Are The Essence Vault Fragrances Any Good? And are they really a cheaper option to the real deal?
The Essence Vault is a clone fragrance brand. They offer high street brand scents at affordable prices. Essence Vault does not create reproductions of existing fragrances due to copyright - its product line is made of fragrances “inspired by” existing offerings. The brand boasts cruelty-free, vegan fragrances which are full strength - they last longer than typical Eau De Toilette scents. Naturally, Essence Vault is not the first to create products inspired by high street brands. Clone fragrance companies are commonplace. The Essence Vault is one of the better ones, arguably it's second only to CopyCat.
Products We Liked: DS, Bleu de Channel, La Vie Est Belle Dupes We Really Didn't Like: Aventus
It is essential to look at objective criteria when reviewing a clone fragrance company. The first criteria that we use is value for money. It’s essential to identify if customers get a good amount of quality products when they spend. Essence Vault offers relatively inexpensive fragrances. But, they come in two versions, the cheaper version has an average cost for a large 100mL bottle is £30. Although we generally find the £30 bottles don't last as long as we'd expect from an eau de parfum, the £50 versions however, are pretty good. Regarding authenticity, it’s important to remember that we’re not dealing with a clone brand. They are not directly trying to replicate the smells. In many cases, they choose to go with an inspired option. The results of a product inspired by a High Street brand can be mixed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not, but in every case, the smell is unique. Not all of these fragrances are top quality, and it’s important to remember that.
Want to know more about copycat fragrances?
Yes, in most cases you do get a very similar fragrance for a fracion of the cost, a couple of them don't hold up, but for the most part they're pretty good copies, you can tell side by side, but after a few hours you won't notice when it settles against your natural scents.
As we talk about the brand's fragrances, we will reference specific types of notes. These notes are top notes, heart notes, and base notes. You need to understand this is how the beauty and fragrance industry identifies what kind of smells are inside a fragrance. Top notes are what you encounter first, as the initial scent, followed by the heart notes, which are in the middle of the bottle, and then the base notes at the bottom.
For the most part customers review the essence vault quite well coming in over 4* second only to copycat fragrances. We're not surprised overall the products on offer are pretty good. The reviews of the black fragrances are usually far better. You should avoid the multitude of influence reviews however as most of these are sponsored.
Essence Vault has a range for men that features many popular names. This, Inspired by Aventus, is one of them. As a fragrance, this is quite complex. The top notes are blackcurrant and Italian Bergamot. With the heart notes, you have very hot and spicy smells like Moroccan Jasmine, dry Birch, and Rose. Finally, the base notes have oakmoss, musk, and vanilla As products go, this isn’t terrible - there’s just a lot going on. There are plenty of different smells that all combine together, and the result can be a little overwhelming. It’s not exactly a very subtle smell and is styled as being quite a bold aroma. As of mid 2023, The Essence Vault really upped there game on this one. It's gone from being one of The Essence Vaults worse offerings to a great dupe we can get behind. The mix is a lot more subtle and it definitely smells a lot closer to the original. It's still a little bit more cluttered when you first spray it, but after about an hour it's a really close match. Just make sure you pop it on at least 30 mins before you go out and nobody will be able to tell the difference.
Finally, the last option on the table for men that we’ll look at is Inspired by One Million. The top notes are ruby mandarin orange, peppermint and grapefruit. For heart notes, there is cinnamon and other spices, and then finally, the base notes comprise white woods, amber and blondleather. As smells go, this is pretty exotic. It definitely works well, and you’ve got a very fruity, minty smell. It’s pretty good as a Paco clone. The best bit is that it does actually last a bit longer than the original which is a win for the Paco Rabanne One Million Clone.
Possibly the best thing about the essence vault is there bleu dupe. Matching up the notes pretty close to perfect to the EDP version, but with a slightly longer staying power, we really liked 299. It carries the same crisp citrusy notes well and the mids and low noted have a good staying power. The fact that the other good dupe houses don't have a Bleu clone also helps TEV come out on top when it comes to this must have mens fragrance.
The Essence Vault are once again the best offering for mens dupe perfume. Up until early 2023 we'd have rated CopyCat as higher, but with the quality control upped at TEV there now the clear winner. To top it off they have a couple of offerings that their main rival CopyCat don't, Bleu and 1 Million. And that's no longer the only place where they win. In terms of overall quality they're winning too. The women's section however, is where they really stand apart.
Try TEV's Mens Dupes
So, the next product that we will be taking a look at is something from the women’s selection. It is Inspired by Lady Million. You have got top notes that are raspberry and Amalfi lemon. Your heart notes are of gardenia, African orange flower and Jasmine, and the base notes are amber and white honey. Again this is a good copy, and if you go for the more expensive option at £50/100ml you'll actually have something that lasts a bit longer than the original, and we're comparing it to the elixir not, the eau de parfum. The essence vault have arguably produced something of better value for money than Paco Rabanne with this lady million dupe.
Next up, we have Inspired by Daisy, which is a pretty interesting and unique scent that aims to be floral and woody all at once. You have top notes of blood grapefruit, strawberry and violet leaf. There are middle notes of jasmine, gardenia, and violet; finally, at the base notes, you’ve got vanilla, white woods and musk. This smell is a good copy. The floral, woody aroma isn’t exceptionally bold or brave, but neither is the original, it’s a nice staple fragrances for day to day wear.
Lost Cherry, Good Girl, La Vie Est Belle and Lady Million Dupes are highlights. The Essence Vault does well on it's female fragrances 5/5 on that front.
Check Out The essence vault womens Dupes
Tthere is quite a bit that Essence Vault are good, there's just better amongst the competition. Brands like Copycat are more effective. This is a clone fragrance website which offers a broad range of quality products. Their fragrances are much closer to high street brands and have a subtle change that makes them as good, if not better.
Essence Vault does try to deliver a good experience, and a lot of the fragrances it does offer are unique. As products that have been inspired by High Street brands, they’re not trying to deliberately copy, but this ultimately let some down. The inspirations are often quite different in terms of how they smell from the originals, and a lot of the original intention is lost with it. In some cases, the brand that inspired the product is very detached from the finished fragrance, and that can be quite confusing. As long as you remember that this is a brand that creates inspiration for its fragrances, rather than being an outright clone, you won’t have any misconceptions.