What does “inspired by” mean in perfume? An honest explanation

The phrase in plain English

Some perfumes are made with a well-known fragrance in mind. A product page can say so by pointing to it. The wording varies: “inspired by”, “reminiscent of”, “in the style of”. All of them mean roughly this: here is a familiar fragrance to help you find your bearings. It is a signpost, not a certificate.

What it does and does not promise

It does say: the bottle was made with a certain style in mind, and the two may share a mood, a family or some notes.

It does not say: that the two smell identical, that they last equally long, that the quality is equal or that the formulas match. It is also not an endorsement by the maker of the reference perfume. Two perfumes can share a note list and still smell quite different, which is the next point.

Why scents can resemble others without being interchangeable

A note list names ingredients, not amounts or quality. Vanilla, amber, bergamot and cardamom are available to every perfumer, so many fragrances in a family sound alike on paper. What separates them is the proportion of each note, the grade of the materials, how the blend evolves over hours and, last, your own skin. That is why a list of shared notes tells you about mood, and says little about the smell.

Think of two chocolate cakes with the same ingredients. One is dense and bitter, one is light and sweet. The list matches, the cakes do not.

How we use the phrase on Faan Perfumes

• We use it as plain text on the product page of a bottle that has a reference.
• Nine of the fourteen FAAN bottles have a reference. Five, including Qasida Senses, Qasida Dunes, Qasida Purity, Qasida Bidaya and Amjad Status, have none.
• We do not say that a bottle smells like its reference, and we do not rank the two.
• We are an independent retailer. We are not affiliated with FAAN, and we are not affiliated with the houses named as references.

When you see the words on a page such as Amjad Honour or Qasida Signature, read them as an invitation to compare notes, nothing more.

What to expect from the references

The reference perfume has its own maker, its own price, its own bottle sizes and its own concentration. We cannot speak for it. If you want to know what it is like, read its own product page: the notes list, the concentration, the size. Then compare with ours. For a worked example of how to compare, see how we describe a single bottle on its own terms, in the Honour review.

How to read a reference without being misled

1. Check concentration and bottle size on both pages. They matter as much as the notes.
2. Look for overlap in the notes lists, not for a perfect match.
3. Read what the reference page says about its own strength and staying power, and read ours separately.
4. Be wary of any shop that promises an identical smell. No list of notes can promise that.
5. If you are unsure, buy for the notes you like, not for the name beside them.

FAQ

Does “inspired by” mean it smells alike?

Not necessarily. It means there is a reference point. Whether the smell is close is something only your nose can tell you.

Do you compare the two perfumes?

No. We describe our bottle by its own notes and ratings. We do not rank it against the reference.

Is a FAAN bottle an original bottle?

Yes. Original FAAN bottles are what we sell. See all FAAN perfumes.

Related reading

• Attar, eau de parfum or extrait: what is the difference?
• What do Qasida and Amjad mean?
• Which FAAN perfume to choose: a simple guide