10 best perfume dupes that smell like the real thing: From Aldi to Zara

Dupe of: Jo Malone lime, basil & mandarin

Given its name, you might think you’re only getting two of the three ingredients of the famous Jo Malone scent. But once you smell it – you realise they just wanted to name it something as similar as possible without getting sued. The copy-and-paste concoction boasts the same unmistakable combination of zesty lime, peppery basil and bright, glistening mandarin that made Jo Malone a household name. Yes, you won’t have the iconic yellow box tied with a black ribbon, but this square bottle doesn’t look totally hideous on a dressing table – and the scent inside is seriously indistinguishable.

Dupe of: YSL black opium

Don’t let the name deceive you, this isn’t some fair-weather floral fug – a few spritzes are enough to recognise YSL’s classic opium scent. For the price of a cocktail, it’s definitely a laudable attempt at capturing black opium’s rich and rather complex heart of jasmine, patchouli and vanilla. But smell the real McCoy and the signature black coffee accord (apparently one of the trickiest notes to work with in perfumery) definitely packs more of a fragrant punch – together with boasting one of the most marvellous bottles in recent history. This will whet your appetite while you save up for the original.

Dupe of: Giorgio Armani sì

While this is pricier than some of the other “cheapo” dupes, it’s still a darn sight less than a bottle of Armani’s famous fragrance. Essence vault is a company that specifically creates scents that are – ahem – “inspired by lots of the high street brands”, so they know what they’re doing when it comes to a decent dupe. And we seriously couldn’t tell the difference between this and the real deal. It’s one of the nicer bottles too. At eau de parfum strength, the recognisable notes of sharp cassis and rose also have serious staying power.

Dupe of: Viktor and Rolf flowerbomb

They really didn’t bother trying to mask the name with this one did they? It contains the same warm, floral fug as perfumer Carlos Benaim’s legendary creation for Viktor and Rolf, opening with the same rich notes of earthy patchouli, cattleya orchid and centifolia rose. As you would expect, the dry down isn’t nearly as mellow or nuanced as the original – kind of like comparing the final triumphant bars of Jerusalem performed in The Royal Albert Hall with the version you used to sing in primary school assembly. But for the princely sum of £1, you’re not going to complain.

Dupe of: Lancôme la vie est belle

People who love Lancôme’s cutesy classic la vie est belle are kind of like those adults who still watch Disney films – i.e. who enjoy savouring few sweet, colourful pleasures to distract them from the mundane chaos of everyday existence (so we hear). To put it bluntly, it’s a “girl’s girl” perfume that Primark’s version faithfully recreates, with the sharp sweetness of blackcurrant set against a perfectly mellow backdrop of orange blossom, vanilla and jasmine. Plus, its attractive disc-shaped bottle is reminiscent of Chanel chance, so really you’re getting two dupes for the price of one. This one’s only available in-store.

Dupe of: Mugler alien

A rich floral perfume at a pocket money price – what’s not to like? Layering lab blossom painstakingly recreates Alien’s sensual and slightly otherworldly femme fatale bouquet of jasmine sambac and white amber. If you really want to save your pennies, there’s also a body mist version (£3.99, Superdrug.com) which also smells equally similar – albeit with slightly less staying power. Superdrug’s layering lab series were created to be mixed and matched, so you can even create an original scent if you combine this with another one in the series.

Dupe of: Jo Malone pomegranate noir

Aldi has a whole collection which “takes inspiration” from Jo Malone: scents, candles, diffusers – you name it. While lime, basil & mandarin has many, many replicas, only a few try and imitate its other best-selling cologne, pomegranate noir. This does a pretty good job at capturing the beguiling darkness of this slightly bitter pomegranate fruit – with sharp notes of raspberry, plum, jasmine and smoky undertones of patchouli and sensual musks.

Dupe of: Estée Lauder bronze goddess

Next has a reputation for serving up a decent scent dupe and this does not disappoint. With dressing table-worthy packaging to boot, it’s summer in a bottle (as envisioned by Estée Lauder). Boasting the same sparkling top notes of bergamot and mandarin, and a heart of exotic flowers, it doesn’t have quite the same richness as the original, but it’s perfectly passable – if the original evokes feelings of sunning yourself in St Tropez, think of this as a perfectly charming weekend on the Costa del Sol.

Dupe of: Marc Jacobs daisy

Budget perfume bottles often leave a lot to be desired – but this cheeky emerald flacon is just as delightful as the contents, which mimic the familiar violet, gardenia and jasmine notes that make up Marc Jacobs’s modern classic. Its powdery sweet top notes are particularly impressive, without any of the tell-tale “plasticky” undertones that come with a lot of cheaper scents, drying down with sweet wafts of strawberry, white woods and vanilla.