Spending £109 on a perfume just isn’t in many people’s budgets right now, so Senior Social News Reporter Danielle Kate Wroe wanted to try a £5.99 Aldi scent which people say smells like her favourite fragrance
It’s no secret that designer perfumes can command a seriously hefty price tag. Sometimes, it’s worth it, because they smell far superior to their cheaper counterparts; however, with the rise of dupes, many designer fragrance houses are quaking in their boots, as smaller companies have figured out how to get seriously similar smells to customers at a fraction of the price.
Now, I’m not usually a dupe fragrance sort of person, despite their very clever social media marketing. I can usually at least try to justify the ridiculous price tag of my favourite scents – or I’ll ask for it as a gift for a special occasion.
However, when I heard Aldi was selling a perfume that smells similar to my favourite scent, Kayali Pistachio Gelato, which retails at £109 for 100ml, I knew I had to try it for myself – especially as it costs just £5.99 for 50ml.
TikToker Emi, who posts as @emibudhabhai on the platform, recently said: “So apparently the new Pistachio perfume from Aldi smells like Kayali,” and said it smells “wonderful”. And others
Someone commented on her video saying: “It’s stunning! I can’t get enough!” Another added: “It’s so good, I bought it today”.
Plus, a saving of almost £100? Imagine what you could spend that on instead! Anyway, I tried the Lacura Pistachio Eau de Parfum, and these are my thoughts…
Comparing the bottles…
There’s no denying that the Kayali bottle is much more aesthetic and would look so much lovelier on your dressing table. However, as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover, and that certainly counts when it comes to perfumes.
With all the dupes on the market, you can bet your bottom dollar that the bottles are nowhere near as pretty, but sometimes they smell just like the real deal. So, I knew that I needed to spray both of them together to make my mind up for sure.
First spray…
Upon first spray, I was really impressed with how similar the perfumes were. They’re both super sweet, vanilla meets pistachio vibes, and I absolutely loved it.
The original is described as a “delicious explosion of irresistible and edible notes including pistachio, voluptuous whipped cream, roasted hazelnut, sweet rum, fluffy marshmallow and fizzy cotton candy”.
The original certainly delivers that for me, and that’s why it’s become a mainstay in my perfume collection since its release in 2023.
And while the Aldi version smells pleasing at first, it sadly doesn’t pack as much of a punch as my beloved original – but it’s similar enough that if you were on a tight budget, it would definitely make do. But you’d have to respray it quite often. However, it’s small enough to be able to carry around in your handbag without taking up much room!
Longevity test…
I like my perfumes to last a long time, and by a long time, I mean I want to smell it on myself the morning after I’ve worn it in the evening.
Pistachio Gelato by Kayali delivers that for me, and it’s rare for designer perfumes to pack that much of a punch, from experience.
Sadly, Aldi’s version didn’t last long at all, and after just over an hour, I couldn’t smell any scent at all, let alone the gorgeous notes of pistachio. It leaves more of a powdery vanilla scent behind, which is undeniably lovely, but definitely doesn’t replace Kayali.
Overall thoughts…
To be completely honest, the Aldi perfume isn’t a patch on the Kayali perfume; however, if I wasn’t comparing them I would have thought it was a genuinely lovely scent. I just feel I went into smelling it with way too high expectations, which is a shame.
For just £5.99, if you were on a budget and not wanting to save up for Kayali, I’d definitely say just get it and try it. Like I said, it doesn’t pack as much of a punch as the original, because it has so many more complex notes in it, but if you’re just after a sweet perfume to whack in your handbag, it certainly does the trick.
The perfume is available now at Aldi, until stocks last, so run, don’t walk if you fancy trying it.