Wow, I have to dig out my BR540. The section on dupes is missing the fact that Kurkdjian also created Burberry Her which smells so similar, closer than Cloud, and is a case of a perfumer duping himself? Or a brand saying "we liked that, give us more" so he did.
A great note about Burberry Her! To your point, I didn't include it in the dupe section because it was made by Kurkdjian and I don't consider it a part of 'dupe culture' - to me it harkens back to an older, and probably more prevalent, phenomenon in the fragrance world of perfumers riffing on their own accords to create similar scents for different houses, eg. Mark Buxton making CDG Man 2 and Le Labo Vetiver 46. I don't think this raises the ethical issues of dupe culture in the same way a person can't steal from themselves.
Made an account just to comment on how much I appreciate your writing. I'm just beginning my fragrance journey and this + your Le Labo article have been illuminating (and a pleasure to read!). Thank you.
This was so great as usual—love the deep dive into the business side of MFK, the specific notes of Baccarat Rouge 540, and all the dupes it's inspired!
I sampled the scent a few years ago and came very, very close to buying it. I remember writing in my journal that it felt like the scent a courtesan would wear to a high-class dim sum restaurant. But at that point it was already so unbelievably popular on fragrance forums, and the hype has only increased…a few years ago you couldn't go anywhere without smelling Santal 33 (or a dupe); now the same thing happens with Baccarat Rouge 540.
These 2 sentences are perfect: "Watching Baccarat grow from a perfume we would rave about in online perfume circles to its conquest of beauty site editors and instagram gurus to total mainstream domination is like watching olfactory history being written in real time. This is how a perfume becomes a phenomenon; this is how perfumes become synonymous with the era they become famous in; this is how scent becomes legacy."
Wow! I really enjoyed this article. Thank you so much for the careful and insightful work. I especially liked the comparison of BR540 to the film Uncut Gems! Brilliant.
Saw an interesting thread on Reddit about a so-called “reverse gourmand” trend in which someone suggested sweets/sodas are now being made to resemble gourmand perfumes, which are of course meant to mimic food effects. The original poster cited that the new Dr. Pepper flavor smells and thus tastes like Cloud and BR540.
I had a desire to read nearly eight thousand words about this perfume. Thank you
This was an insanely good article! I love the aroma chemical explanations. Glad to see you back, the le labo article is a favorite.
Beyond excited to have you posting again!
Thank you for this incredible piece! I like your term gourmand bijoux.
Wow, I have to dig out my BR540. The section on dupes is missing the fact that Kurkdjian also created Burberry Her which smells so similar, closer than Cloud, and is a case of a perfumer duping himself? Or a brand saying "we liked that, give us more" so he did.
A great note about Burberry Her! To your point, I didn't include it in the dupe section because it was made by Kurkdjian and I don't consider it a part of 'dupe culture' - to me it harkens back to an older, and probably more prevalent, phenomenon in the fragrance world of perfumers riffing on their own accords to create similar scents for different houses, eg. Mark Buxton making CDG Man 2 and Le Labo Vetiver 46. I don't think this raises the ethical issues of dupe culture in the same way a person can't steal from themselves.
Good point 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I loved this and am so happy the substack algorithm recommended this to me. Your writing is amazing
Please never stop writing, this is brilliant!
Made an account just to comment on how much I appreciate your writing. I'm just beginning my fragrance journey and this + your Le Labo article have been illuminating (and a pleasure to read!). Thank you.
This was so great as usual—love the deep dive into the business side of MFK, the specific notes of Baccarat Rouge 540, and all the dupes it's inspired!
I sampled the scent a few years ago and came very, very close to buying it. I remember writing in my journal that it felt like the scent a courtesan would wear to a high-class dim sum restaurant. But at that point it was already so unbelievably popular on fragrance forums, and the hype has only increased…a few years ago you couldn't go anywhere without smelling Santal 33 (or a dupe); now the same thing happens with Baccarat Rouge 540.
These 2 sentences are perfect: "Watching Baccarat grow from a perfume we would rave about in online perfume circles to its conquest of beauty site editors and instagram gurus to total mainstream domination is like watching olfactory history being written in real time. This is how a perfume becomes a phenomenon; this is how perfumes become synonymous with the era they become famous in; this is how scent becomes legacy."
Loved it, welcome back!
Wow! I really enjoyed this article. Thank you so much for the careful and insightful work. I especially liked the comparison of BR540 to the film Uncut Gems! Brilliant.
Saw an interesting thread on Reddit about a so-called “reverse gourmand” trend in which someone suggested sweets/sodas are now being made to resemble gourmand perfumes, which are of course meant to mimic food effects. The original poster cited that the new Dr. Pepper flavor smells and thus tastes like Cloud and BR540.
That is, Strawberries and Cream Dr. Pepper.
this makes me think of parma violet sweets and turkish delights, food that tastes link perfume
Fantastic article. Thank you for your care in writing it! Loved it 🥰
An extremely well written piece, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Well done and keep it up