Qaa'ed

If you're seeking a fragrance that combines elegance with a mysterious, thick aura, Qaa'ed is a choice that won't disappoint. It offers a scent that is rich, bold, and complex. It opens with an intense burst — a blend of spices, particularly cinnamon and cardamom, which sharply strike the senses with full force, almost smashing the nostrils. This fragrance is full of contrasts, where spicy, slightly sour, and earthy, almost electrifying notes, meet the delicate sweetness of vanilla and the smoothness of leather. The warm opening transitions into a smooth dry-down, evolving on the skin. As the initial spicy notes fade, a deeper, more balanced blend of oud, sandalwood, and subtle leather accents takes over. What's particularly striking is how the fragrance transitions — it softens without losing its intensity. Contrary to some reviews, I don't consider it to fall within the gourmand category at all. In terms of longevity and projection, Qaa'ed outperforms many perfumes — it's exceptional. It's not a delicate scent for everyday occasions. Though undeniably masculine, it can also be worn by women, especially those who prefer stronger, spicier fragrances. Qaa'ed is a prime example of a fragrance that benefits from aging — it initially had a completely horrible scent, but after many months, I've come to enjoy it immensely. If you purchase it, I highly recommend letting it rest for at least a few months after an initial strong spritz — or at least avoid writing angry reviews too soon. The aesthetic of this fragrance is deeply rooted in Middle Eastern tradition. It's a scent that requires confidence and nose maturity, not only because of its intensity but also due to the richness of its ingredients. Whether you're drawn to the warm, spicy, leather, or woody accords, this fragrance offers a unique journey that few others can match. So, if you're patient, it's worth the wait — let it breathe, let it age, and it will reward you with a wild experience. Opening note: 8 Sillage/Projection: 9- Dry down: 8 Longevity: 9- Blend/Composition: 8 Versatility: 6- Uniqueness: 9- Value for money: 9- Bottle design/Aesthetics: 6- Overall experience: 8- Blind-buy rating: 5-

Opens with a sweet and dry cardamom, followed by that cinnamon. The opening is surprisingly fresh for a spicy fragrance. Not like a citrus fresh, but a freshness that’s unique to this fragrance. This might be an odd way of describing it but imagine a shampoo that’s scented as a vanilla cookie with cardamom and cinnamon. As the fragrance develops, you start getting the floral notes; I’m assuming that’s carnation. It’s not your generic white floral, but more of a dense and spicy floral. In the dry down you get more nuances of oud, sandalwood, and amber. I couldn’t detect any leather notes. As for saffron, it might be present here, as saffron is ubiquitous in most oud fragrances, but it is under shadowed by the other stronger notes, so it’s hard to single it out. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be a dupe of anything. I never had the pleasure of smelling IM’s Nuit d'Issey Polaris, so I can’t speak for that, but as for Dunhill Icon Absolute, the only similarities they share is the bottle design which I think is misleading. Icon Absolute is closer to TM’s Oud Wood than Lattafa's Qaa’ed. Performance is decent, not too loud, but also present. Longevity is good more 8 hours plus. I have gotten a few compliments with this one. But not the sexiest fragrance imo. Regardless, it is definitely a unique and high quality fragrance that's worth a try by all fragrance enthusiasts. As for seasons, Qaa’ed leans more cold weather, although could also be worn in warmer weather, as it does come off oddly fresh for such a spicy fragrance. Blind buy worthy? If you like spicy fragrances, specially cardamom, this is a must try! Otherwise, it's still a safe and polite fragrance, so certainly blind buy worthy. Just don't overspary it.

Wow! I am so glad I have found this fragrance because it *reminds* me so very much of two discontinued fragrances I really loved, Halston Man Amber (one of the best mens Amber frags, imho) and Calvin Klein Euphoria Amber Gold. Yes, I can even see the resemblance to Amouage Interlude, with its spicy sour citrus note. It does not smell exactly like any of these previously mentioned fragrances though, but seems to take the best qualities of each and makes it all meet in balanced harmony. My new favorite Spicy-Gourmand Amber frag! You have the wonderful spicy note from Amouage Interlude, the gourmand qualities of Halston Man Amber (but with better projection and sillage), and then finally the ever-present amber note that is a little too strong in Calvin Klein Euphoria Amber Gold has been toned down perfectly and just as pervasive within Qaa'ed. Great lasting power (mileage will vary per person, but will be longer lasting than most perfumes) and the perfect sillage to where it leaves the scent, but is not still shouting in the room long after you have gone. Considering the price you can currently find this for, this is a masterpiece within the affordable category alone, if not hitting above its class and approaching "niche qualities" in its presentation and performance. I do not know how they can have something this grand be so very affordable, when you have to pay out the wazoo for Creed. There are more nuances, sure, but is it really worth the difference when you can come close to niche quality? (On date-night, the answer is yes...)

Spicy Blend of WARM & DARK LEATHER with Oud, Vanilla, Cardamom & Cinnamon. In the first couple of minutes I can feel the cinnamon, cardamom & bergamot and already there's a leather-y oud swelling through. Bergamot here is more pith with only a faint fruitiness. As the sillage starts to open up, saffron and warm woods emerge and a faintly floral carnation. There's a rich amber-vanilla in the base, along with a leather-y oud that tilts more oud-y with a hint of ambroxan the longer it's on the skin, and may give some a burnt rubber or petrol note, but it's restrained enough and supported by enough warmth that I find it adds to the darkness. Overall I get a gorgeous dark leather scent that's warmed up by vanilla & spices. This has excellent performance for year-round wear, but the warm & dark leather profile make this more appropriate to fall & winter or chilly nights. Contrast to L'Eau d'Issey Noir Ambre Issey Miyake: These are different, but there are striking similarities with leather, amber, vanilla, spices & woods. Qaa'ed is darker overall, while Noir Ambre is more complex & warmer with a more forward amber fruitiness. Both have excellent performance. Overall: gorgeous, affordable, warm & dark leather scent with excellent performance. It's a love for me. Enjoy!

You don't need to waste your time reading through ALL of the reviews here to determine who BEST describes how this fragrance smells "note-wise". (Because I've done all of that for you): Select "Positive Reviews" (above) and check out @Laurentiu20, 02/11/21 (currently the 2nd highest-rated review) and @a.elmahdy, 05/03/22 (currently the 4th highest-rated review). Together they will give you an exceptional "perspective" regarding Qaa'ed's quite unique composition. I discovered Qaa'ed a year ago and plan on wearing it for as long as Lattafa produces it! This fragrance is virtually a niche quality masterpiece with solid performance for $18. Yes, you just read every word of that right!! And don't let the fact that it's a middle eastern brand cause you to question whether you will like it or not. This fragrance doesn't smell middle eastern--but it does smell INCREDIBLE and is amazingly "wearable" niche!! One of those "Where have you been all my life?!" fragrance experiences. I've been seriously into men's fragrance for 30+ years and rarely experience a cost-to-value ratio THIS impressive!! 10/10 Overall.

I love this fragrance. Today, I realized that to me it is like a woody version of PG Le Male Le Parfum.... Like, it has that gentlemanly yet sweet quality of LP, and the spicy quality (that separates it from the others in the Le Male line), and yet of course it is NOT a Le Male at all... but just hits that same vibe, same situation, same goals for me... So a woody version of LMLP. It's warm and sweet, yet manly. Not at all overpowering. It commands attention, but not too much. I heard one reviewer say that with this one you won't necessarily get compliments, because the people around you already know you don't need one - that you KNOW you're a quality man. YOu don't need to flash it. You don't need a LOUD scent to advertise it. You just KNOW it. And so you chose this scent. This scent that is manly, warm, sweet, woody, professional, and gently commands your attention that this person who smells like this is the person you already knew you should be listening to. And, you like them all the more because they smell this good!

An absolute masterpiece. To my nose, it gives similar vibes to Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille and Spice bomb extreme, but better blended. It starts with a cardamom and citrus blast then transitions into some sweet spicy leather and woods, then finally settles into this sweet ashy smoky woods and vanilla with spicy undertones, which I absolutely love. Sometimes the whiffs of this fragrance come as spicy woods, other times it smells like incense and leather, other times like earthy vanilla... just amazing. It has a great longevity and sillage, and can last for a day on skin and 3 to 4 days on clothes. A 100 ml bottle costs only 25 euros. I still don't understand how such a great fragrance can be that cheap, let alone the fancy packaging and bottle design. In fact, I have completely switched to middle eastern fragrances because of that exact reason: they offer great fragrances, better blended, stronger performing, and cheaper than designer houses. They even offer niche quality like this masterpiece.

Blind bought it because of the reviews and I love it. It opens up very spice with cinnamon. To me, fortunately, it does not remind me of Christmas biscuits or whatever people mentioned here. Dont want it feel like Santa Claus going for a stroll downtown lol. It is spicy in a good way. Anyways, the spiceness only last for 10, 15 minutes and then it mellows to a very good vanilla scent with hints of sandalwood and a bit of leather. Personally, I wouldnt want to smell this on a woman, it is a masculine scent. But not in a way that you imagine a Macho Rockstar dressed in black playing his guitar and swinging his long beard around. It gives me a vibe of a 30+ years old man dressed up (possibly suited up) counting his money together with his bank manager before an important meeting with his shareholders. Summary is: as somebody mentioned here previously you smell like a rich as%h&le and I am definitely good with that! For 22 euros you can go wrong! Amazing fragance! I will buy Qaaed intense next.

It's been a few months since I first got this and while I kinda liked the aggressive leather it was when I first started spraying, it's macerated into something so, so much better. This is now an utterly delicious oud, cinnamon and vanilla, and the leather is a much more subtle backbone beneath it all. I know everyone is saying this, but it smells expensive. That spicy oud and vanilla are so elegant together. Unisex. 12h+ longevity, moderate to intimate projection throughout the day from 3 sprays (chest and wrists, which I dabbed behind my ears). I tried layering this with my other favourite fragrance [Suki Essence by Weir] as they both share a similar richness; and with the added dates and incense, Qaa'ed's cinnamon, vanilla and oud develop this dense and syrupy, cake like texture, that is seriously putting me in mind of (a perfumy take on) sticky toffee pudding. Strongly recommend!

#385 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I tried flanker Qa'ed Al Shabab first and liked it very much, better than this in fact. This is also a great scent, great performance, worth every penny, but I'm donating it. After evaluating several Middle Eastern scents in a row that prominently feature cinnamon, I'm concluding it's something I would rarely choose to wear. I already have more on the shelf than I'll ever use, and probably need to weed a few of those out. I've gotten to the point where even the cinnamon rolls at Crema Coffee and Bakery, so tasty that people line up out the door for them every Saturday morning, just don't sound good to me, I'm so overdosed on cinnamon. Cold weather scent. Great staying power. Not safe for carpool, elevators, close spaces unless you go very light, which I always would recommend with this class of scents. Casual wear, not for the office

This was a blind buy for me. Before I bought it I was getting kinda nervous because of all of the mixed reviews. Especially when it comes to how it smells. When I first sprayed it on the back of my hand i was blown away. The opening is very warm and spicy, the cardamom and cinnamon really come trough nicely and overall it is very warm, spicy and comforting. As someone who enjoys very intense, spicy fragrances like Spicebomb Extreme for example I love the opening but I understand that it might be overwhelming for some. In the drydown you can still smell tbe cardamom but the leather comes trough nicely as well. Overall it is very warm, masculine, spicy and insane for the price! Longevity was like 7 hours on skin as well, with like 2 hours of nice projection. My ratings: Price 10/10 Projection 8/10 Longevity 8/10 Smell 8.5/10

It represtents Oriental fragrances very loudly and proudly without being shy. To my nose the opening is very very masculine but after the dry down it is unisex. In the opening I get heavy burst of leather, oud and spices. In the dry down its more ambery, saffrony, vanillic Oud with a very subtle sweetness to my nose. I was little hesitant to wear it because of the opening but the dry down is so devine. For me it is a proud middle eastern scent with a little western twist, not a super sweet, and floral interpretation. It's a beast mode fragrance and you will definitely be noticed. It will overpower other scent in the room, the longevity is also great on me. But warning, it is not a beginner friendly fragrance at all and definitely not a safe blind buy. You have to be into oud to enjoy this.

At the risk of coming off as hyperbolic, this stuff is properly amazing! A sub $20 fragrance has no business smelling of this quality and complexity. Unmistakably oriental, this is for the swarthy, confident man. Cinnamon, cardamom and a hint of incense at the top. Florals, vanilla, saffron, leather and a mild woody oud underneath. Some of these notes (maybe the cinnamon, vanilla and who knows what else) even conspire to create a hidden cocoa accord. This is an intense fragrance, but nothing individually is dialed up to an uncomfortable level. One of the notable impressions Qaa’ed leaves me with is its ability to blend the vanilla with the oud in such a classy and sexy way that Stronger With You Oud and even Vertus Vanilla Oud could not manage. 8.5-9/10 Scent 11/10 Value

Instant strong cinnamon, dry spice, quite heavy on the opening but the sweetness arrives quickly and it lightens up. Just think walking through a North African or Arabian souk and feeling the sweet heavy and potent scents you get from the powder in the hessian bags. I bought this for $15 online. It wears off in a couple of hours but I can't keep my nose away from it. Just use an atomiser every hour. You can't lose. Update: a week later I sprayed it twice on my skin 4 hours ago and it's a lot more prominent than when I sprayed it out of the box the first time. Maybe just my senses but this is a dry spicy rub and it's difficult to keep my arm away from my nose after applying. It punches far, far above it's weight.

I love this one so much. I forget how much I love it though because every time I sniff the cap I don’t like it. I love it within 1 or 2 minutes of spraying it every time though. I also love it so much more now that it has sat for a few months. Sniffing the cap it smells like dad cologne, (which I would love to smell on my dad, but not on myself) but literally within a minute or two it becomes gorgeous woods and leather, subtle spices and vanilla. Still very masculine, but the kind of masculine I enjoy wearing on myself. If I’m home by myself, I will wear it alone or layered with Madj Al Sultan ti kick up the woods, smokiness and vanilla even more; if I’m going out, I layer it with something more feminine.

I was surprised to say the least! Since it's so affordable I gambled and bought it blind. First of all, I truly love this! But I wasn't sure I could carry such a powerful scent. It leans a bit masculine and that made me unsure in the beginning. Don't want to smell like a dude at work. Been trying it out now for a couple days and oh boy does it grow on you! Now I find myself wanting to reach for it all the time. I get almost a "Coca-cola" vibe from this as an initial reaction. It's so spicy and fresh and then it deepens up. I love spicy eather and oud fragrances so this is was just meant to be. It's the most cinnamon forward fragrance in my collection, so if that is your cup of tea, then get this!

vanilla, cinnamon, and leather; maybe a touch of oud. i love oud, so it would’ve been nice if it were more present, but this is a very ‘safe’ fragrance if you like the notes listed. i don’t get any carnation or bergamot, and the cinnamon isn’t heavy (comparing it to something like khamrah). i can’t say i’d wear this in the summer, i think it’s best suited for fall, winter, and maybe spring. it’s well blended and (IMO) unisex. as a woman, i’m happy to wear this. i had a kind friend send me several samples upon hearing i was getting more into oud, incense, deeper scents. if that sounds like you, this is a great one to at least sample. i sampled it on skin and immediately ordered a bottle.

Oh my god this is so good. I'm 41 & a woman and on my skin this smells like freshly baked spicy ginger cookies. Instant Halloween, fall and Christmass memories. It's very heavy though, and I could definitly uderstand why ppl vote this as more masculine, or masculine leaning. It's an intense spice bomb. But wow, i really think, a more mature lady who is into a heavy darker, not too sweet, Pumpkin Spice, Ginger, Vanilla and Amber mix with something animalic as undertone, she'd probably love this. I'm hooked and can't stop smelling myself hahaha. This makes me so happy and I'm so impressed with this fragance. Tip: don't blind buy this! :-)

People, if you can't blind-buy a $20 bottle with excellent reviews, why are you wasting your time with this little hobby? OF COURSE it's blind-buy safe and if you don't like it, SO WHAT!? If a $20 loss is going to upset you, I suggest that maybe bird watching will be more your cup of tea. Buy yourself a good set of binoculars and a notepad, and you're good to go... That being said, I really like this stuff. It's spicy, manly and not overpowering (presuming you don't over-spray) and I'm happy to have it in my collection. Now, I just have to wait for some cooler weather to actually wear it. Overall rating: 8.1 / 10.0

What I notice about this fragrance is how it has notes levels. At first spray, there’s a blast of sweet spice , almost ambery and spicy. I walk around the house and the fragrance seems to evolve into a more subdued vanilla scent with constant hints of cardamom. It’s amazing ! This fragrance has amazing longevity and it’s pretty powerful. This scent might be overwhelming at first to those around you so I suggest waiting for a few minutes before heading out. The bottle looks expensive but the price is very affordable for a 100 ml. Age : 30+ Evenings and cooler weather. Unisex Not for school or office.