Are “inspired-by” Indian fragrances actually worth it? My surprising experience in Bangalore.

So yesterday I had one of those accidental deep dives into the perfume world and now I’m confused (in a good way).

I was at Mall of Asia and tried a bunch of originals:

Chanel No. 5 (my wife loved this) and I had planned to get this as a birthday gift

A few Amouage (Interlude stood out)

Some Dior and YSL perfumes

All great, obviously—but also expensive, as expected.

Later, we headed to Church Street in Bangalore and stumbled upon a shop selling “inspired-by” versions of these same fragrances. Normally I’m skeptic of most things, but since everything was fresh in my mind, I decided to test them properly.

I tried:

Chanel No. 5 inspired version ( I couldn't distinguish from the original, this version was that good)

Creed Silver Mountain Water inspired version (I’ve tried the original in the US before, very good replication, very fresh citrusy and the dry down is where this shone)

And honestly… I was surprised.

They claimed \~45% oil concentration, and:

The scent profiles felt very close to what I had just smelled earlier

Performance so far seems pretty solid (still testing longevity properly)

Price difference is obviously massive

Now I’m genuinely wondering:

Are we sleeping on some of these Indian perfume houses/retailers doing “inspired-by” blends? I was in Pune and I also visited a similar shop and tried a local made Amouage Outlands version that was also very very good. ( The shopkeeper however was mad, he refuses to sell anything on the first visit to the store, some weird logic)

I know Middle Eastern clone houses (like Lattafa, Arabiyat, Armaf, etc.) get a lot of love here and I love them too—but has anyone explored Indian alternatives seriously?

Would love to hear:

Have you tried Indian clone/inspired perfume brands?

How do they compare vs ME houses?

Is there a safety risk, anyone knows if what is used in desi stuff is skin safe

Any legit brands/shops you’d recommend (or avoid)?

Would love your thoughts.

Channel No 5 and Creed Silver Mountain: Experience with Inspirations