to try this, as it's a note not often found in fragrances today.

This one was one of my personal favourites as a kid, and it still is. Love the mixture of fruity notes and vanilla immediately, and it's definitely a long lasting perfume, especially in rollerball version.

my first al-rehab parfumes that i've got from my cousins bout 10 years ago n ever since couldnt seems to forget this adorable smells

Sweet floral humidity. Really recommend wearing this on a cool, almost cold, night before bed

I share some of the opinions of these reviewers as to the quality of Bakhour. Let me explain... Usually a scent named 'bakhour' (a form of middle eastern incense!) would attract me like a bee to honey. Not so here. The reviewer who summarized this particular Al Rehab as 'sour fruit and detergent' did us all a favor! Yes, there's a tangy quality that could be good - if it didn't descend into funky acid territory. NO incense, depth, or beauty appeared. I tried it repeatedly in all kinds of weather and got nowhere. So when my dearest friend begged me to pass it along - Voila. History! It took me ages to get around to writing this review. Why? Because I didn't know for sure WHICH attar I had! The little label is extremely similar to that of Crystal and partly worn away at that. Neither am I particularly fluent in Arabic, alas. ;) On to comparisons... The lovely Badar is a TINY bit like Bakhour, but only in category. I find Badar goes a slightly sour on me, but that it radiates with warm beauty on the right skin. It's well worth trying, because Badar smells vastly more expensive than it is. Sweet honey, musk, and jasmine - with touches of patch and wood. In other words, Exotic yet Approachable. What Bakhour DOES smell a lot like is Al Rehab Mokhalat. (Also with a similar label!) Interestingly, though it contains nearly all the same notes and clearly shares a strong chemical similarity, Mokhalat actually appeals to me. It's rounded out with medicinal oud, wood, and possibly saffron, feeling more balanced and earthy. Somehow it even seems a little pseudo-intellectual to me! Oddly attractive, rather than repulsive. You decide! There is no way Mokhalat will appeal to those unfamiliar with middle eastern attars, but if you're willing to take your time and have an adventure, Mokhalat is the 'funky' Al Rehab I recommend. It's best in hot weather and layers well with the equally unusual Aroosah. Plus (if you live in the west) you're almost guaranteed to smell like nobody else you know. Note - For those ready to give up on Al Rehab entirely, please consider trying Choco Musk, Soft, Sandra, Lovely, and Fantastic. Those with 'masculine' taste should try Space, U2 Man, Dakar, and Al Fares. These are more western in style. ALL will give you very good value. You're welcome. ;)

My previous review of Bakhour stays up, but it needs an addendum! This week I received a clearly labeled, obviously new roll on of Bakhour in the mail from an oh-so-kind fellow fragrantican. Yay! It utterly transformed my attitude toward this scent. A few things need to be mentioned for those interested in making a purchase. It IS possible that my first bottle of 'Bakhour' was actually Crystal. Or it's possible that my nose has changed (a LOT!). Or... perhaps my first bottle was more than a little damaged from the heat and going 'off'. I'm leaning toward the latter explanation, but you pick! While there are similarities to the first Bakhour I had, this one is NOT funky. NOT loud. NOT high pitched and almost acrid. NOT even bitter. What I smell now in place of that funky oddness is a hint of tangy musk distinctive to middle eastern blends, and also a bit of oud. To summarize, mostly I smell: Indistinct Fruit (oranges?) Amber Musk(detergent musk plus that bit of tang mentioned) Indistinct Flowers Sweet JASMINE The latter most of all. :) It's a creamy kind of scent, like high quality triple milled soap with a middle eastern twist, or a pretty lotion. Feminine, Arabian, but mostly just likable rather than challenging. In short, if you want to smell a 'mukhalat' blend from the middle east, this is a good and affordable pick. Others just as good and better (depending on your tastes) naturally exist - this is a standard scent from Arabian houses, each with their own special version. Al Rehab's is easy on the pocketbook and ultimately a very FRIENDLY introduction to the genre. Enjoy - I know I am. :D Update - The weather has changed and now I smell a hint of that 'sour laundry' smell which dominated my first roll on. Bakhour just might be a tad funky after all, haha, but I LIKE it!

Fruity smokey roses powdery floral incense with a hint of synthetic soapiness creates the classic old lady smell but not just any old lady id call this a sweet chypre once the floral musky aldehydes start opening a hour after the fruity top settles it smells like a 1000 year old Mediterranean witch closet where u find dried flowers in vases and sweet sugary candy on the floor there's a loaming dark smokey aura which I love in this fragrance smells like something a succubus would wear it must be the rose a gothic rose a dark rose when this note blends with the amber and vanilla it surprisingly can turn this from feminine to unisex for the man who enjoys old school drugstore perfumes such as Revlons Charlie, Norell , Shalimar This fragrance is less complex and more linear but with a middle eastern twist a very powerful scent it opens like dusty lifesaver candies in a sand cavern give it time it will mutate into something vintage and unique a sweet powdery floral incense this fragrance is very Loud and will fill a room and your nose with wafts of fruity dusty incense flowers and smoke underrated and a must have for those who enjoy loud oldies that have layers of personality ...it is leaning toward feminine territory due to the fruity opening not a safe blind buy for a man who does not like sweet chypres or vintage smelling fragrances 9.5/10

Wirt notes that Bakhour smells like 'artificially sweetened incense'. That's not a bad description as bakhoor is just that: incense that comes in the form of oil soaked wooden chips usually burned on top of heated charcoal. It's often used to perfume clothes, being a fragrance layer in its own right. Bakhour is a good reproduction of classic floral bakhoor, but be warned: the strength, protection and sillage is absolutely huge and the floral notes massive. They dominate the woody notes and almost force them into submission...but they are there. The florals remain potent a good 12 hours later and just one squirt of the spray is enough to overwhelm you and, quite possibly everyone else in a room! I've learned my lesson! I find a single spray from arm's length fantastic for layering under something darker, woodier and moodier. Let's be honest though, I recognise my tastes are different to most western guys. They will find probably Bakhour far too flowery, intrusive, sickly and alien. If you like Bakhour but find it just too much, a good similarly cheap alternative is Bakhoor by Al Sunnah.