Fragrance is extremely personal. The right aroma has the power to evoke certain memories: A whiff of butterscotch might feel like a warm embrace from your grandmother, while the smell of fresh saltwater may be reminiscent of your favorite beach vacation. Moreover, as a perfume wearer, you may associate certain notes with specific seasons. That’s why many are turning to Sol de Janeiro, whose perfume line is essentially summer in a bottle.
Sol de Janeiro is most famous for its perfume mists, especially Cheirosa 40, Cheirosa 68, and Cheirosa 62, which is considered the retailer’s signature scent. The fragrances are also marketed as perfumes that can be spritzed in your hair. However, they’re going to cost you nearly $40 per bottle.
RELATED: 10 "Spot-On" Luxury Perfume Dupes From Bath & Body Works, Expert Shares.
Compared to other cosmetics products, perfume is one of the most expensive. In 2021, the average retail price for fragrances increased by 15 percent following a 52 percent surge in 2020, according to NPD data obtained by CNN.
But if you’re trying to tighten your purse strings, TikTokers have great news. Sol de Janeiro fragrance mist dupes have been spotted at Bath & Body Works and Five Below for just a fraction of the cost.
“I think I may have just found the best dupe yet. If you’re obsessed with Sol de Janeiro, get your butt to Five Below,” said Abby Rivera, a self-proclaimed concealer dupe queen and “shopping challenge bestie” on TikTok.
While shopping at the discount store, Rivera shows followers the retailer’s new Solar Flare beauty collection. Its packaging—with bold shades of sunburnt orange, magenta, and rosy pink— looks remarkably similar to Sol de Janeiro’s.
“It smells identical to 40, 62, and 68,” she said in reference to Sol de Janeiro’s popular Cheirosa scent. “I can’t believe how close these smell to the original.”
@abbythebadassmom Hands down the best dupe for Sol De Janeiro. Dont know how long these will last at 5 Below so might want to hurry. Cheaper alternatives to Sol De Janeiro #soldejaneirodupe #dupeswithabby #skincarewithabby #soldejaneiromist #fivebelowfinds#bumbumcream #soldejaneiro62 #skincaredupes
And the best part, Rivera pointed out, is that all the items are just “five bucks.” Each of the three scents are available in mist form and as a body butter, just like at Sol de Janeiro.
“This is a magical find,” Rivera gushed while adding the dupes to her cart. “You could actually get all three body sprays, all three body butters, and you’d still be less than the price of one Sol de Janeiro product. Hands down, this is the best dupe for a Sol de Janeiro I’ve ever found.”
TikTok beauty influencer Courtney Dryden filmed a comparison video in which she sampled the actual Sol de Janeiro mists alongside their Five Below dupes.
“Five Below apparently duped the most popular Sol de Janeiro scents, and I actually had to have a sales associate help me hunt these down because they’re selling out everywhere,” she told followers.
Brazilian Caramel Dream, which shoppers are calling the Cheirosa 62 dupe, smells like salted caramel, sweet pistachio, and whipped vanilla, said Dryden. If you go online, you’ll find that the real Cheirosa 62 is said to have notes of pistachio, almond, jasmine petals, vanilla, and salted caramel.
“I’m not kidding when I say this is the best dupe I’ve ever smelled,” raved Dryden during a smell test.
@cortneydryden Did Five Below dupe Sol de Janeiro’s most popular scents?! #stitch with @Martina #fivebelow #dupe #soldejaneirodupe #perfumedupe
Vanilla Plum Nectar, which is a dupe for Cheirosa 40, smells like succulent plum, jasmine bloom, and tonka bean, per Dryden. The Sol de Janeiro version smells like black amber plum, jasmine blooms, vanilla woods, warm musk, and Brazilian orchid.
“It’s, like, so recognizable immediately. It’s spot on,” she said after trying both perfumes.
Pink Hibiscus Dragon Fruit, which is a dupe for Cheirosa 68, smells like pink dragon fruit, sweet citrus, tropical hibiscus, and agave sugar, said Dryden. Meanwhile, the real Cheirosa 68 has a description that’s nearly identical.
“It’s definitely not as good, but it is close enough,” she said of Five Below’s 68 dupe.
For her final notes, Dryden concluded that “scent wise, these $5 scents from Five Below are legitimately the best Sol de Janeiro dupes I have ever smelled.”
@leah_janae_ I can confirm the new Bath & Body Works Summer Collection smells just like these Sol De Janeiro Mists ✨ #bathandbodyworks #soldejaniero #fragrancetiktok #perfumetiktok
In a separate video, one TikToker confirmed that they found Sol de Janeiro Dupes at Bath & Body Works. “I can confirm the new Bath & Body Works Summer Collection smells just like these San de Janeiro mists,” they wrote in the caption.
According to their fragrance test, Pink Paradise is a dupe for 68, Vacation Vibe is the twin of 62, and Solar Shine is a dupe for Rio Radiance.
And one Bath & Body Works employee says the company freely shares its inspiration. "What's so funny about this is my store, the marketing we have for it, it says 'inspired by sunny viral faves.' Like they're not even trying to hide it," she noted in a TikTok video.
"I honestly love the entire line," she added. "It's half the cost."
Bath & Body Work's scents are available in fragrance and shimmer mists (both $18) and body washes ($16). However, at the time of writing, they were on sale for just $6.
