Lattafa Falsafat: A Perfume Named Philosophy

Falsafat is the Arabic word for philosophy. It seems a heavy name for a perfume, until you read the formula. Lattafa Falsafat contains carrot seed, anise, milk, bitter herbs and tobacco, and nobody writes a list like that by accident.

Jordi Fernández, one of the most senior perfumers at Givaudan, composed it. This is a scent that asks you to slow down, and it rewards the people who do.

Lattafa Falsafat: the short version

• The idea: a warm, spiced, milky wood with a bitter herbal streak.
• Feels like: spiced tea, old books and a wool coat.
• Made by: Jordi Fernández of Givaudan, for Lattafa. A 100ml bottle for men and women.
• Think twice if: you want something bright, fresh or simple.

Lattafa FALSAFAT Fragrance Notes:

• Top Notes: Anise, Cinnamon, Carrot Seeds, Cardamom.
• Middle Notes: Milk, Artemisia, Saffron, Lavender, Davana.
• Base Notes: Benzoin, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Vanilla, Vetiver, Patchouli.

A cup of spiced tea, hidden in the notes

Read the notes like a recipe and something familiar appears. Cardamom and milk are the heart of karak, the strong, sweet tea that the Gulf runs on, and cooks often add saffron or cinnamon. Anyone who has stood at a roadside tea stall in Dubai knows that smell.

Whether Lattafa planned it or not, that is the warmth at the centre of Lattafa Falsafat. The milk note makes the spices feel round and creamy instead of sharp. Anise adds a faint liquorice sweetness on top, like a fennel seed chewed after a meal.

So the first impression is comfort. But comfort alone would be dull, and this perfume has other plans.

The bitter, green thought in the middle

Artemisia is the plant behind absinthe, and it smells bitter, silvery and green. Fernández sets it beside lavender, so the middle of the perfume turns cool and herbal just when you expect it to turn sweet.

Meanwhile, two stranger materials add depth. Carrot seed, for example, smells earthy and dry, a little like iris root. Davana, on the other hand, is a small Indian herb with the scent of dried apricots soaked in liqueur. Together they make the perfume feel aged, like wood and paper, not sugar.

That tension is the philosophy of the name, if you like. Bitterness questions the sweetness, and herbs cool the warmth.

Jordi Fernández, again

This is the third perfume by Jordi Fernández on our shelves, after Le Bonheur Black Cavalier Emerald and Swiss Arabian Shaghaf Oud Marine. He is Vice-President of Perfumery at Givaudan, and patchouli is the material he loves most.

You can find it in the base of Lattafa Falsafat, next to tobacco and vetiver. As a result, the backbone is dry and slightly smoky. Sandalwood, vanilla and benzoin soften it afterwards, so the finish is warm and resinous, like a wooden box that once held sweets.

In other words, his name on the box is a promise of structure, and the formula keeps it.

Lattafa Falsafat is not for everyone, and that is fine

Give it cold air. Autumn evenings, winter coats, a long dinner, a late walk home: this is where the spices and the tobacco make sense.

The perfume suits people who already enjoy tobacco, woods or spiced scents and want something less obvious. Men and women can both wear it, because nothing in it leans sweet-floral or sporty.

If you prefer clean, citrus or fruity perfumes, Falsafat may feel like too much thinking. In that case, choose something lighter and come back to it in a few years.