Anyone tried the cheaper versions of expensive perfumes?

[NarwhalBacon]

Hello,

Looking for good perfumes for men but don't wanna spend thousands just for the brand name, if I can avoid it. I've seen ads on insta for places that mix essential oils or whatever to smell exactly like their more expensive and more known counterparts. Anyone tried those? How was your experience? Any recommendations?

Thanks for your time.

 

[Party Monger]

Yes I ordered about 5 testers not even whole perfume bottles from a site - House of EM5.
It was pretty cheap. The perfumes were good. Never compared with original. But for 450 I got 5 different fragrances. about 3 of the 5 are ones I liked. Others I just didnt like, but someone else might.
I will probably not buy the full bottles ever as Its good to be able to rotate between 5 fragrances very limited quantity. I expect them to be over by the time I am bored with them.
People who notice this stuff are so confused cause its a new one each time lmao.
I dont use it much, 2-3 times a week, and has lasted me from nov24 to feb now.

So TLDR atleast the testers are pretty decent vfm at avg price of 40-50 each.

 

[atg666]

As a dude who is active on the r/desifragranceaddicts subreddit, I will say this.
CDNIM PP is said to be a close clone of Creed Aventus by a well know middle eastern Perfume house Armaf.
Creed Aventus costs 25k INR. CDNIMPP costs about 5100 for 150 ml.

Does CDNIMPP smell like Creed Aventus? Yes.
Does CDNIMPP smell exactly like Creed Aventus? NO.

So, let me assure you, all these copy houses will not make a perfume smelling 100% like the original.

They will come to about 95%. But that final 5% is what makes Creed Aventus shine. Is it worth the 20k more? Subjective.
Will I use CDNIM PP and pretend that it is Creed Aventus? Also no, I use CDNIMPP, but if asked, I say it is CDNIMPP.

I have tried copies of CA from perfumelab, TM, etc. None of them come close to even CDNIMPP, let alone CA. Their base fragrance is completely different.
This is the same reason why Davidoff Cool Water has a 100 clones, but none come close to it in the actual smell.

There's decants available of many good perfumes and their clones if you look on r/indiafragmarketplace.

I would rather buy a decant and use the original fragrance, than buy a copy which does not smell the same.

 

[NarwhalBacon]

Haha two completely different yet very convincing perspectives. Thanks to both of you but now I'm confused. XD Guess I'll wait for more responses if any.

 

[Afxal]

As a dude who is active on the r/desifragranceaddicts subreddit, I will say this.
CDNIM PP is said to be a close clone of Creed Aventus by a well know middle eastern Perfume house Armaf.
Creed Aventus costs 25k INR. CDNIMPP costs about 5100 for 150 ml.

Does CDNIMPP smell like Creed Aventus? Yes.
Does CDNIMPP smell exactly like Creed Aventus? NO.

So, let me assure you, all these copy houses will not make a perfume smelling 100% like the original.

They will come to about 95%. But that final 5% is what makes Creed Aventus shine. Is it worth the 20k more? Subjective.
Will I use CDNIM PP and pretend that it is Creed Aventus? Also no, I use CDNIMPP, but if asked, I say it is CDNIMPP.

I have tried copies of CA from perfumelab, TM, etc. None of them come close to even CDNIMPP, let alone CA. Their base fragrance is completely different.
This is the same reason why Davidoff Cool Water has a 100 clones, but none come close to it in the actual smell.

There's decants available of many good perfumes and their clones if you look on r/indiafragmarketplace.

I would rather buy a decant and use the original fragrance, than buy a copy which does not smell the same.

Can you help me find a clone for this? https://www.diptyqueparis.com/en_eu/p/l-eau-eau-de-toilette-1.html

I heard this Zara perfume is similar - https://www.zara.com/in/en/silver-edt-90-ml---3-04 oz-p20210737.html?v1=410570199&gQT=1

Are they comparable?

 

[bigb123]

I doubt these viral cheap perfumes are nothing but chinese knockoffs ... Easy business model....import from china, market on social media...Who knows what carcinogenic and hazardous chemicals are being used to make these duplicates....

 

[Party Monger]

Haha two completely different yet very convincing perspectives. Thanks to both of you but now I'm confused. XD Guess I'll wait for more responses if any.

90% performance of a good perfume at 0.2% of the cost is an insane deal. Is it the exact same? I never cared to even check the original. I'm not someone very passionate about perfumes. I'm happy I get to try 5 good clones for 50 each lmao

 

[atg666]

90% performance of a good perfume at 0.2% of the cost is an insane deal. Is it the exact same? I never cared to even check the original. I'm not someone very passionate about perfumes. I'm happy I get to try 5 good clones for 50 each lmao

The thing is, we don't realize it since we may not have tried the original. You cannot say it with conviction that the performance is 90% of the original. Also note that performance is not olfactory note matching. Longevity and sillage over the hours matter more than smell matching. TBH, I only know how Creed Aventus smells since I got to try it at a friend's place. I personally cannot justify spending 25k on 100ml (or is it 75ml) perfume.

I am saying that you can use these clone perfumes for what they are, something inspired by the original. Don't fall into the money pit of trying clone perfumes. You will always try to claw for the next best clone of this or that.

I prefer using unique and affordable perfumes, rather than the snobbishly costly niche / designer ones. The best ones I have, cost less than 1.5k per bottle, and are not claimed to be inspired by any other perfume.

 

[ninjenstein]

I've never bought from Insta ads and I've never tried clones, but I've read that many people swear by clones. Some clones have made a reputation for themselves for a reason: like CDNIM and Rasasi. You could try buying those, see how you like them. I'd stay away from clones that aren't well known.

Of course, you are only going to get the most reliable information from someone who has actually tried both originals and clones. You may have better luck posting in r/desifragranceaddicts.