Throughout my research process, I learned a significant amount of information that I applied to the fragrance industry, from dupe fragrances to designer fragrances. I learned that dupe fragrances and designer fragrances last about the same amount of time, so it is pretty unnecessary to spend extra money just for a brand name.
Moreover, David Garvin's 1984 framework breaks quality into eight components, and my study revealed that designer and dupe fragrances are virtually identical on the ones that matter most functionally: performance, reliability, features, and conformance. The gap appears only on Dimensions 7 and 8: aesthetics and perceived quality, which are rooted in branding, heritage, and packaging rather than in the liquid inside the bottle. This underscored the value of my research: the quality of dupe fragrances is just as high as that of designer fragrances. I am glad that I found out that my data suggests that assumption is not supported by evidence, at least not when it comes to longevity.
Next, with my content, I aim to do a study on the longevity of fragrances on human skin, and test a greater number of fragrances to better help me understand the differences between dupe fragrances and designer fragrances.
From the final presentation, oral defense, and academic paper, I learned a significant amount of new things.
The presentation taught me how to effectively convey the main aspects of my research into a presentation, while talking, and allowing the audience to truly understand my research really well. Moreover, the presentation also taught me how to communicate really well and clearly, whether it is an argument, or research, it taught me how to convey something to a group of audience really well.
The oral defense taught me how to effectively answer questions and clear doubts within audiences. Moreover, it was a significant hurdle, as presentations can be memorized, but questions that will be asked by the panelists cannot be memorized. It made me actually understand my reserach so deeply that allowed me to answer questions asked by the panelists. Whether it was about my research, methodology, or anything, I needed to understand my research so well that I can effectively answer the question.
The academic paper taught me a lot about academic writing and precision. It taught me that in academic writing, you cannot be casual with you're words, and have to be very presise and academically communicate your reserach topic. Truthfully, Academic writing demands a kind of intellectual honesty that casual writing lets you skip.
I came into this process as a impulsive thinker, wanting to get everything done fast, yet research isn't like that. It is slow, rigorous, and fundamentally humble. It asks you to structure a question, gather evidence, and accept whatever the evidence tells you, even if it complicates the story you wanted to tell. Moreover, as a student it learned me to stay on top of tasks even if I didn't want to. Without strict deadlines, it puts the pressure on YOU, to make sure to get all the work done to stay on time. One of the most uncomfortable moments in this process was confronting my own researcher bias. I own Azalia, a dupe fragrance company, and I was testing the hypothesis that dupe fragrances perform comparably to designer ones. Perhaps the lesson I will apply in the future is this: the research process prepared me to ask better questions. Before AP Research, I had curiosity but not method. Now I have both.
Mr. McBride was there throughout the AP research process giving me small feedback, but important feedback that helped. Moreover, he would make sure that I was accountable for the work I was doing, asking during AP Research, or even during English class with him. His guidance helped me stay grounded when the process felt overwhelming.
Mrs. Dobos truly helped me throughout this entire process. She helped me turn this vague idea of wanting to test fragrances into the project I completed today. Moreover, her high expectations and precise comments helped me with my projects throughout the year.
Both Mr. McBride's and Mrs. Dobos's feedback was very valuable. Their belief in every other student and me helped me truly formulate this project, and if it wasn't for them, my paper would not exist.
Mrs. Petri introduced me to academic research as a whole. Before taking her biotech class, I did not know that students could do research at this high level. That introduction changed the trajectory of my academic experience entirely. She truly showed me what I was capable of and the research that I was able to do. That introduction set a framework of what I hope to do in college and after.
My parents did not just support this research project. They supported Azalia, the fragrance company that made this research possible in the first place. They believed in me as a founder before I believed in myself, and their encouragement has been the constant beneath everything I have built.
Nearly everyone in the world wears fragrance, whether for special occasions or daily use, and it is a standard part of people's lives. According to Civic Science, 68% of adults in the US report wearing fragrance, whether occasionally, daily, or rarely (Wilson, 2018). Fragrance is a common part of people's lives, yet high prices often keep consumers on edge, with prices continuing to rise 15% each year, making them more expensive over time. Due to this, fragrance dupes have been on an incline, with shoppers inclined to purchase fragrance dupes over the pricey original designer fragrances. According to Ava Mayfair, fragrance dupes are defined as fragrances intended to smell similar to another fragrance, with similar sizes (Ava Mayfair, 2025). The fragrance dupe industry has grown to a market valued at $2.71 billion within an overall fragrance market valued at $74 billion (ShelfTrend, 2025; Grand View Research, 2025). Concerns about quality due to affordability are common among consumers, yet this research identifies a significant gap in the literature, as no studies have physically tested the quality of fragrance dupes relative to designer fragrances. To assess product quality, Garvin's dimensions of quality are used to determine whether a product genuinely has excellent quality (Garvin, 1984). The research design used in this study is an experimental, quantitative study focusing on evaporation of fragrances through mass loss, adapted from Vuilleumier et al. (1995). Six fragrances were tested: three dupes (Lattafa Khamrah, Dossier Aromatic Bergamot, and Azalia Blushing Sugar) and three designer fragrances (Kilian's Angel Share, YSL MYSLF, and Kilian's Love Don't Be Shy). Each fragrance was sprayed onto a paper tester strip and weighed hourly across a five-hour window, repeated across three independent trials. A two-sample independent t-test was conducted, and the p-value obtained was 0.308. Since 0.308 is greater than 0.05, there is no statistical significance, meaning that the dupes lasted a similar amount of time to the designer fragrances. The difference in mean cumulative mass lost at Hour 5 between the dupe group (0.0097 g) and the designer group (0.0075 g) was not statistically significant. Analyzed through Garvin's eight dimensions of quality, the designer and dupe fragrances were equal across Performance, Features, Reliability, and Conformance. Designer fragrances held advantages only in Aesthetics and Perceived Quality, dimensions rooted in brand heritage and identity rather than the actual product itself. For consumers, choosing a dupe over a designer fragrance does not lead to a compromise in functional performance. The premium price of designer fragrances primarily reflects investment in brand identity, packaging, and perceived prestige rather than superior longevity.
This fall, I head to Northeastern University to study Finance and Data Science with a minor in business. I hope to pursue these fields to pursue my career path in Finance and apply my knowledge to future business endeavors.
It is bittersweet to close Azalia, the fragrance company my parents helped me build and that directly inspired this research. But the timing feels right. Azalia gave me more than just sales, it allowed me to see how business works, and how research can be implemented to every lens.
The next chapter is Oparity, an agentic AI platform designed to help small businesses replace traditional management overhead with autonomous AI agents. Marketing, hiring, scheduling, communications, all orchestrated by intelligent agents that work around the clock. The intersection of Finance and Data Science I am studying at Northeastern is the perfect foundation to build this right.