To Dupe or Not to Dupe?

[Cellador]

....that is the question....

I am planning on starting my business in the next few months, and trying to nail-down some tried and true FOs. I have found several dupes that are lovely, but I'm curious if they help or harm a small scale business.
On one hand, I can see how they might help online sales since a person can't smell before they buy- some might feel more comfortable buying something they know they like. On the other hand, it seems like using dupes might diminish the originality of your brand. What do you think or what are your experiences?
Also, are there rules around dupes? Could I use them and never refer to the original scent? Or, is one obligated to say it's a dupe in some way?

 

[Arimara]

I don't sell but when I see fragrance oils or fragrances that mimick a certain scent, they are often referred to as "type". From the little knowledge I gained, it would be difficult to completely dupe any scent given that ingredients that make up a fragrance can change due to regulations. That said, if you use a "-type" scent, you may want to tweak it a little to customize it a touch.

I could be wrong though.

 

[atiz]

I don't think it would harm the brand originality unless *most* of what you carry are dupes. If I were a customer, and especially online, I would be looking for scents I would have an idea about -- but not necessarily for dupes, mostly for descriptive scent names.
I know a couple of fragrances I really like, and if I saw a dupe I would probably try it. But not sure it would be a deciding factor in whether or not I buy the product at all. (E.g., if I really like your lotion, and I see that you carry XYZ scent dupe that I love, I will probably buy it. If I really like your lotion and you don't carry the XYZ scent dupe, I'll buy another scent and will still like it. If I don't like your lotion, I won't buy it even if I like the scent.... does this make sense?)

 

[Luv2Soap]

Concerning duplication - we have a chemist that uses GC/MS machine to separate and identify each individual chemical component of a fragrance. They then can accurately determine what % of each component make up that fragrance. While it's not 100% - it's darn close I cannot speak for other fragrance companies who have 'types' in their inventory - I can only tell you from my own experience.

Many companies discontinue fragrances due to their lack of popularity among their customers. This is where duplicating fragrances comes in handy. If you have 1-2 oz of the original fragrance, a chemist can duplicate this for you. That is what we do for our customers and we've never had any complaints about scents not matching.

Hope this helps!

 

[dibbles]

I agree with atiz. I wouldn’t have all dupes, but I think having some is just fine. If I was buying online a descriptive name would be important. I would appreciate a name like juicy apricot vs juicy fruit for example. If I am buying in person and can smell it, the name is less important. If it is a dupe, definitely use -type or something that makes it identifiable. Given the popularity of Lush, something like Good Karma for the Karma fragrance makes it pretty clear for people who are familiar with it and like it. I often see ‘compare to ‘ listed in fragrance oil descriptions. Good luck with your new venture!

 

[amd]

I run into this a bit when doing custom orders. I get asked "can you make is smell like BBW Warm Sugar & Vanilla?" Why, yes, yes I can. Guess what, that customer no longer buys body wash at BBW, I made a quick sale with a custom order, and she's more willing to try other fragrances that I carry. My point is that having dupes is a great way to get people "in your door", but not necessarily what you want to build a business on. So yes, having a few is great - especially if you can maybe get one good selling dupe in each scent category (Like have 4: Clean/Spa, Fruity, Musk, and Floral) and then your non-dupes you can list as "If you like Karma by Lush, you'll like this scent." or whatever the dupe is that scent category.

I list mine as "type", and then use the disclaimer:
* Compare our fragrance to Amber Romance® by Victorias Secret.
* (Business Name here) is not affiliated or associated with Victorias Secret.

On that note... I just noticed one of my "types" on the website is missing this disclaimer! I'm off to fix it...