Fragrance is everywhere. Almost everyone I know owns at least one bottle, whether it’s a luxury designer scent or a more affordable alternative. Yet every time fragrance came up in conversation, one belief seemed universal: designer fragrances are “better quality.” Brands like Dior, YSL, and Baccarat Rouge 540 are almost automatically assumed to be superior, while dupes are often dismissed as cheap imitations.
I decided to take matters into my own hands and manufacture a company with fragrance dupes, as high quality products.
But the more I thought about it, the more something didn’t add up.
If scents can’t be patented, how can two fragrances smell nearly identical but be judged so differently? And if the smell is the same, what exactly makes one “higher quality” than the other?
That question became the starting point of my research,and the first step on what I think of as my research journey down the fragrance trail.
At first, my topic was too broad. I wanted to study everything about fragrance quality: ingredients, chemistry, branding, psychology, and pricing. But as I reviewed existing research, I realized that I needed to narrow my focus.
Previous studies helped guide me:
Garvin’s (1984) Dimensions of Quality showed that quality isn’t just about performance, it includes aesthetics and perceived quality. And this helped me with my research project as a rubric for how to measure the quality between fragranes.
Beverland’s (2005) wine study demonstrated that consumers often judge quality based on brand heritage, packaging, and symbolism before tasting the product.
Industry research showed that dupe fragrances are rapidly growing, driven by rising fragrance prices and consumer price sensitivity (ShelfTrend, 2025; Grand View Research, n.d.).
As for a gap, There is very little research directly comparing branded fragrances and dupes using both perception and measurable performance.
Methodology:
I will test 12 fragrances:
6 branded fragrances, 6 corresponding dupes
Each fragrance will be sprayed onto identical paper tester strips.
I will measure longevity by tracking evaporation-based mass loss over 8 hours.
The fragrance that loses less mass over time is considered to last longer.
Why longevity?
Because it measures the quality of the actual product. While using garvins dimensions of quality to analyze the quality of the company and bottle designs, this tests the actual interior of the product, the real thing that is used, not just the packaging.
Importance:
Here is why my project is essential.
Many of us pay more for products because they are perceived as higher quality, even when they are not. This results in high product costs with no apparent justification.
Moreover, no one has tested this perceived quality, especially in fragrances, to see if the quality between the two fragrances is genuinely compatible.