By Saffron

I have just bought By Saffron and as we all know it should sit but this is my first impression. First of all, I love it. This is a dupe that is worth seven times more than what it retails at right now. There are considerable differences when you spray it on the skin and on your clothes. On the skin, sweet saffron is more perciptible while on the clothes it could slip your nose. Ditto for juniper berries that on the skin hit your olfactory bulbs more impactfully. Nothing is squeaky or screechy here nor is the frag linear at all, which is a blessing. At first, juniper berries have their peekaboo moment and then hide somewhere behind but their scent mingles with that of soft sweet saffron. Then in come roses which smell fresh and young initially thanks to violets but little by little metamorphose into a dry and mature type as they settle on the leather which is spread on wood. The fruitiness in this frag is present but it swirls smoothly in the composition, it's there but not to toot its own horn. Unfortunately, as of now the performance is weak. So I'll let it sit to get the best of this lovely scent. In my opinion, it's unisex.

First spray smells like juniper berries, violets, and soft leather. I don't get woods, so it really must be transparent! This isn't a sweet fragrance. It's so nice though. Sniffing my wrist I can smell the slightly tangy pomelo. It dries down to a cozier saffron and leather smell, but never gets loses all its brightness from the violets, pomelo, and juniper berries. This smells different from the usual girly fragrances, but it's not completely masculine. It's definitely unisex. Its suitable for cooler weather (currently wearing is on 50-60 degrees F). I really enjoy this.

Smooth leather, raspberries and violets, with pretty pronounced saffron and a little juniper in the background. Very interesting perfume, slightly masculine leaning, but I really love it. Not really for someone looking for a girlie, fruity scent.

Wow, this one really caught me off-guard :)) I have several Maison Alhambra perfumes and I'm not very pleased with them as the longevity and silage are usually quite poor. They do get their dupes right in terms of scent, but performance has never been their strong suit. However, this one is very, very different. Sprayed at noon on skin and at 10 p.m. I could still smell it. When sprayed on clothes it's 5 X more lasting, my blouse still smells pretty strong one and a half day later. The scent is pretty surprising too. I don't own the original from Byredo, so I couldn't say how close the smell really is, but this one is quite a treat. Truly unisex in my opinion, not too feminine, not too masculine. Saffron is strong, raspberry is strong and -although not my favorite scent - leather is quite present too, especially in the dry-down. The rose is there, but very tamed, "covered" or "enveloped" by the other 3 main notes in a way that makes it spicy, warm and just a tad stingy. Just by reading the notes, I would have probably never blind-bought it, so I am truly glad I got the chance to smell it in a store. It stood out among quite a few other fragrances and I am so happy I discovered it. The price is a joke for this performance and overall scent (I got it for less than 15 euro). One thing I would say though is that -in my opinion- you can never be too sure what quality you'll get with this house. I think there are big differences from one batch to another, and I was just lucky enough to get a really got batch. I also own their Scandal dupe and the 1st bottle I bought was perfect - smell was accurate to the OG and performance was mind-blowing. But the 2nd bottle was more like a watery spray that didn't last for more than 10 minutes (although it was bought from the same store, same price, just 1 or 2 months later). So, unless there are already dupes of dupes or fakes of this otherwise very cheap house, I believe it's a gamble: you might get a great perfume for pennies, or a moderately priced watery spray, depending on your luck :))

Super feminine, even more so than Byredo Black Saffron! The jasmine here really stands out and is more pronounced than it is in Black Saffron. I'm no stranger to jasmine heavy Tuscan Leather clones (like Arab Tradition), however seeing as how this is a clone of Black Saffron and missing that leather heavy base from Tuscan Leather to balance it out, it makes this one a bit feminine for me, even more so than Black Saffron. I would recommend this to those looking for something that smells like Tuscan leather, but far, far more feminine. It smells great! I just, can't wear it myself, as a man...

Luxury biker-chic fragrance that surprised me coming from the UAE. A bit naughty, a bit elegant. Doesn't have great longevity but it's fine for 10 USD!

I really like the scent but, to my nose it is more in line with Tuscan Leather. I don't feel it is as beastly as TL but, the raspberry note keeps the TL vibes throughout. For the price and quality it is a safe blind buy if you like TL. Enjoy!

I don't know what safron smells like .. but i can say this opened up to me like a swimming pool full of wet tissues .. make of that what you wish .. but then it gets a bit rosey .. with slight earthy facets i suppose that you can attribute that to the vetiver .. i think i'm just not a rose person .. i have a few rose scents and i dislike almost all of them .. nor am i a leather person btw but i'm not too bothered by the leather here if it exists .. it's waaaay in the back .. id say this is a rose forward mid .. and the wet tissues are probably what safron is i suppose .. anyway .. not for me .. that said the ingredients seem good .. it's smooth and doesnt smell synthetic .. i think the quality is there .. but i'm just not interested in the direction it's heading .. Edit: the leather creeps in ever so slowly .. to take center stage as time goes by .. a bit of a fruity leather .. still not as loud or headache inducing as other leather frags ..

Really different. Does lean fairly feminine but is fresh and different. Floral bedsheets in silk, the violet is paired with lovely clean aromatic notes. As a man I wouldn’t wear it to work most probably but in the home or on spring walks. Update, June 2026, had to get rid of it, we were all terribly allergic to it. The only other one in my collection of 90+ fragrances that did this was also a Maison Alhambra, Artist no 2. I now avoid the brand, it’s never been an issue with anything else, i.e. having tonnes of non-IFRA fragrances already.

Wow, total blind buy, 62 year old straight male here - not too feminine for me. I would not wear this for anything work related however it's a perfect bedroom scent & skin scent because it's subtle & serene - does not strike with me as cheap. I have Berlinetta and it's not nearly as 'pronounced' as Berlinetta. So much better than the other Raspberry fragrance I've experienced, Fuel for Life Homme Diesel & Individuel Montblanc. Extremely well balanced between the Raspberry/Soft Leather/Violets, with just the slightest hint of rose. I don't get anything aromatic or wood - this is smooth. Absolutely nothing about this hints to it being a "middle east clone'. I've gotten some real BS from Maison Alhambra - but they also have plenty of bottles that punch 3x and 4x above their weight - this is one.

I haven't smelled the original Black Saffron, but this smells very much as the OG was described. Fruity leather and violets. Very distinctive, I'm excited to wear this in the fall or winter! Something smooth and hospital-like which must be the saffron.

Hello, Bought this fragrance 7 months ago, set for aging, but I still do not feel raspberry or leather! For me absolutely mess, and I cannot understand this fragrance. The is not way to say way! nothing at all!

I do get strong notes of fruity leather and violets from this. Very similar to the OG.