6 Fragrances Similar to Dior Homme Intense

Dior Homme Intense is one of the more popular fragrance options out there. It’s a continual best-seller and one that can be a starting point in a journey into more formal or floral men’s colognes. But, it can also be pricey. So, you want something cheaper that’s simialr. Or, something that’s close in style, but ultimately different from Intense. This is my ongoing page for tracking such scents.

What Colognes Smell Similar to Dior Homme Intense?

Inspiration 1

Velvet Iris by Alexandria– Velvet Iris is the first of the ‘inspired’ fragrances based on Dior Homme Intense. This one comes from Alexandria, which does a good job a creating their own versions of famous cologne formulas, at a much cheaper price.

Iris is going to lead the way, but we are supported here by lavender and a nice pear note up top. Moving more into a iris and amber middle act. Vetiver and cedar follow in the base, creating an effect extremely similar to Dior Intense, even if it isn’t 100% exact.

For the money, it is close enough and well worth a try if you want the same type of aroma without the designer costs.

Inspiration 2

Intense Homme by Dua– Intense Homme from The Dua Brand is the other ‘inspired’ fragrance based on the Dior Intense structure. For this, they chose to base their creation on the 2008 release of the Dior.

This one I haven’t tried yet. But, I have like 7 bottles of other designer inspirations from this brand and they’re all like 85%+ percent similar to what you’re looking for. Along with, having really good performance, as a higher extrait de parfum concentration.

Dozens of positive reviews for Intense Homme, so, I doubt that Dua misssed the mark. Very affordable, if you want something super close in scent.

Leathery Iris

Valentino Uomo Intense by Valentino EDP for Men, 3.4 Fl Oz– Uomo Intense from Valentino is one that has been compared to Dior Intense since it was released.

To me, it actually has a lot in common with the old Dior Homme, rather than just Intense. In fact, it starts out with a more leathery opening act than either of the Dior fragrances. Leather, vanilla, with lighter citrus notes.

The dry down is when this gets better and does more of its own thing. The iris is the commonality and it is well done. I like it with the vanilla, tonka bean, leather, and that sage note that weirdly pops out on my skin late in the game.

Personally, I still like Dior Intense more than this. But, Uomo Intense gives you a bit of a different take on this scent structure. Uomo Intense Review

Boozy Similarities

Gentleman Reserve Privee– Chestnut, iris, whiskey, and a light citrus make this one a close relative of what you get with Dior Homme Intense. Not the same, but plenty of overlap with it, Dior Homme 2011, and Uomo EDT by Valentino.

Reserve Privee with its chestnut note, starts out quite nutty and has a chocolate-like finish to it that I enjoy quite a lot.

Now, other people are higher on this fragrance than I am overall. Mainly, because once you get past the opening, it really doesn’t have anything that stands out. Iris, amber, and some wood is basically how it finishes. The iris just isn’t as good as the Dior, either.

But, maybe you enjoy it more than me? Reserve Privee Review

Bleu it Up

Bleu Noir Parfum by Narciso Rodriguez– This entry in the Bleu Noir series does strike a pretty familiar aroma to scents like Dior Intense and the aforementioned, Uomo Intense.

It’s going to give you something along the same lines, with a main iris note, but it isn’t trying to be exact and does plenty of its own thing. So, don’t expect the same thing, but a similar structure.

This one utilizes a great cypress note, leather, and a pretty hefty cardamom in the opening act. Plus, Narciso Rodriguez scents are known for their use of musk and this one doesn’t skimp on that either.

Powdery, clean, a different woody accord but very much in line with the type of scent we want here.

An Armaf

Futura La Homme by Armaf– So, here’s one from Armaf that I haven’t personally tried out. But, everything points to this be along the same lines as the style of Dior Homme Intense.  The iris note, woody notes, bergamot, and some light leather too.

I wouldn’t expect an exact match or anything like that, just another cheaper fragrance that doles out a similar experience. Armaf is usually decent with their colognes, this one is probably worth a shot.

Best Men's Colognes

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.