FAAN Qasida Queen vs FAAN Qasida Dunes: which FAAN perfume should you buy?

The ratings tie and the prices are two euros apart, so the notes decide. Qasida Queen is listed for her and Qasida Dunes is unisex. Both come from the Qasida line. We are an independent retailer, and the facts below are from the product pages.

Three-line verdict

• Queen opens sweet and ripe, then goes dark with coffee and patchouli.
• Dunes opens sharp and peppery, then stays dry, with leather and labdanum.
• If you wear a sweet scent on a cold evening, Queen. If you reach for a leather jacket, Dunes.

Notes side by side

Patchouli is the only shared note. In Queen it sits in the base, darkening the vanilla. In Dunes it is in the heart, next to cypriol and leather. Pepper appears in both, but pink pepper in Queen is a sweet, fruity spark, while black and white pepper in Dunes are sharp and dry.

First hour and dry-down

Queen begins with a ripe cherry that smells almost like cherry liqueur, with clove giving it spice. After half an hour, orange blossom and jasmine appear on a smooth cashmeran base. As the hours pass the sweetness stays but gets darker: vanilla, amber, patchouli and coffee. By hour four it is mostly a warm, roasted vanilla.

Dunes begins with olibanum, which is frankincense, and two kinds of pepper. It smells smoky and cool. The heart turns earthy with patchouli and cypriol, a smoky, bitter root, and leather. The base of sandalwood and labdanum is warm and resinous, with a little sugar to take off the sharpest edge. It never turns sweet.

Strength and staying power

Both have the same ratings, 4 out of 5 for strength and 4 out of 5 for longevity, so expect to be noticed and to last into the night. As a typical range for an Eau de Parfum rated this way, around six to eight hours on skin, and longer on clothes. That is a general figure, not a test result. Two sprays are enough for either. Queen is sweeter, so the sweetness tends to feel louder in a small room. Dunes is drier, so the pepper feels louder outdoors.

Season, occasion, audience and price

Both are listed for autumn and winter. Queen leans date night and special occasions. Dunes leans evenings and cool days. Queen is for her, though the notes are not gendered, and our piece on whether Queen is for men explains. Dunes is unisex.

At €51.99 for Queen and €53.99 for Dunes, both 200 ml, the price per ml is about 26 cents against about 27 cents. There is little to save by choosing one over the other. Dunes is not a summer bottle, as we explain in wearing Dunes in summer.

Who should pick which

• Choose Queen if you like gourmand scents, sweet fruit, coffee and vanilla, or you want a date-night bottle.
• Choose Dunes if you dislike sweetness, you like leather, smoke and pepper, or you want something serious for a cold workday.
• Choose neither if you want fresh or light. Amjad Coral is the lightest bottle.

Which FAAN perfume to choose helps with the rest, and all fourteen bottles are on one page. If a bottle shows as sold out, ask to be notified on the product page.

FAQ

Is Qasida Queen or Dunes stronger?

They have the same ratings. Queen is sweeter and fills a room with sweetness. Dunes is drier and smokier.

Which is better for winter?

Both. Dunes is more traditionally wintry, with its leather and smoke. Queen is the cosier one.

Can Qasida Queen and Dunes be worn together?

You can try it, but we would not start there. Both are strong, so test on paper first.

Related reading

• FAAN Qasida Queen review: notes, strength and season
• FAAN Qasida Dunes review: pepper, smoke and leather
• Which FAAN perfume to choose: a simple guide