Perfume guru shares 'worst' Zara fragrances - including 'disgusting' dupe

31 December 2023 , 15:43

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A perfume expert has been left unimpressed by Zara's 'dupe' perfumes (Stock Photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

This expert is not impressed with Zara's fragrance offerings.

Choosing a perfume to wear is a hugely personal experience because what fragrances appeal to you won't always be as attractive to other people. Any perfume fan knows that the fragrances can really set you back and the rise of "dupe" perfumes - cheaper copycat versions that smell similar to the high-end brands - has been a godsend for many people who are working with a tighter budget, but still want to wear a perfume regularly

Recently, high-street retailer Zara has been getting a lot of praise online for their "dupe" fragrances - but one perfume expert begs to differ when it comes to the quality of the retailer's fragrances.

Perfume expert Josephine goes by the username @jusderose online, and the content creator's work focuses on all things fragrance. In a video posted to her TikTok account, she broke down what she believes are the "worst" fragrances that Zara sells, that she does not think it is worth parting with your hard-earned money for.

The first one the content creator blasts is Incense Sunset, which she says "smells like a cheap household cleaning product, really synthetic, it's disgusting." Josephine rates this fragrance a mere one out of 10. The next scent she reviews is called Amber Petals, and it fares a little better under the expert's scrutiny with her declaring it 'not a bad scent per se. This is like a very pretty, musky floral scent."

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However, the content creator's main criticism for this one is that it simply doesn't last long enough. "It's gone within two minutes of application, poof! Like magic." For this lack of lasting ability, Josephine also rates this one a mere one out of ten.

Josephine also reviewed a perfume, which many have said is a great dupe of an expensive Diptyque fragrance called 'Philosykos' which retails at a whopping £148. The Zara "dupe" is called Ancestral Papyrus, and needless to say, the expert is not impressed.

"It's not the case," that this dupe matches up to the "expensive fig perfume," she argues, instead she describes the Zara fragrance as: "Picture this, you're mowing the lawn and the machine spits up the grass residue, this dried grass, it's slightly mouldy, this is what this perfume smells like."

Ancestral Papyrus scored on Josephine's rating system - you guessed it - "another one out of 10." If you were hoping to score yourself a cheaper fragrance from Zara, all is not lost, because Josephine has also rated the scents from the retailer she enjoys best in a longer video on her YouTube channel.

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Emma Mackenzie