FAAN Amjad Honour vs FAAN Qasida Sahm: which FAAN perfume should you buy?

Both carry oud, so they are closer than they first look. FAAN Amjad Honour is an Extrait de Parfum and one of our best sellers. FAAN Qasida Sahm is an Eau de Parfum and the bottle written for him. If you have read the Amjad Honour review or the Qasida Sahm review, this puts them next to each other.

Quick verdict

• Honour: resin, saffron, incense, vanilla. Heavier and longer lasting. 44.99 euros.
• Sahm: fruit, lavender, oud, leather. Lighter in projection, more daytime. 56.99 euros.
• If you can only have one: Honour for winter evenings, Sahm if you want something you can wear from March to November.

Amjad Honour vs Qasida Sahm: notes side by side

Shared by name: amber, cardamom, lemon and oud. That is the bridge between them. Everything else is different.

The first hour and the dry-down

Honour begins with smoke and spice. Frankincense and elemi give a resinous, lemony start, cardamom and Sichuan pepper add heat. After an hour, rose and saffron round it and the patchouli deepens. The dry-down is sweet and dark: vanilla, amber, benzoin and oud with ambergris.

Sahm begins with fruit, and the ginger keeps it dry. After half an hour, lavender and clary sage give a clean, aromatic centre, while cedar firms it up. The dry-down is oud, leather accord, vetiver and wolfwood, close to the skin. It goes from bright to dark, where Honour is dark all the way through.

Strength and staying power

Honour is rated 4 out of 5 for projection and 5 out of 5 for longevity. Sahm is rated 3 and 4. Our ratings, not lab numbers. Honour will be noticed in a room and carry into the next morning on clothes. Sahm is more polite, and people close to you will notice it. A typical Extrait lasts longer than a typical Eau de Parfum, and these two follow that.

Season, occasion, audience and price

• Season: Honour, autumn and winter. Sahm, autumn and spring.
• Moments: Honour, evenings and special occasions. Sahm, daily wear and evenings.
• Audience: Honour is listed unisex. Sahm is written for him.
• Price: Honour is 44.99 euros (about 0.22 euro per ml). Sahm is 56.99 euros (about 0.28 euro per ml). Both are 200 ml.

Honour costs 12 euros less and lasts longer. Sahm costs more but suits more of the year.

Who should pick which

Choose Honour if you want a deep, spicy, resinous winter scent for evenings and special occasions, and if you like incense and saffron. Choose Sahm if you want a fruit-to-oud scent for daily wear, if you want it milder than Honour, or if you wear perfume in spring and autumn as much as in winter. If you dislike a sweet start, Honour will suit you better than Sahm. If you dislike resin, the reverse. For help narrowing down, see which FAAN perfume to choose or browse all FAAN perfumes.

FAQ

Which is stronger, Honour or Sahm?

Honour. It has projection 4 out of 5 and longevity 5 out of 5, against 3 and 4 for Sahm.

Is Sahm only for men?

It is written for him, but nothing stops anyone who likes fruit and oud from wearing it.

What if one of them is sold out?

Ask to be notified on the product page. Orders take 3 to 6 working days in the Netherlands and 5 to 8 working days in the rest of the EU.

Related reading

• FAAN Amjad Honour review: notes, strength and when to wear it
• FAAN Qasida Sahm review: notes, strength and when to wear it
• Which FAAN perfume to choose: a simple guide