Can £6 Primark fragrances really rival £150 Byredo scents? I put them to the test

Perfume is one of those luxuries I’ve always loved, but when you’re looking at £150 a bottle for designer spritzes, it’s not exactly something you can easily start a collection of without having thousands of pounds to spare – a shame considering most of us like to swap our scents as often as we swap shoes. So, when I spotted Primark dropped a very designer-inspired new fragrance line with scents for just £6, I had to try them.

The PS… Pro summer collection of six scents, available in stores now, promises grown-up blends with surprisingly high-end notes (we’re talking rose oils, sandalwood and musks), but at a price point that won’t require skipping a week's food shop to make room in your budget. I also immediately spotted similarities between the bottle design and Byredo's, with monochrome branding, squatty clear glass bottles and rounded statement lids. Lo and behold, when I looked further into the notes for two of Primark's new scents, they're very comparable to two of Byredo's top-sellers.

Naturally, the question is: how do Primark's Nomad Oasis and Electric Rose measure up against Byredo’s Rose of No Man’s Land and Desert Dawn when it comes to scent and staying powder? I find out...

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Primark vs Byredo: note by note

Primark PS… Pro Electric Rose, £6 for 30ml

• Top: Ambrette seeds (musky, slightly sweet)

• Heart: Orris, Damascene rose oil

• Base: Ambroxan (warm amber)

Byredo Rose of No Man’s Land, £150 for 50ml

• Top: Pink pepper, Turkish rose petals

• Heart: Raspberry blossom, Turkish rose absolute

• Base: Amber, papyrus

Verdict: Electric Rose has a beautifully soft rose heart with that musky ambrette top note, making it feel romantic and wearable for every day. Compared to Byredo’s Rose of No Man’s Land, which is spicier and more layered thanks to pink pepper and raspberry blossom, Primark’s version is simpler but still feels sophisticated.

Primark PS… Pro Nomad Oasis, £6 for 30ml

• Top: Citrus, juniper berries

• Heart: Soft woods

• Base: Sandalwood, mineral musk

Byredo Desert Dawn, £150 for 50ml

• Top: Cardamom, rose petals

• Heart: Carrot, cedarwood, sandalwood

• Base: Papyrus, vetiver, silk musk

Verdict: Nomad Oasis has a similar grounded, woody base that makes Desert Dawn so addictive, with sandalwood tying both together. While Byredo layers in spicy cardamom and an earthy mix of cedarwood and vetiver, Primark’s version keeps things fresher with citrus and juniper. It’s lighter, brighter and feels like an easy day-to-night scent.

So, are they worth it?

I’ll be honest: you’re not going to get quite the same depth and staying power from a £6 bottle as you do from a Byredo masterpiece. After a few hours, the Primark scents (they aren't EDPs, so they are lighter) do need a top-up, whereas Byredo tends to linger from morning until night. But, here’s the thing, for the price of one Byredo, you could buy 25 bottles of Primark perfume. That means you can re-spritz as often as you like and even experiment with layering without feeling guilty.

What surprised me most was just how expensive the PS... scents smell. Neither Nomad Oasis nor Electric Rose has a tell-tale synthetic, overly sweet hit you sometimes find in cheaper perfumes. They’re balanced, grown-up and genuinely lovely. I wore Electric Rose on a lunch meeting, and a colleague assumed it was a designer scent.

I still believe that designer perfumes are worth spending on when you can, because their staying power and complexity are unrivalled, but honestly, I'm a little taken aback at how good supermarket and high street perfumes are getting. Watch out, designers!