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CK One was one of the most dominant, if not the very pinnacle of ubiquity of fragrances during the 1990s. For those of you not old enough to remember, this Calvin Klein perfume was absolutely everywhere, and is basically ingrained in our collective memories. Surprisingly, it wasn’t completely copied to death, sure alternatives existed but nothing was exactly the same. In this post, I want to present five fragrances that smell comparable to CK One.
What Fragrances Smell Similar to CK One?
Inspired Similarities
#1 by Dua Brand– I hadn’t found a perfume that attempted to recreate the CK One formula, that was a $5-10 and terrible rendition of it. Now, I haven’t tried this one out, but I’ve bought a bunch of perfumes from Dua in the past, that have tried to match designer scents and they were great.
CK One isn’t an overly complicated formula, so, this shouldn’t be an exception to Dua’s great track record.
That opening with the lemon, tea, papaya, and other notes is there. So is everything else that the original 90s formula of CK One had. If they got it even 85% percent correct this should be a good substitute.
Whether or not its worthwhile, may depend on the price of the Calvin Klein fragrance at the time that you want to purchase.
The Best Alternative
Azzaro Chrome Eau de Toilette – Cologne for Men– Chrome opens up with lemon, pineapple, and neroli. The citrus and floral blend of Chrome certainly does favor CK One and creates a compelling alternative scent.
This Azzaro does lean much more to the masculine end of things, versus being a pure unisex like the CK perfume. What I love about Azzaro is how bright and upbeat it feels. Similar style, yet completely unique.
The neroli gets paired with jasmine and you start to get more of a soapy quality. However, there is rosemary for the herbal aspect and a metallic smelling finish.
These two definitely have their distinctions but Chrome is going to give you the closest experience and you might even prefer it to One. Chrome Review
Ferrari Floral
Ferrari Scuderia Red Eau De Toilette Spray, 4.2 oz
That being said, it can indeed be a cheaper option and is overall a pretty good fragrance. It opens up with clean and juicy citrus notes, mainly orange, with lemon verbena. This Ferrari leans greater to the floral side of things versus our target, as it has a very prominent jasmine note.
The performance is decent, I pulled 6-7 hours from this one during my testing of it a few years back. Closer to the six hour mark, mostly. Again, not an exact comparable of One, but it can provide a nice experience for a low price. Scuderia Red Review
A Bluer Generic
Cuba Blue by Cuba for Men – 3.4 Ounce EDT Spray– So, Cuba Blue has some similarities to CK One (mainly in the base), but I’d say it’s more like a mix of Chrome and Set Sail Martinique. A sort of metallic citrus opening act, with a musky/creamy dry down.
A cheaper freshie. The wood and musk is what rings closest in my mind to One, with the citrus notes favoring the other two aforementioned scents. Cuba Blue isn’t among my favorite of the Cuba line of colognes, more in the middle of the pack.
This one is stupid cheap, but not going to provide you an exact copy of the Calvin Klein. Honestly, it’d be my last pick from the four of these options. Though, it fits the overall target style.
Best Similar and Cheaper Option
Paco by Paco Rabanne for Men – 3.3 oz EDT Spray– As of publishing, you can pick up a bottle of this Paco Rabanne cologne for around $30. To me, this is the best value for those looking to replicate CK One. Cheaper than both One and Chrome…and strikes a similar chord.
The citrus is there, though, this isn’t the exact same formula as CK One. Instead, Paco is going to give you a greener and woodier heart, with a more masculine vibe. Though, you still get jasmine and tea, at about the same level.
Fresh, smoother than One, and with a greater use of earthy aromas. The performance is pretty good, but not amazing, and not really a marathon runner. It’s from the same era as our target and that really comes through during the wear.
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.