If you like
Mitsouko
Guerlain · 1919
The classic peach and oakmoss chypre, dry, mossy and slightly smoky.
5 indie picks
Undernotes
Comparisons
65 comparisonsOne featured each day
One mainstream fragrance at a time, described in our own words, answered with independent alternatives that share its notes. No dupes, no affiliate links: just small houses working the same accord.
Earth & Moss. Patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss, soil and petrichor.
If you like
Portrait of a Lady
Frederic Malle · 2010
Dark Turkish rose with patchouli, incense and spice.
5 indie picksIf you like
Eau Sauvage
Dior · 1966
A lemon, herb and moss cologne from the 1960s that many still reach for.
5 indie picksIf you like
English Pear & Freesia
Jo Malone London
Ripe pear and white freesia with a soft patchouli base.
4 indie picksIf you like
Si
Giorgio Armani · 2013
A modern chypre built on blackcurrant and vanilla that reads as polished rather than sweet
5 indie picksIf you like
Black Orchid
Tom Ford · 2006
A dark, dense floral gourmand people reach for when they want to smell heavier
5 indie picksIf you like
Wood Sage & Sea Salt
Jo Malone London · 2014
The scent people mean when they ask for something that smells like clean skin after the beach.
4 indie picksIf you like
Terre d'Hermès
Hermès · 2006
The reference point for a mineral, earthy vetiver that still smells fresh.
5 indie picksIf you like
Angel
Thierry Mugler · 1992
The patchouli-and-chocolate scent people can smell coming from another room.
4 indie picksIf you like
Aventus
Creed · 2010
The pineapple-and-smoke scent that launched a wave of 'success' fragrances and dupes.
4 indie picksIf you like
La Vie Est Belle
Lancôme · 2012
The pink-bottle floral-gourmand that made iris smell like dessert.
5 indie picks
About these comparisons
Well-known fragrances are named here for one reason: they are the shared vocabulary most people have for a smell. We describe the accord in our own words, then point at independent houses working the same territory. There are no logos, no bottle photographs and no affiliate links, and Undernotes is not affiliated with any house named on these pages.