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As much as we love sniffing out the latest trending perfumes, many of them can be prohibitively expensive. A large bottle of Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, the It girl of designer perfumes, costs a whopping $665 — a third more than the average cost of a round-trip domestic flight in America. While a signature scent can be worth the investment to some people, many perfume lovers are turning to less costly alternatives, Take a look at the hashtag page for #dupes on TikTok, and you’ll find an overwhelming majority of top-viewed content is about cheaper versions of designer perfumes. This is exactly how we came to discover Oakcha perfumes.
We’ve been seeing Oakcha’s lineup of affordable scents all over our FYP, many of them “inspired by” some of the most prolific luxury scents of the moment, including Parfums de Marly’s Delina, Le Labo’s Santal 33, and the aforementioned Baccarat Rouge 540. Creations from this New York-based brand are priced between $35 and $50, which are significantly more wallet-friendly compared to their designer counterparts. Oakcha also exclusively sells extrait de parfum, a good marker of longevity. According to Eudora Nwasike, a certified fragrance specialist, extrait de parfum has the highest perfume oil concentration of around 20% to 40% (in Oakcha’s case, the concentration is 30%). They can last longer on the skin compared to eau de parfum, which typically has a concentration of 15% to 20%.
Naturally, we had to smell them for ourselves. We rounded up a team of R29 editors and perfume experts — who happen to own the OG scents — to give Oakcha’s bestselling ones a sniff. Let’s just say that we were pleasantly surprised…
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
The designer: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540, $335 for 2.4 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Sweven, $69 $50 for 1.7 oz
“In recent years, Baccarat Rouge 540 has earned itself Chanel No.5-level fame. I firmly believe that it will go down in history as one of the best perfumes ever. Fir resin and cedarwood give it a vibrant, sparkling quality, while amber, saffron and jasmine make it warm and cozy. It’s my most complimented perfume, so it’s safe to say that I was more than keen to see how Oakcha’s version would compare — especially as it’s a snip of the price.
“At first spritz, Sweven smells like Baccarat Rouge and… burnt plastic. I will say that it’s better when you wear it in — and it’s far nicer on clothes than my skin. I sprayed it onto my dress, and as it wore off, I caught whiffs of it throughout the day; it wasn’t too dissimilar to its designer counterpart. At one point, I questioned whether I’d mistakenly spritzed the original on my dress previously. It boasts the same woody notes and an element of warmth thanks to amber and saffron, but up close and personal, it’s got nothing on Baccarat, which sticks around forever. There’s a winter coat hanging in my wardrobe that still smells of the stuff!” — Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director
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Le Labo Santal 33
The designer: Le Labo Santal 33, $235 for 1.7 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Ruhe, $50 $37.50 for 1.7 oz
“If I had to pick a signature scent for myself, it would be Le Labo’s Santal 33. I know every millennial living in Brooklyn wears it, but it’s just the right mix of smoky, woodsy, and spicy for me. It’s not floral or sweet, and it doesn’t smell super traditionally feminine or masculine, which I think is why this fragrance has become so universally loved. At first spray, I found Oakcha’s Ruhe so similar to Santal 33, but when I applied it to my skin, it seemed a touch more fruity; I almost caught a whiff of melon.
“The overall fragrance definitely seems lighter to me, and didn’t quite have the richness of Santal 33. Considering the scent is still so close, these subtle differences didn’t bother me much, but I did notice Ruhe wore differently throughout the day and didn’t have the same staying power and seemed to develop into something slightly more floral. Although I think I’ll be sticking with my Le Labo, this is a great and much more cost effective option. Alternatively, I can see someone loving this for daytime if they feel Santal 33 is too heavy for their tastes.” — Kate Spencer, Senior Affiliate Partnerships Manager
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Kilian Love, Don’t Be Shy
The designer: Kilian Love, Don’t Be Shy, $295 for 1.7 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Sweet Addict, $45 for 1.7 oz
“Love, Don’t Be Shy quickly grew to become Kilian’s hero perfume when it was revealed to be Rihanna’s signature scent. In addition to this, perfumes that will make the wearer smell extremely sweet, addictive, and irresistible — the effects of a gourmand scent — have been gaining popularity in recent years. I must say that Oakcha hit it out of the park with Sweet Addict. I was shocked at how similar it is to the original; in fact, it smells stronger on my skin. The fluffiness of the marshmallow, combined with the sweetness of honeysuckle and vanilla, gives the fragrance a playful element.
“I was surprised and impressed by the longevity of Sweet Addict: It lasted a total of eight hours on my skin, whilst Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy lasted five hours. The scent had moderate projection [ how much it radiates from you], and I’d catch whiffs of the scent on me throughout the day. For $45, this is an exceptional dupe of the original and ideal if you want to smell good on a budget.” — Eudora Nwasike, certified fragrance specialist by the Fragrance Foundation
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Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
The designer: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium, $130 for 1.6 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Midnight Nymph, $35 for 1.7 oz
“Black Opium is my go-to scent for a girls’ night out. It’s sexy, unique, and gives major bad bitch — or dare I say, brat — energy. The black, glittery bottle looks gorgeous IRL, and the warm, spicy notes of saffron, sandalwood, and orange blossom don’t smell ‘perfume-y’ — you just feel like you naturally smell amazing when wearing it. I found Midnight Nymph to be shockingly similar to Black Opium. Truthfully, I’m not 100% confident I can tell the two apart in a blind test. The warm, sensual woody notes really come through in the Oakcha version, and I loved that it lasted a few hours on my skin. For nearly $100 less than the YSL original, it’ll be very tempting to replace it with the Oakcha version if and when I run out of my bottle.” — Karina Hoshikawa, Senior Writer
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Parfums de Marly Delina Eau de Parfum
The designer: Parfums de Marly Delina Eau de Parfum, $220 for 1.0 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Madame Rose, $45 for 1.7 oz
“The moment I smelled Delina, I knew I had to have it. The fragrance had gone viral long before then, of course, thanks to TikTok — but it’s entirely deserving of the hype. It opens with a punchy rose note that’s lush and fresh as opposed to old fashioned, but it’s the addition of syrupy rhubarb and zingy bergamot that make this so moreish. It makes me feel feminine in a powerful way. I didn’t believe it would be possible to dupe something as unique as Delina, but this is absolutely spot on. I couldn’t tell the difference one bit, and that shocked me considering the enormous price difference.
“Madame Rose boasts the same striking rose and rhubarb notes that are so unmistakably Delina, but once it dries down, it becomes a little sweeter than its designer counterpart, which retains the tarte-ness from the citrusy bergamot. This, I think, is what makes Delina so distinctive; it’s more nuanced. When it comes to staying power, though, there isn’t much difference between them. I tested both on my skin and clothes and my jacket still smelled strongly of Madame Rose even days later — just like Delina. All in all, this is probably the closest ‘dupe’ I’ve ever tried.” — Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director
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Tom Ford Lost Cherry
The designer: Tom Ford Lost Cherry, $405 for 1.7 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Sinful, $50 for 1,7 oz
“Lost Cherry is massively popular because it’s an edgy perfume. Most cherry fragrances tend to be overly sweet or too playful, but with Tom Ford’s iteration, you get a mature, intriguing, and sophisticated scent thanks to cherry liqueur that wonderfully compliments the juiciness of the fruit. In Sinful, I noticed the boozier notes are not prominent on my skin when I compared both side by side. Sinful accentuates the nuttiness of the cherry with woodsier base notes [vetiver, sandalwood, cedarwood], which I actually preferred. The scent lasted for six hours on my skin, and sat closer to my skin as the fragrance dried down, creating an intimate scent bubble around me. The staying power was more impressive than Lost Cherry. For a price point of $50, that’s pretty exceptional.” — Eudora Nwasike, certified fragrance specialist by the Fragrance Foundation
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Creed Aventus For Her
The designer: Creed Aventus For Her, $300 for 1 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Akimbo, $50 for 1.7 oz
“I call Aventus For Her my ‘rich auntie’ perfume, since it’s the kind of scent I’d always picture myself wearing as a grown up. Fresh, floral, and woodsy is a combination I can never get enough of, and this sophisticated perfume offers exactly that. It develops into something fruitier over time, with refreshing hints of sweet peach, pineapple, and green apple. I’d say that Akimbo, Oakcha’s copycat iteration, is about 85% on point. You smell the pineapple and green apple notes right away, but they are a bit too overpowering and cloying in this case, and you don’t get as much of the amber, rose, and ylang ylang notes compared to the original. It does have a lovely projection and you can smell it from a distance. Overall, Aventus For Her edges out Akimbo for me as I prefer how the former interacts on my skin and it’s a bit more complex. But given Akimbo offers great value-for-money, I’m going to use it as an everyday stand-in and save my Creed for special occasions.” — Venus Wong, Senior Writer
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Byredo Gypsy Water
The designer: Byredo Gypsy Water, $225 for 1.6 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Morning Rain, $45 for 1.7 oz
“Byredo’s Gypsy Water is my all-time favorite unisex scent. It has that rare alchemy of refreshing, creamy, and woodsy notes that smell interesting on both me and my partner, albeit in different ways. On him, the scent reminds me of a sharp gin and tonic — the juniper and pine notes immediately jump out — while it has a more subtle profile on my skin. I would say that Oakcha’s Morning Rain is like a more palatable younger sibling to Gypsy Water. While you can still detect the citrusy and leafy top notes, the vanilla, amber, and sandalwood base is more prominent, making this a muskier and warmer experience. I would even say that Morning Rain has a lovelier initial blast compared to the original, since it smells less alcoholic to my nose. I do find that it requires a few more sprays to get my desired level of sillage [diffusion of the scent as you move around]. But given this retails for less than a quarter of Byredo’s price tag, I feel rather comfortable dousing myself in the perfume. My partner also loves it, so I’m certain we’ll go through the whole bottle in no time.” — Venus Wong, Senior Writer
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Valentino Donna Born In Roma
The designer: Valentino Donna Born In Roma, $135 for 1.7 oz
The dupe: Oakcha Love In Rome, $35 for 1.7 oz
“Born In Roma is my favorite summer daytime scent. I love it so much, I actually got the Uomo Born In Roma cologne for my fiancé so we can match on date nights. Needless to say, I was pretty familiar with it going into my test with Oakcha’s very similarly named Love In Rome, which boasted similar notes of blackcurrant, jasmine, and bourbon vanilla. While it has a similarly light, bright impression, Oakcha’s Love In Rome was overall more saccharine, bordering on powdery on my skin. It had pretty decent staying power, but the dry down had less of the fruity floral kick that I love from Valentino’s. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you love sweet scents, but definitely a point of differentiation to take note of.” — Karina Hoshikawa, Senior Writer
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