Affordable Dupes For Kilian's Love Don't Be Shy, AKA Rihanna's FAVE Perfume

Fragrance
by Zipho Ntloko |
Sat, 4 Mar 2023

Rihannas-Go-to-Boujee-perfumes

One of this decade’s most coveted scents is undoubtedly Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy, $275. For those who aren’t familiar with this particular perfume, hardcore RiRi fans (ahem, us!) will recall years ago when beauty rumor mills went into overdrive about Rihanna’s alleged signature scent.

The commotion first began when Lil Nas X hilariously disclosed his ‘favorite scent’: “Rihanna!” he exclaimed (with zero hesitation), revealing that “she smells like heaven.” Soon after, every month, a new celeb would affirm their sentiments from Cardi B, Jennifer Lawrence, Jim Parsons, Olly Alexander, and Nick Jonas.

Even one really dedicated Navy found a tweet from way back in 2015 where Ryan Seacrest described Rihanna as ‘the best-smelling celeb at the Grammy’s. And because Rihanna and the Fenty Beauty team are marketing geniuses, they utilized this as free promo to plug the future release of her now best-selling Fenty EDP, $140.

However, before concocting her trademark fragrance, it was said that Love Don’t Be Shy (LDBS) was a staple of RiRi’s. However, Tynan Sink, Byrdie’s resident fragrance connoisseur, points out that “Rihanna herself has never once spoken about or endorsed the scent. Yes, it’s been confirmed by many of the people closest to her, but we’ve never heard it straight from her lips. There aren’t even shady screenshots of the bottle on her vanity or anything. It’s all still technically hearsay. And yet, because of Rihanna, Kilian can barely keep it in stock.” Ugh, she’s so powerful. 🔥

So What Does Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy Smell Like? 

Honestly… It’s the closest thing to a love potion. If you’re looking to seduce any- and everybody and legitimately smell delectable, this is hands down one of the most gourmand scents out there. One spritz and you’re instantly transported to your carefree tween days of vanilla roll-on lipgloss, Hubba Bubba Bubblegum tape, sneaky bowls of Fruity Pebbles behind mum’s back, and the sweet and sticky scent of melting vanilla chocolate ice cream while beachside with family. Is someone chopping onions? Take me back! 💔

via Giphy

Why Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy is SO ICONIC

The appeal of this fragrance is the unusual nostalgia it conjures up – it just feels familiar. Its notes include bergamot, pink pepper, neroli, and other white florals with sugar, vanilla, caramel, and ambery civet and labdanum as base scents. So, yes, it’s SWEET, like candy sweet, but not in a juvenile way. It has an opulent, sultry, and sophisticated flare that sends every person who walks by you into a full-blown trance.

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Tragically, there’s a catch… the price tag, which sits at a steep $250 for a 50ml bottle (eek!). But much like other luxury cult faves such as Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry, $250, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, $325, this has given room for dupes to piggyback on the scent’s dreamy persona. So while you save up for the real deal, here are some near-perfect alternatives with patent nuances of Love Don’t Be Shy.

Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy Dupe Second Runner-Up: Dossier Floral Marshmallow, $39

1-Dossier-Floral-MarshmallowSource: Dossier

If you guys aren’t familiar with Dossier, their entire MO is to create premium and pocket-friendly dupes of your fave high-street scents. Like LDBS, this consists of neroli (orange blossom), honeysuckle, amber, vanilla, and musk, but with a fluffy-sweet marshmallow opening in place of the caramel and sugar accords found in its muse.

Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy Dupe First Runner-Up: Oakcha Sweet Addict, $30

2-Oakcha-Sweet-AddictSource: Oakcha

This is another spot-on rendition that’s worthy of your coins, with neroli, pink pepper, iris, caramel, and vanilla in its mix. A tip? Fork out an extra $15 and purchase their Samples Discovery Set with ‘trial vials’ of their LDBS, Baccarat Rouge 540, and Santal 33 dupes. This way, when you’re running low on precious droplets of your boujee perfume, you can utilize these for guilt-free top-ups. Psst, it sells out fast.

Kilian’s Love Don’t Be Shy Dupe Ranking Champion: Dua Fragrances Be In Love, $55

3-Dua-Fragrances-Be-In-LoveSource: Dua Fragrances

Be in Love supersedes every proclaimed replica out there as it *literally* captures Love Don’t Be Shy to a T by incorporating the exact same accords as the OG. We’ll take several bottles of this, thanks!

For more iconic dupes, check out our list of Baccarat Rouge replicas.

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