From mainstream to niche

Many people arrive at niche perfumery starting from a famous fragrance: they love it, but they smell it on too many people, or they want something that lasts longer and better expresses who they are. The good news is that you don't need to start from scratch: the fragrance you love is already the map to finding the next one.

The method, in three steps

1. Discover how your fragrance is made. Every fragrance belongs to one or more fragrance families (floral, woody, oriental, gourmand, aromatic...) and has certain notes that make it recognizable. Not all of them matter: what matters are the ones you smell the most, usually in the heart and the base.

2. Look for the same notes, in a different version. A niche fragrance you will like is not a copy: it has the same soul, but tells it with more personal raw materials and choices. If you love coffee and vanilla in your fragrance, look for niche fragrances built on coffee and vanilla.

3. Try it on your skin. With a sample, for at least two days. Only then will you understand if it is truly the right step.

Three concrete examples

If you love Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent

Black Opium is a gourmand fragrance built on coffee, vanilla, and white flowers. Those who love it often enjoy Montale Intense Café, which combines coffee, rose, amber, and vanilla: the same indulgent heart, but with rose instead of white flowers and a more ambery base. For a more intense and roasted version, there is Ristretto Intense Café.

If you love Sauvage Elixir by Dior

Sauvage Elixir is spicy and aromatic: nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, lavender, licorice, woods, and amber. It has the same soul as Initio Oud for Greatness, which starts with lavender, saffron, and nutmeg and settles on oud and patchouli: darker and woodier, for those who want to take a decisive step towards niche.

If you love La Nuit de L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

La Nuit de L'Homme is aromatic and spicy, with cardamom, lavender, cedar, and vetiver. Those who love it for its spicy and woody side can discover Andy Tauer L'Air du Désert Marocain: coriander, cumin, incense, cedar, and vetiver, drier and resinous, like the hot air of the desert.

We have prepared a page for each of the best-known fragrances, with their notes and the niche fragrances that resemble them: you can find them all in If you love a famous fragrance. For example, if you love Tobacco Vanille or if you love Baccarat Rouge 540.

Why we don't talk about "copies"

A niche fragrance is not born to imitate a famous fragrance, and it will never be identical. What we can do is recognize the notes and families you love and point you towards the fragrances that share their soul. Often the result is better than a copy: a fragrance that resembles you more.

Get advice

Write us the name of the fragrance you use today, or stop by the boutique in Treviglio: we will compare the notes and prepare the right samples for you. You can also start with the guide to fragrance families.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find a niche fragrance similar to the one I use?

Start with the main notes and the fragrance family of your fragrance, look for niche fragrances with the same notes and try them with a sample for at least two days.

Can a niche fragrance be identical to a commercial one?

No, and that is not its purpose. However, it can have the same soul: the same main notes, told with different raw materials and choices.

Which niche fragrance should I choose if I love Black Opium?

Those who love Black Opium often appreciate Montale Intense Café, which shares coffee and vanilla and adds rose.

Which niche fragrance should I choose if I love Sauvage Elixir?

Initio Oud for Greatness shares its lavender and warm spices, with a woodier base of oud and patchouli.