If you like
Shalimar
Guerlain · 1925
Reached for by people who want an old-school powdery amber that still reads unmistakably like perfume.
5 indie picks
Undernotes
Comparisons
19 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.
Powdery & Aldehydic. Aldehydes, heliotrope, talc and lipstick.
If you like
Santal 33
Le Labo · 2011
The coffee-shop-and-hotel-lobby wood note everyone can place but not name.
5 indie picksIf you like
La Vie Est Belle
Lancôme · 2012
The pink-bottle floral-gourmand that made iris smell like dessert.
5 indie picksIf you like
No. 5
Chanel · 1921
The fragrance a non-fragrance person can still name off the top of their head.
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.