When people first see the words “inspired by” or “an impression of” beside one of my perfumes, I can almost hear the question forming: is this a knock-off? a copy? am I being sold a fake? It’s a fair thing to wonder — so let me answer it plainly, because honesty is the whole reason MHB Essence exists.
What “an honest 90–96% match” actually means
When I tell you a scent is, say, a 93% impression of a designer original, I’m giving you my own considered judgement of how close it smells — not a number chosen to sound impressive. A fragrance moves through three stages: the opening (the first few minutes), the heart (the middle hours), and the dry-down (what lingers at the end). My percentage is about how faithfully mine follows the original across all three — and, just as importantly, where it drifts. Perhaps the opening is a shade brighter, or the dry-down a little cleaner. That difference is the few per cent I’m not claiming.
Why I tell you the weaknesses too
Most shops only ever tell you what’s good. I’d rather tell you both. If a scent’s projection softens a little sooner than the original, or one note sits differently on skin, I’ll say so before you buy — because a customer who knew what to expect is worth far more to me than a quick sale and a quiet disappointment. You can read more about how I work on the The Perfumer page.
Why 100% isn’t possible — or honest
No impression is ever a perfect 100%, and anyone who promises that is selling you the claim, not the scent. The exact formulas of the great houses are guarded secrets; the materials, ageing and budgets behind them aren’t things any independent perfumer can copy to the last molecule. What I can do is get genuinely close, with excellent materials and patience — and then tell you honestly how close. A real 93% I can stand behind beats an imaginary 100% every time.
Why this is nothing like a “copy” or a “fake”
Here’s the part that matters most. A counterfeit takes another brand’s name, bottle and logo and pretends to be them. I do the opposite. I never put another house’s name on my work. Every scent is built from my own formula and my own materials — compounds from established houses such as Luzi and Givaudan, an imported perfumer’s ethanol, 35% oil, and at least a month of maceration (the full process is on Our Craft). What I borrow is inspiration — the idea of a scent you might love — never anyone’s identity. The bottle says MHB Essence, because that’s exactly what’s inside it. If you’d like to know why that 35% oil makes mine last, I explain it in this guide.
My own creations are a different thing entirely
Not everything I make is inspired by someone. A handful — like AB Lavoud, Ouleather Imperium and my signature Rebel Elixir — are my own creations, drawn from a blank page. These carry no match percentage and no “inspired by”, because there’s nothing to compare them to. They’re simply mine. You’ll find them gathered in The Creations.
So, when you see “an honest impression of”…
…read it for exactly what it says: a scent I’ve worked to bring close to something you admire, made openly, with the real number attached — and my name on the bottle, not someone else’s. You can explore the full designer-inspired range, or if you have a particular scent in mind, such as a Black Afgano alternative, start there. Any questions about how the match works, my FAQ covers it. — Mazhar
0 comments