Mukhalat Malaki

There is nothing particularly special or noteworthy here, just that it’s beautiful. There are four primary accords that, because this is a straight Arabian perfume oil, do not act in the typical French manner of top, heart, base with dry downs as such. There is a bit of that, but it’s minimal. Most notably in reference to that typical structure Western noses are accustomed to is the saffron that opens the perfume. The saffron is beautifully hay-like, a sweet and dried grass, with a touch of florals. It dispenses rather quickly (about an hour; remember this is a perfume oil) to reveal the stars of Mukhalat Malaki: rose, oud, and amber. The rose is pink, sweet, and powdery, and is kept sort of in the background, like a harmony singer of a three-part choral group. Its harmony line comes in and out of focus throughout the nearly twelve hour life of the perfume depending upon how thickly you put it on. The star carrying the primary vocal line is oud. The oud in MM lacks a lot of the funky, fungal, turned-fruit type aspects and relishes in the barnyard animalics. It carries the hay like qualities of the saffron into the rest of the perfume’s life, while also providing the stable animal fecal, woody, and dirty notes we’ve come to expect and love of oud. The amber accord is a seamless deadlock of balsams, to my nose sandalwood and labdanum, playing the role of rhythmic bass, adding a smooth depth, sweetness, and roundness to the whole of the perfume. It works to keep the oud in check, giving the whole a regal and elegant feel. There are hundreds if not thousands of these perfumes out there; this template has been a staple in Arabia for centuries. It’s far from new, and far from being the best, but I love it all the same. I’ve worn it for special occasions throughout the year - including the summer, because you can. It is remarkably well behaved, even in summer heat (just go light on the application). It spends most of its time as a strong skin scent, so it won’t blow away you or others around you. If you’re looking for an inexpensive and well-done example of this very old genre, I’d point to this more often than not.

You wake to find yourself face first in her pillow. It smells like her perfume, musky roses, Ombre Rose maybe?? She sits opposite you, her long, tan legs protruding from a satin kimono the colour of tropical water. Drifts of the powder she is applying to her face and neck make your nose. She's smoking. Somehow you missed that last night. Your head is pounding. You go to sit up but fail to notice an ashtray. It falls onto the bed, sending up an ash cloud that leaves you choking. Do not take the above as a criticism. I love this scent. It is an incredibly high quality, sweet rose with a good whack of powder and backed up with cigarette ash. That sounds awful but it's a fascinating dirty note, bitter, dark, a little smoky and very complex. It takes this to the next level. It shares this note with Gres Cabochard. If you do not like that scent, back away now. In fact this scent could be described as the ladylike version of Cabochard. The longevity it spectacular. Strong recommend.

Firstly: I love how people are saying they got a sample and “sprayed it on,” my peoples: Swiss Arabian does not do samples of Concentrated Perfume Oil (CPO), and it’s too thick to be sprayed on... (take from that what you will). Now onto the review: I love this scent, it’s sweet saffron, meets bitter rose and slightly skanky Oud, brilliant combination, especially if you want to layer this. Lasts forever (14 hours +) on my skin, arms length projection and average sillage. Layer with something barbershop/fresh (Drakkar Noir/BdC) and you have an interesting combo! The best. Combo I’ve found is this CPO with CDNIM Limited edition, addictive! Not a safe blind buy, test it out first. Recommend: Sample first Rating: 4.75/5

I have sampled quite a few different CPOs from Swiss Arabian and this is by far the best one. Honestly I am surprised they are the makers of this quite lovely oil because it's a whole lot better than anything else in this price range from them. It's a gorgeous balance of rose, saffron, amber and oud. The saffron is the standout imho and is really lovely. The rose gives it a luxurious lift and the amber and oud base anchors the whole composition beautifully. The performance is great and this is really luxurious and smells expensive. A great value for a really good oil.

It's a rich & opulent saffron fragrance first and foremost, which was exactly what I was looking for. The rose supplements wonderfully with a warm amber backdrop and just a hint of oud. I was fortunate to visit an official Swiss Arabian store (twice) and sampled EVERY SINGLE fragrance both spray & oil, and while I was disappointed on how much European influence is in the brand and how cheap some of the fragrances smelled, this one stood out for being authentic and of higher quality!

This is a beautiful rose, spice and oud combo. Oud used here is combodian oud so its totally beautiful when it dries down on your skin after 8 hours. I applied it at night and when I woke up and smelled my skin, a sweet beautiful oud was there. I prefer to wear it in winters as it has warmth to it along with spices. Rose here is a bit heavy rose, not very light floral but feels nice and warm to me

Beautiful oil that reminds you of Indian pan masala/tobacco.Its mainly because of the saffron.Its kind of staple middle eastern blend with saffron,rose and amber.Good longevity and great value for the money as it will last long time.It doesn’t feel too synthetic.Oud is not shanky but supports everything together.

Un olor a safron y a rosas intenso, pero no dulce o repugnante, el tono maderable esta presente, esta fragancia, no muta, es lineal, exsquisita. La botella es hermosa y con una presentacion que solamente la puedes encontrar en los perfumes arabes Smell expensive.

I love this, strong complex yet smooth. it has one of the least linear dry downs of anything in my cabinet. it's almost like someone decided that White Aoud by Montale needed to be woody and on steroids.

Just received this. I've worn it twice with minimal application (work days) So Of course I've yet to fully form an opinion. However I can at least say that people here have mentioned about how intense and not "blind buy" safe this is, in my opinion is accurate.. It's never fair to rate a fragrance from an opening. For example with this fragrances opening the oud is strong, medicinal and animalic, the rose has that strong deep red rose smell which many perceive as stank and fecal. The saffron is also powerful. The initial punch, emphasis on PUNCH, showcases the depth and high concentration of those ingredients- it does not posses sweetness from any of those elements. My wifes reaction therefore was not favorable. Mine was of some doubt and hesitation, but with an expectation of an amazing change and development. So far I can say the intensity fades, and it becomes a lot smoother and friendlier, but apparently I need to apply more to my highly fragrance eating/changing skin to obtain a dry down strong enough to properly analyze. I'll go out on a limb and say this is designed to work with B.O. not necessarily freshly washed skin. Will update the dry down on a more brave application>>

Gosh I can't believe this is so amazingly good...I'm left speechless after one dab of the oil. I'm a woman and I consider Mukhalat Malaki to be unisex though it's indeed on the more masculine and powerful side. It's not a pleasant nose candy for everyone, you either love or hate it. At first this smells so oily, thick and animalic that it actually stinks, yes. Let's just say I'm thunderstruck by the dramatic saffrony opening. But when I 'blend' it out on my skin...wow. Such a dark and luscious beauty! The longer it lasts, the less incense smell it has and the more prominent the rose is. It feels like watching a rose approaching through fog and smoke. This is exactly what Agent Provocateur have tried to achieve but Malaki does it way better. The exotic saffron and musky rose make it almost aphrodisiac yet the whole scent is dignified by oud and woodsy notes. Honestly it's a slap in the face for many niche perfumes. Well done Swiss Arabian, now I'm a fan.

To me this is rich and strong, but somehow not too heavy. As another commenter mentioned, it has a certain "transparency". When I first put it on it smells very green, as if there is maybe some bergamot in the opening? It's not listed but I smell something on the crisp side. The oud in this is rather sweet and leathery, with some slight astringent/medicinal tones along the edges. Mostly though I smell a rose-leather-oud accord with a sheer, leafy layer billowing over it. If applied with a light hand I do think you can wear this in warm weather. When outside in the 80-something degree heat, the rose really took flight. Now indoors, it smells quietly like a leathery oud. If you're like me, and I know I am, and you're not daunted by oud I'd say it's a safe blind buy. It's not expensive, the bottle is very attractive and it's a solid, if a little predictable, rose oud perfume. I like it.

This is very heavy on the saffron! I can also smell rose and oud, but saffron is definitely the main player here for the first hour or so. After that, the saffron fades and rose becomes the dominant note. Later on, oud comes forward somewhat as well, along with a trace of musk. It's quite strong, but seems to stay relatively close to the skin, as I think is usual for oils. One thing to note is that the oil is very yellow; I can see it on my skin, and I expect it would stain clothing if it touched any. I like this, but I wish the oud was more prominent from the beginning. The initial burst of saffron is too much for my taste, although I like saffron, and even later it's mostly about rose.

Ok so I applied this in place of deodorant. As I suspected it developed a lot over several hours from a heavy skanky rose/medicinal oud, strong saffron, into a much smoother lush fragrance. It smells more and more like fresh rose bouquet and rose water. Still with saffron and oud but much friendlier and approachable. still, don't blind buy this. I really like this smell now but you may not.

Interesting scent for this American, and the first time smelling a traditional blend such as this. For me, it is evocative of old tales in old books with colourful, but faded, engraved illustrations: a subtley-aldehydic rose, suspended above a deep, dark forest of enchanted woods. Has a "cooling" character at first, becoming warmer on the drydown, Very nice for spring.

I have the CPO. Just a little dab on the jawline and the wrists will last all day, so one bottle goes a long way. Rose, dark musk, and just a bit of oud in this very resiny fragrance. Not much light about it, I wouldn't wear in hot weather myself. Makes for a good winter frag. Stays close to the skin, but that's what I'd expect from an oil-based fragrance.

I have this as a favourite. To be honest I like Mukhallat Maliki by Haramain more, but it ́s not in the database. But this is very good IMO, the musk in this, the saffron and the amber are fantastic. To find western common brands having this kind of quality, just forget it.

@EmmaZumba, it ́s interesting that we humans smell things so differently. I smell rose oil, saffron oil and an oud note mostly, with a musky note in the background that with time will become a little more dominant. :)

Familiar oud/rose combination. The opening is medicinal and refreshing. Eventually dries down to sandalwood and amber after the rose fades. Very strong stuff. The best mukhallat I’ve tried to date.

I tested it and found it to be very weak. Most Swiss Arabian oils I have found to be weak and does not have the resilience of Al-Rehab. I do like the scent however, very middle eastern.

This has become one of my favourites of the oud blends I have tried sofar, together with Haramain ́s Mukhallat Maliki. Really natural smelling and a wonderful drydown, superb.

A smoky woody fragrance that stands out among the other CPO from Swiss Arabian. This is also by far the strongest CPO with an enormous sillage and amazing longevity.

@EmmaZumba, personally I like Haramain ́s way more. It ́s much more natural to me with better ingredients.

Nice bottle and presentation. Scent is great. Worthy of wearing in religious programs only.

I agree, perfect review Angela A. It ́s musk, not mask.

Somewhere between the smoky, billowing oud and the velvet pliability of Turkish rose, lies an almost photo-realistic campfire scene. Equipped relaxation - comfort encapsulated down to a nuanced filmy Off! bug spray and saffron infused soup, bubbling bashfully in the community caldron. If I close my eyes, I can choose to pick out separate notes. Linger in a petal's softness, or dabble with the coals in a fire. Pluck the stamines free of the flower, or wrap myself in the fuzzy warmth of musk, and watch a cascade of shadows cast by the embers' ambery luminosity cascade over virgin logs ready to combust. But once my eyes are open, and the world lures my mind back into distraction, I return to the beginning: Reapplying repellent and being chased by the current of soot and breeze.

This would be a familiar aroma to Indians - a strong incense smell. Reminds me of traditional incense sticks and agarbattis. Its a strong, good scent. Good for traditional events, and this lasts really long and projects well. The oud and rose mix is excellent.

Oh my, I really hate to say this, but this is one of the worst scents I own. I got a sampler pack from SA and I think this one is going to be hard to beat for last place, it’s truly horrible in my opinion. When I first opened up the bottle, I was hit with the strongest wave of burnt tobacco I’ve ever smelled. The rose is very very light, but slightly medicinal, and is strongly overpowered by a sickly tobacco. As it starts to dry down, a light, earthy saffron comes in to play, along with a heavy musk that collides with the tobacco like a car crash. It doesn’t change much when it’s fully dried down other than a really light sandalwood kicking in. The combination of notes sounded great together, but unfortunately it just didn’t work well at all for me. The tobacco and rose combo smell like a torched incense stick in the worst way possible. The saffron was delightful when I was able to pick it out, but the mix of tobacco with musk made the scent very heavy and overpowering, and I wasn’t able to enjoy the florals or even the sandalwood. If the sandalwood was stronger and the musk pulled back a bit, I think this one could have been saved. I hate to say it because so many other people enjoy this one, but it’s too overwhelming for me. I’ve tried to scrub it off of my wrists three or four times now and it’s still lingering pretty hard :(. I think everyone should give this one a chance though, maybe for a gorgeous night out in the fall. I love incense but this was too much for me, but I think if you’re a rose or incense fan, you’d enjoy this!

This is a stronger-performing but worse-smelling alternative to Rose Malaki. When it says the rose is "Turkish" it really means medicinal, with saffron and stronger oud than Rose Malaki. Overall Rose Malaki does a more natural and attractive rendition of the rose scent whereas this is a lot more artificial and medicinal. Although this has better performance, Rose Malaki is clearly the better pick

It is eighteen hours and counting since I applied the attar to both wrists and, after three scrubs, two kinds of soap, and rubbing myself with the stainless steel soap I use to remove the odour of fish oil, I still smell like an armrest ashtray from the days before smoking was banned on trains. Truly horrid.

A rich, dark oil which at first smells like turpentine and pine and reminds me of the smell of my art class at school; oil paints, turps, wooden paint brushes and wooden HB pencils - Nothing I'd really want to smell like. Nice but doesn't blow me away.

@missan I wonder if mine has gone off? I now have a full bottle which I don't want. I'm going to try the Al-Haramain 'Mukhallat Maliki' to see if I like it any better.

Nothing new under the sun. Just another boring smoky woody CPO. Zero originality. Sorry Swiss Arabian.

I despise this oil. I love an oud and turkish rose mix, but on me, it just smelled like hospital and BO. I thought it would dry down to something a little less acrid, so i kept it on, but after a few hours I washed it off of my arms because I just kept getting whiffs of n-n-nnnnasty. I have an acid stomach and have thrown up in my mouth while smoking, it reminded me of that.

With the greatest respect, this is nowhere near the quality of the oils on offer from Abd al-Samad al-Qurasi and Arabian Oud. No Arab I know likes this stuff. It smells cheap and sweaty. Top quality oud does not smell like this at all. This is not a good introduction to oud oil ('itr in Arabic). It might actually scare you away from oud oil. 3/10

On its own, it's the most mysterious scent I own. Yes, it lasts (12 hours, still a skin scent). And it seems to play hide and seek the whole time. It's an oud with some rose. No, its a rose with some oud. Very strong. Suddenly subtle. Wait: that's sandalwood. But no, it's rose. And then it's gone. Somehow, it sneaks back. A nice cone of close projection. Very rich. Opulent, even. Great! I don't understand how it secretly fades in and out, hitting a different but incredibly harmonious note each time. Hovering close to the skin, now projecting like crazy again. Getting more subtle and luxurious. The entire time you wear it! For an intoxicating variation, I layer this with one spritz of Al Haramain Oud 36 Nuit. This Haramain Oud is perfectly equal to the rose in Swiss Arabian's Malaki and they blend beautifully. Strangely, the in-and-out mystery of the Malaki imparts itself to the Oud 36, which plays along and fades before reemerging as something else you've never quite smelled before. Amazing (not obnoxious) on its own, enriches anything it's layered with. Glad I found this.

alot of saffron and amber and black musk, yes black musk is there somewhere i could smell it and there is no oud i tried hard to pick up the oud but its not there, im arab i grew up around oud and trust me i could smell it a mile away, people have to understand eastern or arabic frags, like this one you dont just spray it and say ok im done, you must get oud sticks and burn it and let that smoke get in your skin,hair,clothe then you spray it 2 or 3 sprays MAX. Unfortunatley not alot of people understand the eastern or arabic perfumes(aka.attars),oils or arabic frags in general. Same thing with arabs they dont understand western frags too, thats why they over do it because they are used to the strong scent of arabic perfumes. give it time let your brain understand what your nose is getting, and mukhalat malaki is not one of the best its just out there. Dehn El Ood Fakham by SwissArabian way better

Have aged my bottle for 8 years now and it has transformed into something wonderful. Perfume is a personal taste but in the East it is divine. The saffron and rose really allows this to be a unisex oil. Many don't realise that Real Oud al Hind smells like riding a horse and carriage. Many cannot handle it. This is a lovely fragrance without any of that animalistic attributes. Once it draws down it becomes lovely and powdery but will last days easily. I love using oils in the heat, but do recommend for most to use these in the cooler parts of the year. Apply a dab to each wrist, run and then pass over the kneck. Oils should never be applied to clothes. Thats what the EDP sprays are for. These oils are designed to survive ritual ablution that is common in the Middle East and water does nothing to weaken it.

I always liked the idea of this perfume from bottle design to note pyramid. Everything sounded perfect and my expectations weren’t that high given the moderate price tag. Eventually I acquired a bottle, but it was disappointing to say the least. First of all, quality of the ingredients is very low, not even average. Opens with sharp synthetic saffron while rose and amber present in the background. Saffron gives way to that mediocre dna which you can find almost in every commercial arabian mukhallat. Examples: Al Rehab Musk Makkah, Anthony Marmin Baghdat, Arabian Oud Najdi Malaki and many more. All in all, a hard pass for me and probably this was my farewell to Swiss Arabian as a brand.

Oh my...I have to absolutely concur with saejin's review below. I also got the Swiss Arabian sampler and this one is just kind of awful. I hate the burnt ashy scent when you first spray it on. Just nasty. I could never see myself enjoying this one. I think it is fascinating that some people love this fragrance and it is interesting to see how we all encounter fragrance in our own way.

I just received Mukhalat Malaki today and it’s beautiful. I could actually smell it through the packaging. The best way for me to describe it is a green more crisp version of Roja Dove Amber Aoud. I actually layered the two together and I was in amber and rose bliss. If you are looking for an attar that’s full of rose and spices, this is a good economical option.

just got this, although its classed as a male fragrance, with the strong rose and sweetness to it, im quite comfortable wearing it myself. love the strong oud notes. i have the concentrated oil and it lingers forever although it doesnt project out too far. its a lovely perfume to my collection of oud based oils..

This is the perfect unisex fragrance. It is smoky but has a sense of transparency, sweet.It holds the mysterious history of Arabia, the sensuality of Harlem, a delicate and rich story, and it will stay long on the skin. Spicy opening of saffron, mellow sweetness of oud, fruity rose ... I love this scent!

Oud and mask, the kind of mask one finds in Kouros blended with a hefty dose of oud, smoky, intense and mysterious, and saffron, sandalwood is mildly sitting in the background and rose adds just a touch of sweetness, this is quite a masculine scent. Longevity and sillage are excellent! Royal indeed!

I received the oil (25 ml) about two weeks ago and ask myself if it has to mature for some months. Sillage and longevity right now are extremely poor. Or maybe there has been a reformulation? Has anybody else similar experiences?

He was a wonderful fragrance and I would like to work the Order to buy it and I'm interested in the production company Suisse arabian...alsamaraie mazen

its a lovely fragrance but doesn't last a lot on my skin,unfortunately ,as it is beautiful.