Dupes, or if worded nicely ‘inspired by’ products, have been around for years. But these days you can find them anywhere and everywhere, and as consumers we are lapping them up! Most of us are fully aware you won’t get an identical copy of the original product, but hope to get something similar and much cheaper than the ‘real’ thing. One brand that has ‘inspired’ many home fragrance products is Jo Malone. My local Tesco stocks their own dupe versions in candles and reed diffusers. So what did I find and how much did they cost?
No 1 Pomegranate
A slightly fruity but very smoky scent which isn’t for the faint hearted. Not subtle at all, instantly recognisable and great for both men and women.
No 3 Mandarin Lime & Basil
Slightly citrus with a herby hit to it. This type of scent is quite fresh and clean but not in the traditional sense.
No 4 Noir Myrrh & Vanilla Bean
Warming, creamy vanilla with what I call an incense type of scent mixed into it. Anyone that loves vanilla with a dark undertone to it would love this (like me!).
No 5 Damask Rose & Oud
Damask Rose & Oud is a special rose based fragrance which is dark, rich, slightly smoky with musk. I’m not a fan of rose, especially the old fashioned type, but this is stunning!
What do these fragrances come in?
Each of these fragrances are available in a 100ml reed diffuser, and in candle form in 3 different sizes (300g, 700g and 1000g).
Fragrances
I smelt all of these (candles), although quickly. They all had a great smell to them but there were some I personally preferred more than others. Are they accurate to the Jo Malone versions? Without owning and using the originals and comparing them to each other I can’t say yes or no. But the scent descriptions are similar. The scents stand out alone without comparing to anything else which is the most important thing.
Packaging
All of the reed diffusers come boxed and candles are all in glass jars with a gold lids. Fragrances No 1 and 3 are all in white with black lettering and detailing. And the candles are in clear jars. No 5 has exactly the same presentation but in red with gold lettering and jar is red not clear. No 4 is black with gold detailing and the jars are black. How these are presented does have a Jo Malone feel to them. They look simple but elegant and are attractive, especially No 4 and 5.
Prices
All the reed diffusers are £6.00 each. The 300g candle is £4.00, 700g £10.00 and 1000g £14.00. These are not the cheapest priced home fragrance products available but for what you get completely fair.
I like the look of these products. Great to purchase for yourself or as gifts and the fragrances are good! In fact, I bought No 4 in the 300g candle as a Christmas gift for someone! If you shop in Tesco and are looking at purchasing candles or reed diffusers, these are items not to be sniffed at, especially if you’re a fan of Jo Malone!
