Generic and Equivalent Perfumes: Definition, Risks, and Reality

Definition of Generic Perfume

A generic or equivalent perfume is a fragrance whose composition differs from that of the original. By opting for a generic perfume, you will get a very attractive price, but rarely faithfulness to the original note.

Behind the Name “Generic Perfume”

Generic medicines are subject to strict rules; the active ingredient is either equivalent or identical. Only the presentation, the form of administration (example: oral only), and the excipients are different.

Generic medicines benefit from the expiration of a patent established at the launch of the drug, which subsequently falls into the public domain after a certain period.

One must not equate generic perfumes with generic medicines; medicines heal, while perfumes provide pleasure or comfort.

Perfumes are not subject to patents, even though their regulation is serious and rigorous under IFRA standards. The perfume dossier for an original brand is filed with the anti-poison center, unlike equivalent or generic perfumes. Original perfumes are subject to very rigorous dermatological tests which are quite costly.

Differences Between Equivalent or Generic Perfumes

Equivalent or generic perfumes can take on other names such as copies, fakes, imitations, counterfeits (cf. How to recognize a fake perfume). They target well-known major brands or trendy brands, known to a wide audience. A confidential or niche perfume is much more rarely copied (cf. Confidential or niche perfumery).

They are often of poor quality and, above all, provide no guarantee regarding allergic reactions because they are rarely, if ever, tested in a dermatology laboratory. You will be more subject to skin reactions or severe allergies.

It should be noted that a dermatological test is very expensive for the perfume brand that created the original fragrance.

By What Process Can a Generic or Equivalent Perfume Be Created?

Chromatography

You should know that any perfume launched on the market can be analyzed by a very sophisticated device called a gas chromatograph, which can reveal 80% to 90% of the perfume’s formula.

But you must know that the 10% to 20% of the formula that are undetectable by this device can truly change the aesthetic of the fragrance. Indeed, this device cannot detect the subtlety and origin of the beautiful natural raw materials of perfumery (cf. Natural raw materials).

The Cost of Creation vs. Copying

As with any copy or imitation, it is a kind of property theft; in this case, it is theft of a formula. The perfume companies or perfumers who developed the perfume formulas have invested a lot of money at different levels: perfumers, evaluators, raw material buyers, laboratory technicians, consultants, etc.

These same companies have also spent a lot of money on renting or purchasing premises, on salaries, and also on dermatological tests. They have also invested in time; you should know that it takes one to two years to develop a perfume.

These perfumes are sometimes well copied in the top notes, so they can give you the illusion of finding the notes of the original perfume, but in the evolution and on the skin, you will certainly be very disappointed.

Different Approaches to Generic or Equivalent Perfume

There are several strategies to sell these copies:

• Deceptive packaging: It may look like the original from afar, same box color, similar-looking logo, brand name resembling it such as Rada instead of Prada, different perfume name: Fusion d’Aroma instead of Infusion de Mandarine.
• Different format: Same general look but with a different, smaller format, a size that does not exist in the original brand like the perfumes one can find at flea markets in Paris or on Amazon.
• Correspondence by numbers: Equivalent perfumes with number matches, for example, No. 1 corresponding to the perfume Shalimar, No. 10 corresponding, for example, to Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire, Equivalenza in Bilbao.
• “Dupes” from major retailers: Different names proposed by the company Avon. For example, J’adore by Dior, equivalent Incandescence. Or Fiesta by Mango looks like Miss Dior; Gardenia at Zara looks a bit like Opium by Saint Laurent; Madame Glamour at Lidl tries to copy Coco Mademoiselle.

The list would be too long and tedious to reproduce, but no famous fragrance escapes this scourge. Official sites do not hesitate to proclaim on their page: equivalence perfume, low-priced “dupe” perfumes: Equivalenza, Créa parfums, Nox perfume, Esenssi etc…

Conclusion on Generic or Equivalent Perfume

Generic perfumes concern well-known perfumes, legendary perfumes (Chanel No. 5), or best-selling perfumes, and less so auteur or confidential perfumes (cf. Confidential or niche perfumery).

Generic or equivalent perfumes cannot bring you the pleasure and quality of an original perfume. This approach is not ethical.