Dubai has long been a hotspot for luxury shopping, but one user has taken to X to share a surprising secret: high-quality imitation perfumes are making the originals almost obsolete.
According to the user, he recently visited Yusuf Bhai’s perfume shop in Dubai, where the experience left him “mind-blown.” “You could basically tell them any perfume you wanted, and they’d cook it up for you at 10% of the cost,” he explained. “They have the oils, bottles, and seals ready, minted for you in 10 minutes flat.”
Affordable luxury at your fingertips
The appeal, he notes, is not just the price but the ease of access. Unlike fake watches, handbags, or sneakers, which carry a high risk of embarrassment if discovered, perfumes rely purely on scent. “People know how Sauvage or Tom Ford or Chanel smells. So if someone compliments your perfume, there’s almost zero chance they’ll question whether it’s real,” he said.
This perception, he added, makes imitation perfumes a low-risk alternative for those who want the prestige of high-end fragrances without paying exorbitant prices. “Even if someone did ask, and you claimed it’s the original, they’d have to believe you,” he noted.
A threat to premium brands?
The user also highlighted the potential impact on luxury perfume brands. “If this catches on, everyone will start smelling the same kind of good,” he said. “And that’s something people who love brands hate most. When something becomes accessible, they look for more expensive alternatives for exclusivity. Here, there can be no exclusivity.”
For fragrance lovers, the trend presents a new way to enjoy luxury scents. As the user shared, “Here’s my growing collection of copies… shhhh, don’t tell anyone.” With Dubai’s imitation perfume market thriving, experts suggest it could reshape the way people experience luxury fragrances worldwide.
