Dupes have taken over fragrance. Here’s what that means for luxury

This article on fragrance dupes is part of our Vogue Business membership package. To enjoy unlimited access to our weekly Beauty Edit newsletter, which contains Member-only reporting and analysis, the Beauty Trend Tracker and Leadership Advice, sign up for Vogue Business membership here. It’s a kind of flattery, although fragrance makers don’t appreciate the compliment. Designer fragrance is the latest product category to be flooded with dupes. The dividing line between dupes and counterfeits is thin. While the former (legally) mimics the real thing, the latter (illegally) passes itself off as the real thing. Whether the consumer appreciates the difference is often unclear, but many Gen Z consumers are enthusiastic about dupes, not least for their affordability — a trend observed by the luxury sector through gritted teeth. One quick search for popular fragrance alternatives reveals multiple options. Zara’s Nude Bouquet perfume is popular with fans of Miss Dior, with a 30ml bottle priced at $14.90 compared to $100 for Miss Dior. Alt Fragrances, a company that explicitly advertises dupes, promotes an alternative for Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, offering 30ml for $39.99, compared to $205 for the real deal. Le Labo’s Santal 33, a hugely popular mainstream scent retailing at $99 for 15ml, has been reimagined by Dossier’s Woody Sandalwood (the browser window is actually titled “Santal 33 Dupe”), priced at $49 for a 50ml bottle. Designer fragrances have long been an entry point for consumers who wish to engage with luxury brands, but younger customers are often taken aback by the high prices attached to high-end scents — which is driving the surge in dupes. Many consumers are moving away from familiar name-brand luxury fragrances towards more niche products. “The reality shock hits them when they see the actual price,” says fragrance content creator Cèlia Arderiu. “They don’t want to renounce that scent their favourite influencer [is speaking of] so highly, so instead of searching for perfumes with similar notes on their budget, they go for the replicas.” Imitation products are a familiar phenomenon elsewhere in the beauty industry, with thousands of brands offering customers similar products at wider-ranging price points. However fragrances are late to the dupe business. In a recent report by London-based advertising agency Cream, and British market research firm YouGov, 83 per cent of Gen Z women said they would consider purchasing dupe fragrances. In the same report, 51 per cent stated affordability as the biggest determining factor for buying fragrances, while only 15 per cent were concerned with brand reputation as a primary determining factor. Both men and women like fragrance — and dupes Unlike beauty dupes, fragrance dupes are on the rise across both males and females, appealing to all demographics from teen boys to millennial women. Asia Grant, creative director and custom scent curator of New York-based fragrance company Redoux, explains that young men typically use scent to express status, while women are focused on expressing identity. Yet both demographics are showing unprecedented interest in the category. “Fragrance is coming out as one of those hidden luxury niche interests, like cars or watches, that people can explore without breaking the bank. Now that it’s being discussed in more depth, we are seeing the deeper nuances of people’s taste,” Grant says. She notes that “the nuanced expression of scent preferences is pushing the boundaries of product development and storytelling to meet the wants of consumers.” Sergio Tache is founder and CEO of Dossier, a fragrance company that offers a broad variety of both in-house, original and “inspired by” scents mostly priced under the $100 mark. He argues that a broader range is to the consumer’s benefit. Previously, Tache says, “[customers] either had to spend hundreds of dollars on quality perfumes or settle for perfumes that were affordable but didn’t necessarily smell great”. The company’s best-selling fragrances are representative of many influencer-favourite scents, including Ambery Saffron (another inspired by MFK’s Baccarat Rouge 540) and Ambery Vanilla (inspired by YSL’s Black Opium), priced at $49 and $29 for 50ml, respectively. The role of influencers Influencers have led the way, says Tache. “They have democratised many industries, including the fragrance industry.” Since it was founded in 2018, Dossier has partnered with over 15,000 influencers across lifestyle, beauty and fashion. Content relating to fragrance has gained traction across TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), in part prompted by apps such as Fragrantica, which operates as a social platform for scents, similar to Letterboxd for film enthusiasts. Consumers are engaging directly with creators for recommendations. Arderiu recalls a post on X that went viral for matching characters from hit TV drama series The Sopranos to their imagined signature scents. “People who were following me began to ask me for personalised consulting services based on characters they resembled,” she says. This is now a fledgling business for Arderiu. In 2024, the emergence of any luxury item that becomes popular in the mainstream typically prompts consumers to start searching for its dupe. As with accessories and clothing, fragrance dupes are currently here to stay. Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.

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