Best Lattafa Woody Perfumes for Beginners in Sabah: Velvet Oud vs Fakhar Platin

Getting into perfume for the first time can feel confusing, especially with so many names out there. If you're in Sabah and want something for daily wear, woody perfumes from Lattafa are a solid place to start. Here we put two of them side by side: Velvet Oud and Fakhar Platin. Both are 100ml Eau de Parfum, both sit in the woody family, and both list everyday and casual wear among their occasions — but they smell quite different.

Velvet Oud

Velvet Oud is a unisex 100ml EDP from Lattafa. Its fragrance family is leather, oud, woody and amber, so this is the deeper, warmer one of the two. The store describes it as a bold leathery-oud fragrance, made for evenings and cooler days.

• Top notes: cardamom and bergamot
• Heart notes: violet leaf and patchouli
• Base notes: suede, oud, amber musk and oak moss

Because it's unisex, anyone can wear it, though the store notes it's crafted for people who like a stronger scent. Its listed occasions are special occasions, formal, casual and everyday, so it can still fit into daily wear if you enjoy oud. Sabah stays warm all year, and deep oud scents can feel fuller on the skin in that kind of weather, so one or two sprays in the morning is usually enough for the office or a day out.

Fakhar Platin

Fakhar Platin is the men's 100ml EDP of the pair. Its family is aromatic, woody and fruity, which gives it a fresher opening than Velvet Oud. The store describes a crisp start, an intriguing heart, and a base that settles into a smoky woody trail — made for evenings and cooler days too.

• Top notes: bergamot, pink pepper and cardamom
• Heart notes: ginger, lavender and guava
• Base notes: palo santo, incense and sandalwood

Its listed occasions are the same as Velvet Oud's: special occasions, casual, formal and everyday. If you're a beginner who finds pure oud too heavy, the fruity and aromatic side of Fakhar Platin might be an easier first step.

Velvet Oud or Fakhar Platin?

Both are 100ml EDPs, both cover daily wear, formal and casual, and both are described for evenings and cooler days. So the choice really comes down to scent direction:

• Pick Velvet Oud if you want a unisex leather-oud-amber scent and you already know you like deeper, warmer fragrances.
• Pick Fakhar Platin if you're shopping for men and want something that opens fresh and aromatic with a fruity touch before settling into a woody base.

One simple tip for a first perfume in Sabah: choose the one whose notes you actually like the sound of, because that's the bottle you'll reach for every day.