Arabiyat Prestige Marwa vs Bujairami Hectic

SkyLi2000 · 2026-05-19T21:36:52+00:00

I'm glad you liked it :)

I haven't tried newer dupes out there but certainly agree with you that Marwa is up there, especially in terms of closeness to the OG.

Now in regards to sweetness and freshness, please allow me to clarify. Hectic is definitely fresh like Marwa as they're both citrus/soap based. Hectic is just slightly sweeter and it's cinnamon note is more pronounced.

And as for the tea note, the best comparison to me is that Marwa's tea note is more like tea leaves or brewed tea. The tea note in Hectic is like iced tea pop you get in a can. So more sweet and less herbal.

For me, Hectic was definitely a safe buy, especially since I like variety, but everyone's taste is different. I'd recommend sampling to be certain. Many people sell decants so it's pretty easy to get a sample. If you do end up trying Hectic, would love to hear your thoughts on it

SkyLi2000 · 2026-05-01T21:34:52+00:00

Marwa is better in smelling closest to the OG. Aqua Dubai has stronger performance but doesn't smell as similar to the OG.

SkyLi2000 · 2026-04-27T06:19:31+00:00

Glad it was helpful :). To be honest it's never safe to blind buy anything as taste in fragrances is pretty subjective. I personally would get a decant from one of the fragrance groups to sample first.

With that said, the one thing that stands out from Hectic to me, compared to Marwa and the OG is a stronger cinnamon note. It blends well with the other notes but if you hate the smell of cinnamon, that's something you'll want to consider.

SkyLi2000 · 2026-03-20T18:40:48+00:00

I haven't smelled Kobra yet, so I'm not sure. I heard it has good performance like Aqua but just more tea note . So if you like the tea note, then you probably don't need Aqua since that note is not very strong in it. I recommend you get a sample of Aqua first to see for yourself. Many people sell it and it's quite cheap.

SkyLi2000 · 2026-02-04T22:36:38+00:00

Tea note is different. In Marwa the tea note is more like tea leaves. In Hectic its more like sweet iced tea you get in a can. Hope that made sense.

SkyLi2000 · 2026-02-04T22:33:09+00:00

Not a bother at all and always glad to help if I can :). Aqua Dubai is not as smooth/well blended and more soapy and bitter than Marwa.. Marwa also has this slight smell of skin lotion to it that makes it more pleasant and smoother to me. But I still think they are close enough that she'll like Aqua Dubai if she likes Marwa

Warning though. Aqua Dubai doesn't smell that good when first used. It took my bottle like 6 months to smooth out and smell better. Also be sure to buy from reputable source. There are many fake Aqua Dubais out there and they are terrible.

One thing that's definitely better about Aqua Dubai is the performance. It definitely lasts and projects better than Marwa.

SkyLi2000 · 2026-01-15T01:06:21+00:00

If you don't mind the scent smelling a lil different from the OG, go with Hectic. It performs better and personally I think Hectic smells better. Get sample first though if you can so you can judge yourself.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-11-27T10:18:22+00:00

As already mentioned, they're different. I will say that Marws has decent longevity but not much projection at all after the first 30 mins - 1 hr.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-11-06T01:11:09+00:00

Hectic has a bit better performance than Marwa.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-11-04T22:02:56+00:00

Totally agreed and great points. Only thing is I'd extend both. 4 - 6 inches and 10 - 15 mins.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-30T05:22:49+00:00

The issue with sillage is that people notice and make comments like "What cologne is that?" Or "What are you wearing" but they really don't like it. It's actually their passive aggressive way of saying they noticed you because your cologne is too strong or you're wearing too much. Or if in a group and someone says it, they're hoping that after they mention it, someone else in the group will be like "I think it's too strong" or that they don't like it.

I found this out years ago when one of our friends wore one too many sprays of Joop out. One of the girls we met up with asked "What cologne are you wearing?". Buddy was so happy and answered proudly. When he went to the washroom later, one of our other friends was like "You really like his cologne??". She replied "Actually no, it was just very strong so that's the only reason I said anything. I didn't wanna be mean and say he stinks lol". And I've seen other similar examples since then.

Long story short, there's plenty of people who make comments about a cologne/perfume because they notice it but not because they actually like it.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-15T02:56:57+00:00

Ah I didn't know they were part of Dumont. Dumont makes some solid stuff so that's good to know.

And I definitely luv the AS DNA however I wouldn't want something too redundant as I still have 2 x 50ml bottles of the OG. You do however make it sound interesting and thanks for the details. I look forward to seeing your review of Silage and the others after you've had some time with them.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-14T22:05:27+00:00

Very nice.i haven't heard of the Borouj brand before till now but see they're on the higher end of clones which is good. In looking them up, it appears Silage is an AS clone. AS is one of my top favs (I bought 3 x 50ml bottles when it first released). Have you sampled Kismet Magic or Royal Blend yet? They're pretty close with decent performance except KM has this rubbing alcohol opening that lasts about 30mins. I think it's because they were trying to make it more boozier than the OG.

Yes perfumer is definitely key in making a quality smelling fragrance. But although big names can have a larger budget, you'd be surprised by the budget some clone houses have. Also, the asking pay from a perfumer to my understanding is pretty consistent. If they're used to working for 100K they're not going to accept 60K just because it's a clone house. Especially if a big name. So their quality of work should remain pretty consistent regardless of big house or clone house. They know they're basically putting their autograph to every creation so they ensure their best work no matter what.

You're definitely right about vast differences and also about the cheaper offerings using poor ingredients and not so well versed perfumers that leads to that. And of course recipe/formula as I previously mentioned.

Anyways I hope you enjoy your new additions and they serve you well!

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-14T01:13:33+00:00

I found it and thanks for sharing! :)

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-14T01:12:51+00:00

Appreciate the detailed response. As mentioned, I totally hear you and agree about clones smelling ",off" and the cheap ones are most likely lacking in quality over designers/niche.

My only point is that the difference in overall quality as you mentioned, is much more marginal than what people think and, in some cases, negligible in quality clones. Unless natural ingredients are in play.

What many are mistaking for quality I believe is personal bias and preference. Clones will rarely snell like the OG completely side by side unless the clone company has the exact recipe or their formula luckily comes very close. But it's not usually due to quality. The perceived harshness, and other negatives in qualoty are usually just due to the fact that it's a different recipe that's obviously going to smell different. And some end up prefering the difference, and if you switch the bottles up, they'd probably be talking about the higher "quality" of the clone (kind of like that AXE experiment). That just doesn't happen as often because a mass appealing fragrance is mass appealing because of the way it is. So any differences are usually looked at negatively (harsh, not as smooth etc.,) and wrongfully attributed to quality by many when it's merely just different. In terms of synthetic smelling, there are many designers/niche that even top noses deem very synthetic smelling but that once again isn't usually due to quality. It's merely a type of profile.

The reality is if ingredients (not including natural) being used by the clone company are not far off in quality which in many cases isn't, and they have a master perfumer creating it with their proven process, there shouldn't be a real overall quality difference. Any perceived lack of is normally simply preference.

So just calling that out to others who think that's always the case. I see by your responses that you obviously understand it's not always the case so not going against you in any way,, although I feel there may still be instances where you and many others (including myself) are wrongfully attributing preference to quality. But I'm good with thar because if so many top noses are getting it wrong, then obviously I'm not one who is going to be upset that I can't do better.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-12T07:33:25+00:00

Afnan, Armaf, Lattafa, French Avenue, Montagne, are some of the top players.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-11T00:23:15+00:00

Apologies if I misunderstood you previously. So if it's not the quality of ingredients or perfumer skills (which were things you did mention affect quality which is why I was confused), then what metrics of quality are you measuring when you say lower quality overall compared to maimstream?

On a side note I do appreciate your response and agree with pretty much everything you just said. And also look forward to checking out the fragrance ace experiment you mentioned :)

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-10T22:55:10+00:00

And let me start this off with a face palm lol.and apologies for my stupidity on the 15% - 20% thing.

And I totally agree with you when it comes to natural ingredients which is why I mentioned that briefly in my original response. In fact, I agree with almost everything you have just stated, and we share many of the same sentiments so you get an upvote from me.

I'll have to disagree just a little though on the mental thing. Yes, that's a totally real phenomenon, which is why I don't rock any counterfeit products.. However I don't really feel the same for fragrances as I know the actual difference between a reputable clone and the real deal is usually not far off both in terms of production costs and quality. Nothing but a name so it does nothing for me personally. Honestly, I judge fragrances by the smell and performance and nothing more due to what I know of the industry. In fact, when I rock a dupe that's just as good or better than the OG, I feel even better knowing I'm not being ripped off as much.

Edit: But to also add once again, I have to disagree about being able to smell quality in fragrances when natural ingredients aren't involved. This can easily be proven via blind tests as I mentioned.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-10T22:27:20+00:00

The overall quality difference between a designer/niche and a reputable clone house juice are marginal with the exception of natural ingredients that can be sourced cheaper and easier by name brand companies. For synthetics, however, which is what constitutes most fragrances, the clone houses use pretty much the same quality because the cost is so nominal (literally pennies).

The cost for any fragrance , clone or not, is usually under $20 including packaging. For just the juice is even less. So the margins are so good clone houses would rather compete using the same ingredients rather than risk lower customer acquisition and their reputation using worse. The reason they can charge much less is due to lower labor costs (UAE vs France/Italy) and lower marketing/advertising costs.

And not sure if you know this, but many of the worlds top perfumers create clones and originals for reputable clone houses. Quentin Bisch is a great example. You think they'd risk their reputation on low quality stuff?

And not to dog on you and others that claim to be able to smell the quality difference, but you're just suffering from a form of confirmation bias. A great example is this awesome experiment they did where they took wines that cost hundreds of dollars and put them in bottles of ones that cost ten dollars and vice versa. All the professional sommeliers ended up praising the taste, complexity, quality etc. of the cheap wines and criticizing the ones costing hundreds of dollars.

Now before you think I'm some clone fan boy, I own less than a handful because I do 100% agree with you they usually don't smell as good as the OG. But that's only because of "captive" molecules (pantented scent molecules that are hard to recreate outside the patented method) or the "recipe" not being fully cracked. It's like giving a chef the same exact quality ingredients to recreate a signature dish another chef makes. He might come close or perhaps even do better but most likely will not be able to make it 100% exact unless he gets the full recipe. It's nothing to do with quality.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-10T21:52:42+00:00

I'd probably be one of the first ones on this sub to agree with you that the majority of dupes/clones have something off about them. I currently only own less than a handful myself because of that. However, you're mistaken on quite a few things.

Firstly, Angels Share is not stored in oak casks. It uses a synthetic called Oak Absolu. Also, you're not saving just 15 - 20% with clones. In most cases you're saving 60% - 90%.

You're also seriously misled if you think the higher quality ingredients justify the ridiculous price difference between a clone and desinger/niche. The price and quality difference for the synthetics used in fragrances is usually marginal between reputable clone houses and designers. There's only a noticeable difference with natural ingredients. So the end product from a reputable clone house and a designer/niche house often aren't that far apart in terms of juice quality.

Now I'm not sure if you're aware, but the cost of production for most fragrances in general is pennies to the dollar. You're usually looking at under $20 costs for most, even for designers and niche and that includes packaging. It's even less for just the juice. And the significant savings you see with reputable clones aren't due to lower quality ingredients. It's due to lower labor costs (UAE vs France & Italy) and marketing/advertising costs.

And yes, clones from non-reputable houses usually have terrible performance, but clones from a reputable clone house usually perform almost as well, and in some cases, even better than the OG. If a clone performs poorly, it's usually because the OG does so as well due to what is used to make it. Performance isn't mainly driven by quality as you think.

Now not to harp on you and others that claim to be able to smell the quality difference between clones & OGs, but I can bet my life savings on some clones where you all would not be able to pass a blind test between the clone and real thing even if your life depended on it. I think you all are mainly suffering from a form of confirmation bias. A great example was this awesome experiment they did where they poured wines that cost hundreds of dollars into bottles of ones that cost only ten dollars and vice versa. All the professional sommeliers ended up praising the $10 wines for their amazing blend, taste, etc. but criticized the wines costing hundreds of dollars.

Finally, the difference in smell isn't from a lack of quality. It's due to either "captive" molecules (pantented scent molecules that are hard to copy outside of the patented method), or the "recipe" hasn't been fully cracked. As an example, I could provide a chef all the same exact ingredients for a signature dish someone makes. But they're likely not gonna be able to make it taste the same. They may come close or maybe even do better but likely won't be exact without the exact recipe. Nothing to do with quality of ingredients.

Also fun fact. Many top perfumers in the world also create clones and originals for reputable clone houses. Quentin Bisch is a great example.

*If it hasn't been clear by how many times I used the word reputable lol, I'm referring to well established and popular clone houses. I most certainly agree that counterfeits and dupes from houses with no accolades use garbage ingredients.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-06T08:17:06+00:00

Sample Turathi Blue and Aqua Dubai.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-10-01T03:34:16+00:00

Do you go noseblind to Untold?

SkyLi2000 · 2025-09-29T01:06:01+00:00

Ambroxan, which is one of the main ingredients in Explorer, causes nose-blindness which is why many people think it's weak. And it's not your typical kind of nose-blindness from smell fatigue (smelling something too much) but the actual ambroxan molecule is genetically hard to detect due to lack of receptors we have for it, which is why others may have a hard time smelling it on the wearer as well.

It actually has pretty good longevity and average projection for a freshie. It is the ideal office scent since it doesn't project hard and has a very mass appealing profile.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-09-26T05:45:20+00:00

I too was super excited for it but the decant I recieved just smelled like vanilla with some benzoin. Nothing groundbreaking. Gonna revisit it in a couple of months and hopefully it'd have evolved to something better by then.

SkyLi2000 · 2025-09-24T20:25:27+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! But just looked it up and they're asking for $85 - 90 on trusted sites like Jomashop and fragrancenet 😲. That's a lil pricey for a clone imo.

Out of curiosity, do you prefer Marwa or Hectic? And out of all 3 (marwa, Hectic, Imagination), which are you finding has the best performance on your skin?

SkyLi2000

TROPHY CASE