I Found a $38 Dupe for My Go-To $160 Perfume That Smells Like the Summer in a Bottle

When Sol de Janeiro reached out to let me know they would be launching a new fragrance, I wasn’t just willing to try it, I was excited. I’m a fan of the brand’s OG scent — the salty caramel perfume even gets my coworker stopped in the street — so I preemptively made space in my bathroom cabinet, ready for a new go-to.

Upon Rio Radiance’s arrival and an immediate spritz, my nose couldn’t help but think, “I know this scent.” So I rifled through my stash of perfumes, trying to place where I’d smelled this before, and realized it wasn’t just similar to Maison Margiela’s popular Replica Beach Walk, it was nearly identical. The floral base, the notes of coconut milk — I had accidentally stumbled upon a $38 dupe of one of my favorite $160 fragrances.

Shop now: $38; soldejaneiro.com

By default, my boyfriend has become my de facto second opinion. Because I know perfumes can smell different to everyone and on every skin, I sprayed one on each wrist and asked him to smell both. “Yeah, that’s the same,” he observed. Through a more critical lens and time on the skin, we were able to note that Maison Margiela’s Beach Walk was a bit more floral while Rio de Janeiro’s Rio Radiance wore a little sweeter — but, to be candid, I preferred the latter (though again, only distinguishable if you’re actively trying to find a difference).

The new perfume mist immediately transports me to warmer weather and sunnier skies. By combining florals like tuberose — a white flower reminiscent to jasmine — with coconut, vanilla, and mango, the fragrance has a beachy quality to it, like fresh blooms and tropical drink. Since it’s more of a spray than a concentrated perfume, it never smells overpowering, but is still long-lasting — a few spritzes gives you full coverage and after a few hours of wear, I can still smell the scent on my clothes and skin.

Shoppers at Sephora also picked up on the similarity between this just-launched scent and the Maison Margiela perfume, with one writing, “as soon as I [smelled] this I thought of Replica Beach Walk,” deeming it a definite “dupe.” Others were impressed by the scents' wearability. “I like that I'm able to layer this with other products and it's not too overpowering. The scent lasts all day long,” wrote one customer. But for others, it was the way the scent evoked summer that made it a must. “It reminds me of a tropical vacation,” said one shopper, while another called it “delicious.” 

Whether you’re a Beach Walk fan looking for a cheaper alternative, or just someone craving a little bit of warmth as we finish out winter, you’ll want to grab Sol de Janeiro’s newest fragrance before it inevitably sells out.