Initio Parfums Privés Side Effect Eau de Parfum dupe

Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume

−67%per oz

Initio Parfums PrivésSide Effect Eau de Parfum$229.15 $290

Alexandria FragrancesUpside Down Perfume$44.99

Initio Parfums Privés Side Effect Eau de Parfum against Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume
Fact	Initio Parfums Privés	Alexandria Fragrances
Type	Eau de parfum	Perfume
Key ingredients	✓ Tobacco, ✓ Rum, ✓ Cinnamon, ✓ Saffron, ✓ Vanilla, ✓ Sandalwood	✓ Rum, ✓ Cinnamon, ✓ Tobacco, ✓ Saffron, ✓ Vanilla, ✓ Sandalwood
Lasts long	75% of 6k votes	69% of 32 votes
Accords	✓ warm spicy, ✓ tobacco, ✓ rum, cinnamon, woody	vanilla, ✓ tobacco, sweet, ✓ rum, ✓ warm spicy
Size	50 ml	30 ml
Per ounce	$135.54 / fl oz	$44.35 / fl oz
Sold by	Amazon.com	Alexandria Fragrances

What matches

Alexandria names Side Effect as its model, and its Amazon listing gives five of the six main notes Initio lists, rum, cinnamon, tobacco, saffron and sandalwood, with the vanilla Initio describes; on Fragrantica 65 of 119 voters say it smells like Side Effect.

The trade-off

Initio's Hedione, an airy jasmine-like molecule, isn't among the notes Alexandria names, and Alexandria adds musk.

Side Effect Eau de Parfum costs about $229.15 $290 for 50 ml ($135.54 / fl oz). The dupe below is Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume at $44.99, about 67% less per ounce. Each pair is compared on format, finish and key ingredients, including what the dupe doesn't do.

Unisex ambery spicy: tobacco, rum and cinnamon with saffron and sandalwood, on vanilla, lifted by Hedione, per Initio. 50 ml; $290 on Initio's US site, sold on Amazon by Amazon.com.

Amazon prices as of Oct 16, 2026, 6:00 PM ET, subject to change: the price on Amazon at checkout is the one that applies.

Buy the $44.99 dupe See the original

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The dupe, side by side

The original

Initio Parfums Privés

Side Effect Eau de Parfum

$229.15 $290

$135.54 / fl oz

The dupe

Alexandria Fragrances

Upside Down Perfume

$44.99

$44.35 / fl oz

Cost per fl oz

Original$135.54 / fl oz

Dupe$44.35 / fl oz

$184.16 less at checkout than the original.

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Perfumes that smell like Side Effect

4 perfumes from 4 houses are sold as Side Effect dupes or voted closest to it by Fragrantica's readers. The one compared above is sold by its own house or Amazon.com; the rest are listed so you know what else is out there. Side Effect itself: 75% of 6k Fragrantica voters say it lasts “long” or is “eternal” on skin.

Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume · named by Alexandria Fragrances · 69% of 32 say it lasts long$44.99
French Avenue After Effect · 363 of 442 Fragrantica voters · 70% of 773 say it lasts longFrench Avenue list
Swiss Arabian Tobacco 01 · 146 of 214 Fragrantica votersSwiss Arabian list
Dua Fragrances Collateral Damage · named by Dua FragrancesDua Fragrances list

Votes are Fragrantica's “this perfume reminds me of”, for and against, as each house's list read them on 14 October 2026; a house that names its own original is quoted from its own page. How long each lasts is from its Fragrantica page on 16 October 2026, shown at 30 votes or more.

Questions

What is the best dupe for Initio Parfums Privés Side Effect Eau de Parfum?

Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume at about $44.99. Alexandria names Side Effect as its model, and its Amazon listing gives five of the six main notes Initio lists, rum, cinnamon, tobacco, saffron and sandalwood, with the vanilla Initio describes; on Fragrantica 65 of 119 voters say it smells like Side Effect.

How much cheaper is Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume than Side Effect Eau de Parfum?

Side Effect Eau de Parfum costs about $229.15 for 50 ml, or $135.54 / fl oz. Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume works out at $44.35 / fl oz, roughly 67% less per ounce.

Is Initio Side Effect worth it?

Side Effect Eau de Parfum costs about $229.15 for 50 ml, about 3.1 times as much per ounce as Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume. The trade-off with Alexandria Fragrances: Initio's Hedione, an airy jasmine-like molecule, isn't among the notes Alexandria names, and Alexandria adds musk. If that doesn't matter to you, the original isn't worth the extra $154.

What perfume smells like Initio Side Effect?

On Fragrantica, readers vote French Avenue After Effect (363 of 442) and Swiss Arabian Tobacco 01 (146 of 214) closest to it. The one we'd buy is Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume at about $44.99, 67% less per ounce.

How long does Initio Side Effect last?

75% of 6k Fragrantica voters say it lasts long ("long lasting" or "eternal"), and 5% that it fades fast ("weak" or "very weak"). For Alexandria Fragrances Upside Down Perfume it is 69% of 32.