ALT. Fragrances: Extrait Dupes of Aventus, BR540 and Gypsy Water

ALT. Fragrances sells its perfumes as extrait de parfum and names the original at the top of each page. Its core three point at Aventus, Baccarat Rouge 540 and Gypsy Water. Crystal No.23 is the closest to its original, and Executive No.26 is missing the note that defines its own.

How Does ALT Describe Its Perfumes?

ALT’s product pages carry a disclaimer that it competes with the designer brand, doesn’t use their fragrances and doesn’t present its perfumes as exact copies. It cites the Federal Trade Commission’s policy statement on comparative advertising. That’s the legal footing most American dupe houses stand on: you can say your perfume is an alternative to a named original, as long as you don’t pass it off as the real thing. Our dupe legality guide covers where that line has been drawn in court.

ALT also prints its declarable ingredients, and its perfumes are extraits, a higher concentration than the eau de parfum most dupe houses sell.

ALT	Its named original	How close are the notes?
Crystal No.23	MFK Baccarat Rouge 540	Close
Executive No.26	Creed Aventus	No birch listed
Bohemian Water	Byredo Gypsy Water	Only two notes given

Crystal No.23: Baccarat Rouge 540

Crystal lists jasmine, saffron, cedarwood and ambergris. That’s Baccarat Rouge 540’s skeleton almost exactly: saffron’s leathery warmth, jasmine, dry wood and the salty, mineral amber that ambergris accords are built on. ALT’s own description adds “toasted sugar”, which suggests it hasn’t left out the burnt-sugar sweetness of ethyl maltol, the molecule behind BR540’s candyfloss glow, even though no sweet note appears in the list.

One wearer calls it ethereal and shares it with their partner. Its list matches Montagne’s Le Bonbon note for note, and both follow Kurkdjian’s outline more closely than the other alternatives we compare. Crystal Gold Edition is a separate perfume. Our BR540 dupe list compares it with Dossier’s darker Ambery Saffron and Ariana Grande’s Cloud.

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Executive No.26: Aventus

Executive lists bergamot, blackcurrant and pineapple, then rose, jasmine and patchouli, over oakmoss, ambergris and vanilla. What it doesn’t list is birch, the smoky note that turns Aventus’s pineapple from a fruit salad into something with an edge. With vanilla in the base instead, Executive should be softer and sweeter than Creed’s.

That fits what a returning owner describes: a clean woodiness they like, with the citrus fading fast and less refinement than Aventus. If the smoke is what you love, Alexandria’s Brasilia lists both pineapple and birch. Absolute Executive is a different perfume with a different reference.

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Bohemian Water: Gypsy Water

Bohemian Water takes its reference from Byredo’s Gypsy Water, and ALT describes it in a single line: fresh lemon blending into creamy sandalwood. Byredo’s Gypsy Water has lemon, bergamot, pepper and juniper on top, pine needles, incense and orris in the middle, and vanilla and sandalwood underneath: resinous and outdoorsy, with a soft base. With only lemon and sandalwood named, Bohemian Water covers the two ends of that and leaves the pine and incense unstated, so you’re buying the general mood more than a checked match. It’s the lightest of the three and the easiest to wear anywhere.

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Where Does ALT Fit?

ALT sits with Dossier and Oakcha among the houses that name their originals, and with Oakcha among those selling extraits. For roll-on oils instead of sprays, see Oil Perfumery. Our guide to dupe houses explains how the category works.