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ComparisonsSep 19, 2026

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Shalimar

Guerlain · 1925

Reached for by people who want an old-school powdery amber that still reads unmistakably like perfume.

Shalimar opens on sharp bergamot and lemon before settling into a thick blanket of vanilla, amber and incense, with iris keeping the powder soft rather than sweet. A trace of leather and civet underneath gives it an animal warmth that later ambers rarely repeat. It set the template for the modern oriental and still smells distinct from most of what followed it.

How it reads

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Ranked by how much they share with Shalimar. The notes in common are listed under each bottle. Prices and stock come from the makers’ own shops.

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These are independent suggestions based on shared notes and accords, not copies or dupes. Undernotes is not affiliated with Guerlain; the name is used only to describe a smell. No link here is paid.