Rasasi — Hawas Black
Essence
Hawas Black is a 2024 addition to Rasasi’s popular Hawas line, but it breaks sharply from its aquatic siblings: where the original Hawas is a fresh, sweet “blue” Invictus-adjacent crowd-pleaser, Hawas Black is a fruity-chypre widely recognized as a budget clone of Nishane Hacivat - a pineapple-grapefruit-bergamot opening over a patchouli-cedar-oakmoss base. It’s a beast-mode performer at a designer-budget price (roughly $45-60 for 100ml), pitched at men who want Hacivat’s expensive citrus-chypre DNA for a fraction of the cost.
Scent Profile
The opening is strong, bright, and frankly synthetic - a forceful citrus-fruit blast of bergamot, bitter grapefruit, and a juicy, playful pineapple that’s the signature top-note hook. The grapefruit’s bitterness balances the pineapple’s near-cloying sweetness, creating an energetic, slightly sharp citrus-fruit launch. Several wearers and reviewers flag the opening as the weakest part - “too synthetic,” sometimes “harsh” - and note it fades relatively quickly compared to the base. The heart (roughly 1-3 hours) is where it diverges from a simple freshie and the chypre structure asserts itself: patchouli and cedar move forward, with jasmine adding a faint floral lift. The patchouli is clean and modern rather than dirty/hippie, and it pairs with the woods to give more depth and warmth than the original Hawas ever had. This is also where the Hacivat comparison is strongest - a citrus-patchouli-woody core. The drydown (3+ hours) is the most-praised stage: oakmoss, woody notes, and amber create a warm, slightly earthy, “expensive”-smelling chypre base. The oakmoss is the defining base note - but versus Hacivat, wearer noses consistently report Hawas Black’s oakmoss/drydown as sharper, harsher, more synthetic, and a touch more “mature/darkish” - one memorable description called it “Hacivat after 2 years in Dagestan.” Where Hacivat’s base reaches a smoother, realistic “earthy lemon-oakmoss” or “lemon cake” character, Hawas Black stays a bit rougher.
Performance
Performance is the headline strength and the main reason to buy. The dominant consensus is excellent: an iFragranceofficial reviewer (a six-year Hacivat owner who judged Hawas Black “90% similar”) reports “It lasts over 10 hours on the skin and projects like a beast for the first four hours, especially in hot weather,” and enthusiasts elsewhere cite 8-14+ hours on skin, pushing even longer on clothing. One detailed reviewer cited ~18 hours with formidable two-hour projection from four sprays. A minority report weaker results (a few hours, weak sillage), attributable to batch variation and skin chemistry. Heat strongly affects it: per a reviewer, “If you’re in a climatized room it will last longer and project for 2 to 4h.
Wearing Context
A spring/summer and warm-weather scent at heart, though its woody-chypre depth lets it stretch into fall. Best for daytime in heat, parties, social gatherings, and - given a slightly cloying, attention-grabbing nature - evening/night-out wear where strong projection is an asset. It’s a documented compliment-getter, and people have mistaken it for the far pricier Nishane Hacivat. Where it falls flat: very hot/humid days (can become cloying), formal/quiet/office settings where its loud projection and synthetic edge are liabilities, and any context where you want to smell distinctive - its whole premise is smelling like an expensive fragrance many others also wear. The staining risk also makes it a poor choice with light clothing.
Comparisons & DNA
The defining reference is Nishane Hacivat (2017) - Hawas Black is widely called a ~90% clone. Hacivat is the pricier, more refined original (a pineapple-grapefruit-bergamot chypre over patchouli/cedar/oakmoss, built largely on a patchouli overdose plus ambers); Hawas Black is harsher, sharper, more synthetic in the base, more “mature/dark,” and a fraction of the price. Other Hacivat-adjacent comparisons from wearers: Afnan Supremacy Not Only Intense (smokier, more synthetic, gym-friendly, lacks Hawas Black’s fruity-green balance) and Alexandria Fragrances Hacivat (one wearer rated Hawas Black the most accurate and best-performing of several Hacivat clones tried). Through Hacivat, the lineage runs back to Creed Aventus - the entire fruity-chypre/pineapple lane descends from Aventus, and Hawas Black is effectively a clone-of-a-clone (Hacivat itself was inspired by Aventus). Within its own house it’s distinct from the rest of the Hawas line: the original Hawas and Hawas Ice are fresh aquatic Invictus-Aqua-style scents (sweet, “blue,” apple/citrus/marine), Hawas for Her the feminine take, Hawas Elixir another 2024 release - Hawas Black is the outlier chypre. If you want the genuine article, Hacivat is the upgrade; if you want budget performance, Hawas Black is among the best-regarded Hacivat alternatives.
Reception
wearer consensus is largely positive on value and performance, polarized on originality and quality. Praise: “phenomenal” performance, great value, “smells luxurious,” masculine, confidence-boosting, a reliable compliment-getter, and a genuinely close Hacivat substitute (owners of both report differences are “minimal,” with Hacivat only “slightly more refined”). Criticisms: a synthetic, sometimes harsh opening; an oakmoss drydown that’s rougher/sharper than Hacivat’s; “moderate” overall quality; unoriginality (“smells like a smoky Aventus clone… this dna has been cloned so many times”); cloying behavior in heat; and the staining dark juice. Polarization axes: performance (mostly strong, occasionally weak per batch), and whether the harshness is acceptable for the price.
Versions & Reformulation
Hawas Black is a 2024 flanker, distinct from the original Hawas (a 2015 aquatic), Hawas Ice, Hawas for Her, and Hawas Elixir (a contemporaneous 2024 release). It should not be confused with those - it’s a different fragrance family (chypre vs aquatic), not an “intense” version of the original. Single composition in EDP concentration; no significant reformulation is documented in sources, though some longevity/sillage variability is attributed by users to batch differences. Available in a 100ml black flacon in the signature Hawas bottle shape.
Acquisition Notes
Sold in a single 100ml size in a glossy black-and-gold flacon (which some find fingerprint-prone and “trying too hard”). Sprayer quality is reportedly hit-or-miss on some units. Decant ecosystems carry it for sampling.
Notable Facts & Lore
- “Hawas” is Arabic for “obsession/desire,” and Rasasi markets the line around that theme.
- Rasasi is well known in wearers as a Middle Eastern house that produces refined clones of popular Western fragrances, and Hawas Black openly continues that tradition - the original Hawas built its reputation as an “Invictus killer,” and.
- As is standard for Rasasi, no perfumer is credited.
- The most repeated piece of wearer lore is the direct Hacivat comparison - wearers regularly report being asked if they’re wearing the much pricier Nishane, which is the fragrance’s main selling point and source of pride among value-seekers.
- A second practical “lore” point that recurs in reviews is the staining dark-brown juice (a warning passed around wearers to keep it off white clothing).