One of the cult classics in the designer perfume world is Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium, and if you’ve come here looking for Black Opium dupes then no doubt you love this scent as much as I do.
It’s a beautiful scent which became a bestseller for the brand after its launch, and it has only increased in popularity ever since.
In fact, Black Opium is a signature scent for so many people around the world. At one point in time, it was so sought after that YSL were selling 887 bottles of Black Opium per day.
Personally I absolutely adore Black Opium and have done for a long time. To me, Black Opium is the perfect scent for day or night. It’s such a gorgeous perfume that I find really comforting to wear.
However, like perfume from so many designer brands, Black Opium comes with a high price tag.
YSL’s Black Opium retails for $130 USD (or £92 / €112) for the 50ml bottle of eau de parfum, which is not even the largest version.
If you go for the 90ml bottle of eau de parfum, it will set you back around $155 USD (or £125 / €139).
In this day and age of rising living costs and economic uncertainty, spending so much of our hard earned money on a single fragrance can seem a little daunting. While expensive perfumes are really nice to own, I’m not about to drop this much money on a fragrance if I can dupe Black Opium in another more affordable brand.
Fortunately, if you love Black Opium but are having a hard time justifying spending that much on a fragrance, there are plenty of Black Opium dupes to choose from.
The good news is that YSL Black Opium is actually one of the most duped and copied fragrances out there and there is a dupe for Black Opium to suit every budget.
Many of the Black Opium dupes are extremely affordable perfumes and just a mere fraction of the cost of the real thing. Below I’ve listed my top picks from every good Black Opium dupe out there.
What does Black Opium smell like?
Black Opium is a gourmand scent with main notes of vanilla, coffee and patchouli.
The top notes of Black Opium are coffee and pink pepper.
It then has middle notes of coffee, vanilla, orange blossom, licorice and bitter almond.
Black Opium’s base notes are cedar, patchouli and cashmeran.
The overall effect of Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is an intoxicating blend of coffee and other gourmand notes like vanilla, with sultry patchouli and some spiciness.
Note that these dupes are for the original Black Opium fragrance and not any of its flankers like Black Opium Intense, Extreme or Neon.
All of these Black Opium perfume dupes are very affordable fragrances and a lot can be found on the high street.
Unfortunately, YSL is not a cruelty free brand either but I’ve found you plenty of dupes for Black Opium which are free from animal testing.
Shop Black Opium dupes by clicking on the images below:
1. Revolution Revolutionary Noir
Price: $15 for 100ml
Honestly, what’s not to love about Revolution? They make amazing dupes of makeup and skincare, and their perfumes are really good too. Plus, they’re a cruelty free brand.
Revolutionary Noir is an amazing YSL Black Opium dupe and it’s so inexpensive.
It is an eau de toilette which means it doesn’t have the potency or the lasting power of an eau de parfum, but for $15 I’m not complaining. You get those delicious vanilla and coffee notes which make the original product from YSL so delicious to smell and wear.
I love the bottle design. It’s a nice, heavy glass bottle. The plastic lid does feel a little cheap but I don’t think you can go wrong with this option as I can’t tell this scent and the real deal apart.
2. Dossier Ambery Vanilla
Price: $29 for 50ml
If you want an eau de parfum rather than an eau de toilette then this is a really good option.
Dossier specialize in making dupes of luxury perfumes for a much lower price than their designer counterparts. Any of their offerings are a good choice if you don’t want to spend a lot of cash on your favorite fragrance.
This delicious amber vanilla fragrance is a spot on Black Opium dupe and the price point is amazing. It has those same gorgeous notes of orange blossom and licorice which make the YSL fragrance so next level.
Plus, this Black Opium alternative is cruelty free and suitable for vegans. And you can get it in Walmart now!
Shop these dupes by clicking on the images below:
3. Oil Perfumery Impression of Black Opium
Price: $18.55 for 10ml
I’m always singing the praises of the Oil Perfumery on this site, because they are just so good at making perfume dupes.
While this is only a 10 ml bottle, it’s actually an oil base without any alcohol. This means it’s very concentrated, will last a very long time on the skin and you only need a tiny dab to get the full effect.
It also has a stainless steel rollerball and is the perfect size for throwing in your purse. I have several of these little bottles and I honestly can’t tell the difference between any of these dupes and the original perfume they’re copying. They are so good and one of my top recommendations if you’re looking for bargain perfumes.
This Impression smells just like Black Opium eau de parfum and is a great cruelty free alternative to YSL. Its notes are identical, from the cashmere wood to the pink pepper.
4. Britney Spears Prerogative
Price: $22 for 50ml
Prerogative is an incredibly similar scent to YSL Black Opium, although it is not exactly the same to everyone’s nose. I actually find it incredibly similar myself, and the first time I smelled Prerogative I instantly thought of Black Opium.
It has the same delicious notes of pink pepper and coffee and is so incredibly close to YSL’s fragrance that it’s very difficult to tell the difference between the two.
In fact, I would say that if you already own Prerogative you don’t need Black Opium as this is a really close dupe.
5. Zara Gardenia
Price: $27.90 for 180ml
You can almost always count on Zara to bring you a good dupe, and Gardenia is a spot on match for Black Opium.
Gardenia’s fragrance notes include coffee and base notes of vanilla. It’s one of the most popular perfumes from Zara and has been around for a long time, although it often appears in different packaging. I always have a backup of Gardenia in my fragrance collection because it really is the perfect dupe for Black Opium.
I often wear Zara fragrances and find them suitable for special occasions, despite being just a fraction of the price of designer fragrances. They are long lasting and many, including Gardenia, have great sillage and projection.
Next time you’re passing a Zara store, pop in and have a sniff of Gardenia to see just how much it smells like Black Opium. It’s a dead ringer and so affordable too.
6. Oakcha Midnight Nymph
Price: $30 for 50ml
Oakcha specialize in making affordable alternatives to designer scents, without the price tag that’s associated with brand names like YSL.
Midnight Nymph is the brand’s take on Black Opium. It has matching notes of coffee, pink pepper, licorice, bitter almond, white flowers and cedar which means it’s so incredibly delicious and comforting, just like the real thing.
The solid black bottle is classy and looks good on my vanity. The other great thing about this Black Opium dupe is that it’s a Parfum Extrait, meaning it has a high concentration of oil in its formulation. It literally lasts all day on me and I can smell it at night even when I’ve sprayed it in the morning. Not bad for only $30!
7. Alexandria Fragrances London Destination
Price: $32.99 for 55ml
My final top pick when it comes to the best Black Opium dupes is London Destination by Alexandria Fragrances.
It’s just as good as the original Black Opium, with those juicy pear notes that give way to creamy vanilla and invigorating black coffee.
I had a sample of this, and straight away went and ordered the bigger bottle. It’s absolutely divine and I wear this one whenever I want a Black Opium vibe to my day.
If you can’t get enough of this gorgeously feminine fragrance with its vanilla notes and black coffee kick, there are some amazing dupes of YSL Black Opium perfume available in other formats.
For example, you can get the Black Opium fragrance duped in a body oil, reed diffuser, solid perfume, body butter, candle or wax melt.
You don’t have to go without this beautiful scent because of its higher price tag.
Just grab yourself one of the Black Opium perfume dupes and enjoy this fragrance without spending a pretty penny to do so.
Love fragrance dupes?
Check out these posts:
Superdrug Artiscent Atelier dupes
Frequently asked questions
The Zara fragrance which smells identical to Black Opium is called Gardenia. It has had different packaging over the years since its release, but it always smells just as good as Black Opium itself.
My top pick from the list of Black Opium dupes would be the Oil Perfumery’s Impression of Black Opium, because it is so long lasting and affordable. I also recommend you check out Dossier’s Ambery Vanilla because it’s an eau de parfum like the real thing.
Black Opium Eau de Parfum Intense is the strongest version of YSL’s Black Opium, and more intense than the original.
This post contains affiliate links. A full disclosure is available from the main menu.
- 10 Awesome Target Dupes - May 10, 2024
- Planning a UK Staycation - May 9, 2024
- Lululemon-Inspired Amazon Finds - May 8, 2024
Amanda
Sunday 1st of October 2023
Thank you so much for this! I love, love Black Opium and am getting toward the end of my bottle, but with everything being so expensive these days, I was looking for an alternative. Super helpful! I love the sound of the London Destination. I think I'll have to try that.
Melissa Jane Lee
Monday 2nd of October 2023
I'm so glad this was helpful! I love Black Opium too, and totally get the need to have this in a fragrance collection. London Destination is gorgeous!