How do these Poundland perfume dupes fare against their expensive designer counterparts?

A designer perfume can be a great way to buy into the glamour of your favourite brand without spending thousands on an outfit, but bottles of upmarket fragrance still don’t come cheap. 

 Chanel perfume is the most popular brand for fragrance in Great Britain but with a large bottle of the likes of No 5 costing around £12, many fragrance fans find themselves seeking out a cheaper version.  

But there is an alternative – and a VERY cheap one at that.

Poundland has released a range of fragrances for as little as £1 each, mimicking the scents from brands such as Chanel, Creed, Paco Robanne and Carolina Herrera.

The variety of perfumes ranges in price from £1 to £4, so you will always get change back when handing over the cash for these designer duplicates.  

Here, FEMAIL reporters compare the Poundland dupes with the original fragrances, all available from The Perfume Shop, to see if they even come close to our favourite designer scents…

Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle 100ml (£102) VS Poundland’s Beau Reve 100ml (£1) 

Latoya Gayle said the Poundland Beau Reve perfume had a strong scent when she initially sprayed it

Latoya Gayle said the Poundland Beau Reve perfume had a strong scent when she initially sprayed it, and is a good alternative for those on a budget, compared to the pricey Lancôme

I love Eau de Parfum because the scent usually lasts longer than eau de toilette.

The Poundland Beau Reve perfume had a strong scent when I initially sprayed it. 

However by the time I sprayed the Lancôme on my other wrist the smell of the Poundland fragrance had already weakened.

At first the perfumes seemed to have distinct differences with the Lancôme scent smelling slightly more fruity, however after around 10 minutes they smelt similar.

I feel like the Lancôme perfume can be sprayed before you leave the house and the scent would last until you return home.

I had to lift my wrist close to my nose to be able to smell the Poundland fragrance and would probably need to bring it with me to top-up the smell while out and about.

Overall I think the Poundland perfume is a good alternative for those on a budget, but it isn’t as striking as the Lancôme.

Rating:

Latoya Gayle 

Victor Rolfe’s Spicebomb 90ml (£77) VS Poundland’s Kick Starter 100ml (£4)

Poundland's equivalent - Kick Blaster for men - may come in near identical packaging but the scent is far from the same.

Victor Rolfe's Spicebomb, which is priced at £77 for a 90ml bottle

Poundland’s equivalent – Kick Blaster for men – may come in similar packaging but the scent is far from the same. (left) Victor Rolfe’s Spicebomb, which is priced at £77 for a 90ml bottle

With it’s distinctive musky smell, Spicebomb by Viktor and Rolf is a unique and almost instantly recognisable smell.

Poundland’s equivalent – Kick Blaster for men – may come in near identical packaging but the scent is far from the same.

While Viktor and Rolf has a deep and spicey smell to it, Kick Blaster is significantly lighter and fainter.

It’s got the same kind of ‘base musk’ which stays on the skin for hours, but also a kind of acidic after smell which isn’t very nice.

It’s not a particularly enjoyable smell and I’m not sure it could live up to the longer lasting, deeper tones of the Viktor and Rolf.

Rating:

Harriet Johnston  

Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium 90ml (£108) VS Poundland’s Black Dusk 100ml (£1)

The packaging is clearly inspired by the designer bottle from Yves Saint Laurent

Black Dusk - inspired by Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium, is already part of Poundland's £1 range

Black Dusk, right, inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium, left, is already part of Poundland’s £1 range. The packaging is clearly inspired by the designer bottle

My first thought when I saw this was that the packaging looked great. It’s clearly been inspired by YSL’s Black Opium, and has a similar colour scheme. It wouldn’t look out of place in a fancy perfume shop.

However, as soon as I took it out the packaging and just saw the bottle it felt cheaper. The font and print didn’t look high end , and it almost looked a bit childish – like something you might get a teenage girl.

After giving it a spritz I was pleasantly surprised – it has a nice, sweet smell but was definitely bordering on the wrong side of the saccharine line.

It wasn’t a bad smell – but definitely didn’t have the depth of Black Opium of the sweet musty notes that YSL nail.

But the biggest disappointment was that the scent disappears in minutes – you would have to constantly reapply throughout the day and use it more like a body spray .

To put it to the test further, I sprayed Black Opium one hand and Black Dust on the other and asked a friend which she preferred (less than a minute after applying it) and she said she couldn’t even smell the Black Dusk.

Not bad for a £1 – but definitely not in the same league as Black Opium!

Rating:

Bridie Pearson-Jones 

Chanel Coco (£120) VS Poundland’s Belle Femme 100ml (£4)

Chanel perfume was ranked as the most-used brand for Eau de Toilette and perfume for women in the UK in 2020

Belle Femme - inspired by Chanel's Coco Chanel priced at £4 in Poundland stores

Belle Femme, pictured right, inspired by Chanel’s Coco Chanel priced at £4 in Poundland stores. As of 2020, Chanel perfume was ranked as the most-used brand for Eau de Toilette and perfume for women in the UK

I was gearing up not to like this perfume, thinking nothing could possibly compete with my beloved Chanel fragrances. 

But I have to say that as soon as I spritzed it on, I was pleasantly surprised because it didn’t have the cheap air freshener smell I was anticipating. 

It’s not at all a bad fragrance, and doesn’t smell cheap.  It was quite light and fresh, with a hint of amber warmth. 

However, it definitely lacks that musky, powdery kick you get from the real thing, and I don’t think they particularly smell alike. 

I’d second what other people say in that the smell doesn’t linger so you’d have to douse yourself liberally or use it more like a body spray, but given it comes in a big 100ml bottle at least you’ve got plenty to go around. 

While it is never going to replace Chanel on my dressing table, this isn’t a bad choice if you’re looking for a bargain fragrance and I don’t think people would guess it only cost £4. 

Rating:

Siofra Brennan

Thierry Mugler Alien 90ml (£106) VS Poundland’s Ariose 100ml (£4)

Thierry Mugler's Alien is a really strong scent which lasts on clothes and skin for a long time

FEMAIL's Monica Greep gave the Poundland dupe, Ariose, pictured, a one star

FEMAIL’s Monica Greep gave the Poundland dupe, Ariose, a one star, because it was a ‘very weird’ small which doesn’t replicate Thierry Mugler’s Alien (left) at all

I think one star overall – it was a very weird smell!

Alien has a very distinctive smell which I thought was going to be quite hard to replicate, and unfortunately this Poundland dupe didn’t quite hit the mark.

The original perfume is very woody and rich, while still smelling relatively sweet, but the dupe felt overzealous on sweeter notes like vanilla and amber which ultimately created quite a strange scent.

While Alien is a really strong scent which lasts on clothes and skin for a long time, the dupe didn’t linger for very long at all and seemed to slightly change smell after a couple of minutes.

Overall, the dupe didn’t smell awful, but it was obviously a cheaper perfume and it definitely wouldn’t be mistaken for Alien.

Rating:

Monica Greep  

Paco Robanne Lady Million 80ml (£83.50) VS Poundland’s Queen in Million 100ml (£1)

Paco Robanne's Lady Million is British women’s third favourite scent, according to Superdrug

Pictured right, Poundland's dupe, Queen in Million

Making a good dupe of Paco Robanne’s Lady Million (left) is no easy task, due to the immense popularity of the perfume – it’s British women’s third favourite scent, according to Superdrug (pictured right, Poundland’s dupe, Queen in Million)

Complete list of Poundland’s duplicate fragrances for smelling great on a budget 

Below £4 range:

Kick Starter – inspired by Victor Rolfe’s Spicebomb

Doctrine – inspired by Creed’s Aventura

Endless Twilight – inspired by Dior’s Sauvage

Miss Bonne – inspired by Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl

Belle Femme – inspired by Chanel’s Coco Chanel

Arise – inspired by Thierry Mugler’s Alien

Below £1 range: 

Queen in a Million – inspired by Paco Robanne’s Lady Million

Piquant – inspired by Paco Robanne’s Olympea

Encrypt – inspired by Giorgio Armani’s Armani Code

Already in the £1 range:

Black Dusk – inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium

Beau Reve – inspired by Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle

King in a Million – inspired by Paco Robanne’s One Million

Jape – inspired by Joop’s Joop! Homme

Making a good dupe of Paco Robanne’s Lady Million is no easy task, due to the immense popularity of the perfume – it’s British women’s third favourite scent, according to Superdrug.

Immediately, looking at Poundland’s Queen in Million packaging, you’d know they are not in the same league.

The name alone is enough to raise eyebrows, as is the little ‘Q’ with a crown on the bottle.

The chunky rectangle see-through bottle with a plastic cap is a sad sight, compared to Paco Rabanne’s luxurious diamond-shaped golden bottle.

The scent of this dupe is close enough to the Paco Rabanne original. You do recognise the notes of Neroli and bitter orange and the woody undertones that are the One Million perfumes’ trademark.

Because the Poundland version is only a fraction of the Paco Rabanne’s £83.50, it’ll feel like a great find the first time you spray it on.

However, my joy was short-lived. The dupe does not last long, and an hour after I applied it, I could not smell it on me or my clothes.

If you want to stick with the dupe rather than the real deal, I’d suggest keeping it in your bag for frequent refreshes.

Lady Million has a rich scent that lingers on the skin and your clothes all day long, and this one is like its shy cousin.

But if you’re strapped for cash or want to make your Paco Rabanne last longer and don’t mind a quick trip to the loo now and then to re-apply your perfume, then Queen in Million is a good enough option.

Rating:

Claire Toureille 

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