The market for perfume ‘dupes’ has grown significantly and globally in recent years as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, commonly referred to as GCMS, has helped open the once secret and exclusive world of scent creation.

As GCMS can accurately break down the complex chemical profiles of a perfume, formulators are now able to replicate the same combination of ingredients within a perfume in different proportions which has facilitated the rise of the dupe. While GCMS is not yet advanced enough to pick up on all of the intricacies of a scent, for example, the exact proportion and blending of a scent’s notes and accords, it is creating a booming dupes industry, to the frustration of perfumers around the world (especially when a brand can market a dupe on the basis of such dupe being specifically inspired by a named fragrance).

Dupe scents have become popular as many original scents, it may be argued, are increasingly unaffordable. Dupe producers may argue that they are merely disrupting an unaffordable market by innovating.

The vast majority of consumers have historically owned and worn a signature scent, the same scent for every day and occasion, but in recent years, especially amongst later generations, there has been a marked shift towards having a fragrance wardrobe. Many consumers now regard perfume as a way to find their identity and evoke different feelings and moods – they want to explore. Dupes, on the basis of their affordability, are facilitating this exploration.

As in most (but not necessarily all) cases, with affordability comes issues. Quality and longevity may be compromised which is usually an important consideration for a purchaser. Additionally, supply chain issues arise, particularly concerning the sustainability of those supply chains and the protection of workers’ rights within them.

It’s important to note that affordability isn’t the only factor driving the rise of dupes. A lack of regulation in the industry has also played a significant role. For example, brands can label their product as an Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum without meeting specific standards—there’s no required amount of fragrance oil for these classifications. According to British perfume designer Azzi Glasser, what’s truly lacking in today’s fragrance industry is the art, performance, and originality that once defined it. This absence, she argues, is helping to fuel the growth of dupes.

<strong>Despite the above, dupe scents are, arguably, here to stay and as a result, in order to retain authenticity, Founder and CEO of Olfactive O, Olivia Da Costa, believes that the key is for fragrance founders to work hard at their story and to convince consumers that they’re investing in the totality of the brand, not just the scent.</strong>