Baccarat Rouge 540 vs. Burberry Her

Baccarat Rouge is a super popular fragrance that seems to keep growing in status. The catch is, it is also wildly expensive for most people. Thus, there have been many cheaper scents or similar smelling perfumes that have been released, that people want to try out.

One of them, Burberry Her, just happens to have been created by Francis Kurkdjian and has a somewhat similar profile to his best seller. How does it stack up to BR 540? Which lasts longer? Can it actually compete?

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Tale of the Tape: BR 540 vs. Burberry Her

Baccarat Rouge 540

Notes include: saffron, ambergris, cedar, fir resin, jasmine

Click here to try: Buy from Saks

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Burberry Her

Notes include: strawberry, citrus, raspberry, cherry, blueberry, wood, musk, amber, jasmine

Click here to try: Burberry Her Eau De Parfum Spray

Read my review: Burberry Her EDP

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Opening

Burberry Her EDP starts off with a strong use of its citrus and berry notes. The fruitiness is powerful in the early stages. Strawberry is the strongest note of the lot, with some additional raspberry and brightness of the citrus notes.

It can be sharp and sour versus being sugary sweet or anything. The floral notes aren’t all that strong, but there is a decent amount of jasmine at times.

Baccarat Rouge 540 kicks things off with the saffron and jasmine note sharing the stage. It’s clean, sweet, and presents a lemony tinge to it from the hedione (jasmine).

Sitting under that, is the amber and wood notes giving this a invigorating and resinous quality early on…which will become greater as it develops.

Which is better? While I do like the fruitiness of Burberry Her, is does begin to wear on me. It’s a good start, but I prefer that of 540.

Edge: BR 540

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Projection

In terms of how far they project at their peak, it’s actually pretty even. They both start out strong, but not insanely overwhelming, and then settle into something much more moderate.

I’d say that Baccarat Rouge has a longer run at the top of its strength. Then, it is also projects itself to a greater degree in the dry down. By no means, is it way more powerful than Her, but it does have a slight edge.

Edge: BR 540

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Longevity

BR 540 has a wide range of hours for how long it lasts. Sometimes, it’s 8 hours, and other times it’s 12. Split the difference and it can last a consistent 10 hours, on my skin. It’s got a great long lasting wear.

Burberry Her will go up to 8 hours. So, at its peak, it can hit the baseline of what I get with Baccarat Rouge. The Burberry isn’t a bad performer at all, it will hit that 7-8 hour mark regularly.

But, between the two, the Maison Kurkdjian perfume easily takes this category.

Edge: BR 540

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Versatility

Seasonally, Burberry Her can work better in the heat than BR 540. So, that’s one area that it can have an advantage. Though, Baccarat Rouge is also great during the rest of the year, so not too big of a deal.

I will say that Her is a much more youthful fragrance, that can have a teenager perfume vibe. Not completely childish or anything, but it does skew younger.

BR 540 does have better versatility, since it can pretty much be worn anywhere and fit in just fine. While the sweet-tart fruitiness of the Burberry might not always be appropriate.

Edge: BR 540

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Overall Scent

Overall, this isn’t really much of a contest, and it will be a clean sweep for Baccarat Rouge. Really, it should absolutely be the outcome based on the price of this perfume.

I like Burberry Her for its differences, but it also becomes grating. The opening strawberry and citrus is fun and uplifting, but it gets old after a while. Very sweet/sharp with musky woods in the base.

Her gets a lot of play due to its similarities to BR 540. It’s nice, not a must have. A teenager or younger woman can absolutely get use out of the Burberry and find it plenty enjoyable. If affordability is a major factor, you may very well want to go with Burberry Her.

But, I’d probably just get something else in that price range, instead of just trying have a sort of smell alike of Baccarat Rouge. Burberry Her isn’t even the best Br 540 clone, anyway.

For BR Rouge, it’s an easy win. The fragrance is well ahead of the Burberry by every metric. If you can afford a full bottle, go with that. Actually, Extrait is the best BR 540 version.

If you aren’t familiar with how this fragrance smells, get a hold of a sample, and test it out. There are plenty of people who won’t enjoy Baccarat Rouge, despite its popularity.

Winner: BR 540