Qaed Al Fursan

Qaed Al Fursan is a 2016 eau de parfum from Lattafa, shared between women and men, and its name translates as leader of the knights. It smells of freshly cut pineapple and saffron over a quiet base of cedar, amber and oud. The fruit is the headline and the oud stays in the background, which makes it an approachable fruity-woody scent for anyone new to the house. The pineapple is realistic rather than candied, and that detail is what wins it most of its admirers. Fragrance Notes Top: Pineapple, Saffron Heart: Balsam Fir, Jasmine Base: Cedar, Amber, Agarwood (Oud) Notes verified from Fragrantica. The Scent The opening is pineapple first, bright and juicy with the slightly sour tang of the real fruit rather than a candied syrup. Saffron sits right behind it, adding a dry, faintly leathery spice that keeps the fruit from tipping into a cocktail. The heart turns greener and more resinous. Balsam fir brings a piney, almost sticky coniferous note that is the most unusual part of the composition, and jasmine adds a soft floral roundness that stops the fir from smelling like a Christmas tree. The pineapple carries on through this stage, now with a resinous edge. The interplay between fruit and resin is what makes it interesting. Pineapple on its own can smell flat or syrupy, but the fir and saffron give it shape, so the fruit reads as part of a woody composition rather than a fruit-salad accord. It is a simple structure, seven notes in all, and each is easy to pick out on skin. The base is warm and fairly soft. Cedar gives a clean, pencil-shaving dryness, amber adds a gentle sweetness, and the oud is smooth and restrained, a woody shading rather than the medicinal, animalic material some Arabian fragrances lead with. The finish is a light fruity-woody skin scent. When to Wear The fruit and fir make it a daytime scent that suits casual wear, the office and warm-weather outings. It works through most of the year, from bright spring days to the long hot season, and the amber-oud base gives it enough body for relaxed winter evenings without turning heavy. It is an easy scent to reach for without much thought, which is part of its appeal as a daily bottle. Who Is It For It suits anyone who wants a fruity Arabian fragrance that is easy to wear, and it works equally well on women and men. It is a gentle first step into oud for someone who is wary of the heavier styles, and an inexpensive everyday option for a collector who wants a dependable fruit-forward scent alongside richer bottles. Its balance also makes it a practical shared bottle for a couple, since neither the fruit nor the woods lean strongly one way. Browse the rest of the house in our Lattafa collection, or find other fruit-forward scents in our fruity fragrance collection. Qaed Al Fursan is decanted here in 5ml, 9ml and 15ml sizes.