China Affair

I compared Coromandel and China Affair (nice name!) side by side on both hands. CA is 75% of Coromandel. CA smells different, like a very much toned down version of Coromandel but there is similarity; the leathery note plus possible other "higher" notes are missing in CA, it's the biggest minus as for a similarity. CA disappears much quicker: I could apply CA three times, after every hour or so when it was almost gone on hand while Coromandel kept its smell on the other hand. CA is also weaker, Coromandel smells stronger. But CA is an OK scent of its own anyway, I like it. It is sweeter and there's less patchouli. A plus side for CA is perhaps that it is more office friendly: weaker, shorter-lived and less attention-seeking. I think China Affair would be a better name for Coromandel itself. Edit 23.04.26: when using this scent again I had totally forgotten what it was meant to be similar with. I realised it is similar to Tom Ford's Oud Wood, Bvlgari's Man In Black and also Laboratorio Olfattivo's Nerotic, all very good scents. Spicy sweetness caused me to think so. Coromandel didn't even come to my mind. Later the patchouli and more similarity with Coromandel appeared.

I have only tried the Coromandel EDP on my skin once. From memory, the Coromandel opened a bit more masculine on me but the dry down is very similar with the patchouli and white chocolate the most dominant on my skin. I get great longevity with this and it is one of my cooler day dumb reach fragrances. I absolutely love it! Edit 2/2/22. My tastes have changed somewhat and haven’t been reaching for my half full bottle (OG packaging style from 2019). I’ve always felt this had a slight staleness in comparison to Coromandel, and it’s a bit more pronounced now with age. I have a spray sample of Coromandel that I use for comparing to this. Coromandel has a strong patch in the opening which is not as pleasant, but this stale note whatever it is bothers me. I’ve smelled it in other amber fragrances from Alexandria, hence the reason I no longer purchase or buy anything from them anymore and I just spend on samples or decants of the originals now. However, with Chanel’s recent price hike I’ll continue to keep this, as it’s worth the price I paid (about $40). Based on how long I’ve had it, it will continue to last me for years.

Although I've not sniffed Coromandel before, I've owned a few Chanels and have smelled a few more than that. This China Affair has a Chanel feel (power, style, grace, refinement, savoir faire, cosmopolitan). Also, I like this name reference to China as a prominent location where old world traditions gets kept up with new world fresh coats of red lacquer polish. Evocative. Good stuff, a step above just a sweet treat gourmand with this balanced with other complexities there in the mix.

Honestly unless you just have to have the fancy bottle and brand name, why would you over pay for the Chanel OG at $252.88 usd for 75 ml when you could purchase 100 ml of China Affair which is almost identical for $84 usd?!!! Recent almost yearly price increases by Chanel have become ridiculous. Try a sample and see what I mean, then thank me later. Be smart and choose the smart alternative instead! Nice dose of white chocolate patchouli, citrus and incense.

Duh this is a poor mans Coromandel. Not poor in quality though. This isn’t as dense and doesn’t last like Chanel’s but seriously it’s less than $70 for 60ml. It gets you in the ball park. I love how people expect a perfect dupe for cheap prices. There’s a reason Chanel charges so much, well besides greed, they use high quality ingredients. Much higher than a clone house would use. Rant over but it’s a (good) quality dupe for the price. I’m glad I found it.

WOW! Nice start with an amazing dry down. This is Neroli, Patchouli, sweetness from the white chocolate notes with an incense/amber dry down. The longevity and projection with this is in the average range. I would say this would work well for a date night. If you are a fan of Coromandel from Chanel this is right up your alley. Enjoy!

I’ve had the “Les Exclusifs” Coromandel for a few years. And the China Affair for a while also. Waited til I had tried them both several times before concluding they are 95% same. The Coromandel is a little stronger. GREAT deal if you don’t want to blow $400 at Chanel. Sooo glad to find Alexandria.

I own both the discontinued Coromandel EDT and the current EDP formulation (and love both) and I really don't have any sort of need for a Coromandel dupe, but I was so surprised to see one that I got curious and ordered a sample of China Affair just to see how close of a match it is. Also I figured even if it wasn't a perfect match, it would probably be a scent I would enjoy as long as it was in the ballpark of Coromandel. China Affair is actually pretty good as a fragrance that is "inspired by" Coromandel but isn't an exact replica. The opening notes of China Affair have more of an emphasis on the citrus/neroli compared to either Coromandel, but the effect is actually really pleasant and I... actually kind of like it more? It just pops with that citrus sweetness but the underlying softness and depth of the patchouli gives it more body than other citrusy fragrances I've tried. But having said that, this is where China Affair does deviate from Coromandel, which isn't really meant to pop--Coromandel is like a cashmere sweater that envelopes you in a soft, soothing cloud. After the top notes fade, my preference flips back to Coromandel. The citrus is kind of blocking out the white chocolate note that I really enjoy in Coromandel and which I think helps round out the patchouli. Consequently, while Coromandel blooms and opens up as it enters the mid and base notes, China Affair gets a little rougher, but is still pleasant and wearable. Performance is not great though. Sillage is good but longevity is not. So basically, my prediction was right: I like China Affair. It won't replace Coromandel, but I'll definitely use it for those days when I want something in the same vein but a little brighter.

I own both...CA & Coromandel. Both are nice. I wore both of them side-by-side for a few days. Here’s my comparison. CA goes on how Coromandel smells after four hours. Explanation - when first applying Coromandel, one gets a deep rich patchouli explosion. IMHO, it is glorious...it’s screams depth, sophistication and “here I am” attitude. This opening lasts for 3/4 hours as the white chocolate and benzoin (think vanilla) work their way in and mellow out the fragrance. At this point, the patchouli and gourmand notes turn into a beautiful, captivating DNA. Cormandel is a fragrance journey for its extremely long scent life. CA is what Coromandel dries down to after the 3/4 hours. You miss the exquisite patchouli opening...but still get to enjoy the after party. Easiest way I can put it. CA is definitely worth the purchase for what Coromandel offers after 3/4 hours, but do not expect the opening. Coromandel definitely smells MUCH richer, deeper and is more interesting...and CA is more “every day” and might appeal to more people. My solution...decant Coromandel for special times, and CA for the similar dry down and more casual every day use. Coromandel is a love...CA is a strong like.

Good, but not top 10 AF, from my view. If you're considering this and don't have Alexandria Port or Amai Mizu, go there first. They are in the same ballpark and much more distinctive.

Delish when smelling the bottle, but disappointing performance once sprayed. No sillage whatsoever. Gets to the barely there base within an hour. :( Hany, please reformulate so it projects better! Whatever magic you did to get your iconic LC inspiration to be a room filling beast, please apply it to China Affair. ;)

Fresh opening, dries down to a headache inducing rose, incense and heavy resinous smell. I personally dont like it. Smells like when you go to the dentist.

Honestly I don’t like this one. I don’t get any of the notes listed. I can barely describe it coz it’s so weak. Very very weak. When I spray it on I get hit with a very strong alcohol scent that burned my sinuses. Then a very very faint citrus smell but it’s gone in 5 mins then nothing . I have it on now. I sprayed my arm so many times that I should have gotten some kind of scent. But nope. It’s as if I never sprayed anything. What a HUGE HUGE disappointment.. And yes i did let it macerate, I didn’t come to write this review til I had let it sit for more than 6 months. So yeah, it’s still very weak. Like a very poor mans coromandel.

I fully agree with MNadz below. I also have both. I have a decant of Coromandel and purchased CA it is IMHO an 80% dupe for the dd of Coromandel. The incense is a bit more cinnamon like to my nose and not as smooth as Coromandel. It also lacks the "magic" that all Chanel fragrances share. Still a very spicy oriental that comes very close and given the price of Coromandel this is a very satisfying substitute for everyday use. Not a total scrubber. I can still smell the patch and pick out the white chocolate and definitely the warm amber is present. Longevity is at least 8 hrs, sillage is pretty good for the first 2-3 hrs as well. Definitely a great purchase for what you get and still the perfect perfume for sweater weather. UPDATE: 1/2021 The juice gets better as it ages! I'd say this is a 90-95% dupe since I got this. Don't give up on it. Enjoy the drydown and as it comes around you'll know exactly what I mean..

I have a 200 ml bottle of Coromandel, and have had a sample as well as another dupe that was very well done but I believe is now discontinued. I’m honestly very impressed with this one. I would like my big bottle of Coromandel to last me many years but I’m addicted to the smell so I’ve been trying to find some dupes to satisfy me for everyday use. This is a winner! Doesn’t project as well as Coromandel, but I think complaining about that is silly as one knows this isn’t the official Queen. I’m quite pleased with it. 😊 🥀 I might add that upon wearing it a few times now, in the dry down it does change a little to be more incense laced and so it does lose some of that Coromandel charm. But hey I know what it is and this isn’t a mark against it. I still like it, I’m hoping with more maceration it will be a little stronger in its projection.

This is really close to coromandel but this one the patchouli is very strong and stingy feels unnatural compare to coromandel Coromamdel is blended betters I can smell the white chocolate In China affair I can't because the patchouli is so strong But for the price this is a great perfume Longevity is almost the same Unless you have both perfume side by side you will not be able to tell the difference Go with China affair Don't even think about it Hany is a genius

Got my hands on an old formulation. It's not the same as Coromondel, but yes, same vein. It's less floral, more of a tobacco. Reminds me of Banana Republic Tobacco & Tonka honestly. When I layer my Gris Dior it seems closer to Coromondel. On its own tho it smells good, just not like Coromondel.

It's not bad but for the first half h it smells like a calendula balm my gran used to use for any- and everything. I will see if it grows on me, it actually might!

Very potent patch and white chocolate also get a little rose and neroli adn some spice. Not smelled the original in a while but this is amazing in its own right