LANA & HADI PARFUMS
WHISPERS OF THE DESERT
2025
sultan qaboos bakhoor
saffron
Sandalwood
aged mukhalat
mysore sandalwood
rose isparta
patchouli
papuan oud
vanilla, patchouli & sandalwood tincture
tobacco
birch tar
gahara buaya oud
‘This is an opulent, deeply layered fragrance that opens with the exotic smokiness of the highly regarded Sultan Qaboos Bakhoor, which I created an Absolute from, brightened by the golden warmth of Indian Saffron and grounded in creamy Sandalwood. The top notes immediately establish a sense of luxury and mystique. The heart reveals a rich tapestry of aged Mukhalat blended with the buttery smoothness of Mysore Sandalwood, while Isparta Rose adds a touch of floral elegance and Indonesian Patchouli contributes an earthy, slightly sweet depth. These middle notes create a complex, ambery rich core that evolves beautifully on the skin. The base is profoundly resinous, anchored by the intense, haunting character of Papuan Oud Resin and the rare slightly aquatic-woody nuances of Gaharu Buaya. A custom Indonesian tincture of Vanilla, Patchouli, and Sandalwood adds honeyed warmth, while Indian Tobacco Absolute brings a dry, leathery sophistication. Birch Tar introduces a subtle smokiness that ties the entire composition together, creating a fragrance that is both ancient and timeless, —a scent for those who appreciate the art of traditional perfumery and the rarest materials the world has to offer.’ – LHParfums
I’d smelled some Lana & Hadi before via a friend and the brand kindly sent over samples to try the entire collection. After testing on paper, I picked 5 favorites to wear on skin and this was one of them. It ended up as my likely favorite from the brand.
Although Celeste Coffee is the easiest to instantly fall in love with, Whispers Of The Desert is more in line with the style that I would expect from a brand like Lana & Hadi; it’s the type of perfumery that you seek out brands like this for, as you won’t find it elsewhere.
From the first sniff, rose hits me the most. A somewhat dark, but vibrant rose that is truly lovely. Initially, this one takes me back a little to an old Amouage Eidyya attar that I used to have; soapy, saffrony, rich, but on skin it’s much darker than it seemed on a teststrip.
There’se a smoothness here (the sandalwood base probably has a lot to say about that) that is not found in your average contemporary rose-ouds. On skin, the spiciness and sweetness come through more; saffron leading the way, but sweet spiciness that reminds me of a Holiday-inspired fruit stew/cake is creeping in as well.
As said, heavier and darker than it revealed when I sprayed it on paper. Whispers Of The Desert turns rather opulent with a rich, yet dry leathery and spicy base. I kind of liked it even better on paper, with it’s brighter rose, but for a saffron-leathery, Middle Eastern type rose-oud style, this is easily one of the best, if not the best, that I’ve come across so far. Not the type of scent that I’d go for on a regular basis, but a great special occassion fragrance, for moments when you want to exude a regal type of quality (it would have a similar place in my collection as a Boadicea Blue Sapphire for example).
