FAAN Qasida Bakhour review: notes, strength and when to wear it

FAAN Qasida Bakhour takes its name from bakhoor, the incense burned in many homes across the Arab world. This is not a customer review and it has no star score. It is a plain description built from the notes and ratings on the product page, so you know what a 200 ml bottle of Eau de Parfum will smell like. If the word is new to you, read what bakhoor is.

Notes at a glance

• Top: saffron, clove, blackcurrant
• Heart: rose, violet, incense, tonka
• Base: sandalwood, cistus, leather, vanilla

The listed accords are spicy, amber, leather and woody. The tagline on the page is: smoke, saffron and leather.

How Qasida Bakhour opens, settles and ends

The opening is spice and dark fruit. Saffron gives a warm, slightly metallic and leathery start, clove adds a sharp sweetness, and blackcurrant brings a tart, juicy edge. It is a busy first ten minutes.

In the heart, rose and violet bring a soft, slightly powdery floral, and incense adds the smoke the name promises. Tonka rounds it with a sweet, almond-hay warmth. This is where the Qasida Bakhour review gets to its point: the smoke is not harsh. It is a soft, resinous haze.

The base is sandalwood, cistus, leather and vanilla. Cistus is the plant behind labdanum, a warm, ambery resin. Together with leather and vanilla it makes a dry, dark and slightly sweet finish.

Strength: projection 4/5, longevity 4/5

Projection 4 out of 5 means people across a table will smell you. Longevity 4 out of 5 means a clear scent late into the evening. Those are our ratings, not lab numbers. A typical Eau de Parfum wears roughly four to eight hours, and Bakhour sits at the top of that range. Three sprays are plenty. Put one on a jacket, because leather and incense hold well on cloth.

Autumn and winter: when it works

The listed seasons are autumn and winter, and the listed moments are evenings and special occasions. That fits. Cold air keeps incense and spice close, and the warmth of a heated room opens them. It is a dinner, theatre or party scent. In summer heat it would be heavy, and at a quiet desk it would be too much.

Who will like it and who will not

You will like Bakhour if you enjoy incense, spice or leather, if you want a scent that makes an entrance, or if you have a coat and boots in your wardrobe. It is listed as unisex.

It is not for you if you want a clean, fresh scent, if you dislike smoke, or if you want something to wear to the office.

Qasida Bakhour next to Qasida Signature and Qasida Sahm

Choose Bakhour for smoke and leather. Choose Signature for sweet, warm and easy. Choose Sahm for fruit that turns to oud. The Qasida collection guide puts all nine side by side, and you can browse all FAAN perfumes.

FAQ

Does Qasida Bakhour smell like a smoky room?

Like soft incense rather than a fire. The smoke is mixed with rose, violet and vanilla, so it reads warm and resinous.

Can women wear Qasida Bakhour?

It is listed as unisex. If you like incense, rose and leather, wear it.

What if it shows as sold out?

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

Related reading

• FAAN Qasida perfumes: all nine bottles explained
• FAAN Qasida Purity review, the soft opposite of Bakhour
• How long FAAN perfumes last