Ten swaps that save the most

This is the list for anyone who has stood at a fragrance counter, smelled something wonderful, seen the price, and put it back. Ten fragrances, and the cheapest bottle we can find that smells like each of them — compared fairly, per 100ml.

Ranked from 159 like-for-like comparisons where we know the bottle size on both sides.

1. 01 Bitter PeachTom Ford ≈ Paris Corner Just Peach $810 $24per 100ml −$786
2. 02 Rose PrickTom Ford ≈ Maison Alhambra Pink Velvet $810 $24per 100ml −$786
3. 03 Lost CherryTom Ford ≈ Maison Alhambra Lovely Chèrie $810 $28per 100ml −$782
4. 04 Fucking FabulousTom Ford ≈ The Essence Vault Fcking Fabulous $810 $32per 100ml −$778
5. 05 Cherry SmokeTom Ford ≈ The Essence Vault Cherry Smoke $810 $32per 100ml −$778
6. 06 Alexandria IIXerjoff ≈ Lattafa Ramz Gold $760 $30per 100ml −$730
7. 07 Oud MaracujaMaison Crivelli ≈ Emper Genius Oud Mystique $700 $30per 100ml −$670
8. 08 Black AfganoNasomatto ≈ Lattafa Ameer Al Oudh $650 $19per 100ml −$631
9. 09 Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de ParfumMaison Francis Kurkdjian ≈ ALT Fragrances Crystal Intense $707 $82per 100ml −$625
10. 10 Neroli PortofinoTom Ford ≈ The Dupe Spot Neroli Portofino #137 $600 $13per 100ml −$587

One house dominates

6 of the ten belong to Tom Ford. That is less a criticism than a measure of success: these are fragrances people want badly enough to look for another way to own them, and they carry some of the highest prices in our index.

Across these ten, the alternative costs on average 4% of the original. You keep the other 96%.

Try the first one

Tom Ford Bitter Peach works out at $810 per 100ml. Paris Corner Just Peach works out at $24. Here is what that means over a year.

What you would keep

If you get through 2 × 100ml a year

Bitter Peach

$1,620

Paris Corner Just Peach

$48

Back in your pocket

$1,572

Every fragrance above links to its full review, with every alternative we list, cheapest first. And the full ranking is on the swaps page.