The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Fahad launched in 2026 as part of Lattafa's expanding Arabic-tinged masculine line, composed by Gaël Montero and Christophe Raynaud. The composition reads less like a polite gentleman and more like something prowling, opening with a sharp hit of pineapple cut by black pepper, the fruit's sweetness given an almost menacing edge by the spice. That tension carries into the heart, where a cool aromatic thread winds through before the base takes over. Fāhid. There is something predatory about how the drydown unfolds, patient and unhurried. The pineapple-black pepper top gives way to a dense incense-patchouli base, the resins smoldering under a layer of soft wood that keeps the whole thing from collapsing into pure smoke.
What's interesting here is the tension between fruit and smoke. Pineapple and mandarin at the top aren't decorative, they're sharp and vivid, cutting through the air with a brightness that demands attention. The artemisia in the heart, sometimes called wormwood, adds a bitter herbal thread that keeps the sweetness from tipping into tropical cocktail territory, lending the composition a slightly medicinal, almost austere quality that keeps things honest. That herbal bitterness weaves through the heart notes, where it meets a darker current that hints at what's coming.
The evolution
Fahad opens with a bright burst of mandarin orange lifted by pineapple, sparkling and confident. Black pepper then rolls in, sharpening the sweetness with a dry, smoky edge that grounds the composition. The drydown settles into a warm, resinous base where the fruit slowly mellows and the pepper deepens into an almost woody, amber-tinged spice. From the first spray to the final fade, the scent moves from a sunlit citrus-fruit punch into a refined, smoldering signature.
Cultural impact
Fahad sits in a recognizable lane, the pineapple-and-incense axis giving it a silhouette that reads as distinctly Arabian-leaning masculine. One reviewer draws a parallel to YSL Myslf Le Parfum, noting Fahad leans smokier and a touch less polished than that reference. The fruit-forward top against the incense-heavy base is a profile that's been gaining ground in the modern oriental space, and Fahad leans into that contrast harder than many of its peers. It suits someone who wants the Arabian template but isn't interested in playing it safe, offering a composition that's willing to push the fruit-and-smoke tension right up to the edge.
