Index: /llms.txt # How to compare a dupe with the original: a home method Compare an inspired-by perfume from another house with the original using blind strips, separate skin days and a written record. Start with the original in 3ml or 10ml. By [Antoine Mercier](https://10ml.com/authors/antoine-mercier) · 31 October 2026 · 8 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. The dupes in this guide are made and sold by other houses; we compare them so you can choose, or wear the original first. To compare a dupe with the original, start with a simple plan: compare labelled strips without seeing the names, then wear each perfume on a separate day. Keep the application spot and routine consistent, and write down what you notice from opening to evening. You can get the original in a 3ml or 10ml decant from 10ML to compare with an inspired-by perfume from another house. ## Decide what you want to compare Start with the exact original named on your decant. Record its name and concentration, where listed, beside the other perfume's details. Do not silently switch versions halfway through your comparison. If the bottle you have differs from the version discussed in a guide, keep that distinction in your notes. Choose your question before spraying. Do you want to compare the opening, the later character, or which fragrance you enjoy wearing? Those are separate questions. A verdict about your favourite does not need to become a verdict about how closely another house's dupe follows the original. Use this as a method for your own observations, not as a finished comparison of any particular pair. The original perfumes below give you a starting point. There are no results here for an unnamed inspired-by fragrance, and no ranking of clones. ## Original perfumes for your comparison Choose the original that belongs in your comparison, then describe your own wearing before reading other people's verdicts. | # | Perfume | Main notes | 3 ml | 10 ml | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [Creed Aventus](https://10ml.com/perfumes/creed-aventus) | Fruit and citrus lead into pineapple and patchouli, with birch, musk and woody notes beneath. | €11.88 (€3.96/ml) | €35.91 (€3.59/ml) | | 2 | [Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540](https://10ml.com/perfumes/maison-francis-kurkdjian-baccarat-rouge-540) | Saffron and jasmine above amberwood and ambergris, with cedar, oakmoss and ambroxan in the base. | €16.11 (€5.37/ml) | €40.32 (€4.03/ml) | | 3 | [Parfums de Marly Delina](https://10ml.com/perfumes/parfums-de-marly-delina) | Litchi and rhubarb open onto Turkish rose and peony, followed by incense, cedar and Haitian vetiver. | €14.85 (€4.95/ml) | €40.05 (€4.01/ml) | | 4 | [Xerjoff Erba Pura](https://10ml.com/perfumes/xerjoff-erba-pura) | Citrus and fruits over white musk, Madagascar vanilla and amber, with sweet and powdery accords. | €11.07 (€3.69/ml) | €30.60 (€3.06/ml) | | 5 | [Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille](https://10ml.com/perfumes/tom-ford-tobacco-vanille) | Tobacco leaf and spice, a vanilla and cacao heart, then dried fruits and woody notes. | €18.18 (€6.06/ml) | €50.40 (€5.04/ml) | ## Start with blind strips Ask someone to mark separate fragrance strips with letters and keep the names hidden. Have them record which letter belongs to which perfume. Keep the strips apart, and use a matching application approach for each. Record that approach rather than assuming different atomisers dispense equal amounts. Smell each strip separately and write a short description before returning to the other. Start with ordinary words: bright or dark, dry or sweet, soft or sharp. You do not need to identify every note. If nothing clear comes to mind, leave the space blank rather than borrowing a description. Set the strips aside and return to them later. Record whether your description changes, without looking at the names. Reveal the labels only after you have written your observations. Keep the strips as a preliminary exercise; make the wearing decision after the skin stage. If you are comparing alone, label the strips clearly anyway. Be honest that you know which is which. A useful record does not need to pretend to be a blind exercise when it is not. ## Wear each perfume on a separate skin day For the skin comparison, give each fragrance its own day rather than placing the pair on opposite wrists. This lets you describe the perfume you are wearing without repeatedly moving between them. Leave the other fragrance off your clothes and skin that day. Choose an application spot and use it again on the other day. Keep your usual skin preparation consistent. Avoid adding another scented product to the spot, and note anything you could not keep consistent, such as weather, exercise or time spent outdoors. Record the application time and spray count. Keep the count consistent as a practical starting point, but note obvious differences in the atomisers. Do not top up during the comparison. If you do, mark the top-up and treat the later observations separately. Repeat the comparison if the days were too different to be useful. You do not need to force an answer from a rushed morning against an unusually busy evening. On a repeat, reverse which perfume you wear first and use the same record sheet. ## Check the opening, the middle and the finish Use checkpoints at the opening, after an hour, after four hours and at the end of your day. These are reminders to observe, not predictions of how long either fragrance will remain noticeable. If you miss a checkpoint, record when you actually checked rather than filling the gap from memory. At the opening, describe what catches your attention first. Later, ask what has moved forward and what you no longer notice. At the final check, write what you can actually detect, including a blank result if that is your experience. Keep the description and your preference separate. “Sweeter than I wanted” contains both an observation and a preference; put them in different spaces. You might enjoy a clear difference, or find a shared feature less appealing than expected. For help reading the reference notes, use [fragrance notes explained](https://10ml.com/guides/perfume-notes-explained). Treat the listed notes as prompts for attention, not a checklist you must complete. Write your impressions before rereading a detailed description. ## Keep a descriptive comparison sheet Use the same questions for each wearing. A few specific words are more helpful than a total score when you decide what belongs in your fragrance wardrobe. **A record sheet for each wearing** | Checkpoint | Scent description | Where you notice the scent | Your preference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Opening | What stands out first? | Where do you notice it? | What do you enjoy or dislike? | | After an hour | What has changed? | Is it noticeable without seeking it? | Do you want to keep wearing it? | | After four hours | What remains prominent? | What can you detect at this check? | Has your preference changed? | | End of day | What can you still describe? | What can someone else notice? | Would you choose it again? | Ask someone else for a short observation without telling them which perfume you are wearing. Use the same question and a comparable distance on both days. Record their words separately from yours, including when they notice nothing. Do not turn a friend's impression into a general claim about either fragrance. Keep longevity separate from projection in your record. Note when you last detected the scent and whether you were checking close to the application spot. For the terminology, read [what sillage means](https://10ml.com/guides/what-is-sillage). Your observations belong to those wearings, not to everyone who might try the perfume. ## Five originals you can use as a reference Choose the original relevant to the inspired-by perfume you already want to compare. These are reference options, not a shopping list you need to complete. Each has a linked guide to other houses' dupes; keep that guide's comparisons separate from your own notes. ### Aventus by Creed [Aventus](https://10ml.com/perfumes/creed-aventus) lists bergamot, black currant, apple, lemon and pink pepper at the top. Pineapple, patchouli and Moroccan jasmine form the heart, followed by birch, musk, oak moss, ambroxan and cedarwood. Its fruity, woody and smoky accords give you distinct features to notice through the wearing. Community voters most often choose it for spring and summer. Use the [Aventus dupe guide](https://10ml.com/guides/creed-aventus-dupes) for the separate discussion of other houses' perfumes. In your own record, ask how the fruit and woody character change rather than deciding from the opening alone. ### Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian [Baccarat Rouge 540](https://10ml.com/perfumes/maison-francis-kurkdjian-baccarat-rouge-540) here is the [Eau de Parfum](https://10ml.com/guides/eau-de-parfum-vs-eau-de-toilette). Saffron and jasmine lead into a heart that lists hedione alongside amberwood and ambergris. Cedar and oakmoss share the base with sugar and ambroxan. Woody, amber and warm spicy accords sit alongside metallic and white floral facets in its accord list. Night and evening are the times of day community voters pick most often. When reading the [Baccarat Rouge 540 dupe guide](https://10ml.com/guides/baccarat-rouge-540-dupes), keep the concentration in view. Use this original as the reference for your chosen comparison, and describe what you notice without predicting the result. ### Delina by Parfums de Marly [Delina](https://10ml.com/perfumes/parfums-de-marly-delina) begins with litchi, rhubarb, bergamot and nutmeg. The heart pairs peony with Turkish rose, adding vanilla, Petalia and musk. Its base brings Haitian vetiver together with cedar, Cashmeran and incense. Its accords describe a rose, floral and fruity character, with fresh and musky facets. Spring is the season community voters choose most often. The [Delina dupe guide](https://10ml.com/guides/delina-dupes) covers other houses' interpretations. For your comparison, give the opening fruit, floral heart and later woody notes separate space in your record instead of reducing the whole wearing to “rose”. ### Erba Pura by Xerjoff [Erba Pura](https://10ml.com/perfumes/xerjoff-erba-pura) lists Sicilian orange, Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian lemon at the top, then fruits in the heart. White musk, Madagascar vanilla and amber form the base. The listed accords bring citrus and fruit together with sweet, musky and powdery character. Community voters most often choose summer and spring. Read the [Erba Pura dupe guide](https://10ml.com/guides/erba-pura-dupes) for its own comparison topic. On your wearing days, leave room to describe the citrus opening separately from the fruit, musk and vanilla you notice later. ### Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford [Tobacco Vanille](https://10ml.com/perfumes/tom-ford-tobacco-vanille) puts spicy notes beside tobacco leaf in its opening. The heart lists cacao and tonka bean alongside vanilla and tobacco blossom. Dried fruits meet woody notes in the base. Its listed accords include vanilla, sweet, tobacco and warm spicy, with cacao among them. Winter and autumn lead the community's season votes. Use the [Tobacco Vanille dupe guide](https://10ml.com/guides/tobacco-vanille-dupes) for the named comparisons. In your own record, ask which parts you notice together and which take turns, without assuming what another house's fragrance will do. ## Read your notes before choosing a bottle Lay the wearing records beside each other after both days are complete. Look for repeated differences and repeated preferences. Keep a single striking opening separate from a preference that survives the whole wearing. If the result is unclear, repeat the exercise rather than inventing a firmer verdict. Finish with plain sentences: what each fragrance emphasised, what changed during wear, and which you would reach for again. You can prefer another house's dupe while recognising differences, or prefer the original without making claims about an entire category. For the purchase-format question, read [dupe or original decant](https://10ml.com/guides/dupe-or-original-decant). Keep that price discussion separate from this scent exercise. To begin, browse [perfume decants](https://10ml.com/perfume-samples) and choose the relevant original from 10ML in 3ml or 10ml. Wear it, record it, then decide. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I get the original in a small size for a dupe comparison? Yes. The originals featured here are available from 10ML as 3ml and 10ml decants. Choose the original relevant to the inspired-by perfume from another house that you want to compare. ### How should I test a perfume dupe against the original on skin? Wear each perfume on a separate day, using a consistent application spot and routine. Record the application, your observations during the day and anything that differed between the wearing days. ### How can I describe whether my dupe is close to the original? Describe specific shared features and differences from your own wearings rather than reducing them to a single number. Keep the opening, later character and your personal preference separate in your notes. ### Does a side-by-side perfume comparison need both perfumes on my wrists? No. Use separate labelled strips for the preliminary comparison, then give each perfume its own skin day. Compare the written records afterwards instead of wearing both fragrances together. ### What if I prefer another house's inspired-by perfume? Record that preference separately from your description of the differences. The exercise is meant to help you choose what you enjoy wearing, not to force a particular outcome. ### 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.