Saffron perfume notes: what saffron smells like and which FAAN bottles use it

What saffron smells like (and what it does not)

Saffron comes from the dried threads of a crocus flower, and it is among the most expensive spices in the kitchen. In a perfume it smells warm and a little leathery, with a metallic, honeyed sweetness and a bitter, slightly medicinal edge. Think of a golden risotto crossed with an old leather glove. It does not smell like curry, paprika or a spice shop, and it is never fresh. Used lightly, it adds glow. Used heavily, it turns dry and bitter.

How perfumers use saffron: top, heart or base

Saffron is usually a top or heart note. In the top it gives an immediate spicy warmth. In the heart it bridges the sharp opening and the sweet base, and it loves roses. The base is rarely its place, because the scent is not heavy enough to anchor.

Saffron in the FAAN range

Honour opens with frankincense and lemon, and the saffron arrives after a few minutes as warmth under the rose. Mystery has the same pairing but sweeter: pear and hazelnut above, jasmine and osmanthus beside it. Bakhour leads with saffron straight away, and clove and blackcurrant make it dark and a little medicinal. Bidaya is the brightest of the four: bergamot and cardamom keep the saffron lighter, and then resin and vanilla take over.

All four are autumn and winter bottles. Honour and Bidaya are Extraits at €44.99, Mystery is an Extrait and Bakhour an Eau de Parfum, both at €54.99.

What it is paired with in these pyramids

The three partners you meet again and again are rose, resin and vanilla. Rose makes saffron round and a little jammy. Resins such as benzoin, frankincense and opoponax (in Bidaya) give it a solid floor. Vanilla softens the bitter edge. Leather, in Bakhour and Bidaya, picks up the leathery side of saffron itself.

How saffron changes from the first spray to the last

In the first ten minutes, saffron is loudest in Bakhour and Bidaya, where it leads, and quietest in Honour, where lemon and frankincense speak first. Between the first and third hour it takes over in the hearts of Honour and Mystery, warm and rosy. After that, resin and vanilla take the floor and the saffron fades to a faint, leathery trace that you smell again when you lift your collar. It rarely stays the star for longer than a few hours.

Wearing advice: season, sprays, who tends to like it

• Two sprays are plenty. Saffron is persistent, and you smell it in the opening and again at the very end.
• Cold air flatters it. In heat it turns sweet and sticky.
• People who like Middle Eastern cooking, amber and leather tend to like saffron. People who prefer soft florals or fresh citrus often find it too bitter.
• To check if you like it, spray a card and sniff it after ten minutes, when the first alcohol has gone.

If you like saffron, start with Amjad Honour

Honour is the best-known of the four and a good all-round entry: saffron in the heart, supported by rose and resin, with the longest wear. For a softer, sweeter version, take Mystery. For something darker and more leathery, take Bakhour, and our Honour versus Bakhour comparison shows how they differ. Frankincense often sits near saffron, and the guide to frankincense in perfume explains why. See also all FAAN perfumes.

FAQ

Which FAAN perfume has the most saffron?

Saffron is listed in four bottles, and in Bakhour and Bidaya it is the first note. The data does not rank amounts, so we cannot say which has more.

Is saffron sweet?

Slightly, in a honeyed way, but it is mostly warm and bitter.

Is saffron for men or women?

Both. Honour, Mystery, Bakhour and Bidaya are all listed as unisex.

Related reading

• Frankincense in perfume and the FAAN bottles that use it
• FAAN Amjad Honour review: notes, strength and when to wear it
• FAAN perfume gifts by budget