Perfumer Tries To Tell The Difference Between Original And Clone Fragrances | Cologne/Perfume Review
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- Опубликовано: 11 ноя 2023
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What are your thoughts on clone fragrances? What are the best clone fragrances for men in your opinion?
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FRAGRANCES FEATURED
Tom Ford TF Oud Wood
Thameen Carved Oud
Creed Aventus
Al Haramain L'Aventure
Parfums De Marly PDM Layton
Al Haramain Detour Noir
Tom Ford TF Tobacco Vanille
Al Haraman Amber Oud Tobacco Edition 
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While I can appreciate his perspective, I find myself differing on the matter of artistic bias. He advocates for supporting the original artists rather than their imitators, a sentiment I completely comprehend. However, I struggle to align with his viewpoint, particularly in cases like Aventus, where he suggests opting for the authentic experience. I understand the desire to support artists, but in instances such as Aventus, the quality seems to have significantly declined over the years. The current batches do not justify the premium price tag, especially when more affordable clones surpass them in quality. The artist can only be supported when the product maintains its worth, and unfortunately, Aventus seems to have lost its former glory without a corresponding adjustment in its pricing. In my opinion, this renders it an impractical choice. Even when one can afford the 'real' one.
Bingo. It would be like Michaelangelo doing ceiling paint by hand and then hiring a couple guys to lay it down as a vinyl instead.
Creed has lost its way. I've decided to vote with my wallet and never buy another bottle of it. I appreciate the GiT I do have but I'll support other houses that are releasing frags that actually represent their price.
Exactly. When you are pumping out that kind of money you reasonably want the assurance you are buying the fragrance you did the last time and with some other brands you are not sure whether to accept the claim you have gone nose blind or a possible different reaction during the seasons or that the product is weaker than it was when you first bought it. Again when you are forking out the big bucks it is understandable to expect similar quality.
He said that before he was informed it doesn’t last long, so he’s just judging the opening. And the opening for Aventus to his nose is better… nothing wrong with that
Confusing quality with longevity just cause it Aventus wears softer has nothing to with quality
I'm not a huge Creed fan, so not advocating for anyone to buy them.
That said, I think what he is saying is if you can afford the original, and you value the nuances of the product, but also the brand identity, then why not. If you can afford it and you value the prestige then that will probably give you a more rewarding experience.
Glad you have him on the show, I'm a big fan of Sam, and you as well. Keep up the good work.
Detour Noir & Al Haramain Tobacco edition are top tier perfumes. 10/10 both worth getting
Tobacco edition is WILD
Tobacco is INSANEE
Our 2 favorite perfumers back at it again 🤩
First time coming across Sam. He really knows his stuff, I’ll be checking him out.
Yo... imma be honest, men like Sam Macer is so rare in perfume industry. He's open minded and exploring everything he know about perfumery. For me, he's a absolute intense extreme legend.. I got a tons of knowledge about creating fragrance and also learn as making these looks like Arts. Always thumbs up ... never boring watching his long ass so many hours videos.. I can do this all day.
Also special thanks for collaborating with One of the best fragrance in depth reviewer... School of Scent.
@@patrickpet7905what a horrible grouch , behave yourself
Intense extreme legend LMAO my guy thinks he's a fragrance 😂😂😂
He's very innocent sounding and it's cool to see a perfumer that has no idea about popular fragrances. He's only heard of Creed Aventus, Tom Ford and PDM. He asked Omar "have you heard about BR540?" lol
never heard such a good analysis of the clone/original debate
Absolutely wonderful video! I like looking at each fragrance as an individual fragrance that despite if it exists somewhere else as a "clone" or "dupe", I appreciate it for what it is... another fragrance. However, to duplicate note for note, or molecule for molecule, to create something that has already been created is definitely for those businesses that are looking to make money, most of the time. But if you are able to take a fragrance that you LOVE and alter to make it more unique to your tastes, then the new fragrance is just that... new. Kind of like fanfiction only for fragrance. LOL
Thanks for the AMAZING video! 🤩🤩🤩 Love the new branding, Sam!
Right?? If i could i would make a bunch of duplictaes. That is such a beautiful thing.
GREAT VIDEO WE NEED MORE OF THIS TYPE OF FUN VIDEO !!
So, he didn't recognize the Aventus DNA, never heard of PDM brand, and never smelt tobacco vanille. That's weird.
That’s what I was thinking. He’s in the business but doesn’t know some of the biggest names in the business? That’s doesn’t make any sense.
but he recognised the clones and originals and put them into words. he knows what he is talking about. educated and trained
@@timgoodwintvThe biggest names? No way.
@@Vali.C some of the biggest names in the frag community. PDM and Creed are definitely some of the most talked about online.
You’d be surprised how many perfumers basically stay in their own world…in their own bubble.
Sam did well! Great vid.
to sum up these vidéo clone came a long way yes they are some crappy ones, but with life getting harder go for og when you really need it and get first clones so u get a general idea of what you going to get. Great vid guys 🎉
And lastly don’t buy a perfume based off word of mouth, go smell it at a store then formulate your own opinion on the fragrance.
The idea of blind buying based off a note breakdown or popularity is so stupid, especially with the price tag these fragrances have
Great take on nose fatigue of clones vs ori
Great video, keep,up the content, looking forwards to,getting my bottle of Mr Majestic.
I'm surprised that a perfumer cannot detect the DNA of the most popular fragrances from the most popular houses out there... Very strange.
I believe he's said himself that he hasn't actually smelled a lot of other popular scents. He understands perfumery enough to make his own fragrances, but he simply doesn't collect scents like a reviewer might.
Still like a musician who doesn't listen to music?! Very strange to me too. Aaron Terrence Hughes also in his earlier interviews had never smelled any of the most popular and well loved fragrances.
@@big_pepsi2696He doesn't need to be a collector but he should have a notion of the popular scents. Collecting fragrances has absolutely nothing to do with that.
@@Jason-Moon a musician that doesnt listen to music? You have zero ideea what you re talking about, a perfume is not made out of other perfumes and brands, it s made out of ingredients and fragrance molecules wich sam knows all about. Your analogy would be better said as a musician who doesnt disect other musicians personal life wich is damn normal
@@iza4150 with the tone of your comment It's most likely a waste of energy for me to respond to you. I don't agree with you that I have zero idea what I'm talking about. Creating fragrance is a form of art, which a great majority of people who enjoy fragrances and create them would agree with me in saying. It's bizarre for any artist to not study other artists work. Even if we were to reduce perfumery to a chemical science, It would be bizarre for a chemist not to study any other chemists work. I stand by what I said. I hope you're having a good 2024 so far. I like the idea that people can have different opinions and still get along. Because the truth is every single human on Earth has different opinions because we're all different people. If any of us shared the same opinions exactly we would be the same exact person. So let's have a different opinion and still get along ay?
Being a Bangladeshi seeing Al Heramain on the global map is a great feeling since the founder is Bangladeshi. Never tried the brand but definitely have to try.
I didn’t know that, that’s so cool, thanks for the input. 😊
Need more of these series
Fiiiiine I’ll buy the harmain tobacco. Been putting it off for months 😅
I bought it based on his recommendation and I love to wear it my coworkers always say it smells like honey.
I completely think of fragrances as how I’ve seen the beauty community over the years. There are obvious clones brands but then they’re are also “dupes” so something you’d find at Sephora but made cheaper found at the drugstore. Or even luxury brands think Armani, Tom ford, etc. and then there are variations in all of those also as far as pricing goes. Sometimes it’s super comparable in formula however they almost always have slight variations or slight shade differences in the colours. As well sometimes the luxury brands are not even worth it compared to their less expensive counterpart.
Just 😊ordered my Zurai one from Sam as love Sun beam which is a summer beast, and omar waiting for my latest from Mr Majestic, which means I now have three of your offerings, wasn't to keen on Mr Romantic, and have you tried cocktail and Catamarans which smells exactly like Mr Maritime
Does anyone else find it strange that a perfumer has never heard about Parfums de Marly or smelled Tobacco Vanille?
was thinking the same ... like how?
Not at all tobacco vanille is a perfume amongst all the perfumes on the market
Really nice content. Love it
Great video! Can you do a similar one covering the Essence Vault, FM World, etc. ?
Years ago I had a bad experience when I purchased a dupe/clone of a jo malone perfume. Bearing in mind I’d never purchased the real version of the dupe/clone that I purchased. But I tested the dupe/clone and in my opinion it did not smell like the jo malone version.
well, every dupes have different quality and smell, for jo malone maybe u could try jenny glow
It may not smell like the original but which omw do you think smells better without bias? Without knowing which one is which
This is an excellent video idea
i can't understand how a perfumer couldn't have heard of parfum de marly
In the same way your favourite musician has probably never listened to your next favourite musician. There's a difference between being an artist, and a consumer / fan of art.
@@Athanatos250 while I can agree with that, he does come across as more of an amateur than an expert because of his shaky experience with famous scents. I thought he would name Aventus on the spot, just on scent recognition, but he didn't. It's like a metal composer that doesn't recognise Metallica's Master of Puppets.
@@Athanatos250 agree
Brilliant video, I enjoyed it very much.
Glad you liked it bro!
I actually bought Paris corner tobacco vannile and I find it to be amazing and very cheap. How would you compare it to the clone in the last part of the video?
Since many of the comments are about this, I don't think it's that surprising that he doesn't know many of the popular fragrances. He's a small time perfumer and focuses more on perfume creation. It's very likely that his RUclips isn't full of perfume review videos as is ours. He does probably smell perfumes by other creators but perhaps has other criteria for the ones he decides to study than simply the most recommended ones on reddit or RUclips. Remember, popular doesn't equal good.
Cant wait 4 my bottle of Mr. Majestic!!
bros a perfumer and has never heard of these perfumes 💀
Affordable niche thank you sir 🙏🏽
Looking forward to Mr Majestic shipping.
I've been telling people for years to get AH Tobacco Edition. That thing is nearly identical to TFTV, and the projection and longevity is nuclear.
A nice video. However, it was pretty strange to see a perfumer not familiar with 4 of the most popular perfumes ever ;)
It seems to be common amongst perfumers, a lot of them focus more on the creation process and materials rather than the market itself. It’s like a chef versus a restaurant reviewer. One is focused on the skill itself, while the other is focused on exploring the entire market.
@@SchoolofScentThats a perfect analogy
Aaron Terrence Hughes wasn’t familiar with Aventus or even Dior Sauvage Elixir a couple years ago when he started making RUclips videos for the same reason. He was focused on creating rather than the market. Of course now that he’s been making much more content and featured in other channels, he has a pretty good pulse on the industry.
Yes, Very surprising
So you're saying an average chef wouldn't recognice the most popular dishes on planet if they blind tried? 😊
I think of it more like music.
One day, someone did Jazz. If that was the only person that was able to do it, it would have had it's day and died. However, more and more people were inspired and also did Jazz, and eventually it goes in different directions and sparks creativity everywhere.
*I agree with him....clones are nice in case of Aventus, Tygar etc. but I'm completely against those brands who copy the entire presentation & the name everything like Maison Alhambra*
but maison alhambra is for people that know that it is a clone. I would say that this brand laughts to the big brands, like tom ford, armani etc. by copying their presentation, and making fun by naming them stupidly similar, like acqua di gio profumo - jorge di profumo etc.
Womp womp you overspent on a fragrance that a dupe did better.
Sam makes this room look really really cold, haha
Gotta make more contents like this in the future 😉
I subscribed sam macer’s channel 😊
12:45 i got aventus in early july 2023 and it had absolutely no power and smelled good, but now it projects all day and smells great. ppl have noticed it 7+ hours after application
I am following all your videos
Pl explain the original and clone fragrance difference between make a video
Both are very good 👍❤
Love These ❤️🔥
I think they nailed it and I agree with him.
Some clones are pretty darn good these days.
Brilliant video…love from India❤
What Song did u use in the background? Its reeaaallly vibeyyy
How many hours would you say both of you have spent working around fragrances, and what was the most challenging ingredient and why? I haven't used the synthetic civet yet, it's still sitting in my ingredient fridge. 😮
I want to learn how to make it
@@jts4248 Setting up my ingreds, scale, pipettes, beakers, funnels, fridge and more still:)
@FragranceScents wow good luck I will get there eventually
CDN untold is so good. I wore it today and one nurse said boy you smell good 😊. And a police officer said someone has on baccarat 😊. It’s hard to tell the difference. I’m wear my clones to work and and my good stuff when I’m out with the wife and kids.
Armaf Club de nuit intense?
Agree it’s a beast and sunset in heaven by parfums vintage is another banger! The Aventus clones are beastly too
Thats awesome you guys know each other
It's always tempting to try and save some money, but i have literally never been satisfied by a single clone i have purchased.
I would generally agree, but CDNIM LE is a really solid take on the Aventus DNA. Of course, keeping in mind it's not an exact clone, but it does the Aventus thing quite well.
@@spinQubit never tried that one so I'll have to take your word for that. I thought the original CDNIM was a good example of a clone getting in the ballpark but lacking the depth an longevity.
What have you tried. At this rate it’s insane how good they are Toscano leather, detour noir, tobacco touch are 1-1
@@RekickitWrong, Toscano Leather is actually better 😅
@@Rekickit Agreed.
How has he not smelled Layton? Blows my mind
I think Sam Macer saying how some clones are slightly different because they originals contains quantities that cannot be identified because of their tiny amout.
I believe thats the reason nost clones are similar, but slightly different.
I personally think that it depends on the clone house.
I have Afnan Modest Une, 9 PM, and 9 AM Deep Dive. They don't smell linear, they change from the top notes to the heart notes.
Modest Une is very citrusy, then it goes into lavender, then thrn amber and eucalyptus, then into Himalayan cedarwood, and a delicious musk final note that lasts days on clothes.
I personally prefer Modest Une over Sauvage by Dior; i don't like the pencil shavings scent of their American cedarwood.
Same with 9 AM Deep Dive; it has a delicious sweet and juicy black currant note that goes through ginger, creamy sandal wood, and a final intoxicating note of incense that lasts days on clothes.
I’m so glad that someone made a video on this topic, but I was always wondering, as from your guest background as a professional perfumer, How do clone companies copy them? Is there a specific analytical or instrumental techniques they used to make them? I wished that point was highlighted here also, but thanks for sharing this great video anyway.
They use gas chromatography to match the chemical components.
@@jcmusic5150 Gas chromatography is analytical technique for most volatile, or vaporized compounds, but it’s not an identification technique, specially when they’re no standards from the list of the components in the mixture to be compared against, which are unknown in this case… unless if they’re using GC-MS?!
@@mohammadabu-saada4955 Yup, pretty sure it will be GC-MS. It will match and identify the potential chemical components from a database. You can gauge roughly the ratios as well but the formulation I'd imagine will be tweaked to taste by the "nose"!
turn up the heat for the poor fellow
😂
the duos we need
Mr.Majestic is actually the name of a superhero in the Wildstorm/DC pantheon. Better be careful. They might sue you. LOL
Exploration is better when you compare perfums that are cloned and are weigh less expensive but that is very different vision of perfumery.
Aaron Terrence Hughes recently did Aventus clones and his opinion was in contrast to Sam's opinion of L'Aventure; he said it smells artificial, cheap, not refined, not really like Aventus... and it hurt his nose.
Hi sam Im curious about maceration and oxidation .when a perfume reviewer says let your fragrance macerate kinda telling us to let in stew or simmer until it smells complete.This confuses me because isnt masseration before the perfume is complete and it oxidizes in the bottle with time after completion. This is just so confusing to me and I thought you could help.also .. Why does this process have to happen with new perfumes are they just rushed out and boxed without being completed? Always curious thank you for your video, Jaime
You are right. They are calling it maceration, but what they mean is maturation.
@@Sphyn0x oh thank you very helpful! I guess thats what some youtubers get for following eachother instead of researching now we're all saying that but not me thanks to you !! Maturation!! As if to hit puberty lol. Thanks again, god bless. Jaime😉
I like the idea of a clone, as it can give you an idea of what the real one smells like, before you spend a fortune.
I’d rather just get a sample or try in store the original 👀
@@SchoolofScent yeah, but I'm not trying to go to London every time I want to try PDM.
@@warrendchild then order a sample online? There’s no way you can know if a clone is re-creating a Fragrance successfully if you don’t know the original for reference.
At first when I got Layton and amber oud exclusif Bleu like days apart and have worn them almost exclusively this fall I thought they were sooo similar.
After wearing them both A LOT the difference is definitely there, Layton smells well put together for a lot longer but amber oud lasts long but is lacking a certain something that Layton has.
I'm glad I read this cause I recently bought Layton and was considering buying exclusif blue but been on the fence about it...I might just stick with Layton
@@MrMxxt I wear my amber oud 80% of the time if I'm feeling Layton. It was only after dozens of wearings I was able to pick out the finer differences in details.
To people at work and not in these comment sections, they 100% will not know the difference. If I didn't have amber oud I would have a major, major dent in the Layton bottle.
@@MrMxxtlook into dust by the woods collection i prefer it over amber .
The video was GREAT! This dude works on this subject and even him says the differences are tiny and the last one got it wrong. Some RUclips fragance “gurus” exaggerate when they say they can smell the cheap ingredients in some perfumes 😂. There’s this guy who acts all fruity and makes faces when he smells clones 🤦🏻♂️😬😂.
I'm more than happy to buy a good clone so long as the original product is unreasonably expensive.
There's no good reason some of these fragrances are so expensive.
is this guy from another planet?
End of daily upload saga? 🥲
😢
You're only judging on the immediate post-alcohol top notes. I don't judge something until I've sprayed it on both arms and some clothing, and evaluated over the next 24 hours or more*. For a 'contest', one on each arm. Since the top notes disappear often within minutes, who cares which one is 'better' in that span of time?
*Unless it's a scrubber! Plenty of expensive fragrances are.
So he can pretty easily tell the difference. Got it.
okay i might not be an expert but its very hard to justify buying the original considering the price different unless you want to buy in to the brand itself which is something only enthusiasts or hard followers of the brand would do. ofcourse this is subjective but i think clones over the last couple years have gotten from smelling like a synthetic chemical mess to indistinguishable and sometimes even better performance for even some trained noses like the video demonstrated, not to mention that most sought after perfumes have gone down in quality drastically and they dont actually use the highest quality materials that would justify a high price.
i still buy a lot of original perfumes that i like because they are priced reasonably like d&g the one, blue de channel(not that reasonable), dior souvage, ysl y and etc... because it not worth it to find a clone for not that much less. but perfumes which have a bullshit price in the hundreds like nishane, tom ford, creed, pdm might be great and all but its very hard for me to justify the price when a clone have the same smell and quality for sometimes 1/10 of the price it feels like a total rip off not a satisfying buy.
i would still say that if companies want to sell thier perfumes for thousand of dollars as a status symbol go ahead am sure there is a community for that , just dont go trying to justify the price as using rare and expensive materials when there is none its very unfaithful and harms the whole business.
Advice me Best fragrances under 20$.... It may be funny for other people but i am broke right now😢.....if there is a giveaway i need that
Would you still say ATH Tabac is better than TF Tobacco Vanille?
I think it is but it is definitely more challenging, you can tell the naturals used are more expensive, probably relating to what Sam is referring to here
The problem with Al Haramain is that it is NON IFRA complient so its' safty is questionable .
Can you explain what you mean
He is right the clones fall apart on the dry down on skin. They do rather well on fabric though. I do still buy clones - but just to make my originals last longer. I’ll spray my clothes with a clone but only the original hits my skin. If I can’t justify the price of a full bottle of a niche perfume- I buy a large decant. If I’m obsessed, eventually I’ll find a way to get a good deal on the full bottle, heh.
Lattafa and most arab dupes perform 20 times better than most originals tho
@@iza4150 they definitely do last a long time. I just find that the quality of the fragrance itself, the nuances, the brightness & complexities are always more refined with the original. I only spray the dupes on clothes - they help the pricey originals last longer which what I use on skin. I never reach for a clone as the main fragrance I’m wearing that day. It’s not appealing to me - just my personal experience.
@@MKK-wg7fz i love good clones cause especially for the every day people that are gonna smell you they are really nice and i can drench myself in them without feeling guilty about wasting a 300 dollar bottle
ugh his scents seem as though they're really unique and high quality and I want them but I live in Australia. I'm so sad now 😭
i am a teenager can you please suggest me different fragrance for different occasions Don't worry about the price. never mind thank you
I really like Sam's work on RUclips and I didn't smell any of his fragrances yet, but man legit question, why Sam doesn't know most mainstream fragrances? Isn't it bad for work? He can end up creating something very similar to a stablished fragrance without even knowing, imagine the waste of time for him if it ends up happening.
I have the Haramain Tobacco Edition. Don't like it. And thought maybe it was coz it wasn't close to the real thing.
I guess I don't like the Tobacco Vanilla DNA
I believe this perfumer somehow much more than the other one often invited by another popular RUclipsr. He's very logical and seems really competent. The other one speaks like an amateur who learned a few professional terms.
I love how he doesnt know what aventus and layton are. Can tell hes got very few influences in his own perfumery which is awesome
Here's my take. Making fragrances is like cooking. Anybody can cook a meal but it will always have a twist. I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) that the brands will have their exact formulas being "a trade secret". Therefore someone trying to replicate the scent of a widely liked fragrance is doing nothing wrong. The wrong part is if that someone tries to mislead you into thinking you're buying the real thing by copying packaging, branding etc.
It’s notoriously difficult to ‘copyright’ a scent, so yes the formulas are kept hidden, but other brands likely use a combination of GCMS analysis as well as the perfumers nose to ‘re-create’ a DNA. In regards to packaging, again it’s tricky because they’re not trying to ‘counterfeit’ the packaging per se but it is comical the extent to which they try to let the customer know which fragrance they are ‘copying’. 😅
@@SchoolofScent yup. Some of them have suspiciously similar looks 😁 Great video btw, enjoyed it a lot.
1:40 While I see what he’s saying, I also see that the markup on the prices they are charging consumers is downright criminal sometimes. Prices have skyrocketed in the last 10 years. No one likes being price gouged or ripped off by Lauder, LVMH or any of the other mega-corporations that are ruining everything these days with their insatiable greed. 😏
I wonder if he’d say that in front of hiphop producers with as much confidence and conviction?
Amber Oud, after some time turns very industrial smell in my experience and that ruins it entirely!
there are far better clones of these fragrances, i wish you would do more research of clones.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery.
gorgeous guys
Does anyone read the comments on perfume channels?
Never
😮😮
nope
Yes 😂😂😂
How can a perfumer not of heard of tobacco vanille and layton 😂 makes me feel.better now
"who's al haramain"
al haramain: We are all
the Arabian house do a damn good job of making clones..
Guy wants Aaron Terence Hughes on the channel so bad
brother. I think you should improve your camera quality.
If a Fragrance brand reformulates or discontinues or like Chanel restricts other sellers then i think Clones have the right to clone.
You can fool some people sometimes but you can’t fool all the people all the time.
you should do another one of these and get a clone of baccarat rouge would be really interesting since a lot of ppl say there are "good" clones which I don't believe
I have also yet to experience one 👀
Club de nuit “untold” is a beast clone for BR540 elixir, the performance and longevity is Incredible, you honestly get what you pay for, try sunset in heaven by parfums vintage it’s pricy but man it’s good.
I disagree with his assertion that MFK Bacarrat is cheaply made and overpriced. Several years ago I wore Bacarrat to an event, next morning went to gym and swam for an hour. The fragrance was still on my skin after my workout. Had the chance to meet FK and he's a wonderful man.
I wish Sam all the best with his quite successful brand.
It's entertaining video but such things are very misleading. I know this feeling when you recognize some very obvious elements in a popular perfume and think "Oh, I can do better myself". It literally means nothing except that you can recognize some obvious elements. However, it often leads to a false assumption that the industry is a huge scam performed by incapable snobs and that a dedicated people can make beautiful composition in their living rooms during their leasure time. It's not true. It requires very long (up to 8 years), expensive and extensive training within the industry. You have to have unmatched skill to make brilliant composition out of cheap synthetics, being bound by many business restrictions.
Its always easy to tell the difference because clones are normally made up of cheap oils and not so professionally blended as the original...
Depends which ones you get, with clones you get what you pay for, if you buy quality clones from $50 and up you’ll get good quality “clones”
I used to wear clones
But after using originals I stopped buying clones
Part of my problem with excessively high prices is you feel that those marketing the products want to cater only to the very rich and could care less if the unwashed masses can't enjoy their products except when you are privileged enough to be in the proximity of said wealthy person.
One other contributory issue is I remember in my youth when I visited a department store the girls would be me multiple free samples of numerous fragrances they were wanting to sell, which was great because I want to try it on my skin (test strips don't quite cut it) especially in the summer time to see if it lasts and has any projection during the heat. Nowadays you either need to buy an expensive fragrance to get a few small samples or you can go the route of buying samples at twice the price you would pay per milliliter, which might save you money but when you add shipping and considering the fact only a very small percentage of the ones I try do I love enough to buy, it quickly turns into another high priced misadventure. Thankfully few places like Sephora in (Toronto) would give you a few small tester sized fragrances to take whether you were making a purchase or not. I haven't been since last year but I imagine that is still in place.