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What smells like Yves Saint Laurent Nu?

8 alternatives ranked by how much of Nu’s actual note structure they share — not by opinion. The closest is The Perfect Smoking by Zara at 49%.

Closest matches to Nu

#FragranceHouseYearNote matchShared notes
1The Perfect SmokingZara201949%
Bergamot, Black Pepper, Incense, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Vetiver
2Al Embratur AbsoluZimaya202643%
Black Pepper, Cardamom, Frankincense, Musk, Sandalwood
3InimitableFragrance World—42%
Bergamot, Incense, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Vetiver
4BreezeLattafa Perfumes202442%
Bergamot, Cardamom, Incense, Jasmine, Musk, Sandalwood
5No. 2 MenMaison Alhambra202241%
Bergamot, Cardamom, Incense, Musk, Sandalwood, Vetiver
6Frayed EdgeZara202140%
Black Pepper, Cardamom, Vetiver
7for Him Cedar WoodZara201639%
Cardamom, Incense, Musk, Sandalwood
8OscarZimaya202439%
Black Pepper, Cardamom, Incense, Musk, Vetiver

What Nu is actually built on

Top notes

CardamomBergamot

Heart notes

Black PepperIncenseOrchidJasmine

Base notes

SandalwoodVetiverMuskFrankincense

Full breakdown of Nu →

How this is worked out

Each candidate is scored on three things: how many notes it shares with the original (weighted so rare materials count for more than common ones like musk), how closely the base and heart match — the part that determines the drydown — and how similar the overall accord profile is. Nothing here is based on marketing claims or on anyone’s opinion, and nothing has been smelled side by side. It is a structural comparison of what these fragrances are made of, which is a strong guide but not a guarantee of how they wear.

Compare them in the interactive atlas →