Louis Vuitton
19 fragrances are widely sold as cheaper versions of this. Ranked strongest match first.
Search Amazon for ImaginationFresh Italian citrus, clean expensive soap, ginger and a light black tea over soft ambery woods.
Main accords: floral, oud, rose, citrus, amber, woody. 2021 · EDP
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Widely agreedJean Lowe
Fantasme
The closest of the field in a blind strip test run past four people by an owner of the original and nine clones. It leans a little harder on the tea note than the original does; beyond that, testers struggle to separate them at all.
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Widely agreedBujairami
Hectic
About 95 percent there, and the closest of the group in a blind test against the original. A second reviewer who owns the original and seven clones rates it an equal tie for best, with the only difference being that it leans a shade soapier than the original.
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Widely agreedLattafa
Pride Art Of Arabia I
The opening is insanely close — people say it is hard to tell apart in the air. The tea note sits a little darker and denser, and the drydown drifts off and fades sooner than the real thing. Carry a decant rather than buying big.
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Widely agreedArd Al Zaafaran
Saheb Intense
Ranked the best Imagination clone from opening to drydown, and cheap. Slightly brighter and sweeter than the original, by about 5%. It also holds the airy, light feel that the others lose.
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Widely agreedJunaid Perfumes
Sanaya
The same bright citrus, ginger and black tea as the original, sold in a 200ml bottle for a fraction of the price.
Widely agreedJunaid Perfumes
Sanaya 40
A stronger version of Sanaya, made at a higher concentration so it projects more and lasts longer.
Often citedAnfar
Adyan Bleu D'Arabie
Blends Imagination's clean soapiness with a Pacific Chill mojito lift.
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Often citedAl Haramain
Amber Oud Aqua Dubai
Takes the soap note from Imagination and runs with it — the tea is gone and the soap is dialled way up. The loudest of the lot, a solid 12 hours, but the drydown goes its own way.
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Often citedRasasi
Hawas Kobra
Rated 99% by some and sold on by others who found it off. Performance is the best of the group.
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Often citedMontagne
Imaginary
Leans harder on the tea note than the original does. Close enough that in a blind six-way paper test the reviewer struggled to separate any of them from the original at all.
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Often cited
Often citedArabiyat Prestige
Marwa
A real take on the original, and the one influencers pushed hardest — but how close it lands genuinely divides people who own both. One eight-way blind battle makes it a joint winner on closeness and quality; another owner of the original plus seven clones calls it an equal tie with the best, a shade soapier. Two others disagree flatly: one finds the ginger spicy and the performance poor, another says the citrus is louder than the original and the neroli is wrong.
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Often citedArabiyat Prestige
Marwa Extrait
A 2026 extrait of Marwa with about three times the oil. It sits closer to the skin than the regular Marwa but lasts much longer.
Often citedBharara
Rome Imagine
Opens like the original with a very slight mintiness layered in, done well enough that it reads as an improvement rather than a flaw. Scored 9 out of 10 for similarity, and side by side with the best of the field nobody would separate them.
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Sometimes citedBeverly Hills Polo Club
Elysian Mirage
Soapy and clean with a woody dry down. An owner who has smelled Imagination puts it above Khadlaj Marwa — muskier and sweeter, with less of the dry ginger spice. Around four hours on skin.
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Sometimes citedFrench Avenue
Essence de Blanc
Catches the opening, then a strange herbal note takes over — it amps the tea the way Aqua Dubai amps the soap. Good if you want tea and soap, wrong if you want Imagination.
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Sometimes citedGame of Spades
Full House
Divides the people who own the original. One calls it near identical on the opening, just less bright on the citruses; another, who blind-tested it against the original and eight other clones, says it gets the neroli wrong and puts its reputation down to hype.
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Sometimes citedMykonos
Inception
Recommended warmly by some, and rated no better than middling by an owner of the original who blind-tested it against nine other clones alongside the real thing. It is in the DNA without being one of the closest readings of it.
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Sometimes citedArmaf
Ventana Marine
Reads as the original crossed with Bleu de Chanel rather than a straight copy, and the build quality is the weak point. It also needs patience: about eight weeks of maturation before it comes good, and it is rough out of the box.
Check best dealRanking combines how widely wearers agree a fragrance is a dupe with how closely its notes and accords line up. “Strong match” means both signals agree; “loose match” means it is in the same family but noticeably different on skin. 10 of these link to a published source.
Imagination is a men's perfume by Louis Vuitton. It came out in 2021.
It is one of the most loved fresh scents of its time. On Fragrantica, it is very highly rated, and over fourteen thousand people have voted.
It is also one of the most copied. This page lists nineteen dupes, and there are more.
Imagination was made by Jacques Cavallier Belletrud. He is Louis Vuitton's own in-house perfumer.
He was born in Grasse, the perfume town in the south of France. His family has worked in perfume for generations.
Before Louis Vuitton, he made famous scents for other brands, including L'Eau d'Issey. He now works from Louis Vuitton's studio in Grasse, called Les Fontaines Parfumées.
Louis Vuitton says the scent was inspired by the Italian countryside waking up in the early morning.
Cavallier wanted to use ambergris-style notes in a fresh, modern way. He paired them with Italian citrus, spices and tea.
Some of the ingredients were extracted with CO2. This is a gentle method that keeps the smell close to the real plant.
The notes are citron, bergamot and Sicilian orange, then neroli, ginger and cinnamon. The base is black tea, Ambroxan, guaiac wood and olibanum.
In plain words, it smells like fresh citrus, clean expensive soap and a light cup of tea. One owner summed it up as "luxury soap bar, citrus, dark-ish tea, ginger."
It is fresh, but it is not a simple citrus scent. The ginger and tea give it a warm, grown-up side.
It is sold for men. But one Fragrantica writer made an interesting point.
They said it smells like the clean, soapy women's perfumes of a hundred years ago. The same cool, fresh "grey amber" feel was in those old classics.
So if you are a woman who likes clean scents, don't let the label stop you.
The opening. A bright burst of citrus, with a light floral touch from the neroli. It is the part everyone recognizes.
The middle. The ginger and a little spice come in. It stays clean and soapy.
The drydown. The tea and soft woods come forward. One owner said the far drydown has "an amazing scent trail," especially in the heat.
It is easy to wear. It works for the office, weekends, dates in summer, and almost anything in between.
It smells clean and expensive. People around you tend to like it, even if they don't know perfume.
It is very versatile. One owner said it is "so easy to daily."
The main complaint is value. Many people feel it is too expensive for what is, in the end, a fresh cologne-style scent.
Some also find it boring. As one owner put it, "it does smell good, but it gets very boring after some time."
A few people feel the hype is bigger than the scent. It was pushed so hard online that some reviewers call it overrated.
Reports vary. Most owners say it is moderate for a fresh scent.
Some say it fades sooner than they hoped, and carry a small spray bottle to top up. Others find it lasts most of the day.
Because many dupes are stronger, this is one area where some clones beat the original.
Imagination became a huge hit online. It was even called "Aventus for zoomers."
Almost every dupe house then made a version. Reddit's r/fragranceclones has been flooded with Imagination "clone battles," where owners test the dupes side by side.
This is useful for you. More people have compared Imagination dupes to the original than for almost any other scent.
Several careful testers raised the same concern. Some dupes were pushed hard by paid influencers.
One owner said plainly that "hype is real" and "market manipulation is 100 percent real." They advised trying samples before buying.
That is why this page leans on owners who tested the dupes next to the real Imagination.
This is the most important thing to know. Owners disagree a lot about which dupe is closest.
One tester ranked Saheb Intense first.
Another said Hectic "wins hands down." A third found Montagne Imaginary "far and away the closest."
That is not a sign that they are wrong. Skin, noses and even bottles differ, so read the rankings as a shortlist, not a final answer.
Ard Al Zaafaran Saheb Intense. One owner called it "the n1 best clone from opening to drydown." They found it only about 5 percent brighter and sweeter, and it keeps the original's airy, light feel.
They also did a test.
They put Imagination on one arm and Saheb Intense on the other, and asked people which was the expensive one. Everyone picked Saheb Intense.
Bujairami Hectic. One owner tested it against the original on each wrist. Their wife couldn't tell them apart, and picked Hectic as the expensive one because it was stronger.
Hectic is a little heavier and spicier than the original, with more cinnamon. Many owners say it lasts longer.
Montagne Imaginary. Several testers rank it among the very closest. In one family test, it scored highest for closeness.
It leans a little more on the tea note. Some find it slightly more floral, with more neroli.
Jean Lowe Fantasme. One owner compared it with the original and several other dupes. They found it right "in the middle" of the group, smooth and natural-smelling.
In their test, their friends could not pick out the original. Its weak point is performance, especially when the bottle is new.
Lattafa Pride Art Of Arabia I. One tester called the opening "insanely close." The tea note is a little darker, so it feels a bit denser and more mature.
Its drydown goes its own way and fades sooner. One tester suggests it for wearers over 35 who want a deeper take.
Bharara Rome Imagine. One reviewer scored it 9 out of 10 for closeness. It adds a very slight mint, which they felt was an improvement.
Arabiyat Prestige Marwa. This is the one influencers pushed the hardest. Owners of the original are split on it.
Some rank it joint first for closeness and quality. Others find the ginger too strong and the performance weak.
Marwa Extrait. This is a newer, stronger version of Marwa. One owner found it denser, more polished and longer-lasting, with more soap, ginger and tea.
Not everyone agrees. Another owner felt it changed the scent too much.
Rasasi Hawas Kobra. Its big strength is performance. Several owners say it lasts ten hours or more.
Some call it 99 percent close. Others sold it because it smelled "off" or too synthetic to them.
Game of Spades Full House. One tester called it Imagination "with the volume turned down." Another said it gets the neroli wrong.
Mykonos Inception. Some recommend it warmly. In one family test, it was not the closest, but it scored among the best overall.
These dupes take one part of Imagination and turn it up. Buy them if you like that part, not if you want a copy.
Al Haramain Amber Oud Aqua Dubai. It takes the soap and runs with it. There is little tea, but it is one of the loudest and longest-lasting of all.
French Avenue Essence de Blanc. It turns up the tea instead, and adds a strange herbal note. Many owners say it is the furthest from the original.
Khadlaj Karus Blu Spice. It feels like Imagination with less citrus and a more airy, blue feel. One tester loved the smell but found the longevity short.
Armaf Ventana Marine. One owner describes it as Imagination mixed with Bleu de Chanel. It was rough when new and needed about eight weeks to settle.
Anfar Adyan Bleu D'Arabie. It blends Imagination's clean soap with a minty, mojito-like freshness.
Beverly Hills Polo Club Elysian Mirage. It is soapy and clean, with a woody drydown. One owner found it muskier and sweeter than Imagination.
Junaid Perfumes is a house from Bahrain. Sanaya is its take on Imagination, with the same bright citrus, ginger and black tea.
Sanaya 40 is a stronger version of it. It is made at a higher concentration, so it projects more and lasts longer.
If you want the closest copy, start with Saheb Intense, Hectic or Montagne Imaginary. They come up again and again in side-by-side tests.
If performance matters most, look at Hawas Kobra or Aqua Dubai. Just know they are less exact.
If you want a deeper, more mature version, try Art of Arabia I.
If you love the soap more than anything, Aqua Dubai is made for you.
Before you buy any of them, try a small sample if you can. Owners disagree so much that your own nose is the best judge.
Buy the original if you want the most complex version. One first-time owner said "everything is more pronounced," especially a floral note none of the dupes got right.
Buy the original if you want a refillable bottle and the Louis Vuitton experience. Some owners feel that is worth it.
Buy a dupe if you mostly want the smell for daily wear. In several owner tests, friends and family could not tell the difference.
Skip all of them if you find clean, soapy scents dull. Imagination is a crowd-pleaser, not a daring scent.
It is a warm-weather scent first. On Fragrantica, summer and spring get by far the most votes.
It is also mainly a daytime scent. It suits the office, lunch, travel and summer evenings.
If it fades on you, spray your clothes as well. Clean, musky scents like this cling well to fabric.
If you buy a Middle Eastern dupe, give it a few weeks before you judge. Many owners say theirs got better after resting in the bottle.
Tea is tricky in perfume. Perfumers often build a "tea" smell from several other notes.
In Imagination, the black tea was taken from real Chinese tea using CO2. This gentle method keeps the smell close to a real brew.
That tea is a big part of why Imagination feels warmer and more grown-up than most fresh scents.
Imagination is a fresh, clean scent of citrus, soap, ginger and black tea. People love it because it is easy and smells expensive.
It has more dupes than almost any other perfume, and owners rarely agree on which is best.
Saheb Intense, Hectic and Montagne Imaginary are the names that come up most often as the closest. Try a sample before you commit.
Jean Lowe Fantasme is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. The closest of the field in a blind strip test run past four people by an owner of the original and nine clones.
It leans a little harder on the tea note than the original does; beyond that, testers struggle to separate them at all.
Bujairami Hectic is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. About 95 percent there, and the closest of the group in a blind test against the original.
A second reviewer who owns the original and seven clones rates it an equal tie for best, with the only difference being that it leans a shade soapier than the original.
Lattafa Pride Art Of Arabia I is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. The opening is insanely close — people say it is hard to tell apart in the air.
The tea note sits a little darker and denser, and the drydown drifts off and fades sooner than the real thing. Carry a decant rather than buying big.
Ard Al Zaafaran Saheb Intense is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Ranked the best Imagination clone from opening to drydown, and cheap.
Slightly brighter and sweeter than the original, by about 5%. It also holds the airy, light feel that the others lose.
Junaid Perfumes Sanaya is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. The same bright citrus, ginger and black tea as the original, sold in a 200ml bottle for a fraction of the price.
Junaid Perfumes Sanaya 40 is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. A stronger version of Sanaya, made at a higher concentration so it projects more and lasts longer.
Anfar Adyan Bleu D'Arabie is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Blends Imagination's clean soapiness with a Pacific Chill mojito lift.
Al Haramain Amber Oud Aqua Dubai is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Takes the soap note from Imagination and runs with it — the tea is gone and the soap is dialled way up.
The loudest of the lot, a solid 12 hours, but the drydown goes its own way.
Rasasi Hawas Kobra is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Rated 99% by some and sold on by others who found it off.
Performance is the best of the group.
Montagne Imaginary is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Leans harder on the tea note than the original does.
Close enough that in a blind six-way paper test the reviewer struggled to separate any of them from the original at all.
Khadlaj Karus Blu Spice is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. It lasts longer and projects harder, but smells less exact.
Arabiyat Prestige Marwa is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. A real take on the original, and the one influencers pushed hardest — but how close it lands genuinely divides people who own both.
One eight-way blind battle makes it a joint winner on closeness and quality; another owner of the original plus seven clones calls it an equal tie with the best, a shade soapier. Two others disagree flatly: one finds the ginger spicy and the performance poor, another says the citrus is louder than the original and the neroli is wrong.
Arabiyat Prestige Marwa Extrait is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. A 2026 extrait of Marwa with about three times the oil.
It sits closer to the skin than the regular Marwa but lasts much longer.
Bharara Rome Imagine is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Opens like the original with a very slight mintiness layered in, done well enough that it reads as an improvement rather than a flaw.
Scored 9 out of 10 for similarity, and side by side with the best of the field nobody would separate them.
Beverly Hills Polo Club Elysian Mirage is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Soapy and clean with a woody dry down.
An owner who has smelled Imagination puts it above Khadlaj Marwa — muskier and sweeter, with less of the dry ginger spice. Around four hours on skin.
French Avenue Essence de Blanc is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Catches the opening, then a strange herbal note takes over — it amps the tea the way Aqua Dubai amps the soap.
Good if you want tea and soap, wrong if you want Imagination.
Game of Spades Full House is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Divides the people who own the original.
One calls it near identical on the opening, just less bright on the citruses; another, who blind-tested it against the original and eight other clones, says it gets the neroli wrong and puts its reputation down to hype.
Mykonos Inception is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Recommended warmly by some, and rated no better than middling by an owner of the original who blind-tested it against nine other clones alongside the real thing.
It is in the DNA without being one of the closest readings of it.
Armaf Ventana Marine is widely sold as a dupe of Louis Vuitton Imagination. Reads as the original crossed with Bleu de Chanel rather than a straight copy, and the build quality is the weak point.
It also needs patience: about eight weeks of maturation before it comes good, and it is rough out of the box.
Jean Lowe Fantasme is the closest one we know of. Most people who own both agree on that.
Yes, there are 19. They include Jean Lowe Fantasme, Bujairami Hectic, Lattafa Pride Art Of Arabia I.
Each one is listed above, with how it differs from the original.
No. A dupe aims for the same smell, but it uses a different formula.
Cheaper ingredients usually show in the opening, and in how long it lasts. That is why we say how each one differs, instead of giving a match score.
Fresh Italian citrus, clean expensive soap, ginger and a light black tea over soft ambery woods. It opens on Tuscan Iris.
