We tested £5 perfume dupes from Aldi, Lidl & Zara to see how they match up to Burberry’s £135 buy & Dior’s £115 scent
WITH the Christmas party season in full swing, smelling sweet is a top priority.
More than a third of us have popped perfume on our Christmas wish list, but with some designer brands costing upwards of £100, some fragrances are well out of reach for many of us.
So could budget perfume dupes be the answer?
With a huge range available on the high street for a fraction of the price of top brands, Fab put some of the most affordable alternatives to the test.
But how did they fare when it came to long-lasting wear?
And do they really smell just like the designer originals they are emulating?
Emma Lazenby sniffs out the best dupes, revealing which ones are worth splashing out on and giving them all a mark out of five.
Midnight Blossom 30ml, M&S, £6 vs Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium 30ml, £79
SAVING: £73
IF there was ever a winter evening fragrance that’s as warm as it is luxurious, then I think M&S’s Midnight Blossom is up there.
It’s perfect for the party season and smells remarkably like YSL’s Black Opium.
With its musky, velvety notes and subtle floral undertones, it holds its weight against its designer rival.
The simple purple packaging is cute, giving Parma violet vibes, but as it looks quite basic, I’d put it in the stocking-filler category, rather than the main gift.
Having said that, Midnight Blossom is possibly the perfect perfume present to yourself.
Granted, Black Opium was still bold after eight hours of wear. But M&S’s winter fragrance wasn’t far off. My wrist was still smelling lovely – if a little faint – well into the afternoon.
5/5
Suddenly Femelle 75ml, Lidl, £5.25 vs Lancome La Vie Est Belle 75ml, £105
SAVING: £99.75
LIDL’S Suddenly Femelle fragrance bears a striking resemblance to the vanilla, iris and patchouli notes of Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle.
It’s a warm scent and looks very expensive with its apothecary-style bottle and pretty pink packaging.
One of the cheapest of the bunch, it packs a surprising punch.
If you’re after a cosy, winter fragrance, Suddenly Femelle could be the perfect choice for you.
It has a whiff of maturity about it, adding to its classic fragrance feel, but if long-lasting wear is one of your perfume priorities, sadly it falls short.
There were still subtle hints after three hours, but it’s another dupe that’ll need regular respraying.
That said, it’s a great fragrance that’d make a lovely gift for older friends and relatives.
3/5
Lacura Radiant Majesty 100ml, Aldi, £6.99 vs Burberry Goddess 100ml, £135
SAVING: £128.01
ALDI’S Lacura perfume offerings are on fire this year, earning rave reviews for their designer dupes.
Its Burberry Goddess copycat certainly looks expensive.
Its pretty pink and gold packaging and sturdy glass bottle would look classy on any dressing table.
It’s slightly sweeter than the Burberry original, with notes of vanilla, ginger, cacao and lavender, but this is the only notable difference when you spritz both scents.
It smells unbelievably similar, with some TikTok fragrance fans even saying they prefer Radiant Majesty to the £135-a bottle real deal.
But in our “length of wear” test, Aldi’s offering unfortunately falls short, with barely a whiff remaining after just three and a half hours.
In contrast, Burberry Goddess was still smelling bold at 10pm after a 9am spritz. But with a £128 price difference, it’s cheaper to top up through the day with Aldi’s dupe.
3/5
Lacura Floral Love 100ml, Aldi, £5.99 vs Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb 100ml, £130
SAVING: £124.01
THIS Aldi fragrance boasts a gorgeous, diamond-inspired bottle, which you’d be proud to pop in your handbag.
It looks expensive and just as pretty as the designer original.
Scent-wise it smells very similar to Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb.
I’d say Aldi’s Floral Love is a little heavier, so I had high hopes for its longevity.
Sadly, the spritz on my wrist didn’t hold its fragrance weight for long and was fading fast after three hours. But with its bargain price tag, beautiful bottle and floral gorgeousness, I think we can forgive its lack of staying power.
4/5
Cashmere 30ml, Next, £10 vs Estee Lauder Sensuous 30ml, £35
SAVING: £25
WITH the smallest price difference between dupe and designer, let’s not do Next’s Cashmere a disservice. Its resemblance to Estee Lauder’s classic is pretty damn good.
And if you like a softer, subtle fragrance that you can wear all year round, then Next’s Cashmere is the perfect perfume.
It is floral, yet woody, and could be a great gift for someone who’s not a “perfume person”.
And as for longevity, four hours later, it was holding on – just.
Although Estee Lauder’s Sensuous was smelling strong after ten hours, weighing up the similarity of both, I’m not sure it’s worth the extra cost.
4/5
Red Temptation 30ml, Zara, £12.99 vs Baccarat Rouge 540 35ml, £155
SAVING: £142.01
MOVING on to the slightly higher end high street perfumes, Zara’s Red Temptation is tricky to get hold of right now (more stock is arriving soon) and for good reason.
It has a cult following on social media due to its remarkable similarity to Baccarat Rouge 540.
Red Temptation is just as heady as its very pricey designer counterpart, with its spicy combination of saffron, bitter orange and coriander.
It’s a classic scent that’s not for the faint-hearted, but if you like punchy “occasion” perfumes, this is the one for you.
It’s also one of the strongest contenders when it comes to its length-of-wear. While the Baccarat Rouge 540 lasted a whole day, Red Temptation was still holding its own after five hours.
And the price difference is staggering.
5/5
Wonder Rose 30ml, Zara, £9.99 vs Dior J’Adore 35ml, £115
SAVING: £105.01
WE can all channel our inner Rihanna with Zara’s Wonder Rose, which smells very similar to the superstar-fronted Dior classic, albeit not as weighty.
It’s a huge hit with the teens and rightly so. It’s wonderfully floral, but manages to be quite light, too – meaning we’re not venturing into headache territory.
Wonder Rose combines fruitiness with flowers, coconut and vanilla. It’s lovely. And it definitely works for the festive period. With its mid-level price tag and cool packaging, it would make a great gift.
Yes, we see a pattern emerging when it comes to length-of-wear, with Dior’s J’Adore lasting in excess of nine hours. But, Zara’s offering is pretty strong and I could still smell it after more than four hours.
With the saving against its designer equivalent, it is pretty impressive.
4.5/5
VERDICT
WE can all channel our inner Rihanna with Zara’s Wonder Rose, which smells very similar to the superstar-fronted Dior classic, albeit not as weighty.
It’s a huge hit with the teens and rightly so. It’s wonderfully floral, but manages to be quite light, too – meaning we’re not venturing into headache territory.
Wonder Rose combines fruitiness with flowers, coconut and vanilla. It’s lovely. And it definitely works for the festive period. With its mid-level price tag and cool packaging, it would make a great gift.
Yes, we see a pattern emerging when it comes to length-of-wear, with Dior’s J’Adore lasting in excess of nine hours. But, Zara’s offering is pretty strong and I could still smell it after more than four hours.
With the saving against its designer equivalent, it is pretty impressive.