Rifaaqat

A pragmatic review of YSL Babycat / Rifaaqat from an unrefined nose Testing Methodology: Two sprays on a paper test strip. For the skin test, two sprays were applied to the forearm, followed by a gym session and a normal shower to simulate a full day's wear. Note on the Clone: My nose perceives Rifaaqat as functionally identical to YSL Babycat; any minor performance difference could be attributed to the sprayer. This review applies to both. -------------------- Opening: This gave me pause. It is a strange vanilla, blended with an incense that is not the familiar Asian temple type, but a very specific Western Catholic Church variety. The result is a single, unified, challenging, and intoxicating accord of "dark slutty vanilla." Performance: Performance is excellent. The scent is very compatible with my nose, as I perceive it strongly and distinctly. It is completely linear on both skin and paper, making it a reliable performer. After showering, a faint, sweet vanilla skin scent remains. -------------------- Overall Impression & Use Case: This is a masterful fragrance and a reliable projector of its unique "dark slutty vanilla" effect. It is not gourmand. I would not eat that vanilla bean, but I would flick it. The core concept is clearly "gender-fluid sex in a bottle." The scent leans feminine due to the "slutty vanilla," but it is not strategically equivalent to a tuberose-heavy stripper fragrance. The image it creates is of a high-class escort or a business leader with a specific, edgy aesthetic. Think a boardroom by day, anal by night—either giving, receiving, or both, I don't judge. In my mind's eye, I see very specific attire options: a dark business suit, a chic leather jacket, priestly garb, or a chic goth with a studded choker. Specifically, all wearing fishnet tights, especially the men. This is not a man's-man fragrance. So, who is this for? Its most straightforward use is as a daily driver for someone promiscuous with a Goth or alternative aesthetic. For anyone else, the use case is highly situational and almost exclusively at night. Babycat is a contradiction: upscale, mature, possessing a sex-worker edge. The best image I have for it is an upscale swingers party; I would not expect this at a college party. There is one exception for daytime wear: you could, funny enough, wear this to church. The liturgical incense note would blend into the environment, and people would just think you were wearing a vanilla perfume, which is probably normal behavior. I love the scent but I fail to articulate a strategic use case for most people.

A BabyCat Clone? Let me tell you a little story... So that is why I bought it - I saw some influencers claim that Rifaaqat was the REAL DEAL and if you couldn't find BabyCat that it was worth the price ($30 USD). So I figured...let's give it a try... So right away: I LOVE IT! Vanilla, Dark, Spicy, Black Pepper, Woody, Saffron...Great Value! But is it a real BabyCat Clone? And if it is... How CLOSE of a BabyCat clone is it? This will answer the question... I'm in Neiman Marcus, my son and I head over to the fragrances. He is gushing over Guerlain's Tobacco Honey (see my review). I'm listening to him but my mind is on Cherry Oud...YES CHERRY OUD...I have a little story about that one...but I digress... So the saleswoman at Neiman Marcus walks up from behind us and asks if we need help... We say: "No just checking out the fragrances." She projects this negative energy as if she has a million things to do and she just had to walk over to see what we were doing. Seemingly frustrated, she walks to the inside of the counter opposite of me, reaches down to get some testing strips and when she stands up she looks directly at me AND the gives me this look. As if I said something that she is trying to figure out if it was offensive - you know the look. She quickly walks around the counter as if to leave and walks BEHIND my son and I. For a moment I thought she was leaving but then I notice that she is really close to me. She proceeds to reach in front of me and starts arranging a few of the bottles. I was wondering what she was doing because I watched her move them slightly. At this point, she is right at my shoulder and looks up at me and again, gives me ANOTHER look. She realizes that I noticed how close she was to me and she quickly turns back to walk behind us again and returns to the opposite side of the counter. I found it strange but I figured she thought I was up to no good and she was satisfied that I wasn't and figured she would return to her sales position. It was then that the Guerlain saleswoman says to my 22 year old son: "How do you like Tobacco Honey?" He said: "I love it!" She smiles and nods: "Yes, It is very nice. I really like it." And she turns to me and says: "BabyCat right?" I respond: "BabyCat?" She said: "Yes, I can smell you're wearing BabyCat." I pause. At this point, I'm debating on telling her the true identity of the fragrance that I am wearing when she quickly adds: "I Love Baby Cat. It really works for you! So tell me, how do you like Cherry Oud?" Need I say more? Enjoy!

A pragmatic review of Paris Corner Rifaaqat from an unrefined nose Context: 2nd store test. Testing Methodology: Two sprays on a paper test strip in store; the strip was then placed in a bag with other scented strips for transport. The drydown was evaluated at home over 4 hours later. Note: Bagging multiple strips together creates a high probability of scent cross-contamination, which may impact the drydown analysis. Take it for what it is, as bagging them individually would've made me look really suspicious. === Summary: Dark, dense, slutty vanilla is the best way to do vanilla, IMO. My nose perceives Rifaaqat as functionally identical to YSL Babycat; any minor performance difference could be attributed to the sprayer. This review applies to both. === The Smell: Strange vanilla meets Western Catholic Church vibe, Rifaaqat is linear and non gourmand. My brain now files this as what vanilla should be. Mother nature came up short. This is also what bottled sex should smell like. Think of Blackedraw video: marketed as unscripted but clearly scripted with infinite production value. The scent carries that same energy. Polished profanity dressed for the occasion. Black tie slutty. === Performance: On paper, performance is weak. It fades to nothing by 4 hours. On skin, this is eternal. Strong projection even after a workout and shower. My brain is weirdly compatible with this DNA. I can barely smell most fragrances, but this one registers. === Use Case: The smell is black tie slutty, so the archetypal wearer is someone heading to an upscale swingers party. Boardroom by day, bdsm by night. The attire follows from the scent. A dark business suit, a chic leather jacket, priestly garb, or a chic goth with a studded choker. All wearing fishnet tights, especially the men. In practice, anyone can wear this for cold weather social events, mostly at night. I would not wear it professionally. One daytime exception: church. The liturgical vibe blends into the environment, and people just think you are wearing a vanilla perfume.

TL;DR: I got a mid 2024 batch when I bought it a week ago. It smelt like an amazing woody vanilla with a bit of spice and saffron out of the box didn’t require maceration or nothing and lasts for almost 24 hours, cannot be washed off until 12+ hours after applying it. I haven’t smelt ysl Babycat before so I can’t tell you if this is an accurate dupe or not, but this is a solid 8.5/10 for the winter/fall season. Wow, just wow. Before I bought it I was reading all the reviews on here saying they didn’t like it and it has a burnt rubber/ very spicy smell at first and it will take a long time for maceration to kick in and make it smell nice so I wasn’t expecting much from it at first because I thought I was going to play the waiting game with this one, but MY GOD was I going to be surprised. When I first sprayed it smelt I did smell a bit like a burnt tyre but that smell left in like 2 minutes, from there it was just straight woody vanilla then 5 minutes later the spices came in but it wasn’t over powering or anything it was more complimentary and it wasn’t trying to be the main character, I was with 4 friends when I unboxed it and deadass all of them grabbed it from me to spray it on themselves because it smelt that nice. Later that day I was with just one of them and I was wearing Rayhaan Obsidian and I couldn’t even smell my fragrance anymore and Rayhaan Obsidian has a strong projection but I deadass couldn’t smell it anymore because Rifaaqat’s projection is just nuclear and it WILL mog almost any fragrance anybody is wearing.

I blind bought Rifaaqat because I wanted something new for winter and was curious about the whole “Babycat clone” talk. After looking at the notes and seeing the price, I decided to just go for it. When I first sprayed it, I was honestly surprised. The opening is very strong — heavy incense with this burnt, almost rubbery edge. It’s bold and a bit aggressive, and I can definitely see how it might put some people off. For me though, it didn’t ruin it. I was more intrigued than disappointed. Once it settles, that’s when it really starts to shine. The drydown turns into this beautiful warm vanilla with spicy and slightly resinous undertones. The harshness from the opening smooths out, and it becomes cozy, dark, and very fitting for cold weather. That stage is what made me really like it. Performance has been very good on my skin. Projection is noticeable without being ridiculous, and longevity easily gets me through most of the day. I’ve also received compliments wearing it, which always helps. Over time, I’ve realized this isn’t the most versatile fragrance. It’s very much a winter scent and leans into that smoky, slightly gothic vibe. Because of that opening, I wouldn’t call it a completely safe blind buy — even though it worked out for me. Overall, I’d give it a 9/10. For the price, the quality and performance are impressive, and it delivers that dark vanilla-incense profile really well. Just be prepared for that strong first impression.

This is probably the most difficult fragrance to explain that I have so far. The pepper notes are extremely strong, and it creates this amazing fresh / spicy fragrance off the initial spray. This lingers for some time before the saffron, vanilla, and more warmer notes come through, mixed with the freshness of the pepper and my god, it just smells amazing. It's honestly unlike anything I've smelt before and it took me a while to fully understand what I was smelling. A truly complex fragrance. 8.5/10 I understand It's an exact clone of Babycat, and I also understand people aren't a fan of clones. However, this is such an amazing fragrance you seriously can't pass it up. It just smells so unique and attention grabbing. I truly recommend. Projection is honestly decent, can definitely be smelt from an arms length which I think is the perfect point for any fragrance. Longevity? Yeah it lasts quite a long time. Although I'm not surprised as it's quite the heavy hitting fragrance, with all those warm, spicy, woody notes, it's bound to last.

UPDATE 2 after 2 months of maceration (On my skin): OBSESSED!! Sexy, provocative, slutty, dark, smooth & velvety sweet vanilla 😍😍😍 I can't stop smelling my wrists. Addictive! The next day I can smell a very sweet and the most beautiful addictive vanilla (without the darkness/sexyness factor). 100/10! Update 1: After10 days after maceration I get tires (😅) and vanilla starts developing and it's so seductive, deep, dark, sexy ,slutty I love it!!! ...I hope the tires note will go away soon, so I can fully enjoy the scent!! [ Initial review (before maceration): All I smell is cedar (wood 🪵) and pure good quality fresh spicy frankincense essential oil. No vanilla, no sweetness, no other note. To my nose it smells 🪵🪵🪵in winter in village, when my grandparents light the fireplace-very pleasant to me, but I don't want to smell like that 😅 For now..that's not a perfume;it's ambience. I guess it needs maceration... I hope so, because everyone smells VANILLA (which is my #1 fav note), but me. I'll update]

Pepper, pepper, and all kinds of pepper, then vanilla. That's what Rifaaqat smells like to me. From start to finish, it remains spicy vanilla. There isn't much transition tbh. But one thing is for sure, it's addictive. The pepper note is still the main character in this perfume; the vanilla only comes forward more in the middle and stays throughout the base. It never gets gourmandy or too woody on me. It's a very sexy kind of vanilla tbh. Definitely unisex, leaning slightly toward masculine, but women can rock it. The YouTuber Noelle influenced me to give this a try, and I am so glad I did. Because it is exactly how she described. I imagine a very bold, hot woman in her 30s, wearing this on a date night or somewhere important when it's really cold. I visualize her in a black two-piece blazer suit, chilling with a glass of red wine. This is the perfume a woman with resting b*tch face would wear, and I mean that with all respect and love. She looks so hot, but she appears unapproachable.

I got Rifaaqat today, and yes, it does smell very similar to Babycat, but there are some slight differences: First of all, the opening has has this slight plasticky smell which i didn't get on Babycat, but I don't mind it at all, and the opening overall is quite pleasant with this blast of pepper. But as it dries down, the vanilla becomes very prominent - its like a smoky, resinous vanilla with this faint suede note in the background. I would say that the suede is more prominent in Babycat than Rifaaqat, but overall, they are like 90% similar, with Rifaaqat having this more creamy and waxy vanilla note. After 8 hours on my jumper, Rifaaqat smells like pure vanilla with a hint of smokiness, and I don't know why, it reminds me so much of Vanille Planifolia. The longevity overall is good considering the price, I get around 7 hours of projection and it turns to a skin scent. Projection for the first few hours is really good. Very nice perfume overall!

The Rifaaqat bottle looks so much sexier if you peel off the white label. Mine peeled off easily with only a very thin line of glue residue on the perimeter of where the label used to be. Use the label's sticky side (or just sticky tape) to pull off the remaining glue residue. Don't wipe the glass with rough fabrics in case of scratching - a cotton shirt is fine though if wiping lightly to remove oil/dust. Alcohol wipes may help too. If you're careful, you can also cut your label into a cute square to recreate the Babycat square label. I did this myself and it looks hilariously adorable, although it is a cheaper look than going no-label. Once you re-stick your label, there's no pealing it off without creasing/crushing a corner, so you basically get one shot to align it. In the words of Eminem, "Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity. To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?"

I am desperately in love with this. I have a tiny decant of the og YSL BC and I can confirm that this is nearly a 100% match. Like 99%, and the differences between them are splitting hairs. For those who think they have a bad batch because the opening smells like a synthetic burned rubber bomb- no you have a normal batch, that is what this fragrance smells like. It opens up w a grungy diesel/gasoline smell almost like Shalimar but rounder, more of a cloud than an accord. Then comes the saffron and the nuances, then dries down to an intoxicating and expensive and dry bourbon vanilla. Rifaqaat smells much more expensive than it is. I also would recommend Arabyat Nayel Queen which is more of an extrait and has that missing 1% of Rifaqaat, but at the expense of the luxe appearance of the bottle, which for me is part of the entire experience and worth it. I will be ordering several backups of this fragrance so I have it for life.

I bought this perfume about a week ago, and my first impression was excellent—I really connected with the scent. My relationship with perfumes is complicated; if a fragrance doesn't last the whole day on me, I feel like it doesn't "love" me back. I wore *Rifaaqat* to work in the kitchen—an environment filled with the aromas of spices and food—and I even ended up in the ER after an injury. I applied it around 7:00 AM, and it lasted until about 3:00 AM. Of course, by nightfall, the projection and sillage weren't as strong as when I first applied it, but the scent was still there on my wrist—I could still smell it, and that’s what I loved about it. Naturally, the scent itself is fantastic and sexy—perfect for winter days and dates. Personally, I think it leans more towards men than women. For me, this perfume is a 10/10; even though I haven't smelled the original, I think this one surpasses it.

right off, I dont have a problem with the rubber note. I can handle it...my relationship, if you will, with rubber-centric notes, go as far back as Bvlgari Black and Midnight in Paris. So, no problem there. I tend to be leary of the knock-off houses. And I cant really judge Paris Corner because I dont buy their scents. But I bought this one, because of how toned down it is, compared to Babycat. Its nowhere near as heavy as Vanagloria. And in comparison to the brickhouse called Ishq Al Shuyukh, Rifaaqat can be called a skin scent. What it does have, that none of the other comps have, is a weird green note that borders on something metallic. I cant put my finger on what it comes from...but it gives this stuff a niche slant that isnt typical. Overall, Rifaaqat is VERY wearable...you can overspray and it wont gross anyone out (I did that one night, and kept getting compliments...go figure)

I don't get what's with the "ruber" smell in the other reviews... Not only that I don't smell any "ruber" smell, it's not even "smokey"... Maybe it was about a bad batch or something, my batch is from 04/2025 and it's amazing. For me this is luxury balsamic/vanilla fragnance, whit touch of pepper. The smell kinda reminds me of a fancy hotel lobby smell, there is something very luxurios about it. I don't get the note of saffron, maybe I just don't smell it, or it's not so prominent. Also, I smell cedarwood in drydown after like 2h, so it's also not so prominent. On skin it last abot 6-7h, but on clothes it stays 12h+. Sillage is about an arm lenght for 2-3h, after that it's not a skin scent but it's also not a room filler. It's good for winter/autumn and special occasions, wouldn't use it on higer temperatures. Overall it's 9,5/10 smell, a great fragnance for it's price.

I don't get it why people are saying this one is bad, maybe because their house smell combines too much with it which is possible since many use air freshners. Anyways, the fragrance opens up beautifully and slightly peppery with suede which basically dries down about an hour later into this nice suede creamy bourbon vanilla reminescent of tom ford f fabulous, got it for about €12 and i find it to be an absolutely great buy if you're more drawn into the leather territory, i also have bad boy elixir and dior fahrenheit so its obvious i dont have an issue with leather fragrances at all but this one is like a khamrah qahwa in terms of elegance but made much less sweeter and more higher class if it makes sense meaning you're gonna carry the fragrance beautifully not let it carry you instead like qahwa tends to if you apply too much.

This is as close as you can get to Babycat by YSL! Rifaaqat is a little less heavy on suede but it still smells absolutely heavenly to my nose and I would bathe in it daily if it wouldn't choke out my coworkers, lol. I am just getting into designer fragrance dupes and not many are as good or worth having as a lot of influencers will tell you. Rifaaqat is a diamond in the rough for me though. I love the mysterious incense and vanilla vibe and happily wear it on it's own, but I also love to layer it Kayali Vanilla 28 and Kitsch Rustic Vanilla hair perfume. Rifaaqat will last on my skin and clothes for my whole work day which is often closer to 9-10 hours, i still get some wafts from inside my shirt on the way home. Overall, if you are on a budget and are in love with Babycat, definitely try this one!

Rifaaqat is a fragrance I have thought about buying for a year or more. I feel like my 'nose' has recently changed and I have begun to appreciate new notes in my collection, so I recently decided to get it. It is winter here, and I find it absolutely intoxicating to wear, so much so that I have to have it on my hand so I can keep having a sniff. I had a sample of YSL babycat last winter and wasn't sure if I could pull it off; but Rifaaqat scratches that itch and then some. The vanilla is deep and boozy, the leather is there but not too much, and all of the notes work so well together. It smells like it's worth a lot more money than I paid. Btw, I do not get the 'burnt rubber' or 'gasoline' smell that others talk about.

I tend to be impartial about dupe fragrances, as many never exactly get it right, but this one is just about 1:1 to YSL Babycat, and it's actually insane. Paris Corner nailed this fragrance, and makes me not want to consider purchasing babycat, as this is a fraction of the price and it smells nearly identical. Vanilla is the strongest note you smell in the opening, and as it sits, it is a true vanilla cologne bomb. 1-2 sprays max with this one, the projection and longevity is very very strong. I would say this is more suited for the winter time, since it is so sweet and gourmand-ey. I highly reccomend this if you're looking to stand out, and save your money. 100% will be purchasing this again.

Nose Note #1102 This is my 5 or 6 Babycat dupe and I used to own Mateu #5 and the Alhambra clone. I have Mancera Xplicit Vanilla, Aoud Vanille, had French Avenue Fierte and recently bought Le Falcon Dubai, also Ameer and Safwaan L'autre Oud by Lattafa. The worst is Safwaan L'autre Oud. The best is Fierte. This one is half Babycat half Mateu #5. Fierte is still the smoothest, the darkest (in the best way), with best vanilla. This lacks the extra touch of extra sweetness. Performance here is great, very satisfying. Very unisex, I don't get the "male leaning" thing. Maybe even feminine just like Mateu #5. The play-doh undertone is very present again just like in Mateu #5. 7.5/10

It has been a while since I tested Babycat. I remember it was beautifully smooth, sweet, and smoky and felt like a warm hug. It was so good that I wish I could've bought it then and there, if only it wasnt so extremely expensive. Rifaqaat comes very close to how I remember the notes and overall feel of babycat. If I smell my skin directly, i do notice that slightly synthetic, rubbery feel. But in the air, it just smells delicious. Absolutely surprisingly amazing, and way higher quality than the price would suggest. I think I like it more than Qahwa, which is also a very strong, winter suited fragrance, but the sweetness in Qahwa just gets too overwhelming for me.