An affordable Chanel Coco mademoiselle alternative is one of the most sought-after finds among fragrance fans, with olfactory obsessives hoping to capture the same citrus-floral character without the luxury price tag. As high-street designer-inspired perfumes continue to grow in popularity, retailers such as M&S, Zara and Next are demonstrating that it’s not always necessary to empty your wallet in order to enjoy an elegant, long-lasting scent.
Having tested hundreds of women's perfumes over the years, from luxury launches to supermarket bargains, I've learnt that price isn't always the best indicator of quality. Some affordable fragrances disappear within an hour or miss the mark entirely, while others have carved out a permanent spot on my dressing table.
Among my affordable favourites is Next's eau nude (£10, Next.com). After wearing it alongside Chanel’s Coco mademoiselle (£99.45, Sephora.co.uk) – which I’ve found to be the best long-lasting perfume – I was surprised by just how closely the two fragrances aligned. Scroll on for my honest thoughts and to find out whether it's worth swapping into your fragrance library (for £70 less).
Read more: Chanel spent years creating a new Coco mademoiselle perfume – here’s my honest review
After testing Next's eau nude, I named it the best designer perfume alternative for its unmistakable similarity to Coco mademoiselle (£80, Chanel.com). While I’d expected the £10 scent to capture a few recognisable notes from the Chanel perfume, I hadn’t anticipated such excellent mimicry of the fragrance’s overall sophisticated character.
In my review of the original Coco mademoiselle eau de parfum, I found it offered a lighter, more delicate take on a floral fragrance than the brand’s more divisive no. 5 scent. It balances bright orange, fresh rose and earthy vetiver in a way that gave it both daytime and evening wearability. Eau nude takes a slightly sweeter approach, blending raspberry, mandarin, jasmine, rose, patchouli and vanilla, but after wearing both fragrances, I found they shared the same bright citrus opening and soft rose heart.
My initial scepticism (and, honestly, snobbery) was unfounded. While the opening develops a little differently, eau nude settles into something that comes surprisingly close to Chanel's fragrance, and I found its sillage would fool passers-by, myself included. Considering the roughly £70 price difference between the 30ml Next fragrance and Chanel's 35ml bottle, I can't recommend this high-street alternative highly enough for anyone who enjoys Coco mademoiselle's citrus-floral style but doesn't want to spend luxury-fragrance money.
Note: Next is slowly phasing out this style of eau nude packaging, with a new pink bottle also available on-site – but the products remain the same
What to know
- Notes:Raspberry, mandarin, jasmine, rose, patchouli, vanilla
- Sizes available:30ml, 100ml, 200ml, 10ml
Why we love it
- Captures Chanel Coco mademoiselle's signature scent
- Lasts surprisingly well for a £10 eau de parfum
- Available in body mist and lotion varieties, too
Take note
- Subtle difference between two scents, with sweeter dry-down versus mademoiselle's earthy vetiver trail
Read more: This Chanel perfume was eight years in the making