THE RISE OF DUPES:
FROM COMPARISON TO CATEGORY
This article is a continuation of our feature “The Rise of Dupes: From Comparison to Category”, published on page 70 of Le Parfum Magazine Chapter 8 (get your copy here). As the dupe phenomenon continues to reshape the fragrance industry, the debate surrounding originality, accessibility, and value shows no signs of slowing down.
Share your perspective in the comments below and join the discussion. We will continue to update this page throughout the year with new insights, industry developments, and notable viewpoints as the conversation evolves.
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The dupe debate is not only a debate about imitation. It is a stress test for brand identity.
The campaign “Ich bin keine Kopie” makes an important point: originality, creative work and brand equity need protection. But protection alone will not be enough. Any brand that does not want to be copied must show more clearly why it is truly distinctive in the first place.
In today’s fragrance market, it is no longer enough to differentiate through price, bottle design or luxury aura alone. Brands need to define their own signature more clearly — through origin, composition, storytelling, retail experience, consultation, materiality and an emotional brand world that carries more than just a scent profile.
A strong original cannot be reduced to “smells like.” It carries a world.
The key question is therefore not only: How do we stop dupes? The deeper question is: Why is the original strong enough that people want more than similarity?
Because not every dupe weakens an original. But every weakly differentiated original makes it easier for a dupe to exist.