Iris & White Chocolate

Just now checking out Dua products- so, I have no history.. Received this and another, today. Initial impression is that it is lovely- but odd in some way.. No litterbox smell- we will see how long it lasts. I am told with Dua and know from experience with some brands, that you have to spray a few sprays and let it macerate. The dry down, pre-maceration is good. I am going to do this and check back later.

A few years ago I got hold of a small decant of Iris Ganache. It was soft, airy, and weirdly enough made me think of delicate feathers floating through space. As a bottle of Iris Ganache by then was almost impossible to get hold of, I invested in this Dua smell-alike. It was a shock: at first spray all I could smell was vomit, faeces and chalk. I suppose this is what others have perceived as cat litter. Some 15-30 minutes later it had settled into a very pleasant sweet scent that actually reminded me of a slightly heavier version of Iris Ganache. Just this morning I grabbed it before going to work, but immediately regretted it when I sensed the vomit. What would the colleagues think if thode top notes stayed longer than I remembered? But luckily they were mostly gone when I artoved, and by lunchtime a colleague told me what a nice and warm perfume I was wearing. So fear not - just have patience for the perfume to burn off the top notes! The beautiful part then lasts all day...

Having some experience myself in diluting perfume oils to EDP strength, I think the mistake DUA made was in assuming that a higher concentration (i.e. Extrait) of fragrance oil to alcohol (ethanol) is better. No, if you don't dilute the fragrance sufficiently you end up with molecules that don't evolve properly and a scent that smells like poop for the first 10 minutes. If their bottles were screw top, I'd fix this by adding more alcohol, but I'm not willing to decant the whole thing to another bottle to do that. On the other hand, after the first 10 minutes, it is a very nice scent. I can't say how close it is to the original, as I haven't smelled that. The previous review mentioned that you can replicate Iris Ganache with L'Heure Bleue and Cuir Beluga, so I am editing this to add that Iris & White Chocolate is very reminiscent of L'Heure Bleue in the dry down.

lovely scent, cinnamon is strong, but for me it is too heavy for summer heat.

Can anyone who has this come back and update?? I purchased second hand hoping the person sprayed and put away- nope. I don’t know how Dua did this but the opening literally smells like poop in a litter box- kid you not! I can smell the leather through the fecal overtone and it reminds me of L’heure Bleue. I didn’t wear it very long but it’s was starting to soften and sweeten up. How disappointing! I have many leather fragrances and even the most animatic doent smell like poop on my skin. I gave it a good 10 sprays and put it away in the dark. I’ll update every few weeks. I can smell the potential here!! I’m also thinking of adding some perfumers alcohol to dilute the oils more. I don’t think this should be Extrait de Parfum... please message me if you have this and had success with time.

Honestly if this were an EDP instead of an extrait it would be so much more pleasant in the opening, instead it is very sharp and animalic. The drydown though is quite nice and like the original Iris Ganache is more of an Iris garnished on some creamy vanilla icecream. The thing it lacks severely compared to the original is the Apres l'ondee/L'heure Bleu component that is dominant in the original.

I'll write a more in depth review later, but this is a very good dupe of Iris Ganache. It's not 100%, because there is a note in the opening that reminds me of a facet of Jicky which turns some people off. That part fades quickly and very soon it's very close to the discontinued perfume that so many people love and adore.

Very sharp and not as well blended as I imagined. It's a sharp iris and musk, alike the way some vintages have a sharp iris note

I ordered this because of the discontinued Iris Ganache. I totally agree with another reviewer about the cat litter comparison. It’s off putting to say the least. Up for sale it goes....

SO.MUCH.LEATHER! Leather and rather cloying white chocolate.

I'd try, bc I love Iris Ganache and am down to literally the last 8-10 mls of mine, but this company's shipping and honesty is appalling. I'm still waiting for any update from them. They won't issue refund bc they said it's shipped, USPS says they haven't done anything more than print a label and alert them to a potential drop. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get my CC company involved. Sigh. I'll update this if I get it. One of the samples is this. 6/26/21 I finally got my samples, after a full 6 WEEKS, which included this one. I'm sorry, but it's not a close approximation at all. Granted, I didn't want to waste a drop of my Guerlain so I just compared from sniffing the nozzle from Iris Ganache and sprayed the Dua on my arm. Something about the Dua smelled very "raw", unfinished. Like a kid was playing around with a perfume chemistry set. The other two, which were their original creations smelled very vegetal. I know this was a harsh review, but it's as honest and as polite as I can make it.

@Creamy_ambrette and others who are interested how this matures. Ok so I bought this 3-4 months ago. I’ve always been interested in smelling Iris Ganache since I read about it, but I don’t make a lot of money and I can’t purchase much less blind buy something that goes for $1,000 on the secondhand market. I’ve bought a few DUA’s that I actually really like (their vaulted inspiration of Chanel’s Coromandel is wonderful, as well as their dupe of Dior Homme Eau, and others). So I decided to give it a try once I won a gift card and there was a sale going on. Ok that cat litter accord is definitely spot on. It’s still there in the beginning, even after 3-4 months now. But I’ve learned that this is a fragrance that needs time to sit before you really get the notes. For me, probably about 20-30 mins after spraying. Then it morphs into something I can’t quite describe. I love Iris in fragrances. And I’m more for the powdery/compact/orris root kinda scent. But I love Iris in many ways that it is used. Even Chance by Chanel, I can smell that Iris. It seems to be a note that gets kinda accentuated oh my skin, it does not hide. But this is, different. It’s not gourmand. But there is a sweetness. And at times, I get a hint of freshness. The closest thing I can describe it to is that smell in late spring/early summer (where I live in southern Indiana) of lilacs and the humidity at night. There’s a sweetness, and a dirty/earthiness. At times I smell white chocolate, and many times I don’t. I think the leather is quite pronounced which is giving it this feel, and making it seem like there is violet in it almost. Sillage and projection are there, it lasts and lasts. Also smells way different in the air as opposed to smelling your skin up close, to me. Still not sure how I feel. Also the colors gray, purple, and brown come to mind? These are just my feelings and opinions, take from that as you wish. 🥀 06/12 - I just sprayed this less than 10 mins ago and I didn’t get the cat litter! Can’t say that won’t happen again in the future, but maybe with maturing that accord has finally disappeared? I hope one day I get the chance to smell the real Iris Ganache, even if it’s just sniffing the cap of a bottle. I’m still not sure how I feel about this one. DUA is a hit and miss for me. 07/25 - Ok I didn’t smell cat litter during this spray, so still promising. And upon further wear I’m realizing what I thought was leather I think is actually a big load of musk. Could be wrong. Also during this wear I could get more amber and patchouli and the cedar, not singularly but I noticed this has more depth during this wear. It kind of reminds me of the decadent desserts and espresso I used to serve at a restaurant that was a bakery/cafe/bistro mix that has sadly closed. Not saying it smells like dessert or coffee. But I guess it maybe reminds me of the rich women I used to serve? I see a beautiful brunette in her early 40s, wearing a trench coat and carrying an umbrella in the rain to go walk and sit in a cafe like the one I mentioned. Sitting down at a two top and ordering a slice of cake and a cappuccino. Sits and enjoys while looking out at the rain, contemplatively. In peace, or rather carving out a moment of peace for herself. No matter what she’s experiencing.

People are saying don't get this dupe. Maybe they have the old version of Iris Ganache but I have the newer version and the dua does this justice! Is it 100%? No, is it very similar like 60-80% hell yes! Especially at first spray. Then it morphs into that dua dna that I hate. Whatever they use for the fixative is horrible. I smell that fixative note when smelling up close on paper or skin. I always spray on paper before skin. I did like it on paper but its a love on skin and in the air. Wow!! I do agree the dua should've been an edp. Then they wouldn't have used so much fixative. Honestly if they can capture the first spray throughout the full wear they would be golden. I mostly get the white chocolate note from this. Which is at the very dry down for Iris Ganache for me. Frankly, my favorite part. Throughout Iris Ganache I get a skunk like quality. Which makes it very unique from Apres or L'Heure. I also get this from Quand Vient. What made me even fall in love with Iris Ganache is the Ganache aspect. That skunk like quality mixed with the white chocolate. I didn't even try to find another scent like it. I do think layering Quand Vient with this will be almost better than Iris Ganache itself. I was told Millésime Iris is better than Ganache. I will have to try that. Again, I was solely in love with the sweet gourmand aspect of Iris Ganache. Dua can be a hit or miss for me. I find they all have that nasty base to them. I have to give them credit here though.. I don't get the kitty litter reference. I haven't smelled kitty litter. Maybe its the fish/skunk aspect? But I get that with Iris Ganache itself as well as Quand. Which makes it even more credible that what I have is authentic for me. At first I was thinking it was a fake. For 3 interactions to smell the same solidified that. I do feel the dua is a bit sweeter. I also think its the base fixative note. With most of their gourmand scents it works. Because people want to smell edible. With those scents that are supposed to be classic spice or warm it goes haywire. I've been very limited with my full sprays of Ganache. But it feels like I'm wearing 5 or 6 sprays right now. & I've only sprayed the dua. I wish dua would make all their scents so spot on. If they're reading this maybe they can tweak the formula. Less fixative, more skunk quality, a smidgen less sweetness. My questions are: where is the skunkiness coming from in all 3? Dua, IG, & Quand Vient la Pluie.. has to be the Iris. I thought maybe cedar but is there cedar in QVLP? Maybe, the patchouli. Should I try Patchouli Paris to see? Does this fulfill the need to buy Iris Ganache? For the price comparison $50 - $4,000? Yes & for reference I fawned over the dry down of IG on paper as on skin I couldn't smell it after a few hours. So, I'm mainly speaking of the dry down of Iris Ganache. The opening and mid are beautiful as well. In the dua dupe I heavily get the dry down white chocolate aspect. Which is a plus for me. So, if you're looking for the whole experience you may not fully love the dua dupe.

I sampled this one out of curiosity because it would really be amazing for there to be an accessible alternative to a discontinued fragrance that so many people are missing. There's something in this one that comes across a bit animalic. I hate to compare it to kitty litter, but that's honestly the closest thing I can think of. It's only that one note that gives me this vibe, so once it dries down and whatever that is evaporates off, you really are left with a scent that mimics the original scent pretty decently. I agree with the poster below me that it's not 100%, but it's definitely close enough to get your fix if you can't get your hands on the real thing.

Just leaving a tip for those wanting to re-create Iris Ganache. L’Heure Bleue 1 spray, 2-3 sprays of Cuir Beluga. It works for me... having only emptied a small decant of the original Iris Ganache. Edit: actually Apres l’Ondee plus Cuir Beluga is the most similar combo. That one gets there maybe 85-90% with only the potency and lush vanilla dessert sweetness (I guess the “ganache” part) lacking.

I came in here to read the reviews of this perfume and its resemblance to Guerlain's Iris Ganache, and the truth is that I couldn't stop laughing 🤣. In the previous review with the smell of Poop, it reminded me years ago, when I bought a Rasasi perfume, that it is like a black ball, I will never forget that smell, it was exactly like a poop latrine, really traumatic 😩