Boots perfume ‘smells £200’ but costs £15 and ‘reminds of Dior’

Arabian-inspired fragrances have emerged as one of the most significant trends in the beauty industry, with consumers increasingly pursuing rich, enduring scents that appear far more luxurious than their modest price points would suggest. Now, Boots has unveiled a new collection of perfumes priced at merely £14.99 each, and purchasers are already drawing comparisons between one of them and luxury niche fragrances commanding hundreds of pounds.

The star attraction is the Jawhara Oud Velvet Eau de Parfum, which has a composition of oud, rose, spices and vanilla. Part of the recently-launched Jawhara collection — which translates as “Jewel” — the Oud Velvet fragrance begins with coriander and saffron before evolving into smoky oud, amber wood and cedarwood, mellowed by creamy vanilla. If you wan’t something a little different, the broader Jawhara range also features four additional fragrances, each retailing at £14.99 for 100ml.

Jawhara Sultan Rose Eau de Parfum delivers a refined interpretation of rose with peony, saffron and vanilla incense, while Jawhara Golden Nectar Eau de Parfum combines bergamot, tuberose and musk for a lighter floral composition.

Those who favour sweeter perfumes might appreciate Jawhara Sweet Dates Eau de Parfum, which marries vanilla, raspberry and dates with caramelised amber, while Jawhara Amberwood Nomad Eau de Parfum blends cardamom, cedarwood and myrrh for a warmer, more masculine-leaning fragrance that could serve as a Father’s Day gift option.

Available to purchase online now and landing in selected Boots stores from early June, the range seeks to deliver the opulence and craftsmanship of Arabian fragrance to a broader market, minus the eye-watering price point, reports the Mirror.

There are plenty of alternative options if these don’t work for you, though. Including the Kayali Vanilla Musk Mini Duo set, priced at £24 from Sephora. This set contains one Vanilla 28 Eau de Parfum 5ml Mini Bottle alongside one Freedom Musk Santal 34 Eau de Parfum 5ml Mini Bottle.

Meanwhile, Amazon stocks the Versace Miniature Set Women’s 1 Piece for £39.29. This features four miniature perfumes and, for optimal results, customers are advised to apply to pulse points including wrists, neck and behind the ears. The site indicates that more than 50 have been purchased in the past month alone.

Regarding the Jawhara Oud Velvet Eau de Parfum, however, one online reviewer commented: “First thing I noticed was that this brand is owned by COTY and the nose behind this is Jordi Fernández. ‘Oud Velvet’ is a phenomenal oud, rose, and spice fragrance for those who love that profile. For under £15, it’s an absolute steal. If COTY sends this to some influencers to promote, I can see the price easily tripling. It reminds me a bit of the luxury DNA you find in Dior’s private collection line (like Oud Ispahan).”

Another customer remarked: “It projects heavily for the first two hours. It’s a gorgeous mix of velvety rose, oud, spices, and a trailing incense cloud that gets tons of compliments.”

One shopper commented on the bottles, saying: “The scent itself is rich, deep, and incredibly sexy. On the skin, it leaves a lingering, expensive sillage. However, be aware that the bottles and caps feel very lightweight. If you can overlook the cap, the perfume itself punches way above its weight class.”

Another reviewer noted: “If you’ve been scared of oud, buy this. It’s warm, velvety, and smells like a £200 boutique perfume.”

While a further customer wrote: “This is a very woody, slightly smoky, and warm spicy fragrance. In a funny way, it kind of reminds me of smelling the inside of an old wooden drawer that had spices like clove and cinnamon kept in it. The spices are not too heavy, and the vanilla just sweetens it enough to balance it out perfectly so it’s not bitter, but it’s not too sweet either. It definitely has a seasonal, almost holiday kind of warmth.”

The Jawhara Oud Velvet Eau de Parfum is currently priced at £14.99 at Boots.