Afnan is a UAE-based perfume brand offering a diverse and growing collection of affordable fragrances. The brand was founded in 2007 by Imran Fazlani and caters to diverse tastes with fragrances for men, women, and unisex fragrances.
Afnan fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Lucas Sieuzac, Gaël Montero and Imran Fazlani. The brand’s lineup includes the 9 AM/9 PM series, which offers lively, crisp scents for the day and deeper, striking ones for the night, the Supremacy collection offers rich, lavish aromas that often evoke memories of pricier fragrances, the Bouquet collection, full of elegant floral blends, and Turathi, which leans into classic Middle Eastern notes like oud and musk. Afnan is also the parent company of Zimaya, a new fragrance brand launched in 2023.
Here are some of our favourite fragrances by this versatile UAE-based brand.
For Women:
Contents
1. EDP of Afnan Violet Bouquet
We’re starting off with a very polarising fragrance. Some love it, others love to hate it. Violet Bouquet by Afnan is an interesting floral scent. While it has “bouquet” in the name, it isn’t exactly heavy on the florals.
What is it heavy on then if not that? And why is it on this list? First of all, it has a strong animalic flavor due to the ambergris. The other notes complement the ambergris well enough, giving you a lovely floral scent with a hint of warmth. While this scent might not end up being your favourite, it is certainly a compliment-getter.
2. EDP of Zimaya Fatima
Velvet Love Zimaya is a fragrance brand whose parent company happens to be Afnan. At first glance, you can tell the pink bottle of Fatima is somewhat familiar, but don’t let that put you off from the fragrance itself.
This scent has a rhubarb pie or jam scent, and rhubarb stands out. You get florals, citrus, roses, and a gorgeous musk. The ambergris in Fatima is either negligible or absent, in contrast to the first scent on this list. Overall, this scent is popular and a good choice for a signature scent.
For Men:
1. Afnan 9PM EDP
Like many popular things, Afnan’s 9 PM men’s fragrance is often criticized for being too commonplace. But hey, popular things are popular for a reason. That stands true for this amber vanilla scent as well.
In “9 PM,” Afnan created a great everyday scent for men. The scent of this perfume is sensual, warm, and sweet. But the scent isn’t that strong in a way that you can’t wear it every day. The overall scent is subtle enough that I would recommend it as an office perfume, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone wore it on a first date.
2. Rare Carbon EDP
Afnan I had to include Rare Carbon by Afnan here because I love leather. This men’s leather fragrance is slightly sharp at first, but mellows out as it dries down. I would recommend macerating the fragrance before wearing it for a smoother scent.
Rare Carbon is designed as a dupe for a very popular leather fragrance, and it does a good job at it if you ask me. When it comes to leather fragrances, this would be a great place to start. Before purchasing a more expensive version, give it a try to see how you like the note.