For many years, both the French perfume companies Molinard and Fragonard created their own versions of popular perfumes.
You might find a Fragonard flacon with a name of a popular perfume by another company, this could be confusing, some early Fragonard perfume bottles may have sealing cord with a golden wax seal embossed with the initials PF, for Parfumerie Fragonard.
If you know what some of their perfumes are imitating and I have not mentioned it below, please let me know.
Remember, these are not going to smell exactly the same as their counterparts, but pretty close in most cases with some tweaking, though scent is always subjective. Though many of the Fragonard perfume names are old, some perfumes may have been reformulated in more recent times to resemble the newer counterparts based on modern tastes. On the other hand many people prefer the Fragonard versions of some of these fragrances.
Also remember that when the fragrance was initially produced, it may have been done so as an actual dupe or was inspired by a popular fragrance at THAT time. It may have eventually been pulled, and the NAME recycled for use of another fragrance at a later date. For example, a Fragonard perfume for women may have been imitating a popular perfume like White Linen because that was a best seller of the period. When the excitement and demand for the fragrance died down, the Fragonard perfume was pulled from production, then the same name was used for a totally different fragrance such as one for men or a new popular fragrance. Names are often recycled due to Fragonard already possessing a trademark or copyright to that particular name they are using in perfumery. Other brands do this too.
However, this may not always be the case. I could be totally wrong and I doubt Fragonard would admit to creating their own "versions" of the popular scents. Trade secrets exist for a reason.
Also please take into consideration that the "dupe" classifications next to the Fragonard perfume names are culled from various sites online where people leave a review and their impressions. Some of the Fragonard fragrances I have not been able to sample, therefore I take the decision to see what others think. Don't take it as gospel, form your own opinions. Someone might smell Oscar de la Renta and someone else might sample the fragrance and smell Bal a Versailles, scent is always going to be subjective. If you have any info to add, please let me know.
For instance, what does Fragonard's Baroque smell like to you?
Fragonard dupes of popular perfumes:
- Arielle = Amarige
- Baiser d'Aurole = Dune by Christian Dior
- Banjo = Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills
- Baroque =
- Belle Cherie = Nina by Nina Ricci
- Belle D'Avril =
- Belle de Nuit = J'Adore by Dior/Cabotine de Gres
- Belle Rive = Kenzo by Kenzo
- Bleu Riviera = Cool Water for Women by Davidoff/I love Dior by Dior/L'Eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake
- Billet Doux = L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci/Oeillet Sauvage by L'Artisan
- Capuchine = Flower by Kenzo
- Caresse = Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier/Oscar de la Renta
- Cette Nuit La =
- Chale Indien = Shalimar?
- Choc =
- Concerto = Azzaro Chrome/CKOne
- Confidentiel =
- Dahlia = Pleasures by Estee Lauder
- Desert =
- Diamant = Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel
- Eau de Bonheur = CK One by Calvin Klein/Eau des Merveilles by Hermes
- Eau de Fantasque = So Pretty by Cartier
- Eau de Hongrie (for men) = Eternity by Calvin Klein
- Eau Frivole (for men) = Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior
- Eclat = Hypnose by Lancome
- Emilie = Paris by YSL
- Etoile = Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana/Cheap & Chic I Love Love by Moschino
- Etoile du Sud = Eternity by Calvin Klein
- F! =
- Figuier Fleur = Jardin en Mediterranee by Hermes
- Fragonard de Fragonard = Anais Anais by Cacharel/Fidji by Guy Laroche
- Frivole =
- Gardenia Royal = Fracas?
- Grain de Soleil = l'Eau des Merveilles by Hermes
- Homme Elegant = Dior Homme Intense
- Ile d'Amour = Eternity by Calvin Klein/L'Eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake
- Jolly = Joy?
- Juste un Baiser = Lolita Lempicka by Lolita Lempicka
- Le Cinq = Chanel No. 5 by Chanel
- Lune de Miel = Tresor by Lancome/Hypnotic Poison by Dior
- Mademoiselle Amour =
- Maman Cherie = Miracle by Lancome
- Marche aux Fleurs =
- Mazurka = Givenchy III by Givenchy
- Melodie = Beautiful by Estee Lauder
- Mensonge = La Nuit de L'Homme by YSL
- Merveille = Ysatis by Givenchy
- Miranda = Papillon by Hanae Mori/JOOP!
- Moment Vole = L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci
- Murmure = Opium by YSL/Cinnabar by Estee Lauder
- Oui Madame =
- Papa Cherie =
- Parfum Supreme =
- Premier Peche =
- Reine des Coeurs = La Vie est Belle by Lancome, Prada Candy, Bon Bon by Viktor & Rolf, Coco Mademoiselle
- Rendezvous = White Linen by Estee Lauder
- Reve de Grasse = Poison by Christian Dior
- Reve Indien = Shalimar by Guerlain
- Royale Dry (for men) = Paco Rabanne by Paco Rabanne
- Santal =
- Sieste =
- Si Jolie = Joy by Jean Patou/Ode by Guerlain
- Soleil = Feraud de Louis Feraud
- Sorenza = Rose Kashmirie by Rosine
- Swing (for men) = Drakkar by Guy Laroche
- Suivez-Moi = said to be similar to Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier
- Toujours Fidele =
- Vetyver (for men) = Givenchy by Givenchy
- Vrai = Ô de Lancome
- Xmas E = Nuit de Noel by Caron
- Zizanie =
Si Jolie by Fragonard is quite similar to Joy by Patou and Ode, now discontinued, by Guerlain--so similar I use them interchangeably. Adore your site.
ReplyDeleteThe new one Reine De Coeurs resemble La vie est belle de Lancome...it seems to me...
ReplyDeleteVery Nice blog!
...and diamant is like a mild mild Angel de Thierry Mugler...
ReplyDeleteI don't notice this at all. I have a full bottle of both.
DeleteHow kind to list them.Rendez vous is White Linen as the sales assistant told me years ago.And Murmure rather more Cinnabar than Opium. Personally I experience Miranda like a Shalimar with a dry coconut accent. And when I tried Bellerives for the first time it felt like Passion by Annick Goutal and Eden by Cacharel. Well I now I also feel it is Kenzo.
ReplyDeleteRendezvous is magnificent - I am shocked to see it listed as a White Linen dupe though. I have 3 bottles of parfum and a 13.5 oz edt and it smells nothing at all like White Linen (which I absolutely detest) The perfumes it most resembles imo are Divine and Ysatis. I'd love to know about Oui Madame, I may end up having to take a risk to find out.
ReplyDeleteAgreed that it is magnificent! Thank you for posting, I have an old bottle of Rendezvous that I'm trying to find a replacement for. Just took another trip to Fragonard - but it is no longer available:( Probably could have found that out before going all the way to France - LOL (Great blog thank you!!) I will check out white linen as well as the 2 you suggest Laura!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this extremely helpful guide!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Frivole might have been based on Shalimar Initial. I haven't smelled Initial, only Initial l'eau, but according to notes lists I've seen, Initial and Frivole share bergamot, orange, jasmine, iris, and patchouli.
(Initial L'eau has Frivole's lily of the valley, but no patchouli.)
Diamant is my favorite, to me it is much nicer than Coco Mademoiselle, which I have something very desagreable to my nose in the opening. Frivole could take after Shalimar Initial EdP, but with the iris note really tuned down.
ReplyDeleteThe information on the blog is really brilliant and very helpfull, thank you!
Eclat is my favorite perfume of all time, enough to make me fly to France to buy it before it became available outside of France. I am peeved that it is discontinued.
ReplyDeleteI bought the Hypnose by Lancôme in the hopes that it was in fact a copy. The opening notes are vaguely similar, but middle notes and the final notes on the Lancôme are fruity and smells nothing like Eclat. Etoile and Diamant may come close, but not the same at all
So, I respectfully disagree.
I agree with this statement. Eclat will always be my all time favorite. If any one finds an actual close dupe please post. I use Sunset Riot by Allsaints. Its not the same but the only other scent I like apart from eclat.
Delete