Asad Zanzibar

You have no idea how happy I am to be writing a POSITIVE review of Lattafa's Asad Zanzibar!👍🏿 I have owned this fragrance for about a year and a half now, and, truthfully speaking, it's been nearly a year since I last gave it a try. Like SO MANY others, I was almost disgusted with what I was smelling, when I first blind-bought it -- the spoiled milk smell was pervasive in the opening, making it nearly impossible to wear. Being relatively new to fragrances at that time, I had, though, already seen how maturation/maceration truly could change a fragrance, so, not being one to throw anything away that I spent my money on, I let it sit for about 3 months, then, tried again. Pretty much, same results, but, it did seem as though the extreme ugliness of the spoiled milk smell had lessened somewhat...still, though, not a tolerable smell, just to get to a better dry-down. Fast forward to today, almost a year later, and, for whatever reason, something prompted me to pull it out, see if anything had improved. HALLELUJAH! It has finally arrived! Is it the best thing I own...no. But, it is now a really good, creamy type of coconutty-vibe, and, there is ZERO trace of the spoiled milk smell. I can truly say that I suspect that the majority of these negative reviews haven't given it the patience that I have, nor would/should they be expected to, I guess. But, as luck would have it, I am so glad that I waited, because, this finished product is much better than anything you're gonna get for that low price. 8.5 out of 10!

Reading through the comments here, made me feel compelled to give my two scents as well. The hate towards this scent is completely overblown. I blind bought this with the expectation of it being a sunscreen scent, like Piz Buin, and from that angle you can say that I was disappointed, because this smells nothing like any sunscreen lotion I have ever come across. But, looking at the scent head on, this is an absolutely wonderful scent! The opening is fresh, sweet and powerful, but not in a cloying way. And there is currently a heatwave here in Europe at the moment. The coconut in it is great, but differs from the traditional coconut note, perhaps due to it coming from coconut water. From here it slowly, but surely, evolves as it dries down. It becomes more "mature" as especially the iris and lavender notes moves to the front, until the vanilla note takes over and drives it home. The salt and incense notes are absent for me, but that only makes it better. It is an unique scent, that does not smells like anything I have smelled before, which is not a bad thing. My wife pretty much thinks that a lot of my fragrances smells the same, but thing one she picked up right away and complemented. The performance is fantastic with easily 10 hours of longevity, with great projection throughout th day. For the price of just a little over 20 euros, I think this is a no brainer to add to a collection, and I would even call it blind buy safe.

I was glad to see lattafa think outside the box and hire master perfumer "Fanny Bal" to create a flanker for the long time hype beast "Asad". The fact they decided on an original scent was a bold move considering they had big shoes to fill! (In the world of cheap middle eastern frags that is.. 😆) I think they nailed it! If your not a fan of iris then you won't like it, but if you like iris like I do then your in for a treat! On my skin it's a very creamy iris and vanilla with some tropical salty coconut in the background. The good coconut that doesn't give off that cheap sun tan lotion smell which I think makes this a better more versatile fragrance. Just letting it sit for a couple days it's already becoming smoother so I can imagine like most middle eastern fragrances, if I let this mature a bit we definitely could have the next "Asad" hype beast! The first night I got it I sprayed my hand before bed and I could still smell it 8 hours later when I woke up... and that was fresh out of the box. With some maturation time, this could easily be a 10 hour fragrance. Projection and sillage are pretty good for the first couple hours. I give it a 9.5! [Don't listen to the F*cking trolls in the comments or pay attention to the bad votes. Somehow it received some bad reviews the second it was released probably just to screw with the company or to try to kill the hype it already had. Either way it's a fantastic fragrance.]

Those of you who have smelled Axe Anarchy for Him will understand what I'm saying. This smells almost spot on to it, except it's got this roasted coconut and slight overripe, salty mango to it alongside with some old-school lavender in the opening and some vanilla. Basically a fancier, much more longer lasting version of the aforementioned, discontinued body spray lol Also I don't detect any cheap evernyl/ambroxan. LET'S GOOOO- Why am I biased? Well, because it reminds me of a trip to an island my mom did with (then 19 year old) me as a birthday gift in late 2013, makes me think of those 2-3 days we spent there, it's a memory forever ingrained in my mind, which I sadly cannot relive because said hotel we stayed in no longer exists, for those of you who know Venezuela, it was the "Hotel Laguna Mar Margarita", a 5-star hotel with all the bells and whistles. it's a memory I'll always carry in my heart, mom and I at the Maiquetía airport, then enjoying the hotel's pools, beaches and restaurants, and then the Santiago Mariño airport and Maiquetía again on our way back home. Gracias mamá. May you live a long healthy life ahead and may God give me health to care for you. DISCLAIMER: I'M VERY BIASED, PLEASE TAKE MY PERSONAL OPINION WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. Projection: 4/5. Sillage: 4/5. Longevity: 4/5. Scent Quality: 3.5/5 Overall experience: 3.8/5.

First impressions. Seeing all the negative comments, I somehow knew this would be a worthy blind buy for me, and I was not wrong. I haven't smelled anything like it. I don't get any specific notes or accords, but I do get a synaesthetic impression of a luminescent light gray or off-white matte sphere. Like a futuristic ice cream scoop, but warm and dry. Like a "moloko plus" cocktail from Korova Milk Bar, a bit of comforting mother's milk before ultraviolence. It is indeed lactonic, but there's nothing sour about it, so I don't get the sour milk complaints. Rather, there is something futuristic in addition to the powdery milkiness, like the sizzling plastic or hot wire smell from ELDO Ghost in The Shell. Or some kind of synthetic office carpeting. It could be a clever combination of lavender, coconut and salt, but it's so well blended that I don't perceive any individual components, I just get the general effect. It's definitely unisex, even leaning into feminine. It's very sweet, but not quite gourmand (due to the futuristic aspect). It's comes across as clean. And it could be a summer scent in the way you could wear Fahrenheit in the heatwave.

Lattafa struck again, but this time it took a completely different direction than the DNA of the original Asad (known dupe of Sauvage Elixir). Asad Zanzibar is a bold fragrance with an intense structure. Unlike the classic "blue" or hot spicy profile we are used to, Zanzibar explores the Tropical-Mineral theme. The opening notes are dominated by black pepper, it is very present in the first minutes, giving a pungent boost that mixes with lavender. Don't expect a clean, relaxing lavender; here it is functional to give an aromatic and masculine touch. In its heart the fragrance reveals its true soul. Coconut water is not as sweet as sunscreen, but is salty and lactonic. The salt accord and iris create a "dusty-maritime" sensation reminiscent of skin warmed by the sun after a swim in the sea. At the drydown the vanilla emerges, but remains dry thanks to the incense. It never becomes a cloying gourmand fragrance. It is described as a summer fragrance, personally I wouldn't define it as such. Sweet sillage. It makes itself felt without overwhelmingly filling the room.

I personally do not get why so many people hate this fragrance. I say that both men and woman can easily wear this, the mix of vanilla, coconut, and iris is very sweet and smooth and I see it was a unisex smell. My bottle i brought all the way back in around September of last year, I haven’t tried it in quite a while but when I wore it regularly i definitely had to overspray because the scent went away after some time, I guess that it lasts longer not that it’s been sitting for a while. On this article it says it’s more for summer time wear but I heavily disagree, I wore this lots when it was colder out and it went great with the snowy weather, again the vanilla is the strongest note above all the other ones here and it just smells great all around, don’t listen to the hive mind haters all over. Lasts around 6 hours last I tried which was months ago, projects decently, for $30 it’s awesome and I say both genders can easily wear this. God bless

I'm just gonna be honest...: Not all perfumes should be mass appealing(obviously), it's as subjective as every other thing on this planet. To me this is NOT tropical, it's smooth, sweet, slightly soapy, and pencil-shaving woody. it is beyond creative. this for sure doesn't have the highest quality ingredients, for 10-30 bucks that's a given. but the story that Fanny Bal has put together? Genuinely worth tuning into. Smooth, powdery vanilla, with a woody classy backbone. This smells versatile, unique, and appeals to those open that can get behind it. And isn't that the point? It's so easy to convince yourself whether you like or hate a fragrance before you actually can form an opinion. C*m is insane, i just got to say that. Disliking is absolutely ok. But PLEASE don't discourage experimentation, it'll only hurt the world of parfumerie. I'm sorry for the long comment i just had to get this off my chest. I LIKE ASAD ZANZIBAR. there, i said it.

#18 on my Fragrance Review Journey I have owned Asad. I currently own Asad Elixir, Asad Bourbon, and decided to add this to the mix. I have been victim to fake Lataffa fragrances in the past. I wonder if many of these bad reviews are because users have counterfeit cologne or maybe it was a bad batch released. This fragrance smells good. There is nothing screeching, there is no sour or spoiled milk smell, and it certainly doesn't make me want to run anywhere to wash it off. Sprung it right out of the box without any additional maturing and I was met with a lavender and pepper bomb. It was nice and sweet with wonderful sillage. I can smell some JPG and Invictus DNA. The dry down smoothes out to Iris and vanilla for me. I never smelled the coconut milk note. About 7 hours on skin and 10 or more on clothes. All in all this was a great sub $20 purchase and another nice release, IMO, by Lataffa.

This is an excellent fragrance that appeals to a wide audience. The hate you might see below is ridiculous. Like many fragrances from this brand, it benefits from some time to mature. I found that mine improved significantly after wearing it a few times and giving it some “closet time.” It opens with fresh coconut and marine salt, then evolves into a sweet vanilla in the dry down. Eventually, it settles into a toasted and creamy coconut/vanilla scent that I absolutely love! Though it leans slightly masculine, I'll be wearing it a lot this upcoming summer. It has a high-quality feel and is very long-lasting. Kudos to Lattafa! Update: I recommend spraying from a distance. When applied too close to the skin, the opening can come off as a bit chemically tart, in my opinion. Dani @deepgreenbeauty

Lattafa Asad Zanzibar is one of those colognes that must be macerated. If it's not matured long enough, for me, I picked up on the 'sour notes' that some other reviewers have mentioned smelling. But if you let it mature for a few weeks, it starts to smell better. I've had 3 bottles of this so far and when the scent is matured, it smells like sweet, fresh, creamy coconut, sea salt and those earthy notes.. also sweet vanilla and incense. Best for spring and summer wear, but year round won't hurt. This cologne smells better the longer it matures. And when it matures it honestly smells pretty good. Also received mutiple positive feedback and compliments wearing this one. Scent Profile: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 (6-8 hrs) Sillage: 10/10 Overall: 9/10

This is lovely. I bought it for my teenage son and he loves it. It’s light, refreshing, subtle and perfect for young men wanting to smell nice without falling for the “beast mode” scents flooding the scentosphere, and seem like they’re cosplaying as stockbrokers or businessmen. I smell vanilla, lavender and light citrus. Beautiful. Is everyone here reviewing the same fragrance? Asad Zanzibar in the blue bottle? Some of the descriptions here are bizarre and I do not recognize the scent I know from them at all. Nauseating? Disgusting? What? Is it possible a lot of people received a rancid batch, or there was a large scale batch that was messed up? Regardless, maybe don’t believe all of these reviews.

Call me the minority – I like this. A lot. I don't care for much by Lattafa. However, I find this to be extremely addictive and unique. Probably my favorite that I've tried by them, actually. It's also a far cry from anything I'd typically wear. So, exception to the rule, I guess. It being dirt cheap, because everyone else hates it, works out well for me. Normally I find anything with iris to be to be too 'dressed up' or formal to be worn casually, but this works well imo. I'll wear this just loafing around in jeans and a t-shirt. If you happen to buy this and it has a tire rubber accord, give it a few weeks to mature – all that will disappear.

This is an absolute beautiful fragrance; it takes me back to late dinner on the beach of Hawaii. I can't stop smelling it on my skin. This is what it smells like when you have an evening dinner on the beach of an island like Hawaii and you are surrounded by the island dancers around your table. The moodiness from the incense is there reminding you of the torch lighting, but so is the coconut water and salt from the beach. I spray it all the time just so it can take me back there. It sits so beautiful on my skin and yes, it's absolutely unisex and I share this fragrance with my partner.

Not for everyone admittedly but I really like this fragrance because it is not mainstream. It has a strong resemblance to Penhaligon’s The Omniscient Mr Thompson which I tried in the Penhaligons shop. It’s a bit sweeter and creamier than the aforementioned but that actually adds to its appeal. We all like different scents which is why I love fragrance, one persons garbage is another persons treasure! Considering I most recently paid £16 in uk beauty base, compared to the £245 OG it’s a steal Well done Lattafa for the Asad range 👍

This fragrance is a hit or miss. Some could like it, and hate it. For me it smells great, like coconut. Very versatile in my opinion as for me it smells something that could be versatile for any season. I get around 7-8 hours of longevity, and overall smells not that strong, but more moderate sillage. Smell: 7/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 6.5/10 Overall rating for me: 7/10 Would I recommend this fragrance? Depends, this is a hit or miss fragrance, but for me, it was a hit.

This is not as bad as I thought it was when I first got it. After a couple of months, I started wearing it confidently. I actually love it and use a base of Monocline 05 to smooth out the initial strong opening. I love the longevity, and it goes well with casual wear. I get a clean and fresh vibe from this. One spray behind the neck, one on each inner wrist and one in lower torso on my shirt and I am all set.

Safe blind buy ! This blind buy was not disappointing! I get 5 hours on skin with about arm's length silliage. You can find it for around $15-$20 at Ross - very good fragrance, I personally would wear it in spring, summer, and maybe even fall! It's a very powdery fragrance, and if you don't like that, I would stay away from Zanzibar. I love the iris in this fragrance! Very safe blind buy!

Please let this macerate before you review! I love fragrances with coconut and I was overjoyed to get my sniffer on this. It smells like a sweet milky coconut that leans masculine. Its not a clone of anything so you will smell unique for a low price point but please remember to MACERATE if you don't have the patience its unfortunate that you will miss out on a really nice fragrances. 9/10

Just received this one today. A blind buy. It is sweet in the opening, from there you will be greeted by creamy coconut, and I can say that from mid towards drydown it is more on that powdery iris note that gives me a Dior Homme vibes with a little bit of Invictus Victory Elixir. They keep saying it is a summer fragrance but for me you can use it all year round day or night.