Perfumes like Delina: six lychee alternatives from other houses

A good starting point is Chloé Eau de Parfum, which one writer compares directly with Parfums de Marly Delina ("Delina is like Chloé on a grand, luxurious scale"); another finds it cleaner and more powdery. For a fresher take, Diptyque Eau Rose; for a darker one, Louis Vuitton Attrape-Rêves; for a sweeter one, Xerjoff Elle Anniversary. For a cheerful, tangy one, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Rosa Rossa; for the same perfumer, Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique. To wear Delina first, it comes in 3 and 10 ml decants.

What Delina is made of

Delina is an Eau de Parfum from Parfums de Marly, created by Quentin Bisch and reported at its launch in February 2017. The house lists bergamot, lychee and rhubarb on top, Damascena rose and nutmeg in the heart, and cashmeran, musks and vetiver at the base. It describes the scent as opening with "juicy, sweet lychee" before a heart of rose and "a trail of soft musks and cashmeran".

The 2017 launch text, relayed by the press, also names peony, lily of the valley, vanilla and frankincense. The two lists differ; where this page names peony as a shared note, it comes from the launch text. The house also makes Delina Exclusif and Delina La Rosée, covered near the end.

How to read a Delina dupe

None of these six is a named clone of Delina. A Delina dupe here means the same idea from another house: lychee, usually with rose, peony or musk. Blogs and magazines name other look-alikes, such as Maison Alhambra Delilah, which one fragrance magazine calls "the closest Delina dupe"; those are outside this page.

Two things stand out in the lists. Rhubarb, which writers single out as Delina's tart note, appears in none of them. And none of the six lists Delina's combination of cashmeran, musks and vetiver at the base. Check the concentration too: Delina is an Eau de Parfum, so the eaux de toilette below are lighter. For the difference, see how concentration works; perfume notes explained covers terms such as accord.

The six alternatives, one by one

• 

  Chloé

  Eau de Parfum

  Eau de Parfum

  Retailer lists give peony, litchi and freesia on top, rose, magnolia and lily of the valley in the heart, and cedar and amber below; Chloé's own page lists peony, rose petals, magnolia, cedar and ambergris. Delina shares the rose, and peony in its launch text; one writer also finds the same lychee-peony-rose combination. One writer likens Delina to "Chloé on a grand, luxurious scale"; another finds Chloé "cleaner, more powdery and more polished". Choose it for a quieter, more polished version of the idea.

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• 

  Ex Nihilo

  Fleur Narcotique

  Eau de Parfum · perfumer Quentin Bisch

  Quentin Bisch, who made Delina, also made this one. Ex Nihilo lists bergamot, lychee and peach, then Petalia, orange blossom and jasmine, then musk, transparent wood and moss. Bergamot, lychee and musk are shared with Delina. Peach, white flowers and a mossy, woody dry-down replace the rose and rhubarb, so it suits someone after the same nose with a different mood. Reviewers disagree on how close it runs.

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• 

  Diptyque

  Eau Rose

  Eau de Toilette

  The house presents it as an infusion of damascena and centifolia roses. It publishes no note list, but published lists add lychee, blackcurrant and musk. One writer says it "stays sheer and green throughout" and suits those who love Delina's freshness but find the sweetness too much. It is an eau de toilette, so expect it lighter than Delina, and it has no cashmeran.

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• 

  Guerlain

  Aqua Allegoria Rosa Rossa

  Eau de Toilette · perfumer Thierry Wasser

  Guerlain places rose on a creamy, musky sandalwood bed, with sparkling blackcurrant and lychee. For Thierry Wasser it is a "dancing rose", cheerful and tangy. Rose and lychee overlap with Delina, and the sandalwood bed is described as musky. It is an eau de toilette, so it will wear lighter than Delina's Eau de Parfum.

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• 

  Louis Vuitton

  Attrape-Rêves

  perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud

  Louis Vuitton names cocoa, a peony accord and a lychee accord, with a hint of patchouli in the heart and a "conquering" character. Lychee and peony connect it to Delina. Cocoa and patchouli give it a gourmand, darker edge, and the house description does not mention rose. It publishes no top, heart and base. Reviewers disagree on how close it runs: some call it a more unisex Delina, others find it much lighter.

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• 

  Xerjoff

  Elle Anniversary

  Perfume

  Xerjoff lists bergamot, lychee, green apple and red fruits on top, cashmere wood, jasmine, liquorice and peony in the heart, and patchouli, amber, musk and sandalwood at the base. It shares bergamot, lychee, peony and musk with Delina. The house says sweet and youthful with "deliciously gourmand notes", and rose is absent from its list. That puts it on the sweeter, more gourmand side of Delina.

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Which one should you choose?

• Cleaner and more powdery: Chloé Eau de Parfum.
• Fresher, less sweet: Diptyque Eau Rose.
• Tangy, with blackcurrant: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Rosa Rossa.
• Darker and gourmand: Louis Vuitton Attrape-Rêves.
• Sweeter: Xerjoff Elle Anniversary.
• Same perfumer, different mood: Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique.

For more in this style, see the best perfumes for women and the best niche perfumes.

Delina and its own versions

Delina Exclusif opens with bergamot, pear and lychee, moves to Damascena rose and incense, and rests on vanilla, musks, moss and tonka bean. The house words it as mysterious, intense and seductive. Readers who like a vanilla base can compare it with the best vanilla perfumes.

Delina La Rosée is the dewy one: bergamot, pink peppercorn, lychee and pear on top, Damascena rose and peony in the heart, white musks, vanilla and vetiver below. The house likens it to morning dew on rose petals. These are Parfums de Marly's own versions, not alternatives.

Same format, different original: Baccarat Rouge 540 dupes and Burberry Goddess dupes.