Niche Emarati Al Jawhara

For me, this fragrance is proof that my preference has changed and developed over time. When I first got into perfume as a hobby, I leaned heavily on gourmands, easily translated notes, and avoided all things spicy. I once even determined that I would never like oud on me, specifically (love it otherwise). Naive, I know. Anyway, this one changed all of that. I got it on a whim, playing blind buy roulette. When I first smelled it, right out of the box, I felt like I had made a mistake. But, I let it sit until colder drier weather arrived (about two months). I layered it with vanilla lotion and perfume oil. The result was my first foray into something that had more depth and wasn't floral or gourmand leaning in a mass appeal sense. This is a more mature organic cinnamon fragrance. Plum, cinnamon, musk, and patchouli are present for sure, and recognizable. The other notes are new to me and I don't have the skill set to discuss them individually. What I can say is that this is a rich, easy spiced, cozy feeling scent. I think I will enjoy this as the weather continues to get colder. It has a smokey/earthy element to it that I kinda like. This is NOT a safe blind buy. If you do choose to take a risk, go into it with an open mind, try it on days with different temperatures and humidity levels. If it is too sharp, pair it with some vanilla undertones (shower gel, lotion, oil).

I adore Al Jawhara, it's soft and sweet on me. It doesn't have an almond note listed yet I get a sort of airy marzipan candy/candied almond note from it and a hint of plum. So delicious. It's light and soft, sort of a creamy dried powdery quality honeyed sweetness. I don't think it is the same but it reminds me of the memories I have of Guerlain Météorites powder mixed with sugared almonds 💕🍬🍭

“No i dont think you understand... im O B S E S S E D” Plum coulis, cinnamon, cognac, maybe clove? Butter? Cocoa? Maybe we will never know. Not exactly a gourmand but very edible, cant well explain it. Sweet labdanum. Thickkkk, embodied. Half of me is sorry for this being so slept on, and the other half is so glad this isnt everywhere. The quality. Please.

I like this one a lot. Smells bubble gummy when first sprayed (not too sweet, just yummy) and then 10 mins later on my skin it turns into a combo of a floral cinnamon bubble gum combo. DELICIOUS! Projection moderate, longevity 6-7, hours. Compliments getter for sure! Of all the niche emarati collection (I have 6) - this and Antique I like the most.

This is one beautiful fragrance. This has that sweet plum that will have some saying feminine and a green note that some will say makes it masculine. There is something at the base that feels like it doesn't fit, not sure if it's the davana, but it doesn't quite fit. This is truly a niche level profile, it's beautiful.

Its really a beautiful perfume. Needs a bit maceration to get its full potential, but its also lovely at the first try. Besides potent davana and a prominent plum note with cinnamon, I also get something like sweet red berries tea. Its really a gem. The bottle is also beautiful

Like a slightly more feminine version of Herod, quality is very high and it's very long lasting. There is an almost cumin like note in this that I don't like (I have detected a similar note in some of the Side Effect dupes), but the note fortunately fades out as it dries down.

This is really good, like a more feminine version of Initio Side Effect, nuclear performance and super smooth!

Lattafa’s Niche Emirati Collection in general. Out of all of the Niche Emirati collection, Al Jawhara and Antique are my 2 favourites (and share a similar smooth sweetness; with Antique being more milky-fruity with the fig note and Al Jawhara being more buttery-fruity with the plum and added Christmas spice). But none from this Niche Emirati line have amazed me as they don’t actually have niche quality. Disclaimer: I understand that Lattafa is still a budget Arabian fragrance brand that produce inspired fragrance but at much cheaper cost - so I wasn’t expecting excellence but I was (and always am) secretly hoping to be impressed. I’ve also got Remas and Zikra (which aren’t as yet listed on Fragrantica). Zikra is yet another rendition of Angels Share but this time done much better than Khamrah (although it doesn’t last well with pretty poor longevity). Remas is truly beastmode and lasts over 12 hours with hugely radiating sillage and is a very feminine vanilla/floral citric-mango but has a lot of ambroxan and ISOE so is quite chemical smelling. In my opinion, all have tacky looking bottles which gives the illusion of luxury but they are all just gaudy and still created on a budget. Al Jawhara. But let’s just focus on Al Jawhara. As I’ve mentioned, it’s my favourite of the entire Niche Emirati line. The cinnamon opening last for only 20 seconds before it calms. You initially think it’s going to be another apple-pie/cinnamon scent in the style of Ambre Narguile but that vanishes to then become more like Atlas Fever in the first few minutes. At this early stage, the osmanthus gives a sour iron-like blood note which I’m not keen on and it bothers me every time I initially wear Al Jawhara. So ignore this cinnamon/sour blood opening. Al Jawhara is all about the buttery smoothness that’s salty-sweet amongst the fruity plum. Lattafa reuses the same plum note as found in Vintage Radio, Al Nashama etc and then throws-in the usual ambroxan as found in most of the modern/designer fragrances these days to add longevity but which gives a synthetic touch. Luckily Al Jawhara isn’t too cheaply/synthetic smelling in comparison to most other budget Arabian fragrances. It’s almost gourmand with sweet labdanum and plum compote with a cognac reduction on a bed of buttery-smooth buttercream with a light dusting of cinnamon. Conclusion Sounds fantastic huh, but here comes the but... I like Al Jawhara but I won’t wear it again. It’s arguably the best from Lattafa, but I’m forever hoping to be amazed by a budget brand/creation when I’ve only found that fragrance magic from luxury/niche. Another downside is Al Jawhara doesn’t last well (5 hours on skin, much longer on fabric) and the synthetic ambroxan base that Lattafa seems to use for all is evident. On a side note, I’d still recommend Eclaire by Lattafa if you love a frivolously sweet gourmand. Although I’m done with the lowest end of Arabian fragrances, there’s still outstanding perfumery at the higher end of Arabian fragrances which leaves me awe inspired - a world of excellence in perfumery awaits.

The word niche gets thrown around a lot but this took it there by reminding me heavily of one of my favorites, Dev #1 by Olympic Orchids. When I double checked they do share labdanum, cinnamon, and musk. They both evoke similar imagery for me, like two gatherings in the same place but at different times celebrating different things. Al Jawhara is a late afternoon/early evening witch’s tea party. Under a large tree next to a sprawling field, sweet cakes, fruit tarts and freshly brewed herbal tea sit on long tables that are draped in linens from the clothes line. Incense sticks are stuck in the ground and the thin lines of smoke rise and twirl with the hot steam rising from tea pots. The fresh linens seem to make the sweet treats float above the table as a gust of wind pushes across the field and cools some of the late afternoon sweat on your skin. Dev #1 is standing next to the same tree in the same field, but the sun is setting and a bonfire is lit. The same incense sticks still burn in the ground. The tea is swapped for a sweet mixed drink and the musk on your skin ramps up as you start to dance. Al Jawhara is the calmer, more refined moment by the tree. Absolutely gorgeous resinous base with smooth greenery, juicy fruit, and an airy sweetness on top. Smells wonderful in the cold right now but just like Dev I have a feeling this will play even better with some heat and humidity.

It's a pretty fragrance! Just totally not what the notes say, on my skin at least. Upon opening it smells strongly of typical soap bar, while later on it transform into subtle soap and a lot of powder. Very warm and cosy. Only after 4-5 hours there is very faint smell of plum and cinnamon.

This fragrance reminds me a lot of Mugler Angel. The patchouli is incredibly similar and has that cumin-like note. It's not as heavy and is quite a bit sweeter than OG Angel though. The silage is incredible when you first spray it on. It also stays for a long time.

Drop some Khamrah or Khamrah Qawah on top of this and on dry down you get a really, really nice boozy plum that takes the feminine lean right out of it. Give new life to your Khamrah products using 2 sprays over one spray of Al Jawhara this coming fall and winter.

I must say that the strange smell from it is a note of pink pepper that kinda last long time. Because of it when sprayed on cloths it is kind of similar to getting soaked in east kitchen smells when cooking - for me it becomes smell like heavy dose of spices.

This is very similar to Angel Share DNA.. Nice but not unique unfortunately. Just nice and that is it.

smells a lot like Petra. on dry down

Nose Note #836 Way too feminine for me. I'd say it's just feminine, not unisex at all. Plum and cinnamon, but I'm getting a ton of coconut shavings. Slightly boozy. Very, very sweet. Very subtle medicinal touch. It's a nice fragrance, but not for my taste at all. As often, smells better in the sillage than upclose. I'll have to make my wife wear this to really understand it, but so far personally I'm not enjoying this. 5.8/10, this boozy overly sweet coconut is killing me

Beautiful fragrance if the cumin note was not in it🥲 I love love love the dna, it is pretty much like Khamra+qaed alfursan but more intense and incredibly long lasting (talking days here!), however, the cumin is just ruining it completely, as it smells like a person who didn’t shower for days after working out in the heat of the summer wearing no deodorant, trying to mask their stench with perfume🥲 I did the biggest mistake of my life and sprayed it just before leaving the house whilst running late, and when the cumin whiff hit me, i did not have time to change nor shower (yes it was the bad), so I left the house smelling like armpits. I’ll let it macerate, as I really love the dna, so I am hoping that bloody cumin just disappears 😭

I sold it. On my skin it smells like curry sauce or spices. I had to wash it off. Maybe after some time it will develop, but I cant get through opening.

This is a complex little number. Goes on smelling like a vanilla cake, with butter cream icing. It becomes darker and resinous as it dries. The davana note comes through, which I love, and reminds me of the long gone L'Oiseau d'Nuit. I purchased the convenient little 2Oml coffret. I'll definitely have to try the others in the Niche Emarati series.