13 Perfumes Similar to Love Don’t Be Shy

Kilian’s Love Don’t be Shy (my review if you don’t know what it smells like) is one of their most popular fragrances (and the Extreme version is well-liked too) and always seems to be a best seller despite its lack of affordability for many.

It’s sweetness and use of delectable notes, like caramel and marshmallow, demands attention and creates a enjoyable scent bubble around the wearer.

But, what if you want a cheaper alternative to it? Or, you want a perfume which smells similar to the Kilian perfume, but a bit different? Well, this is my page keeping track of potential alternatives.

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Key Takeaways

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a few highlights from the list of perfumes like Love, don’t be Shy. I go into more detail and provide all of the other options further down the page.

• Inspired by fragrance option: Floral Marshmallow by Dossier
• Inspired by Don’t be Shy Extreme: Fearless Love by Fragrenza
• Similar yet different designer perfume: Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme Intense Eau De Parfum
• Another one that’s close but does its own thing: Sintra by Memo Paris

 

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What Fragrances Smell Similar to Love Don’t be Shy?

A Classique Pick

Classique Pin Up by JPG– So, A lot of the Classique perfumes from Jean Paul Gaultier share a lot of overlap with our Kilian target. Probably the closest designer perfume to smelling just like Love is Classique Pin Up.

Though, they are different. If you’re something that is a lot closer to a ‘match’ to Don’t Be Shy, try the perfumes below this. This is an alternative for those who’d like a similar style that has much in common with Love.

Also, I’d check out Cabaret (without marshmallow, more orange blossom) or Classique Eau Fraiche, which is one of my personal favorites from the line.

Any who, this isn’t an exact match, just one that certainly has a similar style. Orange blossom and marshmallow are the greatest two notes in common and they each have their largest reach early on.

The marshmallow isn’t nearly as heavy with this one compared to Love, but we do get a nice spicy change of pace with the ginger note.

Plus, the vanilla really comes on strong towards the middle. So, orange blossom with vanilla and the remaining marshmallow. Very close to the Kilian, just with its own personality. 

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The Alternate

Floral Marshmallow by Dossier– Dossier has launched its inspired version of Love, Don’t Be Shy, called Floral Marshmallow. The name fits, as this one does have a focus on the marshmallow aspect of the Kilian.

Is it a good inspired result? Pretty much. It’s sweet, maybe less of a sugary fluff, with how it develops versus our target fragrance.

Also, the caramel note and some of the spice like coriander, just isn’t here. Actually, it’s a bit of a mix between Love and Love Don’t Be Shy Extreme, in that way.

Nonetheless, this is really close and bottles as of publishing go for $39, which is a heavy discount to the designer version.

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A Closer Similarity?

Be in Love by Dua– If you’re not familiar with The Dua Brand, they create a lot of fragrances, many of which are ‘inspired’ scents of popular designer originals. Be in Love is their inspired version of Love Don’t be Shy. 

Now, this is one that I have yet to personally try. However, I’ve tried their versions of scents such as Lost Cherry, Aventus, Afternoon Swim and they’ve been spot on. This seems to be the case with Be in Love, based on the customer reviews.

The notes here are what you’d get with the original Love, don’t be Shy and not the Extreme version. 

If you want a much cheaper scent, close to the smell of the Kilian, this is probably as good of an option as any.

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Sweet Inspiration

Sweet Addict by Oakcha– Here’s another fragrance that is ‘inspired by’ our target scent. I’ve only recently come across the Oakcha brand, but it seems like another of these extrait de parfum versions of famous scents.

Which is nice, since you’re going to get a high concentration of fragrance at least.

All of the notes seem in line with the Kilian. How close they got the weighting on all of them, remains to be determined. Though, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive and there are sample sets available to test for yourself.

I’m just adding this to the list for now and I’ll update if I get around to testing Sweet Addict for myself, in the future.

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Lighter and Fruitier 

Oriana by Parfums de Marly– Sugary sweet, sometimes creamy, finishes powdery and quite reminiscent of Love. Oriana is another high-end designer option that uses a very similar formula to what we’re looking for.

These fragrances aren’t identical, however. Oriana has a fruitier aroma early on, with raspberry being an opening highlight. This opts for whipped cream, in lieu of vanilla, and doesn’t have the caramel. Plenty of marshmallow, though.

Oriana is lightened by its use of raspberry and citrus, when compared to Love Don’t be Shy, which can be a better option for some people. Softer sillage, but very wearable, and pretty with its sweetness.

If you like, Love, you’ll almost certainly enjoy what you get with Oriana.

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Greenish Smells Close

Sintra by Memo Paris– The petitgrain note especially, along with neroli really start Sintra off with a bold and greenish sort of an aroma. The citrus here is light, but there is also a resinous warmth which adds body to Sintra.

Sounds different from Love? Well, to start with, sure.

But, this Memo Paris fragrance will quickly turn sweet and creamy (milk is a note), thanks to the big fluffy marshmallow note. Now, I don’t think that this is sweeter than the Kilian, but strikes close.

To further the comparison, you’re also treated to caramel, vanilla, and orange blossom as the main floral during the mid and dry down. Now, this one isn’t any cheaper, but it might be a nice and slightly different alternative for some.

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More Floral, Less Sugary

Perdizione by Nobile 1942– There still seems to be bottles of this floating around online, but it’s not readily available everywhere. Also, doesn’t offer much in the way of cost savings versus the Kilian.

However, Perdizione gives you a great fragrance to work with, focusing more on the orange blossom, neroli, and ylang-ylang notes, with vanilla and the sweeter notes playing supporting roles.

This one lacks the caramel and sugary aroma of Love, but provides plenty of overlap otherwise…just a different note strengths.

It’s similar to Sintra (listed above) and Love don’t be Shy. Sort of splitting the difference. Has petitgrain, but this one is much less green than Sintra. 

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A More Distant Cousin

Parfums de Marly Safanad for women Eau de Parfum 2.5 Oz./75 ml – Safanad is another Parfums de Marly option, less of a resemblance than Oriana, but within the same ballpark.

Orange blossom, and vanilla are the overlapping notes with Love. You do get a light orange citrus and pear to add some sweetness.

This one opens up with orange blossom and vanilla. There is an amber note throughout and a nice iris contributing also.

The dry down is amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and orange blossom. So, the gulf between them does get wider. But, I think people who like Love and want less sugar, might also enjoy this one. Safanad Full Review

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A Different Type of Marshmallow Floral

Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme Intense Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.3 oz–  Dolce Intense is another one that while having a similar style and shared notes, isn’t an inspired scent of Love don’t be Shy.

This is a gourmand perfume with a very large marshmallow presence, but doesn’t have the same sugary quality of the Kilian. Sure, still there but between the lower amount and lack of caramel, it doesn’t hit the same sugary level.

The main difference is going to be between the floral notes. Orange blossom is the common one between them, but this D&G includes tuberose and neroli. It’s also less musky, with a smooth sandalwood in the base.

Again, not the same, but related and can be a lot of fun to wear.

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Love Don’t Be Shy Extreme Inspiration

Fearless Love by Fragrenza– Some of you may be looking for a near dupe of the Extreme version of Love, don’t be shy. Fearless Love is one that I grabbed a sample of while looking for more similar perfumes to the original formula.

Love, Don’t be Shy Extreme is a version which focuses more on the citrus, neroli, and orange blossom aspects of the original. Besides that, it lacks the caramel and a lot of the sugary parts the Love has. 

Now, this is still very sweet. with a fluffy marshmallow and vanilla mix (also lending more powdery qualities to the composition). Fearless Love offers an affordable alternative the Kilian, which still overlaps greatly with our target fragrance. 

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Another Extreme Pick

Reckless Pour Femme by Roja– This perfume from Roja, isn’t really going to save any money, and doesn’t exactly match Love Extreme. It does come very close, without the use of a marshmallow note.

So, if the marshmallow is one that you don’t enjoy with the Kilian fragrances, Reckless can be a great alternative. It actually has shades of both Love and Love Extreme, but closer to the latter, and more floral than either of them.

The citrus and vanilla is here, but the citrus is stronger in Love Extreme. 

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Vanilla Floral

Velvet Vanilla by Mancera– Straying further away from the near matches with Love, don’t be shy, we have this entry from Mancera. It is interesting, because this one also has sweetness, fruitiness, and white floral notes.

The difference is that, it doesn’t have the same sugary sweet effect as the Kilian (it’s closer to the sweetness you get with L’Interdit, but weirdly still kind of marshmallow in its vibe), and most of the fruity notes are toned way down.

Vanilla and tuberose are the real stars here. But, you get the same: jasmine, neroli, and musk as our target fragrance.  Again, these two don’t hit the same exact beats, but this is another great option for those who are after a similar vibe.

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A Caramel Delight

Caramel Overdose by Be Layered– Not my favorite, but it does strike a close comparison to what we’re looking for. Caramel Overdose goes stronger with the orange blossom and caramel note than does Love.

But, the marshmallow aspect isn’t nearly to the same extent that you find with the Kilian. Though, it is still rather sweet and powdery.

I wouldn’t call this an exact match. Just two perfumes that have a ton of overlap and create a warm, sweet, floral, candy-like aroma (bubblegum in this case).

Performance is pretty good and you can get the 10ml size for around $20 (as of writing). So, Caramel Overdose might be worth checking out if you like Love, don’t be shy.

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