I Tested Dossier's Under-$55 Dupes for Le Labo, Chanel, and More—These Impressed

Aside from perhaps Chanel N°5, Le Labo's Santal 33 is likely the most famous perfume of all time—a cult favorite that eventually became so favorited that it's now fairly mainstream. Layered with exquisite notes, this cult-favorite is so distinctly unique, it's hard not to recognize its scent. It's balanced but has a degree of sensuality and sophisication, making it suitable for wear pretty much whenever.

It's still one of the best-smelling icons in the fragrance industry, and Dossier's stab via Woody Sandalwood is eerily impressive. While the original contains violet accord, cardamom, iris, ambrox, cedarwood, leather, and sandalwood, Dossier's $40 number features violet leaves, cardamom, orris, ambrox, cedarwood, cypress, musk, sandalwood, and amber. 

Before Rihanna launched her own perfume, it was known across the lands that Kilian Paris's Love, Don't Be Shy was the singer's absolute signature scent. This luxurious and gourmand fragrance is sweet and citrusy, but it's not so intense that it's overwhelming to your olfactory senses. If you'd like a visual representation, the perfumer itself states that it feels like falling in love, knowing someone else inside and out. 

This smells sweet (so if you're not a sweet-perfume person, keep scrolling), but it is delicious, and the real question is Who doesn't want to smell like Rihanna? Dossier's version is an intricate replicate, including Kilian's famed trio of marshmallow, vanilla, and orange blossom alongside neroli, bergamot, honeysuckle, jasmine, orris, amber, vanilla, and musk. It's a show-stealing scent, so prepare for compliments from strangers and loved ones alike. 

There is just something so ethereally dreamy about Jo Malone's salt-crusted, wind-whipped, and cliffside-inspired cologne. I don't normally love green or overly earthy fragrances, but this one is creamy and rich enough to really ground it and turn it into magic once it hits your skin. (You can thank a seaside collision of ambrette seeds, sage, and sea salt.) The combination of freshness and wood is uniquely original, unlike anything out there on the fragrance market. It feels light and like it has depth, all at the same time.

Dossier's version is very similar, as the brand uses a mineral salty accord and calone for that quintessential whiff of sea breeze plus other key players like fig tree, grapefruit, marine notes, ambrette, clary sage, and amber wood. Dare I say it's even better?

MFK's ultra-iconic Baccarat Rouge 540 has created such a frenzy in the fragrance-and-beauty space recently I actually dedicated an entire article to similar fragrances that won't put a supermassive black hole on your credit card balance. Launched in 2016 by luxury fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdijan, it's inspired by the vivacious red, Baccarat crystal—the number 540 comes from the temperature that is needed to turn the glass that stunning shade of red. My favorite part? The saffron top note in this the scent is just otherworldly, captivating you from the first spritz.

Thus, it probably doesn't come as much of a surprise that Dossier's amber- and saffron-infused take (also containing orange blossom, jasmine, plum, cedarwood, oakmoss, and fir balsam) was the best and cheapest dupe I could find to the real $335 thing. Due to popular demand, it sells out fast and frequently, so don't procrastinate. 

Chanel's fruity-floral ingenue Chance Eau Tendre was one of the very first "big-girl" perfumes I initially became obsessed with in high school. So yes, it's a fragrance I hold very near and dear to my heart and which I'm still very much besotted with. Marked on every big magazines' pages from Elle to Vogue, this fruity and citrusy smell has been around for close to 21 years now.

Chanel's blend of grapefruit-quince, white musks, jasmine, citron, and teakwood holds a ton of nostalgia for me, something that was completely replicated once I got a whiff of Dossier's $29 melding of grapefruit, pear, blackcurrant, hyacinth, jasmine, lilac, orris, musks, and amber wood.

From October through December, I almost exclusively wear my unmatchable forever-favorite Replica perfume, By the Fireplace. It's quite the memorable scent, layering perfectly onto clean skin—it's warm and sweet, like a Negroni or Hot Toddy, thanks to notes like orange flower, pink peppercorn, and balsam.

This unmatchable fragrance quite literally smells like a crackling fireplace offset by flame-crusted marshmallows and toasty chestnuts. Or rather, I thought it was unmatchable until I tried Dossier's Woody Chestnut—a dead-ringer scent featuring the same famed trio of notes—clove, chestnut, and vanilla—with just as much cozy appeal minus the $165 investment.

Having to choose just one favorite perfume from Diptyque feels like cruel and unusual punishment, but if absolutely pressed, Do Son would have to be my top pick. (And many others in the fashion-and-beauty space would likely agree—it's become a universal cult favorite among yummy-smelling people everywhere.) It is the epitome of a floral fragrance, like sticking your nose into a fresh bouquet of flowers.

So can Dossier's $29 version actually hold a candle? Well, yes. Yes, it surprisingly can. Tuberose (along with orange blossom and jasmine) is really the shining star note within Diptyque's beloved concoction, and the same goes for Dossier's Ambery Tuberose. The all-star notes? Orange blossom, rose, tuberose, daffodil, benzoin, musk, and orris.

While it might be daunting to mess with one of the most iconic scents of all time (and a legendary best seller within the Tom Ford fragrance family), Dossier's Spicy Orchid is an applause-worthy doppelgänger. 
As someone who's worn the original since I first became obsessed with perfume in high school (fun fact: It's been around since 2006), I can confirm that Dossier's intricate blend of cinnamon, pink pepper, mandarin, ylang-ylang, orchid, plum, sandalwood, vanilla, incense, and patchouli guarantees satisfaction and a happier bank account. It might be missing Black Orchid's infamous addition of aphrodisiacal black truffle, but fear not—Dossier's version is just as seductive. 

Byredo's Bal d'Afrique is one of the brand's all-time most beloved scents—it's a celebratory blend of olfactory genius, specifically crafted to celebrate the reach and influence of Africa through time, "particularly the way its myriad of cultures have shaped dance, art, and music," according to the brand. Byredo's known for it's ethereal storytelling capability, whether it be through fragrance or color makeup, and Bal d'Afrique is no exception.

Byredo's classic is a sparkling hit of bergamot, African marigold, buchu, violet, cyclamen, vetiver, and Moroccan cedarwood, and Dossier's remix comes pretty damn close, with intersecting notes like bergamot, violet, vetiver, cedarwood, and buchu. 

I've loved YSL's sweet yet somehow not sickly fragrance, Black Opium, for years. (It also happens to be the scent Zoë Kravitz is the face of for the brand!) So I was curious to see how Dossier's $29 version would compare to the rich and intense perfume, especially because this beauty smells so differently on everyone who wears it.

Surprise, surprise: I truly could not tell a difference from my longtime, more expensive fave. Just like the OG, it contains key notes like coffee, white flowers, and vanilla. For those who love a warm and sweet gourmand fragrance that still feels complex and mature, this is for you.