Index: /llms.txt # Armani Code Dupes 2026: 6 Picks Compared Six Armani Code dupes set against the 2004 original, each with its source and what it changes. 10ML sells the original Armani Code as a 3ml or 10ml decant to wear first. By [Victoria Frolova](https://10ml.com/authors/victoria-frolova) · Updated: 28 October 2026 · 9 min read **We sell only the originals.** Every perfume we sell is the authentic original, decanted from the perfume house’s own bottle. We buy our bottles from authorized EU distributors and directly from the brands, and 10ML decants every perfume itself. We never sell dupes, clones or inspired-by perfumes. This guide compares the dupes other houses make of Armani Code, so you can choose, or wear the original first. [Or try the original from €7.65](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code) ## Quick answer The Armani Code dupe with the widest outside support is Black Sun by Salvador Dali, named in three Fragrantica threads, on Basenotes and in a Parfumo vote. LR Password by La Rive has the lowest bottle price, and Zegna Intenso is the lighter option. Code is a designer scent, and a 3ml costs €7.65. Want the real thing? Armani Code is €22.05 for a 10ml decant at 10ML. You can try the original, [Armani Code](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code), at 10ML as a 10 ml decant, before you choose a dupe. ## Prefer the original? **Armani Code** · Giorgio Armani · Decanted from the original bottle - [3ml €7.65 · €2.55/ml](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code?size=3ml) - [10ml €22.05 · €2.21/ml](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code?size=10ml) The alternatives: €0.15–€0.90/ml in other shops, checked 2 October 2026 ## What does Armani Code smell like? [Armani Code](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code) by Giorgio Armani is the men's scent from 2004 that started the line. It starts with [lemon](https://10ml.com/notes/lemon) and [bergamot](https://10ml.com/notes/bergamot), a short citrus flash. The heart is where its signature sits: anise, olive blossom and [guaiac wood](https://10ml.com/notes/guaiac-wood), a slightly sweet, liquorice-edged spice laid over a smooth, smoky wood. Underneath, [leather](https://10ml.com/notes/leather), [tonka bean](https://10ml.com/notes/tonka-bean) and [tobacco](https://10ml.com/notes/tobacco) give the dry-down its warm, soft-sweet finish. The accords read citrus, leather, anis, soft spicy and floral, then tobacco, sweet and vanilla. The anise against the leather is the pairing to look for in any alternative. ## Which Armani Code: Eau de Toilette, Parfum or Eau de Parfum? Code is a family, and a clone bottle is aimed at only one of them. Every Parfumo vote quoted here is cast against the 2004 Eau de Toilette. The two newer versions follow different note lists, so check which one you actually like before you shop for a substitute. [Armani Code Parfum](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code-parfum), from 2022, is an iris scent: bergamot and bergamot leaf, then iris, orris, aldehydes and clary sage, on cedar and tonka bean. [Armani Code Eau de Parfum (2024)](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code-eau-de-parfum-2024) is a short list of green mandarin, nutmeg and tonka bean, warmer and spicier on paper. Both are sold here in the same three sizes as the original. **Code in three strengths, and which pick each one gets** | Code version | Year | Profile | Pick that targets it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Eau de Toilette | 2004 | The original, described above | All six picks | | Parfum | 2022 | Bergamot and powdery iris over cedar and tonka | None of the six picks is compared with it | | Eau de Parfum | 2024 | Green mandarin and nutmeg over tonka | None of the six picks is compared with it | ## Armani Code alternatives compared Bottle prices in other shops, as checked 2 October 2026 Perfumes made and sold by other houses. 10ML does not sell them. | # | Alternative | Role | Basis of comparison | Source | Bottle price | Per ml | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Black Sun (Salvador Dali) | Best overall | Named source | [Source](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/Salvador_Dali/Black_Sun/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette) | No EU price | — | | 2 | LR Password (La Rive) | Lowest price | Named source | [Source](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/La_Rive/L_Password/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette) | €11.02 (75 ml) | €0.15/ml | | 3 | Zegna Intenso (Ermenegildo Zegna) | Softer take | Named source | [Source](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/Ermenegildo_Zegna/Zegna_Intenso_Eau_de_Toilette/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette) | No EU price | — | | 4 | Le Male In Blue (Jean Paul Gaultier) | Sweeter take | Named source | [Source](https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Le-Male-In-Blue-Outrageous-Plagiarism-Of-The-Original-Armani-Code-24624.html) | €87.99 (125 ml) | €0.70/ml | | 5 | Ambery Lavender (Dossier) | Fresher take | Named source | [Source](https://dossier.co/products/ambery-lavender) | €29.00 (50 ml) | €0.58/ml | | 6 | Split (FIORE) | Premium alternative | Named source | [Source](https://fioreparfums.de/products/split) | €45.00 (50 ml) | €0.90/ml | ## Best overall: Black Sun Black Sun by Salvador Dali leads this guide because more separate sources point to it than to any other pick. Of the members voting on [Parfumo's Black Sun and Code match-up](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/Salvador_Dali/Black_Sun/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette), more than three in five judge it similar to the 2004 Code. Several [Basenotes members](https://basenotes.com/threads/is-there-anything-similar-to-armani-code.309160/) name it when asked what resembles Code, and it comes up in three Fragrantica forum threads. The main difference is sweetness. A [Fragrantica forum member](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=185247) who tried both it and Zegna Intenso finds Black Sun the closer of the two by far, but a bit sweeter and stronger than Code. In a [second thread](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=182837), a member finds it very close to the original Code while noting a dry-down less balanced between citrus, leather and tonka. Members of a [third thread](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=43257) call the two very alike and pick up vanilla at the end; one of them says it turns very sweet after a while and resembles Code mainly at the start. It suits someone who loves the opening of Code and does not mind a sweeter finish. It can be hard to find: we found no EU shop with it in stock when we checked prices. Basis: a named source, the Parfumo vote, three Fragrantica threads and Basenotes members. ## Lowest price: LR Password Of the four bottles with a dated price, La Rive's LR Password costs least, and it has the highest share of similar votes of any pick here: on [Parfumo's comparison page](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/La_Rive/L_Password/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette), about five in six voting members rate the pair similar, set against the 2004 Code. Members on its [Fragrantica page](https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/La-Rive/LR-Password-33289.html) describe an anise note over a woody, leathery, sweet background, which is the Code pairing in outline. The main difference is finish and strength. The same Fragrantica members find it more synthetic, more powdery and much weaker than Code, and one of them gets more Burberry Touch than Code from it. A [forum member who bought a bottle](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=326374) was let down by how faint it was and how soon it went. It suits someone who wants the anise-and-leather idea for the smallest outlay and expects to reapply. Basis: a named source, the Parfumo vote and members on Fragrantica, with the complaints about strength kept in. ## Softer take: Zegna Intenso Zegna Intenso by Ermenegildo Zegna is here because owners keep linking it to Code. On [Parfumo's comparison page](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/Ermenegildo_Zegna/Zegna_Intenso_Eau_de_Toilette/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette), exactly three in five voters see a likeness, and [Basenotes members](https://basenotes.com/threads/is-there-anything-similar-to-armani-code.309160/) name it in the same breath as Black Sun. The main difference is richness. Owners on the [Fragrantica forum](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=185247) find it close to Code but not as rich: lighter and more playful, with the same vibe. The member who tried both picks there preferred Black Sun as the nearer match. It suits someone who finds Code a little dense and wants the same mood in a lighter key. Its price cell is empty: we have no dated price for it. Basis: a named source, the Parfumo vote, Fragrantica owners and Basenotes members. ## Sweeter take: Le Male In Blue A Fragrantica columnist reads Le Male In Blue by Jean Paul Gaultier as a take on Code. In [his editorial](https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Le-Male-In-Blue-Outrageous-Plagiarism-Of-The-Original-Armani-Code-24624.html), Eddie Bulliqi writes that it borrows the touchpoints of the original Armani Code, setting anise and leather against the lavender of Le Male, and that it settles on the familiar Le Male vanilla base. The main difference is that vanilla base, the source of its "sweeter" label. Its [Fragrantica listing](https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jean-Paul-Gaultier/Le-Male-In-Blue-122212.html) gives blue lavender, an anise accord and benzoin; lavender and benzoin are not on the Code list. Not every reader agrees with the columnist: commenters under the editorial dispute the likeness. It suits someone who already wears Le Male and wants its vanilla with an anise-and-leather twist. Basis: a named source, the Fragrantica editorial and listing, with the commenters' dissent noted. ## Fresher take: Ambery Lavender Ambery Lavender by Dossier rests on the house's own word, with no outside backing. [Dossier markets it](https://dossier.co/products/ambery-lavender) as inspired by Armani Code. The note list it publishes is lavender, bergamot and grapefruit, then tarragon, guaiac wood and neroli, on benzoin, cedarwood and tonka bean. The main difference, going by that list, is the missing signature. It shares bergamot, guaiac wood and tonka with Code, but lists no anise, leather or tobacco. Grapefruit, tarragon and lavender take their place, which is why it carries the "fresher" label here. Whether it reads like Code on skin is something no independent source we found has reported. It suits a buyer drawn to a lavender-and-citrus list with Code's guaiac and tonka underneath, who is happy to take the maker's description on trust. Basis: a named source, the house's product page only. ## Premium alternative: Split Split by FIORE also rests only on its maker's description. [FIORE markets Split](https://fioreparfums.de/products/split) as inspired by Armani Code and offers it at extrait de parfum strength, made in Grasse. Per ml it has the highest price in the table. The main difference we can state is the format: an extrait de parfum, as the house describes it. FIORE's claim gives no comparison of notes, and we found no member or editorial verdict on the pair, so, like Ambery Lavender, it rests on the house's word alone. It suits a buyer after an extrait-strength bottle who accepts that the likeness is the house's claim, not a finding. Basis: a named source, FIORE's product page. ## Similar original perfumes we stock Originals from other houses that share part of the citrus, leather and guaiac frame of Code, each as a decant from the original bottle. | # | Perfume | Main notes | 3 ml | 10 ml | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [Memo Paris Sicilian Leather](https://10ml.com/perfumes/memo-paris-sicilian-leather) | Lemon, bergamot, guaiac wood and leather, sharpened with bitter orange, lime, cardamom and coriander. | €14.94 (€4.98/ml) | €40.23 (€4.02/ml) | | 2 | [Bvlgari Bvlgari Man In Black](https://10ml.com/perfumes/bvlgari-man-in-black) | Leather, tobacco, guaiac wood and tonka bean under rum and spices, with iris and tuberose: darker and boozier. | €7.29 (€2.43/ml) | €22.05 (€2.21/ml) | | 3 | [Hugo Boss Boss The Scent](https://10ml.com/perfumes/hugo-boss-the-scent) | Bergamot and leather with mandarin, ginger, maninka and lavender: a fruitier, more aromatic leather. | €6.84 (€2.28/ml) | €18.90 (€1.89/ml) | ## Where the picks part from Code Read across the six sections, two gaps recur. The first is sugar: Black Sun turns sweeter late, and Le Male In Blue ends on vanilla, where the 2004 Code finishes on leather and tobacco with tonka in support. The second is substance: LR Password and Zegna Intenso are both described by members as thinner, one weaker and more synthetic, the other lighter and less rich. The two house-claim picks, Ambery Lavender and Split, have no independent verdict at all. If the anise heart is what you love, LR Password and Le Male In Blue are the only picks whose sources mention anise. For a darker iris-and-leather designer and its clones, see our [Dior Homme Intense dupes](https://10ml.com/guides/dior-homme-intense-dupes); for a sweeter men's designer, the [Versace Eros dupes](https://10ml.com/guides/versace-eros-dupes). ## Decant or clone bottle: the sums for Armani Code With Code, the decant prices are low enough to set straight against the clone bottles. A 3ml of [Armani Code](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code), around 60 sprays, is €7.65. For a 10ml decant of Code, around 200 sprays, you pay €22.05, or €2.21/ml; the 30ml keeps around 600 sprays for see the product page, which works out at see the product page. Set those against the dated bottle prices in the table before you decide. Counted per ml, all four priced bottles in the table undercut a Code decant, so a big bottle still wins if you already know you want to spray it daily. But with Code, the cost of finding out is small. A week with the 3ml tells you whether Code's anise and leather are what you are after, or whether the iris of the [Parfum](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code-parfum) or the nutmeg of the [2024 Eau de Parfum](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code-eau-de-parfum-2024) suits you better, which no clone can tell you. For the same sums on other perfumes, see the [price per ml index](https://10ml.com/guides/perfume-price-per-ml-index) or read [when a decant beats a full bottle](https://10ml.com/guides/decant-vs-full-bottle). ## Authentic perfumes in the same family Code's lemon, guaiac and leather turn up in three originals 10ML also decants. [Sicilian Leather](https://10ml.com/perfumes/memo-paris-sicilian-leather) by Memo Paris keeps lemon, bergamot, guaiac wood and leather, then adds bitter orange, lime, cardamom and coriander for a sharper citrus-spice take. [Man In Black](https://10ml.com/perfumes/bvlgari-man-in-black) by Bvlgari shares leather, tobacco, guaiac wood and tonka bean, but opens on rum and spices and adds iris and tuberose, a darker and boozier route. [Boss The Scent](https://10ml.com/perfumes/hugo-boss-the-scent) by Hugo Boss shares bergamot and leather, with mandarin, ginger, maninka and lavender in between, a fruitier and more aromatic leather. All three are decanted to order, so you can put one beside Code in the same week. ## How to test a dupe Code's anise is the detail to judge, and it lives in the heart, not the first spray. Put the original on one forearm in the morning and a clone on the other arm the next day, and note three things: whether the lemon fades into anise or into something sweeter, whether leather is still there once it has settled, and how much vanilla has crept in by the evening. A 3ml of [Armani Code](https://10ml.com/perfumes/giorgio-armani-code) covers a fair week of those checks. If decants are new to you, [this explainer](https://10ml.com/guides/what-is-a-perfume-decant) covers how they are filled, and [our blind-buy guide](https://10ml.com/guides/blind-buy-alternative) covers why they exist. ## Clone or original? What to know first ### Can I wear Armani Code for a week before buying a clone bottle? Yes. Armani Code comes in 3ml, 10ml and 30ml decants, each filled from the original bottle. Its 3ml, around 60 sprays, costs €7.65 and covers a week of wear; the 10ml decant holds around 200 sprays for €22.05. ### Why is Black Sun the Armani Code dupe this guide puts first? Because the most separate sources back it: a Parfumo comparison vote, three Fragrantica forum threads and Basenotes members all link it to the 2004 Code. Its own supporters say it runs sweeter, with vanilla at the end, and resembles Code most at the start. ### LR Password has the highest similar-vote share on Parfumo, so what is the catch? Its strength on skin. The same Fragrantica members who pick up anise over a woody, leathery, sweet background also find it more synthetic, more powdery and much weaker than Code, and one forum member who bought it was disappointed by how faint it was. ### Is there a dupe for Armani Code Parfum rather than the 2004 original? Not among these six. Every Parfumo vote quoted here is cast against the 2004 Eau de Toilette, and the Parfum is a different, iris-led composition with bergamot, orris, clary sage, cedar and tonka bean. A 3ml of the Parfum is €7.29 if that is the one you like. ### Which of the picks keep the anise and leather of Armani Code? LR Password and Le Male In Blue. Fragrantica members describe anise over leather in LR Password, and a Fragrantica columnist says Le Male In Blue pairs anise and leather with lavender before a vanilla base. Ambery Lavender, by the list its maker publishes, has neither. ### Counted per ml, do Armani Code clones beat a 10ml decant? Per ml, yes: all four priced bottles in the comparison table come in under a Code decant (€2.21/ml for a 10ml decant). The decant wins on the cost of finding out: a 3ml of the original is €7.65. ### Does 10ML sell dupes? No. 10ML sells only original perfumes. We buy our bottles from authorized EU distributors and directly from the brands, and 10ML decants every perfume itself. The dupes in this guide are other houses’ perfumes, and we don’t sell them. You can wear the original first from €7.65. ## Sources - [Black Sun vs Armani Code (Parfumo comparison)](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/Salvador_Dali/Black_Sun/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette) - [Does Armani Code have a clone? (Fragrantica forum)](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=185247) - [Alternatives to Armani Code (Fragrantica forum)](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=182837) - [Perfumes that smell like Armani Code for Men (Fragrantica forum)](https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=43257) - [Is there anything similar to Armani Code? (Basenotes forum)](https://basenotes.com/threads/is-there-anything-similar-to-armani-code.309160/) - [LR Password vs Armani Code (Parfumo comparison)](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/La_Rive/L_Password/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette) - [LR Password by La Rive (Fragrantica)](https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/La-Rive/LR-Password-33289.html) - [Zegna Intenso vs Armani Code (Parfumo comparison)](https://www.parfumo.com/compare/Ermenegildo_Zegna/Zegna_Intenso_Eau_de_Toilette/vs/Giorgio_Armani/Armani_Code_Black_Code_Eau_de_Toilette) - [Le Male In Blue and the original Armani Code (Fragrantica editorial)](https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Le-Male-In-Blue-Outrageous-Plagiarism-Of-The-Original-Armani-Code-24624.html) - [Le Male In Blue by Jean Paul Gaultier (Fragrantica)](https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jean-Paul-Gaultier/Le-Male-In-Blue-122212.html) - [Ambery Lavender (Dossier)](https://dossier.co/products/ambery-lavender) - [Split (FIORE)](https://fioreparfums.de/products/split) ## How we compared Each alternative is ranked by how closely it follows the notes and dry-down of Armani Code, on the basis shown for it in the table. Prices in other shops are as checked on 2 October 2026 and change often; the 10ML prices on this page are live. 10ML is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Giorgio Armani or by the houses of the alternatives named here. Their names are used only to identify the perfumes compared.