Best Creed Clones – 6 of the Most Popular Alternatives
Creed.
The most popular niche brand.
The best Creed clones come from seven of the most popular Creed fragrances on the market. All of these are a less expensive version of its $400 counterpart.
This review will describe the clone’s smell, performance, and what it is a dupe of.
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Table of Contents
Creed Aventus
Clone: Armaf Club de Nuit Intense Man EDT
There’s no way the CDNIM opening doesn’t capture your attention.
It starts with an enormous blast of bergamot, pineapple, and bergamot. The pineapple is definitely the most prominent, contributing an intense juicy tone similar to Aventus.
The lemon and a masculine depth are in the background. I can’t particularly pick out a specific note. Still, it has a subtle leatheriness that is present now and in the mid.
At this point, the only downfall is that the citruses are slightly synthetic. Never off-putting, but it smells like what it costs.
The smoky woods and musk start to come through after half an hour while retaining the fresh citruses from the opening.
The off-putting synthetic-ness has dissipated, and at this point, Intense Man EDT is a much more enjoyable scent.
These notes settle into each other for a couple of hours and smooth out. All while retaining the masculine and invigorating touches from before.
The rest of the wear is smoky birch with ambergris and musk. The fresh accents remain from the citruses’ top notes, but the specific notes have faded.
Armaf Club de Nuit Intense Man EDT Performance
- Longevity: 10 – 12 hours
- Projection and Sillage: 3+ hours and 3+ feet
- Versatility: All seasons and occasions
- Uniqueness: Clone of Aventus
- Compliments & Likability: Excellent
- Cost for Value: Excellent
- Number of Sprays: 5
- Most Prominent Notes: Pineapple, Lemon, Ambergris & Smoky Birch
Creed Green Irish Tweed
Clone: Davidoff Cool Water EDT
Cool Water EDT’s opening is ultra-aromatic.
This is from a blend of lavender, mint, and other greens. None of these notes specifically stick out over others, as the scent is quite balanced. The general idea is fresh with an invigorating kick. All of this sits on an aquatic background.
After the first few minutes, the scent stays quite similar. The lavender is becoming more prominent, lending a subtle floral and clean nuance.
Over time, it comes to dominate the heart of the fragrance. It is important to note that, at this point, it picks up an old-school masculine accent.
Delicate, sweet accents add to the authentic lavender as it develops.
The base has an enticing dose of musk paired with greener aromatic accords from before.
This is definitely a simple and linear scent. There are musky and green accents here and there. However, the primary focus is marine accords playing second fiddle to prominent aromatic tones.
Davidoff Cool Water EDT Performance
- Longevity: 6 hours
- Projection and Sillage: 2 hours and 1- 2 feet
- Versatility: Spring and Summer for all occasions
- Uniqueness: Clone of Creed GIT
- Compliments & Likability: Above Average
- Cost for Value: Excellent
- Number of Sprays: 5
- Most Prominent Notes: Sea Water, Lavender, Green notes, and cedar
Creed Millesime Imperial
Clone: Armaf Club de Nuit Milestone
Milestone’s opening starts with a combination of sea notes, berries, and bergamot. The sea notes have a saltiness, comparative to Millesime Imperial.
The fruity sweet berries play second fiddle in the background. Providing an excellent balance to the dominant sea notes.
The bergamot is the least prevalent but still useful. It provides a fleeting citrus kick that allures interest.
Once bergamot starts to fade, its void is filled by violet leaf and musk. The violet lingers in the background but is a nice airy blend with a powdery touch. The musk is most prominent, combining with the sea notes.
The rest of the wear equal parts sea notes and musk take over the scent. Supported by a soft and warm sandalwood backbone.
Armaf Club de Nuit Milestone Performance
- Longevity: 6 – 8 Hours
- Projection and Sillage: 2 feet for 1 – 2 Hours
- Versatility: Spring & Summer for all occasions
- Uniqueness: Clone of Creed Millesime Imperial
- Compliments & Likability: Above Average
- Cost for Value: Above Average
- Number of Sprays: 5
- Most Prominent Notes: Sea notes, berries, bergamot, musk, and sandalwood
Creed Original Vetiver
Clone: Mugler Cologne
A straightforward scent. It isn’t the best clone because it dupes the opening rather than the entire fragrance.
Mugler Cologne’s opening is all about Neroli and Petitgrain. It’s zesty and fresh, like a luxury bar of soap. For the rest of the wear, the scent will stay extremely linear. Adding musk nuances underneath the freshness later in the wear.
This is the type of cologne you use to either layer or if you’re really into simple scents.
Mugler Cologne Performance
- Longevity: 5 – 6 Hours
- Projection and Sillage: 1 foot for an hour
- Versatility: Spring and Summer for casual situations
- Uniqueness: Clone of Creed Original Vetiver
- Compliments & Likability: Average
- Cost for Value: Slightly Below Average
- Number of Sprays: 5 – 6
- Most Prominent Notes: Neroli, petitgrain, and musk
Creed Silver Mountain Water
Clone: Armaf Club de Nuit Sillage
Sillage has a powerful citrus opening of bergamot, lemon, and lime. It grabs your attention and guarantees you it’s a citrus-based fragrance. Fruity Black Currant is in the background with tart accents.
It is prevalent but breaks up the monotony of the strong citruses.
The mid stays bright and refreshing. A prevalent combination of floral notes adds to the background. Emphasizing the freshness and providing further balance to the fragrance.
The scent really starts to change in the dry down. The citruses fade, giving way to a musk, ambroxan, and wood combination.
It is less about the notes and more about the sweet, musky, and creamy accents they bring. The rest of the wear will be these base notes with lingering fresh accents.
Armaf Club de Nuit Sillage Performance
- Longevity: 9 Hours
- Projection and Sillage: 2 – 3 feet for 2 hours
- Versatility: Spring and summer for casual situations
- Uniqueness: Clone of Creed Silver Mountain Water
- Compliments & Likability: Above Average
- Cost for Value: Excellent
- Number of Sprays: 5
- Most Prominent Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Lime, Black Currant, Musk, Ambroxan, and Woods
Creed Original Santal
Clone: Mont Blanc Individuel
The opening begins with a combination of Juniper, Raspberry, Bergamot, and Pineapple. A unique and refreshing mixture. As you can imagine, this is exceptionally sweet and fruity.
Yet, the sweetness thankfully never becomes syrupy and thus never overwhelming.
Into the mid, calming lavender and cinnamon spice add to the fruity top notes. They help temper the strength and sweetness while giving Individuel an additional faucet. This spice nature starts to make this a clone of Original Santal.
For a large portion of the mid and into the base, it’s all about sweet fruits and cinnamon spice. The scent tree has a few other spice notes, but cinnamon is the most prevalent. The overarching emphasis is warmth.
The dry down is still clean and fresh. A woody depth develops, bringing creamy vanilla with it. The sweetness of raspberry gets paired with vanilla, and the two sit atop a spicy sandalwood backbone for the rest of the wear.
Mont Blanc Individuel Review
- Longevity: 6 Hours
- Projection and Sillage: 1 foot for an hour
- Versatility: All seasons and occasions
- Uniqueness: Clone of Creed Original Santal
- Compliments & Likability: Above Average
- Cost for Value: Average
- Number of Sprays: 5
- Most Prominent Notes: Juniper, Raspberry, Bergamot, Pineapple, Lavender, Cinnamon Spice, Vanilla, and Sandalwood
Final Words
I personally enjoy many of these clones. They are both quality and affordable. They aren’t a total replacement for Creed Fragrances, but they do an outstanding job.
There is a bad stigma that no one should own clones. Yet, not everyone has the money to drop $400 on a fragrance. Thus, these are all great ways to get the same scent for a fraction of the price.
I’d love to hear your favorite Creed clones in the comments!