Safwaan L'autre Musk

people are so hostile and all over the place about this one i cracks me up lmao. I've had totally the opposite experience, maybe i lucked out and got one that didn't need to mature/oxidize -- the production date on the box is from the year it came out and the liquid is a little darker than it looks in a lot of the pictures so maybe it's pre-aged? It's definitely a unisex, somewhat zesty scent, but I find it really compelling. I don't think it's a dupe of Gris Charnel or Liam Grey exactly, but it's in the genre of a lot of the niche and wanna-be niche scents of that type; spicy, woody, powdery and creamy with synthetic amber-musk. I smell ceder and something zesty in the opening, like tellicherry peppercorns (they have citrusy, piney and almost floral aromatic notes) and maybe a touch of cardamom, and then i smell a lot of cold, fine, silky iris powder with an almost tactile musky presence, probably supplied with some ambrox relative, and then the dry down is coconut and sandalwood. It's a dry, aromatic coconut and a creamy, sweet sandalwood, which makes a nice change from the scratchy, sickening quality of the scents that go with 'syrupy coconut, dry sandalwood.' Honestly, it's the best sandalwood I've encountered in a 'budget' perfume outside of something in a roll-on oil from an import and crystal shop i used to get as a teenager. Honestly i'm kind of obsessed, and would be happy to suffer through a 'cheap and nasty' opening to get to that warm coconut-sandalwood dry down, but i do personally love the peppercorn, fresh cedar and lipstick iris opening and all the powdery amber musk in the middle. It doesn't read 'cleaning' product to me, and I'm too familiar with both cedar and peppercorns as raw materials to have a particularly strong 'men's cologne' association. I do think the listed notes give a mistaken impression, this is not a typically sweet perfume or a traditional women's musk. They probably should have listed synthetic ambergris instead of 'amber' because it's definitely not resinous. There is no heliotrope or almond, and no vanilla that I can detect beyond a general sweet-creaminess in the dry down. but I wouldn't say that it was masculine exactly either, with the makeup iris and the smooth, almost chocolatey quality of the woods and musk.

This is a beautiful musky, spicy and slightly floral gem, unisex, but leans feminine. The earthy, pepper and muskiness all remind me of Xerjoff’s Accento, perhaps a little creamier and not as harsh and in your face as the Xerjoff. Another Middle Eastern version similar to this is Maison Alhambra’s Philos Centro. Presentation, longevity and sillage as usual from Lattafa are top notch. Another home run from Lattafa!

It feels like a niche but it also packs that Middle Eastern punch. I think the musk will get smoother with maceration though. It's rough enough right now that it reads like ambroxide so I can understand comparisons to Superdose. It has something almost gourmand happening that sd doesn't have. It's intriguing. It's one of the rare fragrances I backed up - but at the price, it was irresistible.

My first Lattafa. A very simple and lasting fragrance. It has a powdery almond vanilla vibe throughout. None of the notes are overpowering. To me, this is a slightly sexy daytime/office sent. There is a slight almond/spice feel that keeps it grounded. It’s just enough Amber/vanilla...without being immature. Relaxing, professional and rich feeling.

I've only had a sample of Gris Charnel, but I have a bottle of Liam. Gris Charnel & Liam have a distinct Sandalwood note that is not present in Safwaan to my nose, instead there's a more mineral, earthiness to it. I can see the similarities, but this is not a Gris/Liam dupe in my opinion.

Admittedly, I tried this fresh out of the box upon arrival, but this is a DEAD RINGER for JHAG Superdose on me, with a slightly sweeter dry down. I'm interested to see how it matures.

I love musks. I love clean musks, I love animalic musks. I often wear unisex frags. I bought this on a musk shopping spree and boy oh boy did it disappoint. This has an unmentioned dry cedar base, and gives the ENTIRE CONCOCTION a manly sexy vibe. Not unisex, not leaning, but it is all the way over there. I would never wear this. I halfheartedly gave this to my husband, and it is a cozy climb up on his chest and stay awhile vibe. You can lay with this by your face and you’ll just want to inhale. Not too strong or overwhelming. It’s good. Woody and fluffy. He wears this alone as well as layered, I feel the notes listed are present in the tiniest light way. I originally read the notes and thought it would smell very white, but this smells steely grey with white edges. I love it on him. Works well in the cold, but I think this will work well in the heat too. But femmes you will be disappointed looking for iris, or coconut. Or any almondy nuances. This has the other notes of musk and heliotrope, the amber if it is there I don’t know it. Gets more cedary in the drydown. I have had this for a few months and it has only gotten more masculine as time has gone on. Projects about a foot but my husband is very light on the trigger finger, one or two sprays. I give it four stars for the poor advertisement, this should be in the men’s section and all detected notes added. I purchased from the women’s section at jomashop, with a listing that listed the notes above. The notes that uneecie15 left below make much more sense than the notes above or the notes on jomashop. I hope this helps other blind buyers. Update: This has a wood in the base exactly the same as Liam by Lattafa, which is supposed to be the BDK Gris Charnel dupe. My husband gave that and this both back to me, saying he didn’t like either for the drydown. I gave this to my son, he didn’t like it mixed with his skin chemistry. I gave it away out of the house after that, since I already wear Liam on occasion, but the woodiness is not a sandalwood or pine or pencil shavings or teak or oud, more like wood veneer from the 70s that went on the walls that you could peel off. And I struggle with that, but I love the opening and mid. But only in the very bottom of the drydown in both frags is that wood veneer.

Im starting to catch on to the idea that Lattafa has a habit of taking a basic formula or fragrance DNA, then tweaking it by adding notes or taking some away in order to create something they can “relabel” and market as a totally different fragrance. This is not unknown if the fragrance world as it’s how most flankers are created. However, with flankers, the consumer is aware of what they are buying as it usually is given a name resembling the original. This fragrance is Liam Grey with an increased dose of musk. Note, Im saying Liam Grey, not Gris Charnel, because Liam Grey is not a 1:1 with the OG. For all who are interested, Lattafa’s Velvet Musk is Liam Grey with a pronounced Oud note. It is amazing. The Oud is not too animatic and it makes the LG base project and last even greater. The bottle is even, you guessed it... Grey! Lattafa tweaked a few notes and created the fragrance Niche Emarati Antique from their Pride line. There are other fragrances i could use as examples of how Lattafa uses a particular DNA to tweak and create different fragrance. This is not a bad thing. I love Gris Charnel, so I’ll take all the flankers with their own unique individual name they want to create. However, sometimes a consumer feels jilted when they spend hard earned money on a fragrance that is too similar to something that’s already in their collection. Just my thoughts.

Wow! I bought this few months ago and kept it tucked away until today. First snif was a disappointment but decided to give it a chance to macerate/maturate. Tested it again today and it smelled like the musk I was hoping for. I believe it’s very unisex and pretty. It reminds me of BDK Gris Charnel but more on the powdery feminine tone, must be the Iris accord. I will definitely wear this for work (I work in healthcare)!

If you're not a fan of iris and spicy musk scents then stay away from this fragrance. I don't hate it but also don't love it. I just like it. I get all the notes except for the coconut and vanilla. The iris in this is strong, it's that lipstick iris that I like but there is a heavy spicy note in here that throws me off from loving it. The initial spray is not my favorite it starts off smelling really cheap but the dry down is really nice after awhile. You get more of the white musk/amber in the dry drown while the iris starts to fade and the spiciness isn't as strong it becomes your basic musky/spicy middle eastern combo fragrance, probably great to layer with. Longevity & projection on this fragrance is beast mode. Lasted hours on skin and days on clothes. I would definitely take is easy with how much you spray, you can definitely choke yourself out and the people around you. Although this is a strong fragrance i think it works for all seasons.

I wanted some truly musky scent and I decided to get this one. I can't say I like this perfume honestly but also... I don't dislike it. I was expecting something much different tho. I don't even know what the notes listed on here are cuz it smells nothing like that. Also... I was expecting a much more unisex scent since it's advertised in that way. It's not unisex really. It's much more male leaning I guess. Idk what to do with it. I'll have to wear it more and decide based on how I feel about it. Edit: Idk what the hell the notes are here. Smells NOTHING like those notes. Also, after testing it on myself for a while I can confirm this is in no way unisex. It's 100% a male perfume, as everyone around me have pointed out several times. Forgot to say it smells strongly of alcohol on 1st spray. The more I use it the less I like it. Would I recommend? Absolutely not. Not worth your money regardless of how cheap this is...

I bought got this in the beginning of March because I saw it was compared to JHAG superdose and honestly I’ve only smelled the OG not an perfume so I’m not going to compare those, but I figured it was “safe” because I ADORE not a perfume....and at first I wanted to throw it in the street...I still have my arm cocked, but I smelled the potential so put it away to chill out. First sniff I got pure, screechy, almost metallic musk. I inhaled and felt like I got chlorine filled pool water in my nose. I wore it again to bed one night and I got a whiff of the coconut and iris, but still screechy. I smelled it today and it’s definitely changed, but still has some work to do. I saw someone say they let theirs sit for a few months and I have the patience for it so that’s what I’m gona do.

God. I hope this one gets better with time. It’s a bit harsh to say the least. It smells so clean to the point it kinda smells like a toilet cleaner and this is the meanest review I have ever made 🤣. But it was an extreme experience for me, had to wash it off. Like I said, I hope it gets a bit better.

Strong, smells very like a sweeter version of Mia Perla, sort of smooth musk and iris and heliotrope. I don't notice coconut, but there is almost a chocolate note? Not sweet chocolate but more like a faint smooth cacao. Very feminine. Bit cloying for my tastes. Lasts forever and won't wash off!

Based.on one wesr, it's screechy snd synthetic as are most cheaper arab scents I try. I know my nose is evolving so I'm not enjoying the same scents as before sometimes. I really wanted to love this so I could save money on what it's inspired by but don't love it.

Be warned - this is not a positive review. I have not had a good experience with this perfume. I understand that Middle Eastern perfumes need maceration, although I think that my bottle is some kind of bug spray or household solvent rather than a perfume. No amount of maceration could improve this revolting stench. It is beyond awful. The only note that I detected - and this was after two different wearings - was an offensive woody smell that wasn't smooth or warm, but sharp and animalic. On both occasions, I wore the perfume for two hours to see if there was any redemption in a dry down. But, I ended up washing it off - and then the stench remained, albeit to a lesser degree. I had to cover the smell with another strong perfume. What surprised me when I first tested it on paper, then on skin, is that the notes listed above or even on Lattafa's website I did not detect in this perfume. This is supposed to be a powdery, slightly sweet vanilla, musk and florals. There is none of this in my bottle. I think somehow there must have been a mix-up in what was put in the bottle. Either that or this fragrance expired.

This was nothing how I imagined it would be based on the notes and reviews. I even had a moment thinking they shipped me the wrong product. It was an immediate attack to my senses - the strongest pepper notes I ever experienced. Saying it was sharp and metallic is not even close to how bad it was - nothing this awful is worth waiting for a dry down. I had to scrub that off the back of my hand and arm several times to get off my body. I put it right back in the wooden box it came in and threw it in the trash. I would not give this to anyone and feel good about it.

I have let this perfume macerate for close to a month now. It has a strong projection for the first three hours and then goes down to moderate; after four it goes down to minimal but it does remain present and lively. Of course, this is on my skin (and I don't have good luck with scents lasting on me). I truly get a mix of Parisian Musk by Matiere Premiere and Gris Charnel by BDK EDP. Of course, many may disagree and it is fine with me. I know that separately both of the mentioned fragrances are wonderful on their own; however, I can not deny that their essence is present in this perfume. I believe it is a very good one and it could safely be said that many of us could say it truly smells niche. Yes, yes, yes, trust me when I say that I understand that those of us who have bought niche fragrances are not very happy to have spent tons of money on those originals; however, this is the world of perfumes, and we have to play the game. Why not just have fun with it? It's like gambling, sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. That's what reviews are for, right? Perhaps my review can inspire someone else's curiosity and help them get something a lot less expensive if they feel that is their best route to take. Fragrances are subjective, and only knowledgeable noses can be wondering what we are wearing. Most humans just enjoy a lovely-smelling fragrance; plain and simple. This is a lovely clean-smelling fragrance for sure. Very put-together, chick, and niche-smelling. Great for a "dressed-up jeans" look, or for an office scent. This can be very versatile and all season round. It is truly nice and it deserves a lot more credit in social media. I would love to see more You-Tube reviews on this hidden gem.

I had to delete my original review. This frag keeps changing every time I go to smell it. Someone compared this to Superdose and I thought that was insane. It wasn’t until it sat for a month and I returned to smell it... and wow. She was right. It’s Superdose. The notes above lead you to believe this will be a soft, and feminine frag, but those notes are no longer detectable. I own Superdose and can compare side by side. Some slight differences yet it undeniably smells very similar. One difference .. this doesn’t cause as much nose blindness that Superdose can cause. Never thought we would have a clone for Superdose- this one is definitely it. Keep in mind.. Superdose cost me around $65 at the discounter while this one was only $18. If for some reason I ever need to buy Superdose, I would get this one instead.

I’m just going to add this.. Superdose and Liam Grey do not smell anything alike to my nose. It’s bizarre that this is even comparable to Liam. To me.. this is Superdose for 18 bucks. It’s caustic... it’s atomic. a real bang for your buck. There’s no smooth coconut or heliotrope that sticks out. It’s superdose with a touch of marshmallow. you will either love it or hate it. Also.. a man can wear this. Bottom line- I truly do not regret buying this because it’s niche for 18 dollars.