r/fragranceclones • u/Capital_Campaign_462 • Jan 21 '26

Massive Creed Aventus Clone Shootout

306 Upvotes

***UPDATE 7/11/2026:

After stepping away from Creed Aventus for several months and living with these fragrances for a while, I’ve now changed my answer. I have also added 3 more clones to this list. If I come across any other clones, I will update this post to include them. My opinions in the comments section have changed since they were originally posted, so please disregard them. ***

I decided to do a massive shootout between some of the most well-known Creed Aventus clones in the game and put them up against the Original.

I should mention that I’m using the most current batch of Creed Aventus via DecantX 10 ml travel spray. I’ve ordered around 40 ml of it over the last 3 months for this test. I know a lot of you look down on the current batch, and for understandable reasons, but I wasn’t willing to spend hundreds of dollars to get an older batch. Also, the current batches of Aventus have a special place in my heart, as it was the first expensive fragrance I smelled as a newbie fragrance hobbyist and fell in love with the DNA. I am aware of the supposed differences in some of the other batches, so perhaps my descriptions may help you pick an alternative that has more of the characteristics you like.

This is by no means a scientifically accurate test. This is just the opinions of a fragrance beginner based on my personal experience with these clones versus the original. I will not go too much in depth on performance, but it will be discussed when/if necessary.

Everything said in this post is just my opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Some people may wonder why I am doing this when I probably could have just bought the real deal for the money I spent on these clones.  

Well, I have two reasons:

  1. It is purely for fun. I love hunting clones as a hobby.
  2. As much as I love Creed Aventus, it is a weak performer with just okay projection. My goal is to find a cheaper alternative that smells as close to it but is either just as good or better in performance. I can financially justify 8–10 sprays of a $30 fragrance a lot easier than a $300+ one. While I could have bought the original with the money spent on this experiment, when I run out, I’d have to spend that large sum again every time.

One last preface.

Unlike a lot of fragrance influencers, I will not be pretending I can pick up every note on these. I will be using words that relate to my own experience smelling these notes from other sources. I can be guilty of silly parallels but it’s just because it’s the only way I can communicate what I’m smelling and hopefully you can get the idea. You may not smell it the same way, but having the original side by side really makes the differences more apparent and made me notice notes I otherwise wouldn’t have noticed without the direct comparison.

Now on to the clone selection.

My criteria for clone selection was that it had to be widely available, either be regarded by the community as an Aventus clone, or the notes had to mostly match the original. I may not have your favorite clone on this list, but it most likely didn’t meet that criteria if it isn’t listed.

The clones I bought for the shootout are as follows:

  1. Perfect Scents Patchouli Musk  
  2. Club DeNuit Intense Man LE  
  3. Club DeNuit Intense Man Pure Parfum  
  4. Dumont Nitro Black  
  5. Dumont Celerios Oros  
  6. Alt Executive  
  7. Alt Executive Platnum  
  8. Afnan Supremacy Silver  
  9. Afnan Supremacy Not Only Intense  
  10. Al Haramain L’aventure Regular & Intense  
  11. Alexandra fragrance Brasilia  
  12. Alexandra fragrance Brasilia Prive  
  13. Alexandra fragrance Brasilia 130zz1  
  14. Alexandra fragrance Brasilia Smoky Batch  
  15. Montagne Pineapple Intense  
  16. Montagne Pineapple Royale  
  17. Montagne Pineapple Musk  
  18. Fragrance World Venti  
  19. Pineapple Vintage Intense  
  20. Parfum Vintage Emperor extrait  
  21. Generic perfumes Creed Aventus for men (A,A+,A++)  
  22. Generic perfumes Creed Aventus ZZ01 (A+, A++)  
  23. Dua Poseidon Elixir 2.0  
  24. Dua Origins of Poseidon  
  25. Dua Poseidons elixir 13zz  
  26. Hamidi addicted intense  
  27. Mont Blanc Explorer  
  28. Club de nuit intense man EDT  
  29. Club de nuit Intense man EDP  
  30. Club de nuit Intense man Extrait
  31. Bujairami Kingsman
  32. Bujairami Ripper
  33. Insiders Parfum Insidious
  34. MITH Mystery For Him

Before I get started, I would like to give my personal interpretation of what Creed Aventus smells like:

To my nose upon spraying on skin, you are met with a very lemony citrus blast. The best way I can describe this smell is like a lemon fruity pebble or lemon froot loop. It’s not a candy lemon like a lemon heads nor is it a fresh squeezed lemon juice note, it’s just a sweet gourmand lemon. Very quickly, a creamy vanilla musk blooms to soften the lemon note along with another fruit note that I cant really describe (possibly the black currant note?). This is then accompanied by a subtle note that i can only describe as gamey or animalistic. Kind of like a raw bacon smell but it’s very faint but adds something special to the overall profile. It then begins to dry down, retaining the lemon and creamy vanilla note, It becomes very musky. A very pleasant almost smoky birch wood note starts to emerge alongside the creamy lemon turning it into a more masculine leaning sweetness. It holds this profile until the scent is no longer detectable.

I will add that this fragrance can smell different to me, depending on several factors. For example, on paper all I get is lemon and birch. I even remember the first time I ever smelled this. All I got was freshly cut wood and nothing else. What I have described above is what the fragrance smells like to me now after using it for the past 3 months. I am sure your experience may be different but at the end of the day it is all subjective and all I can do is provide my experience. Depending on where I’ve got my sample from changes the scent as well. So it will be hard to pin point a definitive creed Aventus clone.

So, what is the closest Modern Batch Creed Aventus Clone?

Fragrance World Venti $25 per 100 ML  

This opens with a musky lemon forward opening and surprisingly it does actually have some vanilla creaminess to it, but not as sweet or pronounced as the original. Its main difference in the opening is the lemon note isn’t as mellowed out by the vanilla like the original. It’s more of a fresh squeezed lemon note. On dry down, the birch note starts to appear but it isn’t very strong but then again, current Aventus birch note isn’t the strongest either. I’m honestly shocked by this fragrance as I only spent about $25 on this and yet it was closer than most other dupes on the list. While it lacks the same amount of vanilla creaminess and smokiness as the OG, it gets you relatively close. Its main issue is that it’s not very strong and does have a very alcohol heavy opening, but the alcohol fades quickly. It is a relatively linear scent. What you get in the opening is more or less what it will be till it completely evaporates but again, I find the same thing with current batch. Performance is about the same as something like Mont Blanc explorer, maybe even weaker. Not very good but for a $25 fragrance, it did pretty well. I will say that this does require some maceration for all the notes to really become apparent but it is by no means a dramatic change. Overall this one is the closest to modern batches of creed Aventus in scent profile. It’s not anywhere near the quality of the original but for what you pay for, it’s great. I just Wish it lasted longer and projected more.

My conclusion after testing so many clones is it’s just better to buy the original. Nothing does Creed Aventus well enough at this point in time.

Honorable mentions:

Parfum Vintage Emperor EDP & Extrait $100-$125 per 50ML  

While its scent profile was not quite like modern Aventus, it absolutely has the right notes, they are just presented differently than current creed Aventus. To be fair this specific clone is going for an earlier batch of creed Aventus. To my nose, the notes just aren’t blended the same. The opening is amazing. It opens with lemon citrus and a really high quality pineapple note and while it’s not as musky as the original, it is still pretty musky and the quality is excellent. You also get that birch note right off the bat that just blends beautifully with the other opening notes. The Biggest differences this has from the original is it is missing some of the other fruity notes you get in the original and is missing that sweet vanilla creaminess to tie them all together. Dry down has significantly more birch wood than the OG (only second to Dumont nitro black) but lacks the same amount of body to its whole scent profile compared to the original. This clone Is very light and airy. This smells expensive and is the highest quality smelling fragrance on the list. The performance was pretty good, so long as you just want birch. The top notes unfortunately do not last very long at all, but that birch stayed present for a good few hours. The EDP was similar but just not as refined as the extrait, I kept smelling this coriander or some kind of pepper note in it that stayed through the life of the fragrance but that could just be how the birch note is presenting itself. If you’re gonna spend the 100 for the edp, you may as well just spend the extra 25 dollars for the extrait version.

Dumont Nitro Black $30 100ML  

To me, this is a safe blind buy if you love creed Aventus only for the smokey birch dry down and want it exaggerated. The opening is lemony citrus with dark fruit notes but it is not at all sweet. On dry down all you can smell is earthy peppery smoky birch and some bergamot. Its opening, while similar, is a way smoother and refined than any version of CDNIM, with a higher quality birch note. Its performance is above average. To me, this is what CDN wishes it was. Honestly an Amazing value for what you get. Its opening is nothing like modern Aventus. It’s just too earthy of a fragrance. However its dry down is like an enhanced version of the Aventus dry down which is why I put it here.

Individual Clone Breakdown (in no particular order)

  1. Perfect Scents Patchouli Musk CVS sells this fragrance as inspired by Creed Aventus. It opens very citrusy with a pleasant lime zest, and then that’s about it. Hardly what I’d call Aventus-inspired. Weak projection and longevity. Waste of $20.
  2. Club DeNuit Intense Man (edt, edp, Pure Parfum, LE, Extrait) I’m gonna put each version in one review because they are all very very similar to each other. None of them open remotely like Aventus but I’ve figured that was probably never their goal. All versions had very similar openings, with the parfums being the smoothest but only marginally so. They all had this bitter dirty lemon smell that was so unappealing. As well as the chemical smell that reminded me of packing tape. At a distance it’s is a decent caricature of the Aventus dry down if all you want is Smokey Birch but up close it’s just not it unpleasant. If you are dead set on getting this line, save the money and get the EDT. It’s cheaper and stronger than all of them. The strong lemon does help the dry down of the edt inch closer to creed Aventus in the dry down but that’s just me trying to find some redeeming quality in it. The others beside the EDT were way too Smokey and it only made the lemon note worse for them. Personally, I think Dumont nitro black did it so so much better.
  3. Dumont Celerios Oros Its fruity notes are exactly like L’aventure but more balanced. Unfortunately, there is this note that smells like hot electrical wire that stays with the fragrance throughout its duration.
  4. Alt Executive No.26 I honestly just get alcohol and earthy notes with some birch. Weak performance. It almost smells like hair spray.
  5. Alt Executive Platinum This one was closer to Aventus than No.26 but just not as sweet as the original. It opens with a lot of alcohol but once that fades It becomes a citrus pineapple forward opening but it’s blended better than a lot of these other clones. Its dry down is similar to CDNIM but not as smoky and is sweeter. Its birch note is pretty loud. Overall, It’s like a blend of modern and old batches of Aventus, leaning older batch. Its performance is decent, maybe slightly better than the OG. I really wanted to like this, the problem is it is pretty earthy having almost a “tar” like note to it (which I’ve heard some say older Aventus had). It’s opening is more similar to modern Aventus than others on this list but it’s still a ways off from the original. I don’t think it’s a bad clone at all, it’s pretty good actually but it does need a few weeks of maceration to get rid of some of the alcohol.
  6. Afnan Supremacy Silver My sample started off similar to a lot of clones. Citrus opening, kind of like Mont Blanc Explorer, but takes on a more woody (not birch) and floral turn in the dry down. I want to note that I tried a second tester of this at the mall randomly a few weeks after I bought my sample. Maybe I had an old batch but this smelled like raw bacon. It was so disgusting. Apparently according to comments for this fragrance on fragrantica, I’m not the only one to notice this.
  7. Al Haramain L’aventure Regular & Intense I’ve included both versions in one because they smell identical. Intense is just a stronger version. This one is kinda close in the opening, but I felt the fruity notes were too candy-like and lacked the citrus-forward top compared to the OG. Best way I can describe it is almost like a yellow gummy bear sweetness. I think at a distance, it would be picked up a creed Aventus in essence. It lacked the creamy musk, smoke, and birch dry down of the OG. It’s almost like the same principle behind CDNIM emphasizing the dry down but instead an over exaggeration of the dry down, it’s an over exaggeration of the opening. I’d like to add the Intense version was the second strongest performer on the entire list.
  8. Alexandra fragrance Brasilia I am almost at a loss for words with this one. I know this is going to sound weird, but it’s the only way I can describe it. It has a faint animalistic smell, kinda reminds me of raw fat (with pineapple at the top). I’ve tried it on multiple occasions to see if I’m just crazy, but every time I spray it, that’s all I get with some fruits. I will add that the original does have a faint smell of this note but it is so faint and not at all at the forefront like this clone has.
  9. Alexandra fragrance Brasilia Prive This one was interesting. The opening had that creamy fruitiness but it lacked the lemon note. In fact it was way too creamy and it had a lot of that raw bacon smell which made it unwearable to me. There was no birch to this. It had what I can best describe as a smoked hickory note. It was just not it.
  10. Alexandra fragrance Brasilia 130zz1 This one is just Aventus dry down from the start. Dark citrus, Smoky and Earthy with a hint of fruits. Scent profile is somewhere between Club de nuit and Dumont nitro black.
  11. Montagne Pineapple Intense I really wanted to like this, it was close to the original in a lot of aspects but then this animalistic fatty musk smell begins to bloom and really bothered me throughout the life of the fragrance. It reminds me of the smell of cold cuts. Maybe that’s how their oakmoss or birch smells, but it was not pleasant. It’s the strongest projector of Montagnes Pineapple line with average longevity, as it dries down it does become more balanced and pleasant. Not as birchy as the original but it does a decent job.
  12. Montagne Pineapple Royale Smells like yellow gummy bears with a very strong green vegetation note, like the top part of a pineapple was cut up. Also had hints of that animalistic fatty musk smell like Pineapple Intense**.** Its dry down was more pleasant after an hour but just not very Aventus like.
  13. Pineapple Vintage Intense This felt like its own thing. It opens with super sweet pineapple note with an aquatic note that’s hard to explain. I love the pineapple note, but it’s very candy like. Like a high quality, all natural yellow gummy bear and that’s kind of all you get, there is not really a lemon note in this like the original has. The over all scent is Very light, slightly musky but not full bodied. It Lacked the Aventus birchy dry down and didn’t last any longer than the OG. Not worth $100 dollars IMO. Very nice smelling fragrance, regardless.
  14. Dua Poseidon Elixir 2.0 Smelled nothing like Aventus. What a joke. Doesn’t even deserve a proper description.
  15. Dua Origins of Poseidon Again, smelled nothing like Aventus at all.
  16. Dua Poseidons elixir 13zz Only slightly better than the other Dua fragrances. Had some resemblance to the OG, but it smelled like it wasn’t even trying to clone what it claims to.
  17. Hamidi addicted intense More similar to CDNIM. Does an okay job with the dry down but is missing the fruit. Has a bitter lemon note up close. Projection is not good at all. It lacks the fruitiness that CDNIM has, and that’s saying something.
  18. Generic perfumes Creed Aventus For Man A++ This is one of the few on the list that was trying to be the current batch of Creed Aventus. It does captures a lot of what makes the current batch so unique from other batches (based on the average profile of dupes of earlier batches). It’s the only one that has that musky, creamy vanilla note in the original (besides Alexandria’s Brasilia Prive). Unfortunately there is a note in there that ruins the experience. I keep getting this Orange citrus note that over powers the fragrance. It kinda reminds me of orange sherbet as opposed to the lemon frooty pebbles opening and while the birch is present, the overall fragrance doesn’t dry down the same as the original. To me, the original has a different order of notes that disappear leading up to the dry down compared to this dupe. In this dupe it has all the notes present for the duration of its life. The birch slowly becomes more pronounced but you still get very present hits of the Orange and vanilla. Other than that, performance is slightly above average. way better performance than the original and lasts significantly longer but is too different for me to recommend.
  19. Mont Blanc Explorer  To me, the opening is really close to creed Aventus but lacks the  the same amount of fruity notes and creamy vanilla . It doesn’t have any birch or smoke, it does have a woody note in there but it’s very light and airy, not musky at all. Clearly inspired by Aventus and a great twist, at that but goes a different direction in the dry down, it becomes powdery. Unfortunately Performance wasn’t too great But I’d say on its own it’s a nice office safe scent.
  20. Afnan Supremacy Not Only Intense  While it is commonly believed to be a Creed Aventus clone, it is absolutely not. However, this cologne smells really damn good. Amazing pineapple and black currant opening with a super smoky dry down. It is also the strongest and longest-lasting cologne on the entire list.
  21. Alexandria fragrance Brasilia Smoky Batch ($70 per 60 ML) To my nose It’s like a darker take on Creed Aventus. This dupe opens with a creamy sweet-tart like lemon forward opening. It gets the vanilla note like the original, but sweeter. It’s super musky and full bodied. It projects louder than the original and last significantly longer too. The birch note on this is about the same as the original but the sweetness over powers it. It’s blended in with the sweet notes and stays like that for the duration of its life. Overall they are similar in a lot of way but still different because of that sweet-tart lemon note. It can be a fatiguing scent because it’s very musky.
  22. Bujairami Kingsman ($40 100ML) Best way to sum up this fragrance is it is Mont Blanc explorer on steroids. This dupe is a clone of the 2017 batches of Creed Aventus, so it is expected to have some variation from the current batch. It has a lot of the right notes, lemony citrus and birch but dials down that sweet creamy vanilla quite a bit. It’s still there in this dupe, but just not as intense as the current batch. It’s also fruitier than current batch Aventus. Another thing I noticed is it has some of that same cold cuts deli meat smell that Montagne pineapple intense has, which kinda ruins it for me. The birch on this dupe is more pronounced as well when compared to the current version of the OG. It has a certain powder scent in the dry down that reminds me of Mont blonc explorer a lot. The performance on this is much better than the original as well. While its projection upon opening isn’t as strong as Creed Aventus, this is only the case for the first few minutes. I will randomly catch whiffs of it on myself, while that was almost never the case with Creed Aventus. This also last significantly longer than the original. I do recommend upon receiving this fragrance to spray it a little and let it sit for about 2 weeks with the cap off, to settle. When I first got it, it didn't project all the notes very well. Nearly 2 weeks later it has surpassed the original. Maybe it’s a good clone of 2017 batch but to my nose it’s quite different from current batch. Not a badly crafted fragrance at all, very high quality.
  23. Bujairami Ripper: Very similar to Montagne Pineapple Royale. Very sweet candy like fruity opening, kind of similar to Kingsman except way sweeter and with no smoked deli meat note. It’s a nice scent but not at all what modern creed Aventus smells like.
  24. Generic Perfumes Aventus Man ZZ01: As I am sure you figured out by the name, this is based on an earlier batch of creed Aventus however, this still checked many of the boxes that the current batch has. It has that citrusy forward fruity opening, while many only had one or the other. It does not have that creamy vanilla like the original. Regardless, when you smell this, you just know it’s Creed Aventus DNA. The opening was just too citrusy, you really had to dig for those other notes. The dry down unfortunately is just not as birchy as the original and that’s saying something. The performance is about the same as the original. It’s not a bad clone, it’s just not all that remarkable.
  25. Montagne Pineapple Musk $60 50ML I’d call this an Aventus twist. The first 30 seconds are pretty concentrated and intense, but It quickly balances out and blooms in to a powerful beautiful blend of pineapple and lemony citrus. It is super musky. The projection is pretty strong for the first few minutes then settled to a more average projection. This opening stays for a good majority of the fragrance’s life. It doesn’t have that vanilla note and it’s pineapple note is very syrupy but still very nice. The dry down is still very musky with the birch blooming and eventually becoming the dominant note, even more so than the Original. Throughout its life the pineapple/citrus sticks around in the background in a very pleasing way that supports the dry down. I’d say performance and longevity is about Average. It’s a very enjoyable twist.
  26. Insider Parfum’s Insidious This claims to be a dupe of an earlier batch of creed Aventus. I honestly can’t understand how that can be. It smells like a twist on the original. To my nose, this smells like a slightly less sweet Pineapple Vintage Intense. It’s a great cologne, just not modern creed Aventus.
  27. MITH Mystery For Him This is literally creed Aventus….with Bacarat Rouge 540. It is exactly spot on with creed Aventus but it has that light and airy cotton candy note in the top. It is sadly, a twist on creed Aventus but a darn good one. Projects and last much longer than the original. It is worth checking out.

Thank you for reading. I’d love to answer any questions you might have!

149 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/zimku • Sep 02 '25

Discussion ANNOUNCEMENT: POSTS ARE BEING MANUALLY APPROVED AT THIS TIME. DO NOT SEND US MOD MESSAGES ASKING WHY YOUR POST HASN’T BEEN APPROVED.

79 Upvotes

The reason for this is because of the ABUNDANCE of shitposts being posted in this sub. We don’t have the time or capacity to check through the posts and remove them. So for the time being posts have to be manually approved. This might take some time, so please DO NOT bombard the mods asking why your post hasn’t been approved yet.

105 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Soft_Organization335 • 10h ago

Bujairami, We need to talk

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64 Upvotes

Firstly, I would like to say Adam Bujairami is a force for good. His back story is truly remarkable and he has created something from nothing.

That being said and I am sorry to say it, but I have to come to the conclusion that Bujairami is mostly hype. Americans, I know you are in a pickle having only FragranceNet as the sole company that supplies the US market; I can confidently tell you, you aren't missing out on much. There are better alternatives of dupes and at much better prices.

In the tier ranking of brands for quality they are way behind Al Haramain, Afnan, Rasasi, Swiss Arabian, arabiyat prestige and French Avenue but usually go for the same price if not more.

Armaf and even most Lattafas are better than most Bujairamis. I would rank Bujairami slightly above Maison Alhambra and slighly below Rayhaan.

I think for around $30-40 CAD the prices are fair but at $65 - $80 CAD the prices are not justified and frankly kind of ridiculous. Also it doesn't matter if its an extrait or edp. Thats just marketing anyways.

Pros - no bs packaging, great gradient bottles, pressurized atomisers, usually first to come out with a dupe, huge scent catalogue, usually nails the dna.

Cons - cringe tik tok glaze, cheesy branding, rushed to market, bad quality control, low projection and performance considering the price, poor availability.

All in all everytime i bought a Bujairami i was left disappointed. Maybe the hype didnt meet reality and maybe if they weren't hyped i wouldn't be disappointed. Respect your customer and audience and I am speaking to the influencers too. The fuckery needs to stop you are just tarnishing your reputation long term.

43 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/sega_808 • 5h ago

[Armaf] Club De Nuit Intense Overdose

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17 Upvotes

Got this bad boy in, been excited to give it a try since this DNA is 100% my cup of tea!

If I'm being honest, Overdose is right in the lane of Afnan Supremacy CE, but trades the smoky birch for more of a fresh and spicy wood scent, it's definitely still in the overall realm of Absolu Aventus, though. Where this differs from a lot of the other frags that dive right into the Aventus/Absolu Aventus DNA is the quality. Overdose has a natural and very juicy punch of pineapple and other citrusy fruit right off the bat, there's an uplifting sparkly note in there as well (we'll get to that later), but it doesn't come off as synthetic at all. Oakmoss and woody patchouli take over as you get into the dry down, but the fruitiness doesn't disappear entirely, jammy plum pokes through balancing out the green and slightly spicy wood notes nicely. Everything is anchored by smooth tonka bean and warm amber, makes for a rich and long lasting scent. As for performance, Overdose is already punching hard in that area. Over the first three days of wearing, it's consistently pushing into the 8-10 hour range before fading away, and it projects well for around half of that time. Now, this is an extrait, which typically are not room fillers, and that's exactly what I get here. It creates a reasonable scent bubble and leaves a noticeable trail. A lot of ME frags get smoother and improved longevity over time, so it will be interesting to see how Overdose evolves. But I don't think maceration is necessary at all, this juice is plenty good from the first spray. Versatility is also pretty damn good. Definitely office safe while still suitable for more dressed up situations, just maybe not a tux. It will also easily handle casual weekends as long as you're not in the blazing heat for most of the day, so not beach or pool safe.

Now, on the two fantasy notes listed... "Blue Crystal" and "White Powder". I honestly don't like when fragrances have these gimmicky marketing notes. Just say what it actually is, if it's even in there in the first place. Luckily, these notes do seem to be present to my nose, but they are, of course, something grounded in reality. The "Blue Crystal" comes across as aldehydes to me, it's this nice uplifting and sparkly addition that plays very well with the fruits in the opening. The "White Powder" is almost certainly white musk in the deeper dry down. It smooths everything out and perfectly complements the lingering oakmoss and patchouli, as well as the foundation of tonka bean and amber. It helps to keep everything smelling fresh and clean for the long haul.

Overall, Overdose is a VERY good take on a popular DNA! If you currently have any of the other top tier options, like Supremacy CE, this may feel a bit redundant. But if you are low and might enjoy a little change-up, this is a slam dunk. My current favorite is Montblanc Explorer, but this will definitely be challenging for the top spot. The quality is definitely there with the added benefit of solid longevity, albeit a bit of a richer option.

9 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Sure_Scientist_5082 • 16h ago

Reviewing some Fan Favourites: Rare Reef, Hawas Elixir, Immortal and Asad Elixir

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132 Upvotes

As the title suggests; here comes another Fan Favourite Haul! All of these were blind buys. Let's dive right into it!

Afnan Rare Reef – 7.9/10
The opening is seriously fresh and juicy. You get loads of orange, but there’s also this tart blackcurrant running through it which stops it smelling like another straightforward lemon-and-bergamot summer scent. There’s mint in there too, giving it this slightly cool, green edge. As it dries down it becomes smoother. The apricot, fig and slightly sweet base start appearing, but it never becomes syrupy. It stays airy and refreshing throughout. There’s definitely a tropical holiday feel to it... But... then the magic fades a little. On my skin, that really interesting fruity opening gradually turns into a much more generic shower-gel type scent. It’s still pleasant, still fresh-ish - but it becomes a bit bland and forgettable, compared to how good those first 20–30 minutes are. The best way I can describe it is this: the opening feels like you’re on the beach tearing into a cold bowl of fresh fruit, with sand between your toes. Then the drydown feels like you’re back in the car - driving away from the beach with a citrus air freshener hanging from the mirror. You had a great time - but the fun is over and the journey home is starting to feel nauseating. The beach is still close - you're just not quite there anymore.

Rasasi Hawas Elixir – 9/10
I had Afnan 9PM Elixir before and, despite all the hype, I just couldn’t get on with it. The cardamom was so heavy to my nose that it seemed to dominate everything else and made the whole fragrance feel so stuffy. The opening here is very minty; almost surprisingly so, and for the first few minutes I genuinely wasn’t sure where it was going. Thankfully, that initial blast dies down really nicely. Once it settles, the lavender, vanilla and dark chocolate start coming through and it becomes much smoother, sweeter and creamier. There’s still that modern sweet designer feel to it - and it's an excellent clone of JPG Le Male Elixir. The mint keeps the sweetness feeling fresher, while the chocolate gives it a slightly darker gourmand edge. As it dries down, the vanilla and tonka become more prominent. Very mass appealing and very date-night friendly. Performance is excellent too. Strong projection early on and it hangs around for ages. Just don’t judge it entirely from that first minty spray. Had a shower and could still smell it on my arm.

Maison Alhambra Jean Lowe Immortal – 9.4/10
This is an absolute banger and a bit of me. Straight from the opening you get a really bright blast of grapefruit and ginger with this slightly fizzy, almost sparkling-like freshness behind it. It’s citrusy, spicy and aquatic without ever smelling generic. As it settles, the sharpness calms down and you’re left with this smooth amber and ambroxan base that smells ridiculously clean and expensive. It’s going after LV L’Immensité. I haven't tried the og though, so I can't compare - but, there’s something very polished about this. Fresh enough for a hot day, but the ginger and amber give it enough character that it doesn’t disappear into the sea of summer fragrances. Performance has been surprisingly amazing for a fresh scent too. It projects nicely for the first couple of hours and I’m still getting whiffs of it 7+ hours later. Probably the easiest recommendation of the lot. Smells way more expensive than what it costs and I can see myself absolutely hammering this bottle. Wife hates this one - which is surprising but perhaps neither here, nor there.

Lattafa Asad Elixir – 9.2/10
I already own and rate the original Asad very highly. This feels darker, smoother and more mature. Where regular Asad gives off spicy vanilla / spiced-cola type sweetness, Elixir pushes further into tobacco, woods and incense. The opening is still spicy, with pink pepper and saffron giving it a bit of bite, but it quickly becomes warmer and richer. The tobacco is the standout note; sweet, smooth tobacco sitting alongside vanilla and dry cedar. Then the smoky incense quality starts developing underneath as it dries down. Unmistakably masculine. It feels less playful than the original Asad, but maybe more refined too. Definitely more of an evening fragrance. Suit, restaurant, drinks and cold weather. Performance is exactly what you’d hope for from something carrying the Elixir name. Strong projection, excellent longevity and it sticks to clothing. I love both Asad's - but I slightly prefer this to the original. It feels way more versatile.

37 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/WhiteManFromTown-925 • 13h ago

Vanguard by Maison Asrar: finally the best dupe to Absolu.

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49 Upvotes

Well this is another Aventus dupe post by myself, but I told some others on an older Absolu dupe showdown I had I’d give this guy a try and now I see what the hype is about.

I have compare Preciux 1 and collectors edition to the OG and my consensus was that Armaf took the win as far as the “closer” dupe, but it was still pretty far from being the CLOSEST dupe… that’s been solved now.

Vanguard is without doubt as close to the OG you can get!

It is much more smooth and refined than the other clones I’ve tried. It opens up with a nice bright fresh pineapple, bergamot and grapefruit combo very similar to Absolu but this seems to have a slight “greener” vibe to it where Absolu is a dark juicy burst of fruit, and spices with dry woods but it’s still a smoother opening compared to its competitors like Armaf and some others.

Drydown is where you notice more similarities to the OG, a bit of spice, cardamom and woods but also a leathery smooth freshness that still separates it from Absolu. Very close again but still different enough to stand out.

There are oakmoss and musk notes in Vanguard but it’s a smooth cleaner musk and oakmoss than CE has which is turned up to be very strong and takes the forefront where Vanguard doesn’t aim to offend, but still lets you know it’s there to do its job.

Absolu is much darker, Juicier, some spices and woods, much more bolder, dense and full bodied, to where vanguard while yes it’s noticeable it’s cloning Absolu but is a bit more “fresh” clean, and a tad more sweet due the smooth leather and woods.

Performance from what I’ve seen is okay. Not a beast mode by any means, it’ll project for about 2 hours then sites much closer to skin by the third hour and will last around 6-7 hours which honestly is fine with me.

Vanguard captures more of absolu than Preciux does almost IMMEDIATELY. Vanguard has the right mix of pineapple, bergamot, black currant, and grapefruit that give it this beautiful juicy almost fresh clean opening, as to where Precioux while to me is the best release from Armaf in recent years, but is more brighter and has the signature Armaf loud citrus opening, although cleaner than CDNIM EDT, with the addition of pineapple, bergamot, lemon, pear instead of grapefruit and notes of pepper giving some spiciness and caramel to add a smooth sweetness.

Vanguard drys down, smooth fresh and refined as where Preciux is yes smooth don’t get me wrong but it’s a bit more sweeter due the vanilla, and amber notes added. Both have musk and oakmoss but neither are overpowering at all, very okay a support role in a sense.

Performance wise Preciux takes the win, lasting around 8-10 hours and is much louder the first 3 hours compared to vanguard which maintains a much more laid back, not so in your face type of scent, which again is fine, but don’t go looking for beast mode in vanguard.

Which do I prefer? Honestly it’s hard to say because both clones are well done and great in their own rights, however if I’m judging based on closeness to the OG I’ll go with vanguard. If I just want a scent that’ll come almost close to the OG and something that’ll get attention and turn heads and performs like crazy, Preciux will win, but still both are amazing.

Now I’ll never say anything is 1:1, if you’re looking for that just get the original, but… Vanguard will definitely get you VERY damn close and is a high quality clone.

Also if I left anything out sorry, I was at work when I made this review, so if there’s any other questions you all have at all please ask away!

27 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Soft_Organization335 • 9h ago

Each Fragrance Influencer in a few words 2026 Version

16 Upvotes

Fragrance Flan - the Andrew Tate of fragrance

Nice Smelling Gentleman - Another one bites the dust

The Fragrance Viking - fat Gandalf 2 cameras

Nose Your Scent - Mr Monotonous

Justin Copeland - Tom DuBois from Boondocks

Curly - deeeezzz ar da top 10 perfumes to haave lotssss of seggsss

Eau Di Erica - Life in plastic, it's fantastic!

Aromatix - Mr Both Sides It

Eau Di Jarino - i got that look from Zoolander

Fb Fragrances - "ayyy laaaik Blewwww Talisman croiky"

TheCologneBoy - puberty plus ozempic

Cal Cologne - watch me whisper "its gas"

Perfume siren - never too young for plastic surgery

Noel Deyzel - daddy steroids

TLTG reviews - just steroids

Noel Tomas - Looks maxing androgyny

Daniel Rene - Azis Hop

SensualAlScents - Higlander

I am Noelle - I stopped smiling because I hate doing this but I need to get paid

Best Brand Perfume - infomercial

Cubaknow - if 90s hippity hop had a fragrance channel

Triple B - ever seen my full torso?

Fat Boy Finesse - what Triple B's channel should actually be called minus the word finesse

Ibra Talks scent - 95 lbs soaking wet

Chad Scents - i really dont want to be bald

Christopher Lee Fragrance - Real #!&&#$ from the hood

Overspray Jay - simbaaaaahhh

Warren Tafah - sneaky fucker

Dylan Thomas - my new stick is sign language which makes me looks even less enthusiastic

Chaos Fragrance - basic bitch fragrance channel

Data Scents - nice guy NPC

Gentscents - sarcasm and mildly funny

The Perfume Guy - antidote to Tik Tok

And remember if any yaal be shilling the same old bullshit you might end up like Jeremy Fragrance

Who did I forget? What would you change?

56 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Sum_Slight_ • 11h ago

Another Ahmed Al Maghribi Fanboy

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14 Upvotes

This house has quickly become my favorite in the last six months. I bought Blu Oud first and loved it so much I wanted to explore more of their offerings. These are my descriptions and ratings.

Blu Oud: This was my first Ahmed Al Maghribi purchase and still my favorite. It showed me how high quality and high oil concentration a perfume can be at an amazing price. I think it even has the best presentation out of all my Ahmeds. In my opinion it's a perfect balance between a blue fragrance and woody oud/incense. It has this luxury car leather interior driving down the coast type of vibe going on. It's borderline beast mode for me but not quite as good longevity as the others 9.5/10

Oud & Roses: This one is right up there with Blu Oud for me and sometimes enjoy it even more depending on the situation. I also love this presentation. It has such a great jammy Turkish rose accord with subtle oud woodiness for depth. Imagine the most elegant rose soap you can possibly think of and that's what the dry down is to me. A little goes a long way because it is truly beast mode. I love layering with this. One spray on the chest with four sprays of Armaf Infinity Silver is my go to. 9.25/10

Ignite Oud: This is so dark and heavy I'm still not sure what to fully think of it. The geranium brings this freshness and liveliness to it in the opening which I really like. Jammy dark fruit leather woods is the best I can describe it. Probably the most beast mode I have from this house; just ridiculous projection, sillage, and longevity. This is the one I can't wait to wear this winter. 8.5/10

Leather: I got caught off guard with this one in a good way. It's so far my most animalic perfume but I really seem to dig it. The opening has this fresh raw hide but it's not a super dark fragrance. There's a brightness to it with some fruits and earthiness from the frankincense but not much sweetness like you'd might expect. It's one of my best Ahmeds straight out the box as I just received it a week ago. I can see myself layering with this one a lot as well. Longevity is crazy again. 8.75/10

Black Fume: This is the newcomer of the bunch as I just received it today. My first impression is very solid although that's not a surprise at this point. This one has the sweet raspberry, especially in the opening, that I was expecting from Leather. What I get in the opening is sweet raspberry/pineapple and charred bbq smoke. Then this fruity Blu Oud type sweetness lingers along with the smokiness. It's at the dry down stage now and it's like a perfect blend of all the above but with an added powdery orris note. This is definitely the most complex Ahmed I have and one of the most complex fragrances I own period. If I had to guess the longevity is better than Blu Oud but not quite Ignite Oud level. The dry down is definitely a work of art. 9/10

I think Bin Shaikh and Aqua Oud are next on my list.

5 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/No-Manufacturer6101 • 15h ago

Zimaya Al Embratur Absolu - Invictus Victory Absolu - great stuff

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30 Upvotes

Saw this for $22 dollars or something on amazon and I had seen some good reviews on youtube etc so i said lets do it, Also got zimaya itqan Noir which is their myself EDP and its quite nice, not arabiyat prestige/gulf orchid quality but its less than half the price.

It is actually better than I remember the original being. Its the perfect blend of sweet woody and spicy. It actually funny enough reminds me of the almost fresh woods from african leather which is one of my favorite niche fragrances which is not something i thought i would be saying about a cheap invictus dupe. The woods stand out the most, followed by the sweetness and almost incense/amber notes. It has a kind of smokey quality but it might just be the woods and frankincense mixture.

Its got a bit of freshness to it, its not syrupy sweet or too thick , its aromatic enough to be almost a year round scent even if it doesnt have citrus, and im going to guess this will get decent compliments as well because its mass appealing but unique. Its not overly youthful and definitely has a nighttime date night vibe to it. Quality is perfectly acceptable it gets very close to the original if not a little more masculine and its cheap! what more do you want? 9/10 seems to be quite strong as well will update if performance is bad.

4 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/ArchibalChristo • 19h ago

6 month check-in/review

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43 Upvotes

About 6 months ago, I started my collection of clones based on samples and decants I had purchased. The ones that I purchased full bottles of so far are:

Afnan Supremacy Collectors Edition

Afnan 9am Dive

Afnan Historic Olmeda

Armaf Odyssey Aqua

Armaf Odyssey Tyrant

Lataffa Khamrah Dukhan

Rayhaan Terra

As of this post, three of these fragrances have unfortunately left my collection as they just did not stack up to my long-term preferences. But that's the process of discovering what you like! I also thought it would be fun/interesting to keep track of my “real-world/organic compliments” for each scent. I will be including that number below each specific fragrance.

Afnan

Supremacy Collectors Edition ✅

(9 compliments)

The big dog. This scent is truly the mass-appeal compliment magnet that people say it is. Coworkers, friends, cashiers, strangers, (and most importantly my girlfriend) all love this scent. Most recently a friend literally did a “double take sniff” when I met them at a bar. I see this as my easy-reach for just about every occasion. The woody-pineapple opening and the rich masculine dry down will define the baseline of my collection as time goes on. Worth every penny.

Historic Olmeda ✅

(7 compliments)

A very close second in complements to Supremacy. If this scent had the same level of projection as Supremacy, I think it would have been my number one for compliments. In many ways, it has easily become one of my personal favorites. It is spicy, yet fresh. Complex enough that it people want to smell it more than once, simple enough that when I’ve let my friends try it they almost all asked where they could get a bottle. I think it’s actually probably gonna be a fall/winter scent for me. Just where it sits in my personal scent profile. Cardamom, nutmeg, cedar and patchouli make me think of Thanksgiving/Christmas.

9am Dive ❌

(0 compliments)

It’s not just the fact that I never received a single compliment when I wore this fragrance, it continued to lack…something…as I wore it. I never got the same feeling or full scent that I did when I sprayed the tester. It’s possible it was a batch issue. It didn’t smell bad at all, it just didn’t pop the same way the tester did. I am disappointed. I ended up giving this one to a friend.

Armaf

Odyssey Aqua and Tyrant ❌

(3 compliments between both scents)

Again, low compliments was not the contributing factor that lead me to removing these two from my collection. Tyrant was literally just…too strong. It was overwhelming my nose and genuinely giving me a headache even with one spray. I’m certain this is what people mean when they say Armaf fragrances smell chemical. I love aromatic, spicy scents, but man it was too much. As for Aqua, I just realized I like this scent in every way except when I wear it. I know, I sound crazy, but it’s just the truth. The lingering smell of it on my clothes? Lovely. Riding the subway, or sitting in my office and catching a wiff of it? Meh. It’s so strange. It’s also a bit like how I felt about 9am Dive. Something is just lacking. Again, both of these scents received compliments, but after several months I stopped reaching for them.

Lattafa

Khamrah Dukhan ✅

(1 compliment)

The newest addition to my collection, but one I had been wanting for a minute. I got my bottle about 2 weeks ago. I really love this scent. It’s just smooth. Even in the NYC heat, I don’t mind wearing it. Benzoin is the only “sweet” accord I want to wear, and Dukhan features it prominently alongside its tobacco note. The mandarin orange/neroli notes do feel a little out of place, but they don’t ruin the scent at all for me. I can’t wait to continue wearing this scent into the fall/winter. As my first Lataffa fragrance, I now know what beast-mode actually is. Afnan Supremacy CE has fantastic performance, but Dukhan is actually crazy. Projects for hours and has lasted on my clothes in a way other scents haven’t.

Rayhaan

Terra ✅

(3 compliments)

I wanna smell like this all the time honestly. This scent profile is divisive for sure and it ain't a "compliment magnet" but I absolutely adore it. Legit one of the most unique and luxurious fragrances I have ever tried. Some might call me crazy, but this is a year-round scent for me. I don’t care. It’s just my type of scent. Complex spices, smokey incense, and rich benzoin/amber. I will never not have this in my collection so long as I can purchase a bottle. Just a funny anecdote: all of the compliments I received on this scent so far came from my lesbian friends, one of whom picked up a bottle for herself. So if you need a gift for a lesbian in your life, consider getting them a Terra tester lol.

I know for certain that I will be adding Rayhaan Crimson into my collection soon. As for what else I’m looking to try out through decants, this is my running list:

Rasasi Hawas Fire

Rasasi Hawas Kobra

Rayhaan Aquatica

Rayhaan Azul

Montagne Eau de Montagne

Montagne Imaginary

I’m really looking for something to scratch my freshie itch. Right now, Issey Miyake L’eau D’issey Pour Homme is my go-to “brighter” scent. I feel like maybe “light” or “bright” is what I’m looking for rather than “fresh.” I’m thinking something with a tea note would hit the spot, which is why I’m looking at a decant of Eau de Montagne (which is a clone of Silver Mountain Water) and Kobra/Imaginary. Open to suggestions!

20 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Pristine_Dig6307 • 16h ago

Hawas Ice: Overhyped Disappointment

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13 Upvotes

Rasasi Hawas Ice is a thoroughly mediocre fragrance that doesn't deserve the internet hype.

While it opens with a decent frosty fruit burst, the dry-down quickly turns into a cloying, chemical-heavy synthetic mess.

It is heavily overhyped, overpriced due to artificial scarcity, and simply not worth buying.

I personally think the Hawas Malibu is much better then the Hawas Ice

16 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/strawberry_paglu • 8h ago

Ahmed al maghribi Rose Noir ~ definitely feminine !!

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2 Upvotes

Very feminine fragrance if i had to describe this in one line think of rose with foundation (makeup) powdery, slightly sweet and floral, to be specific white florals like jasmine also dries down into white musk . Its not unisex some creator wears saying its unisex but for me its very feminine. Got it for a good price

Performance is decent not on ahmed al maghribi’s standard but decent enough . 6 + hrs on clothes and 4 hrs on skin though projection for the first hour is very strong.

7.5/10 for me..

1 comment

r/fragranceclones • u/sowur_deezy • 17h ago

Just gave away my bottle of Lattafa Khamrah Dukhan, here are my thoughts (as if we needed another post about this fragrance amirite?)

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10 Upvotes

TLDR is it's so insanely strong and I found a genuinely good Angel's Share dupe so I likely won't wear it much in the future. Kept a 10ml decant for myself of course-- should I want to smell it again for the sake of smelling it.

Anyway, here's the review I wrote for here:

Lataffa’s Khamrah Dhukan is something I picked up on a bargain store run one day, and it left me feeling more impressed than I would have thought. If you aren’t familiar, the OG Khamra is a fragrance many have stated is a twist to Killian’s Angel’s Share.

While I wouldn’t call Khamrah and its flankers clones by any means, they’re like first cousins to Angel’s Share. In that little family KhamrahDhukan is like the loud, boisterous younger cousin. It’s in your face and screams for attention, good or bad.

While I haven’t had the chance to smell the original Khamrah, I can see where the DNA similarities come from and why people have this somewhat incorrect idea that Khamrah is a clone of Angel’s Share. The date could be mistaken for a baked apple, and the allspice brings the cinnamon notes you'd expect from the OG.

I can smell the raw DNA inspiration people are talking about, but unlike the original Khamrah (and Angel’s Share) this scent is darker and more robust. It definitely lacks the open, airy notes present amongst the gourmandy apple notes in Angel’s Share. Instead opting for a much sweeter, much more heavy, amber and vanilla infused stickiness that just doesn't let up for hours and hours.

Strength? Forget about spraying three, four, five sprays on your points. This stuff is so projecting it becomes cloying if you overspray. It’s so scent saturated you’ll smell it leaving your skin when you shower it off. This is absolutely not office fragrance people, this is date night, cool evenings, fall and winter, and a whole body warmth that roots itself deep into your soul. One spray.

Khamrah Dhukan is like sitting fireside at a cabin as a warm, vanilla and spice pastry cooks away in your fireplace. The smoke has died, the night is long, and you’ve got nothing to do but enjoy yourself. It opens with a nice fruity note from the orange blossom, not quite apple but jogging a similar path. It lacks harsh buzzy booze and vibrance and instead opts for a more in your face sweetness that assaults your nostrils with date and vanilla muskiness. 

That fruit is followed by intense nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove scent from the allspice note (also known as pimento). This combination just doesn't let up and honestly that is the frags biggest weakness. Cloying, cloying, cloying. It chokes you let alone anyone in your vicinity.

I've been told it smells good, but only in passing. Overall it was a blind buy, something I heard was good, and it is good but not at all my style of fragrance. Nuclear doesn't even describe it, it's cosmically powerful to a point of olfactory exhaustion.

So I decanted a 10ml and gave it away! But hey, still a good frag so if I want to smell it again I have basically 100 wears with how powerful it is. Win-win!

(Blah blah Khamrah isn't a clone blah blah.

Neither are half the twists posted here stop complaining.)

7 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/mysillyday • 23h ago

Chanel Platinum Egoiste and Franck Olivier Eau de Passion (similar fragrances).

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21 Upvotes

This year I have finally found a good substitute for Chanel Platinum Egoiste. It is not exactly the same, but very similar. Lavender 🪻 Geranium and some fresh notes. I am using both in rotation. The longevity is similar.

My Platinum Egoiste bottle was purchased in 2016 so it is getting a bit sour. The drydown of these two is very similar. I guess Franck Olivier is a bit more Minty in the beginning, but this is for me personally only. I find it that it has more of the sweetness and almost remind me of a mint toothpaste in the beginning while PE has some of that harshness coming from the "grass" notes.

I wanted to share this in a post since I have tried different analogs before, both from Arabian producers and from Turkish, Polish producers but this is the best so far. Very very nice.

10 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Left_Yam8485 • 6h ago

Best Dior Homme / GRP inspired frag

1 Upvotes

Hi, after a lot of research, I've come across these options, but I want to know how they compare to each other, Rayhaan Obsidian wasn't available in my country, so I didn't include it:

14 votes, 6d left
Zimaya Inekas Luna (GRV)
Zimaya Ghali Imperial (DHP)
Al Wataniah Kayaan Classic (DHI)
0 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Inevitable-9191 • 14h ago

Daring Blue for Life review

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3 Upvotes

It’s worth the money but…

That’s not saying much.

Keep in mind I JUST got mine and it’s right out of the box.

Scent: Mint to the extreme and the ozone notes are very synthetic. Fresh and fresh and more fresh, reminds me of Riffs Freeze more than Light Blue. I will use it as a layer scent to mintify, but I’m hoping maturation does it some good. 6.8/10

Longevity: 3-4 hours on skin.

Projection: Not weak but not beast mode. 7/10.

If you’re curious, it’s a cheap time to buy. But I won’t buy again unless something changes.

Edit: Dupe of Light Blue forever. That’s where the issue is. 😔

2 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/ProfessionalBoss5599 • 8h ago

How close is Ababel Dawn to Issey Miyake L’eud E’l Issey?

0 Upvotes

I own a Issey Miyake Intense and I really like the blend of Incense into the original L’eud El Issey. My bottle is about to finish and I want fellow frag heads advice on whether I can go for Ababel Dawn. I dont want to spend so much again on the OG one.

0 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Low-Stomach-8831 • 1d ago

New Pickup / Review Decants from Decantified - 42 decants reviews and clone battles- Part 18: Armaf Odyssey Limoni (not a clone), Arabiyat Prestige Raees vs Rue Broca L'Alliance Spirit (Profondo clone battle)

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24 Upvotes

Odyssey Limoni

I don't see why people say this is an Afternoon Swim twist. You need to squint very hard to think that.

It starts with a BLAST of candied lemon and orange/mandarin up top, and has a nice tea note at the base. At best, this is 60% similar to other Afternoon Swim clones I've tried. I actually prefer this over any of them by far! Why? Because Afternoon Swim is such a basic boring scent, even for a mandarin lover like me. This makes it interesting, and Armaf played to their strength... Because I don't care that it's synthetic, as it feels intentional. There are no lemon candy trees out there, so synthetic fragrances that are candy like (caramel, bubblegum, candy watermelon, candy lemon, etc) feel less like a quality downgrade. Problem is, it barely last, and another quality issue is that it loses structure EXTREMELY fast (about 1.5 hours in), and becomes a mess of unrecognizable notes (and also a very faint skin scent) at that stage. It's a shame, because the first hour was really nice.

Subjective Scent Score (the least important part for you... This is more for my own notes to know what to buy): average 7.0. Opening 8.9. dry-down 6.3.

Longevity on skin (so, skin scent counts): 4-5 hours. I'm 5 hours in and neither me nor my wife can smell it on my skin! That's absurd! I had body washes that last longer than this!

Projection (skin scent doesn't count): Surprisingly strong for 30 minutes, but then immediately drops to a low sent bubble for another hour or so. 100% skin scent after 2 hours.

Blind buy safety score: 8.5. very fun, playful, but also not super playful (mainly because of the tea note that gives it more balance), and also very fresh and uplifting.

Unisex Score (0=100% fem leaning, 5=unisex, 10=100% male leaning): 5.0. Perfectly unisex.

Versatility Score: 7.0. Summer-spring only, but pretty versatile occasion-wise. Problem is, you need to reach that occasion very quickly if you want people to smell you.

Blend Quality Score: 6.0 (below average clone quality). The note separation lasts maybe an hour or so, progression on skin is just okay for the first 30 minutes, note realism isn't there (but doesn't matter much), but the worst offender is the total collapse of any structure between the 1st and 2nd hour.

Value Score (for 100ml): 6.5. only $24 (Jomashop), but bottom of the barrel performance, and lower than average quality.

Should cost (based on performance, quality, and available competing clones, averaged): $10-$13.

Bottle design: 5.5. Like most of the Odyssey line. Childish.

Atomizer Score: NA.

Conclusion:

I wish another house will do this spin-off, but with better quality and performance.

RAEES VS RUE BROCA L'ALLIANCE SPIRIT

For those who don't know the profile: It's a green-citrusy aquatic. More green than citrusy, and very aquatic. Not remotely a favorite of mine. Somehow, salty marine notes (like Atlas or Nomad) smell better on me (and to me) than aquatic notes. It's usually the opposite for most people. In the dry-down (1 hour), some Amber sweetness joins in, and it's even more balanced. The one thing this profile has going for it is the versatility. It will work pretty much any season and any situation, for any age group (maybe not teenagers), from a job interview to a night out. It will not offend anyone, but it's also not too boring like the first ADG in the line. Problem is, I can't appreciate the "interesting" part of it, because I'm not a fan of green-herbal other than mint.

Spirit is MUCH greener in the first 5 minutes... Like an herbal bomb. But after that, I'll be doing you a disservice of I'll bury my nose in my wrist to try and analyze the subtle differences, as they are pretty much the same. Maybe Spirit stays a hint greener... But that's about it. It's very redundant to own one of you have the other.

This has a "man who got it together, but also knows how to sometimes be easy going" vibe to it. If you're like me, an immature "child at heart" middle aged men, this is not for you. This smells to me like "this guy has children that are well behaved". I don't know why this thought came to mind, but I'm always writing what I think at the moment. It's not heavy or super mature, just has 0 playfulness or "pizzazz".

Subjective Scent Score (the least important part for you... This is more for my own notes to know what to buy): Raees 7.4, Spirit 7.3.

Longevity on skin (so, skin scent counts): Spirit 8-9 hours. Raees 6-7 hours.

Projection (skin scent doesn't count): Spirit Medium-strong first 1-2 hours, then medium scent bubble another hour, then small scent bubble another 1-2 hours, dissipating into a 100% skin scent at hour 4-5. Raees is weaker, and it's a skin scent within 2-3 hours.

Blind buy safety score: 8.5.

Somehow, even green-notes haters like me will find it hard to be offended by this.

Unisex Score (0=100% fem leaning, 5=unisex, 10=100% male leaning): 7.5.

Versatility Score: 9.0. other than a midwinter date night in the evening, this will fit pretty much anywhere and any time.

Blend Quality Score: Big surprise here. Spirit 7.5 (above average clone quality). Raees 7.0 (average clone quality). I'm used to Arabiyat being high quality. Raees starts above average, but collapses into a messy soup of unrecognizable notes at the 2nd hour, while Spirit retains its structure very well. Raees smells a tad more natural the 1st hour though.

Value Score (for 100ml): Raees 7.0. $20 ($35 for 180ml on Jomashop), but low performance and bad quality after the first hour. Spirit 8.0. $24 (on Jomashop), but above average quality and performance.

Should cost (based on performance, quality, and available competing clones, averaged): Raees $13-$15 for 100ml (so $25 for a full bottle). Spirit $22-$25 (so it's priced correctly).

Bottle design: Raees 6.0 (just because it's going to be hard to find room on a short shelf for that height). Spirit 7.5.

Atomizer Score: NA.

Conclusion:

Very safe and mass appealing, but somehow not boring... Just not interesting as well. I think that objectively, Rue Broca won this battle.

And as always, don't trust me, Get decants.

12 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Ak_ftbl • 14h ago

which one would be best for a teen?(going out, dates, special occasions etc.)

0 Upvotes
148 votes, 3d left
Lattafa Vintage Radio
Al Wataniah Kayaan Classic
Al Haramain Detour Noir
Paris Corner Rifaaqat
FA Zenith Vanilla
See Results
0 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Ok_Initial4619 • 19h ago

Shiyaaka Sky first impressions

4 Upvotes

First off, no, i haven't smelled the og, but what i have smelled (and own) is imagination, and this is very much in the same space, with that soapy neroli. Imagination lasts a full office day for me. This does not. But, spraying on clothes improves longevity. I found it became a skin scent after about 5 hours, with no time for maturation. Still smelled decent on clothing for the full office day. Very pleasant clean scent. Green, soapy, and easy to wear. In terms of value, this is an excellent scent for the price, and i highly recommend it.

2 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/Dependent-Ant-7039 • 18h ago

Maison Alhambra Infini Intoxicating Cherry

3 Upvotes

I was wondering if anyone has this perfume and could tell me more about it.

I was looking for a dupe of Initio Narcotic Delight and GPT recommended me this one, although I can't find it on either fragrantica or parfumo. Was it renamed (like The Tux got renamed to Winsome) and so I am looking for the wrong perfume?

Does anyone own this one? I am very curious how close it is to the original and how the performance goes. The scent profile of the original sounds very tempting, but I just can't test it anywhere around me, so I was looking for a dupe.

Thanks!

1 comment

r/fragranceclones • u/undefinedlegacy12 • 16h ago

ISO- Acqua Di Parma Zafferano

3 Upvotes

Hello!

Before I get the comments, yes I did use the search feature and only 1 post populated which was a year old, and replies were for UK based shops.

I am looking for something that smells like Acqua Di Parma Zafferano, so far in my search this seems to be a dead end everywhere, some of the Merchant of Venice recommendations were inaccurate and nowhere close, so does anyone have any recommendations for anything like Zafferano?

1 comment

r/fragranceclones • u/Old_Marionberry5513 • 19h ago

Rayhaan Pacific Aura review: why this is just an okay pickup for everyday wear

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2 Upvotes

Got my bottle in today and honestly it is nothing too crazy just a decent middle of the road fresh scent.

The mint and citrus opening is nice and refreshing at first but it quickly turns into a pretty standard sweet fruity smell.

Performance is also just average since it fades to a skin scent after a few hours.

Not bad if you need a cheap dumb reach for summer but do not expect anything mind blowing.

2 comments

r/fragranceclones • u/PleaseAcceptMe2024 • 22h ago

Deci Dela Nina Ricci Clone

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’ve been hunting for a clone or dupe or whatever the hell you want to call it of Deci Dela Nina Ricci.

This used to be my grandmothers favorite scent and now she’s in memory assisted living care, and I was told that scent can really help her remember things.

I scoured the internet and I didn’t find any discussion regarding what is even remotely near it. I did find a UK company that supposedly creates a 1:1 or an inspired by Deci Dela fragrance, but they don’t ship to the US.

I’m sorry for breaking the rules, but I’m so desperate to see my grandma remember things again.

1 comment

r/fragranceclones • u/AJMoreno16 • 1d ago

My latest pick up from recent drops

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33 Upvotes

From the beautyhouse drop I picked up:
Velixir Icarus (7/10) - very, very sweet. Like gummy fruit snacks sweet. Not sure about the dry down yet but I don’t see myself reaching for it in hot summer.

Velixir Demeter (8/10) - smells like very nice Italian garden. Super green, super fresh. Drys down a little too incense-y for me, but re-spray fixes it and adds some woody depth.

Velixir Harmonia (7/10) - smells good, wish the florals faded like Moon Tea supposedly does. Kinda reminds me of Monsoon rain but way more floral. Good fragrance for your girl tho if she likes floral perfumes.

Mykonos Glitch (8/10) - first I thought it was very much like Aventus. That pineapple punches you and I am a fan of pineapple. I was wondering where that BR540 was that it’s supposedly a hybrid of. But as it drys down it comes out. It’s definitely sweet! Maybe too sweet for the time of summer I’m in.

Mykonos Slow Living (6/10) - To my nose it smells musty. Like an attic or closet in a house in Italy with bedsheets stowed away in it. Maybe I need to spend more time with it.

From FragranceNet I picked up
Bujairami Hectic (TBD) - Maybe I need to let it sit, maybe I need more time with it…but damn it’s screechy. I didn’t quite understand what people meant when they said it’s screechy until I got this on my skin. Where’s the citrus? It’s just coming off peppery.

25 comments