Copycat Fragrance review thread

globalm

Administrator
Staff Member
Supporter
Well - looks like I'm kicking off the reviewing of these.

I will say right up front that NONE of these scents is in any sense cheap and nasty. If you did not know they were imitating another scent you would simply take them as excellent scents in their own right.

I'll start with Tobacco Vanille as I am able to compare this with the 'Real Thing'.

I tested with a left forearm-full of the sample and a right of the genuine scent. The original is a fairly linear scent, starting from tobacco and vanilla and ending with tobacco and vanilla. There are other notes in there, but they act as fleeting glances or underpinning suggestions.

Opening. I found the most significant difference was in the opening. The copy scent had a very short-lived but noticeable bitterness. I did not recognise what this was, and I wondered if it might arise from the variety of perfumer's alcohol used, as it was volatile and disappeared almost immediately. This should not put you off. If you smell it at all it will be gone in thirty seconds. I found the clone and the original to be indistinguishable thereafter.

Middle. No great development from either as expected. I think I can just notice a note of cacao from the clone which is not noticeable in the original. This is an acknowledged note in the original, so perhaps it is simply more emphasised in the clone.

Finish. Longevity of the clone is very good. Original gone in about eight hours, clone still noticeable as a skin scent after ten hours.


Verdict. Very good replica. I could tell them apart if presented simultaneously but I don't think I could identify a single version at first sniff. I would buy and use this (and probably will!!).

Next time - Oud Wood.
 
OK - on to 'Oud and Wood'.

This one (obviously) is inspired by Oud Wood.

Oud Wood is a great favourite of mine. When I fell for a sample I obtained, I began to search avidly for a good clone, as, loving the scent though I might, the pain in the wallet was excessive. I also hoped that a good clone might manage greater staying power as this is definitely an issue with the real thing. My searches (detailed HERE) eventually brought me to Federico Mahora 335 which I evaluate as differing only at the end and a very good clone.

Well, to my nose, 'Move over Federico'! I find this Copycat Fragrances clone to be superior, and, following a day spent with both Copycat and original on left and right arms as before, I can say that I am unable to distinguish one from the other (caveat - I don't have a 'super-nose'!).

The copycat has a longer life than the original as well, and is a six-hour scent on me where the original is a four-hour.

There is no 'probably' with this one - I shall buy and use it!
 
I'm going to run through the other scents in the samples together as I don't own these scents and cannot directly compare. This leaves me with less to say, for which relief much thanks!

SMW (Creed Silver Mountain Water) - Opens with a sharp but pleasant citrus blast and a peppery note reminiscent of geranium leaf but which might well be blackcurrant leaf also. Matures into a warm sandalwood/musk, relieved by an unusually long-lasting residue of the opening citrus. It ends with a faint musk residue and another note (pleasant) I don't recognise. Longevity is a full working day without any problem but is does develop and change. It never loses the slight pepper suggestion in the opening and I'm quite happy about that.

Oud Intense (ADP Colonia Intensa Oud)- This is a linear scent with only one significant development. First scent is clearly Cologne but 'stained' with a splash of oud. Think 'Latte Macchiato' coffee. As the day progresses the cologne fades and the oud strengthens without becoming overpowering. Longevity is great, taking me right into the evening. This could be 'Oud for those who don't like Oud'. Classy!

Executive (Creed Aventus) - This is the star of the show. I've tried most Aventus copies and this blows them all out of the water! It is big, complex and almost writhes with the sense of scent development. My memory of real Aventus is quite far in the past but this clone is up there, and, if I remember correctly, the clone has greater longevity. Every note in the claimed Aventus palette emerges and takes its turn.

Final conclusion - I love them all. They are classy, have no faintest sense of 'cheap', and stand as great scents in their own right as well as really good duplicates. I have already placed an order for one of the 'Copycat' scents and, so confident have I become in their creators abilities, I ordered one I haven't sampled - VIW (Creed Virgin Island Water).

Wholehearted recommendation!
 
….One thing I forgot to say. These are all pretty concentrated, so two warnings!

1. Don't overdo any of them or you'll choke your colleagues. I didn't realise the power of 'Executive', in particular, but the bloke fifty yards down the road did! ;)
2. Spray on skin NOT clothing. Your clothes WILL be oil stained if you catch then with the spray.
 
….One thing I forgot to say. These are all pretty concentrated, so two warnings!

1. Don't overdo any of them or you'll choke your colleagues. I didn't realise the power of 'Executive', in particular, but the bloke fifty yards down the road did! ;)
2. Spray on skin NOT clothing. Your clothes WILL be oil stained if you catch then with the spray.

I recently ordered the Executive. Ive not used or smelled Creed, but the copycat version seems nice. I've used Blue de Chanel EDP for a good few years, opting for 3, maybe 4 sprays.
As I'm not used to EDT, how many sprays is a sensible level in your opinion? I want people to smell it when close to me, not 50 yards away or 2 minutes after I've left the area. [emoji3]




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I recently ordered the Executive. Ive not used or smelled Creed, but the copycat version seems nice. I've used Blue de Chanel EDP for a good few years, opting for 3, maybe 4 sprays.
As I'm not used to EDT, how many sprays is a sensible level in your opinion? I want people to smell it when close to me, not 50 yards away or 2 minutes after I've left the area. [emoji3]




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I use 2 sprays 3 maximum. One on the wrist then rub together and one on the chest.
 
Executive : Clone of Creed Aventus
From the sample pack this was the one I wanted to try most. I immediately got pineapple and apple when I first put this on, it's difficult to describe (as are most complex scents) but it has a woody, musky richness after the initial fruity. I tend to err on the side of caution with strong scents and use sparingly which makes it's difficult to talk about the projection but I imagine if you went for four sprays it would be well known that you were wearing it. Two sprays of this and I could smell it all day, easily lasting eight hours. In fact when I washed my shirts at the weekend I could still smell it. In my opinion it smells like an expensive cologne, as Paul mentoned earlier none of the samples smell cheap but this stands out for me.
I will be buying some.
 
Back
Top Bottom