Brandy Prestige is the extrait de parfum line from Brandy Designs, and the part of the range worth paying attention to. Where the standard Brandy collection sits in eau de parfum, every fragrance here is bottled at extrait strength, which carries a higher proportion of fragrance oil and delivers slower, denser wear that stays close to the skin for hours longer. Our guide to perfume strength levels explains what that actually buys you.

What the line covers. Thirty-three releases spanning gourmand, oud, floral, fresh and woody, all at 100ml. The compositions are noticeably more complex than the price suggests, several running to fifteen or more published notes, and a number are credited to perfumer Sayed Kashif Ali.

The gourmands are the strongest part of the range. L’Atelier Pistache builds nineteen notes around pistachio, ice cream and marshmallow. Choco Luxe goes chocolate, praline and hazelnut. Vannila Vio is the boozy one, built on cognac and spice rather than the soft vanilla its name implies. Mallow Magic is the loudest, strawberry and marshmallow lifted with ambroxan.

The ouds divide cleanly by intensity. Oud Mystery is the gentle way in, passion fruit and rose over amber. Oud Secrete is the traditional one, saffron and osmanthus over agarwood and leather. Oud Magique takes the incense route, and Oud Regalia is the deepest and most classical of the four.

Fresh and woody covers Aurum, which runs bright citrus into mossy amber, Mangue 99, pairing ripe mango against olibanum, and Madera De Oro, cinnamon and vanilla over guaiac wood.

Worth knowing about the names. Several Prestige fragrances are named for something they do not contain. Oud Magique carries no agarwood in its published notes, and Café Noir contains no coffee. Read the note list rather than the label, which is advice that applies across the affordable fragrance market rather than to Brandy alone.

Not everything is an interpretation. Bloom Theory is an original composition rather than a version of an existing fragrance, and Brandy states as much. That is rarer in this bracket than it should be.

Brandy Designs is part of Al Daiem Perfumes and Cosmetics Industry, based in Sharjah, UAE. Every bottle here is genuine, covered by our authenticity guarantee and shipped from our own UK warehouse with same day dispatch before 2pm on working days.

Browse the full Prestige line below, or see the wider Brandy collection for the eau de parfum range.