4 Fragrances · One Name · UK Buying Guide
Table of Contents
They Share a Name and Almost Nothing Else
The Lattafa Asad collection has grown into four distinct fragrances, each targeting a different designer scent and a different time of year — which is exactly why “which Asad should I buy?” is the question we get most.
Here is the honest breakdown of the Lattafa Asad collection.
The Asad Line at a Glance
The Flagship
Asad Original
£19.99
Dior Sauvage Elixir style
Bold, spicy, animalic. Projects hard. Works all year.
The Evening One
Asad Elixir
£22.50
Hugo Boss Bottled Absolu style
Tobacco and saffron over a sweet base. Darker, grown-up.
The Summer Outlier
Asad Zanzibar
£22.49
Its own thing
Salty, coconut-driven, beach-coded. The only hot-weather Asad.
The Winter Gourmand
Asad Bourbon
£22.50
Azzaro The Most Wanted style
Cocoa, bourbon vanilla, nutmeg. Reads expensive, behaves in an office.
Asad (أسد) means “lion” in Arabic. That is where the family resemblance ends — these are four separate compositions, not four strengths of the same scent.
When Each One Actually Works
The single most useful thing to know before you choose from the Lattafa Asad collection. Asad Original is the only one that carries the whole year.
Seasonal coverage · UK climate
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Asad OriginalALL YEAR
Asad ElixirALL YEAR — AFTER DARK
Asad ZanzibarMAY – SEP
Asad BourbonOCT – MAR
WINTER
SPRING
SUMMER
AUTUMN
Coloured months = the fragrance is in its element. Coverage as worn and recommended by Arabic Perfumery in the UK climate.
Only one bottle?
Original — the only Asad that never feels out of season.
Two bottles?
Add Bourbon for October to March. That pair covers the whole calendar.
Going somewhere hot?
Zanzibar is the only one that survives real heat. — see our best Lattafa summer perfumes guide.
Side by Side
| Original | Elixir | Zanzibar | Bourbon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (100ml) | £19.99 | £22.50 | £22.49 | £22.50 |
| In the style of | Dior Sauvage Elixir | Hugo Boss Bottled Absolu | Its own thing | Azzaro The Most Wanted |
| Smells like | Spicy, animalic, masculine | Tobacco, saffron, sweet base | Salty coconut | Cocoa, bourbon vanilla, nutmeg, amber |
| Season | Year-round | Year-round, evenings | Summer & holidays | Autumn & winter |
| Projection | Hardest in the line | Evening-coded | Easy-going | Close to skin · 12+ hrs on clothing |
| Office-safe? | ✕ It travels | ~ After hours | ~ Summer only | ✓ Best in the line |
| Skip it if | You share a small office | You want a daytime scent | You want the spicy Asad character | You mainly wear fragrance in summer |
What Each One Actually Smells Like
A note list tells you what is in the bottle. This is what the Lattafa Asad collection actually smells like on skin, in the order you get it.
Asad Original
Opening
Pineapple and black pepper, with tobacco arriving underneath almost immediately. Bright for ten minutes, then it turns dark.
Heart
Coffee and patchouli, with a powdery iris taking the edge off. This is the phase that gets the compliments.
Drydown
Vanilla, amber and benzoin over dry woods and labdanum — sweet, resinous, and the reason people assume it cost three figures.
Asad Elixir
Opening
Pink pepper, saffron and a squeeze of grapefruit. Sharper than you expect for the first quarter of an hour.
Heart
Tobacco, vanilla and cedar. Properly boozy-sweet without tipping into dessert territory.
Drydown
Light amber, frankincense, patchouli and cashmeran — a soft, slightly smoky skin scent that lasts well into the night.
Asad Zanzibar
Opening
Black pepper and sea lavender — peppery and salty-fresh, more coastline than cologne counter.
Heart
Salty coconut water and iris. Creamy but never sweet — this is suntan-lotion coconut, not bakery coconut.
Drydown
Vanilla smoothing a gentle incense. Warm, quiet, and the only Asad that still reads well at 28°C.
Asad Bourbon
Opening
Mirabelle plum, pink pepper and lavender. A fresh bottle opens sharp here — this is the bit that needs patience.
Heart
Cocoa, nutmeg and davana. Dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate, with a spice rack behind it.
Drydown
Bourbon vanilla, vetiver and amber — the boozy, close-to-skin finish that makes people lean in rather than step back.
How They Perform on Skin
Performance is where the four in the Lattafa Asad collection genuinely separate, and it is the part note lists always leave out. The figures below are from our own wear tests through a British autumn and winter — two sprays to the chest, one to the back of the neck, no reapplication.
Asad Original
7–8 hours on skin, 12–14 on a jacket collar. Projects hard for the first two to three hours — one spray is genuinely enough indoors.
Asad Elixir
8–10 hours on skin. Strong for the first two to three hours, then settles into a close trail that stays detectable all evening.
Asad Zanzibar
The quietest of the four by design. It sits close in heat instead of announcing itself, which is exactly why it works in summer where the other three collapse.
Asad Bourbon
6–10 hours on skin and 12+ on clothing — often still there the next morning. Moderate projection that pulls people in rather than filling the room.
One caveat that applies to Bourbon more than the others: a fresh bottle needs four to six weeks in a dark drawer before it settles. Most of the disappointed reviews you will read were written in week one. More on maceration →
Asad Original — The One to Start With
Asad Original is the flagship and still the strongest character in the line. It sits in Dior Sauvage Elixir territory: spicy, slightly animalic, unmistakably masculine, and it projects hard.
✓ Buy it if you want one Lattafa that works in every season and you like your fragrance to be noticed.
✕ Skip it if you work in a small shared office — this one travels.
Buy Asad Original — £19.99 How close is it to Sauvage Elixir? →
Asad Elixir — The Evening Bottle
Asad Elixir takes the line somewhere darker. Tobacco and saffron over a sweet base, in Hugo Boss Bottled Absolu territory. It is evening-coded in a way the others are not — dinners, dates, night events.
✓ Buy it if you already own Original and want something more grown-up after dark.
✕ Skip it if you want a daytime or office scent.
Buy Asad Elixir — £22.50 Read the full Asad Elixir review →
Asad Zanzibar — The Summer Outlier
Asad Zanzibar at £22.49 is the least like the others: salty, coconut-driven, beach-coded. It is the only Asad that genuinely works in hot weather.
✓ Buy it if you need a summer or holiday fragrance.
✕ Skip it if you want the spicy-masculine Asad character — this is a different animal.
Buy Asad Zanzibar — £22.49 Prefer it warmer? Zanzibar Limited Edition →
Worth knowing: early batches of Zanzibar had a genuinely rough reputation among reviewers. Lattafa reformulated it, and the version sold today is a different, considerably more wearable fragrance — sweet, milky coconut with a distinct iris powderiness. If you tried Zanzibar at launch and bounced off it, the current bottle is worth a second look.
Asad Bourbon — The Winter Gourmand
Asad Bourbon is the newest and, for a lot of people, the most refined. Bourbon vanilla, cocoa, nutmeg and amber — Lattafa’s answer to Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum.
It projects less than Original but reads more expensive. Give it four to six weeks to macerate before judging it; fresh bottles open sharp. More on maceration →
✓ Buy it if you want a cold-weather signature that behaves itself in an office.
✕ Skip it if you mainly wear fragrance in summer.
Buy Asad Bourbon — £22.50 Read the full Asad Bourbon review → Compare Asad Bourbon vs Asad Elixir.
Is Asad Bourbon Better Than Asad Original?
This is the question we get most about the Lattafa Asad collection, and the honest answer is that neither is an upgrade of the other.
| Asad Original | Asad Bourbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Bolder, louder, spicier | Sweeter, warmer, quieter |
| Wears | All year | Cold weather |
| Buy this one if… | You want maximum impact from one bottle | You want people to lean in at a winter dinner |
Most collectors end up owning both from the Lattafa Asad collection, and that is not marketing — they genuinely do not overlap.
Is Asad Zanzibar better than Asad Original?
| Asad Original | Asad Zanzibar | |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Bold, spicy, animalic | Salty, coconut-driven, beach-coded |
| Retailer-stated notes | Pineapple, black pepper, tobacco, coffee, patchouli, vanilla, amber | Black pepper, sea lavender, salty coconut water, iris, vanilla, incense |
| Season | All year | May–Sep; the only Asad built for heat |
| Projection | Hardest in the line | Quietest by design — sits close in heat |
| Buy this one if… | You want maximum impact from one bottle | You want a summer or holiday fragrance |
Neither is an upgrade of the other — they share a name, not a scent. Original is the year-round statement; Zanzibar is the summer specialist.
Buying a Genuine Asad in the UK
Asad is now popular enough to be worth faking, and the counterfeits have got harder to spot from a photo. The single most reliable signal is still price: a sealed 100ml bottle listed at £8–£12 on a marketplace is not a bargain, it is a warning. Genuine UK stock sits in the £15–£24 range depending on which Asad you are buying.
Beyond price, check the holographic authentication sticker on the box, the batch code printed on both box and bottle, and the weight of the cap — Lattafa’s caps are heavier than the fakes copy. Seven checks for spotting a fake Asad Bourbon →
Every bottle we sell is sourced through official channels and stored in the UK — not drop-shipped from abroad. Free tracked delivery, dispatch within 1–2 business days, and 14-day returns if a scent is not for you. Browse the Asad collection →
Which Asad Should You Buy?
First Lattafa ever?
Asad Original · £19.99 →
Cold weather signature?
Asad Bourbon · £22.50 →
Evenings and dates?
Asad Elixir · £22.50 →
Summer and holidays?
Asad Zanzibar · £22.49 →
Want the whole seasonal set? Original + Bourbon covers most of the year; add Zanzibar for summer. Buying two or three together is still less than a single bottle of the designer fragrance any one of them references.
Browse the Full Lattafa Asad Collection
Every bottle in the Lattafa Asad collection is genuine Lattafa, stored and dispatched from the UK. Free tracked delivery, 14-day returns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tap a question to open the answer.
Are all the Asad fragrances the same scent at different strengths?
No. They are four separate compositions that share a name. Original, Elixir, Zanzibar and Bourbon smell nothing like each other.
Which Asad lasts the longest?
Asad Original projects hardest, but Asad Bourbon holds longest on clothing — 12+ hours, often into the next day.
Which Asad is best for the office?
Asad Bourbon. Its sillage stays close to the skin, so it will not fill a shared room the way Original does.
Which is the cheapest Asad?
Asad Original at £19.99, followed by Asad Zanzibar at £22.49.
If I can only afford two, which pair should I get?
Original and Bourbon. Original carries spring, summer and any occasion you want to be noticed; Bourbon owns October to March. Together they cover the calendar with almost no overlap, for around £42.
Is Asad Zanzibar better than Asad Original?
They are different fragrances, not better or worse versions of each other. Original is bold, spicy and year-round; Zanzibar is salty, coconut-driven and built for summer heat. Buy Original for impact, Zanzibar for holidays — many collectors own both because they do not overlap.
How long does Asad Zanzibar last?
Zanzibar is the quietest of the four Asads by design — it sits close to the skin in heat rather than projecting hard, which is exactly why it works in summer. The retailer notes genuinely good longevity for the price, but expect a closer, easier wear than Original or Elixir rather than all-day projection. No hour figures are published; treat any you see elsewhere as unverified.
Is Asad Zanzibar only for men?
It is sold as a men’s fragrance, but the coconut-iris character leans softer than the rest of the line — the retailer’s own product page notes it reads slightly feminine on some skin. As with all fragrance, buy the profile, not the label.
Is Lattafa Asad for Men or Women?
Asad is sold as a men’s fragrance, but scent is personal. Anyone who likes the profile can wear it.
Related reading: Asad Zanzibar vs Zanzibar Limited Edition