Xerjoff’s Erba Pura has had an unusual second life: released in 2011 as part of the brand’s 1861 Collection, it spent most of the last decade as a niche-perfumery cult favourite before TikTok discovered it and turned it into one of the most requested “what’s that expensive smell” fragrances of the last few years. Part of the appeal is the price tag itself, a 100ml bottle sits well north of £200 in the UK, which makes it as much a status signal as a scent. The other part is that it genuinely smells more expensive than almost anything else on the market. Here are two confirmed matches at a fraction of the cost.
The Citrus-Musk Blend That Made Erba Pura Famous
Erba Pura opens on Sicilian lemon and bergamot, sharp and genuinely juicy rather than the thin, synthetic citrus most fragrances lean on. The heart is deceptively simple, jasmine and hedione, a note that adds a soft, almost watery radiance rather than a heavy floral presence. It’s the base that people chase this fragrance for: vanilla, musk, sandalwood and cedar blended into a trail that smells like warm skin rather than a specific note, which is exactly why it’s so often described as smelling like “money” rather than any one ingredient.
The Confirmed Match: Verset Cen
Verset Cen is marketed directly as an alternative to Erba Pura and captures the lemon-and-musk trail closely, with the same soft, skin-like base that made the original a viral favourite. At around £8.50 for a full bottle against £200+ for the Xerjoff original, this is one of the biggest price gaps of any fragrance on this site, which makes it worth trying even for people who’d never normally consider a designer dupe.
A Second Option: Yodeyma Nº118
Yodeyma Nº118 is Yodeyma’s own listed match for Erba Pura, and it runs slightly more concentrated than Verset Cen, with a touch more sandalwood presence in the dry-down. At around £6 for a full bottle, it’s the cheaper of the two options here and a reasonable pick if you want to try the fragrance family before deciding whether you prefer Verset’s brighter citrus or Yodeyma’s deeper base.
Why This One Went Viral in the First Place
Erba Pura’s TikTok moment happened because it’s genuinely unisex, low-effort to wear correctly, and reads as expensive without being loud, three things that fit exactly how a generation raised on minimalist “clean girl” and “old money” aesthetics wants to smell. It works equally well on skin regardless of gender, and because the citrus opening fades reasonably fast into the musk base, it’s forgiving of over-application in a way sharper, spicier fragrances aren’t.
Where It Sits Against Other Viral Niche Dupes
Erba Pura is lighter and more citrus-forward than Baccarat Rouge 540, which shares the “smells expensive” reputation but leans into saffron and ambergris instead of lemon and musk. If TikTok fragrance trends are what brought you here, our piece on whether PerfumeTok actually gets it right is a useful reality check before you buy anything else based on a viral video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Erba Pura really worth £200 if I’ve never tried it?
Most people who love it discover it through a dupe first. Trying Verset Cen or Yodeyma Nº118 before spending £200 on the original is the more sensible order, since the fragrance family isn’t universally loved despite the hype.
Which of the two dupes is closer to the original?
Verset Cen tracks closer to Erba Pura’s bright, juicy citrus opening. Yodeyma Nº118 is a reasonable alternative if you specifically want a longer-lasting, muskier dry-down.
Does this fragrance suit both men and women?
Yes, it’s designed and marketed as unisex, and the citrus-musk profile doesn’t lean masculine or feminine in the way more overtly floral or spicy fragrances do.
