Perfumes were purchased by The Happy Sage. This post contains affiliate links - full disclosure here.
Scent is one of our most powerful senses. Just a hint of an aroma can change our mood emotionally and mentally, but perfume is frequently seen as a luxury item and often only worn on special occasions because of the cost.
If anything can put a spring in my step then it's smelling good! I love a good perfume and wear them daily and have a range of different scents to use depending on how I feel, or want to feel.
Copy, duplicate or 'dupe' perfumes
The trouble is that I have high end tastes, so how can I have a dressing table full of designer smelling perfumes without breaking the bank?
Step forward copy perfumes! Duplicate perfumes, or 'dupes' as they are also called, are perfumes that are said to have been inspired by a certain high end or premium brand perfume. For instance, there may be a perfume called 'Orchid' that says it is inspired by Tom Ford's Black Orchid perfume. Basically what they are saying is that they smell the same!
There are other names for dupe perfumes too, such as imitation perfumes, inspired by perfumes, smell-a-like perfumes, copy fragrances, copycat fragrances and designer perfume copies.
If you haven't heard of these designer copy perfume companies before then you are in for a treat! They sell perfumes that are extremely close to the original scent, but at a fraction of the price. Most of the money you pay for a premium brand perfume, such as Chanel, is for the brand name and logo, the glitzy packaging and the snazzy full on marketing campaigns. The actual perfume ingredients cost very little compared to the rest.
If you ever tried designer perfume copies years ago and were massively disappointed, I've been there! The perfume was absolutely dreadful, lasted about five minutes and the scent was nothing like the original. Thankfully, things have changed and you can now get copies of many premium designer perfumes and you won't be able to tell the difference, apart from in your pocket.
I have been having a wonderful time testing out designer copy perfume companies and have been really impressed by both the the quality of the perfumes and the prices. Getting a good designer perfume or aftershave copy in the UK is not hard as there are some good companies around, however some only sell a very limited selection whilst others have much larger ranges. Here is a list of my tried, tested and recommended designer copy perfume companies in the UK.
Best UK designer perfume copy companies
Divain
Divain is one of my personal favourite copy designer perfume companies. They have an absolutely enormous range of hundreds of perfumes and aftershaves to choose from. I have had quite a few and they have all been excellent. I recently purchased a full size of their copy of Chanel's Chance, having previously had a tester, and also have a full size of their Lancome's La Vie est Belle copy perfume too.
One of the great things about Divain is that they have a brilliant 'Try and Buy' service. If you order a full size perfume you get a small 'Try and Buy' size with it. Simply try the sample size perfume and if it isn't what you expected you can return the full size perfume for a full refund (as long as you have not opened it).
The full sized bottles come well packaged in a fairly heavy weight and cellophane wrapped cardboard box. The bottle has a wooden effect top and is not at all shabby looking, although I do tend to decant my perfumes into atomisers if I am taking them out of the house as the 100ml bottles are a little large for my handbag.
With my last order I also bought samples of:
554 - similar to Dior's Diorissimo - beautifully floral - love it
730 - similar to Dior's Dune. This is one of my favourite perfumes and I have the original - this is a really good copy.
095 - similar to Clinique's Happy - a perfume I wore years ago and had forgotten how much I liked
550 - similar to Chanel's No 5 - again, I have the original and this is a good copy
541 - similar to Tresor's Midnight Rose
073 - similar to Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle
715 - similar to Balenciagia's Florabotanica - I have loved this perfume for years and this copy is so good I will definitely be buying a larger size.
Divain Customer Service
I had cause to telephone about an order that appeared to be delayed and they couldn't have been more helpful. Sorting out the problem and I even got a follow up call the next day to check I had received my order and to thank me for my patience,
Divain Perfume review
I have no problem recommending this company at all - great products, spot on designer copy fragrances and they don't wear off any quicker than the originals as far as I can tell so far. Extremely pleased with my ever growing collection.
Divain's perfumes only comes on 100ml sizes but at £22.50 they are a steal. Sample perfume mini sprays cost £1.70 each. Available at Divainparfums.co.uk.
Copycat Fragrances
www.copycatfragrances.co.uk
Copycat Fragrances are based in Leeds. They have an average sized perfume selection (approximately 40 each for men and women) and they do stick to extremely high end copy perfumes like Baccarat Rouge 540 and brands like Tom Ford and Creed so you may not find the specific perfume that you want. I contacted them about the exact percentage of oil fragrance used in their perfumes but they were unwilling to let me know due to confidentiality, but did state that they were higher than normal eau de parfum percentages. All their perfumes are made in London and the company claim their perfumes are 90% identical to the originals. They do sell samples and have a range of different bottle sizes and shipping is free.
I ordered the Tom Ford Neroli Portofino and it was absolutely fantastic. A really good quality perfume that lasted the day. The various size options available are a 5ml sample for £3.95, 30ml bottle £24.95, 50ml bottle £39.95 and 100ml bottle £54.95. A great choice for stronger, longer lasting perfumes.
The Essence Vault
www.theessencevault.co.uk
The Essence Vault has about fifty perfumes for women, plus bundle offers. They tell me their oil fragrance concentration range is from 15% - 20% and I was impressed with the perfumes that I ordered. They also cover the popular Tom Ford and Creed scents but also have copies of other better known perfumes such as Lady Million, Flowerbomb, J'adore, Daisy, Si and La Vie est Belle so you have more chance of finding your well known brand here. I tried La Vie est Belle and it was true to the original and had a reasonably good staying power.
They have a range of size options available, a 5ml sample of La Vie est Belle is is £4.95, 30ml is £14.95 and 100ml £24.95. Shipping is free in the UK.
Match Fragrances
www.matchfragrances.co.uk
Match Fragrances are another great company for copy perfumes and have free shipping on all orders. I initially ordered samples of their Black Orchid and Black Opium copy fragrances and based on the quality, I now have full sizes of their Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Tom Ford Black Orchid copy perfumes and love them. The fragrance concentration is 20% - 22% and they both give a good, long lasting scent. They don't have the largest range for women but have some of the main premium brands available for both men and women. Prices for a Tom Ford Lost Cherry copy perfume is £3.95 for 5ml, £18.95 for 30ml and £31.95 for 100ml. The perfumes come in a small black bag and I received swift next day delivery as well.
Perfume atomisers for copy perfumes
I suggest you buy a range of samples of copy perfumes for starters and then buy a larger bottle when you have tried them. The larger bottles are extremely good value for money but can be a bit too big and clunky for the average handbag, so I just decant the copy perfume into a luxury atomiser. These tiny little spray bottles are refillable and hold about 5ml (about 60 - 65 sprays) so plenty for a few days (or nights) out, and they fit easily into a pocket or small clutch bag.
If you use an atomiser, the copy perfumes from the above three companies are so good that no-one will know you are not wearing the original scent!
Amazon do quite a few decent atomisers, the Travalo range is nice but if you want to go for absolute luxury check out the amazing leather and gold atomisers from www.marcelfrank.com in Paris! Something for the birthday list maybe!
Natural perfumes
If you want to try a more natural perfume then try Neal's Yard Pure Essence Eau de Parfum No 2 Rose at £39 for 50ml. This perfume is made with 100% natural fragrance and essential oils, which is great for anyone with allergies to conventional perfumes or for those who want to avoid chemicals. With rose, pink pepper, palmarosa, rose geranium, cedarwood and benzoin this gorgeous perfume wears well for day or night and I love it. They also do a Pure Essence Eau de Parfum No 1 Frankincense for the same price.
For something a little cheaper and handbag friendly I also use their Remedies to Roll in Womans Balance at £8 for 9ml. This smells great whilst helping you relax and wind down at the same time and I use it when I am doing yoga or reiki.
We all have our favourite perfumes that make us feel good and build our self confidence and now you can easily treat yourself to a range of premium smelling scents without breaking the bank!
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