Top Notes 
Blackcurrant
Lemon
Orange blossom
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Cyclamen
Magnolia
Base Notes 
Musk
Amber
Sandalwood
Cedarwood
Vetiver
Cimi
395 Reviews
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Cimi
7
EXPO 2020 I Best compromise between Bal d'Afrique and Boadicea Hanuman!
Taif Al-Emarat is known for its simplicity when it comes to branding its fragrances (e.g. the T-collection is numbered), but the "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" name fits the scent almost not at all, and it's hard to imagine what it represents. Well, those are marketing details; it is well known that what matters is the scent... and this one really delivers, as it follows similar paths as Hanuman and Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum. But does this fragrance also have a certain individuality?
Let's get into it:
- The "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" opens with a beautiful and prominent combination of citrus and blackcurrant; a hint of blood orange flows subtly alongside. The opening notes are almost identical to Hanuman, and here is where the greatest similarity lies; the fragrances smell remarkably alike, except that Hanuman is a bit more sparkling at the beginning, but that is marginally different. One must keep in mind that the "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" is a factor of 4 cheaper in terms of MSRP, an astonishingly good price/performance ratio!
- This freshness then transitions, like Hanuman, into a slightly creamy-floral phase, where the magnolia is especially noticeable; it is floral-sweet, fresh, and creamy. The cyclamen is also recognizable and gives the fragrance a fresh hint of sweetness. Here too, the scents are extremely similar in the air, even though Hanuman has osmanthus and neroli on top... and yes, here is one of the small but fine differences: Hanuman is slightly green in this phase, which personally bothered me a bit about Hanuman, because for me, that slight green undertone together with the extremely creamy heart phase did not fit.
- In the drydown, the fragrance slightly loses that initial floral sweetness, and noble creamy woods come into play; don't get me wrong, this floral-creamy sweetness remains in the drydown, but is now more balanced by this woodiness and a beautiful vetiver note, which is rather dry-woody and marginally green. This green now emerges, but fits more clearly into the overall construct, as the creaminess and sweetness have been toned down a bit, allowing this green to interact better with the woodiness. Again, there is an extremely high similarity to Hanuman.
- The longevity is extremely good, almost better than Hanuman, I would say. Also in terms of sillage, I find "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" to be stronger; even though Hanuman may project a bit stronger for a few minutes at the beginning due to the higher quality top note and its spritziness, after those 5-10 minutes, "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" actually pulls slightly ahead of Hanuman. Of course, neither is a projection monster, but "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" is technically better in terms of H/S.
Now, the fragrance has a certain individuality because it is less green from the heart note onwards, but the basic idea does go in a very similar direction. Whether it is a "copy or alternative" or not, I cannot answer. I am also not interested, because Hanuman could similarly be a copy of Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum, which was released 7 years earlier.
... what I do know is that here you get the best compromise between Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum and Hanuman, even if it is marginally more expensive than Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum, it is a factor of 4 cheaper than Hanuman... and trust me, the fragrance is not 4x worse than Hanuman, but significantly better than Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum.
Let's get into it:
- The "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" opens with a beautiful and prominent combination of citrus and blackcurrant; a hint of blood orange flows subtly alongside. The opening notes are almost identical to Hanuman, and here is where the greatest similarity lies; the fragrances smell remarkably alike, except that Hanuman is a bit more sparkling at the beginning, but that is marginally different. One must keep in mind that the "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" is a factor of 4 cheaper in terms of MSRP, an astonishingly good price/performance ratio!
- This freshness then transitions, like Hanuman, into a slightly creamy-floral phase, where the magnolia is especially noticeable; it is floral-sweet, fresh, and creamy. The cyclamen is also recognizable and gives the fragrance a fresh hint of sweetness. Here too, the scents are extremely similar in the air, even though Hanuman has osmanthus and neroli on top... and yes, here is one of the small but fine differences: Hanuman is slightly green in this phase, which personally bothered me a bit about Hanuman, because for me, that slight green undertone together with the extremely creamy heart phase did not fit.
- In the drydown, the fragrance slightly loses that initial floral sweetness, and noble creamy woods come into play; don't get me wrong, this floral-creamy sweetness remains in the drydown, but is now more balanced by this woodiness and a beautiful vetiver note, which is rather dry-woody and marginally green. This green now emerges, but fits more clearly into the overall construct, as the creaminess and sweetness have been toned down a bit, allowing this green to interact better with the woodiness. Again, there is an extremely high similarity to Hanuman.
- The longevity is extremely good, almost better than Hanuman, I would say. Also in terms of sillage, I find "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" to be stronger; even though Hanuman may project a bit stronger for a few minutes at the beginning due to the higher quality top note and its spritziness, after those 5-10 minutes, "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" actually pulls slightly ahead of Hanuman. Of course, neither is a projection monster, but "Expo 2020 | Taif Al-Emarat / طيف الإمارات" is technically better in terms of H/S.
Now, the fragrance has a certain individuality because it is less green from the heart note onwards, but the basic idea does go in a very similar direction. Whether it is a "copy or alternative" or not, I cannot answer. I am also not interested, because Hanuman could similarly be a copy of Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum, which was released 7 years earlier.
... what I do know is that here you get the best compromise between Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum and Hanuman, even if it is marginally more expensive than Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum, it is a factor of 4 cheaper than Hanuman... and trust me, the fragrance is not 4x worse than Hanuman, but significantly better than Bal d'Afrique Eau de Parfum.
Updated on 10/19/2024
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