M by Mariah Carey

Best M by Mariah Carey Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

M by Mariah Carey is an oriental floral fragrance blending sweet marshmallow with fresh sea salt and exotic ylang-ylang. It balances creamy gardenia and warm amber with a smoky incense and earthy patchouli base. Those drawn to a gourmand yet sophisticated scent with a hint of saltiness and floral depth should focus on these core accords for similar experiences.

New to Bloom? Get 10% off your first order with code NICHE10
1
Milk | Balanced & Expressive

Milk | Balanced & Expressive by Commodity £135.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £6.00
  • Key notes:
  • incense
  • marshmallow
  • milk accord
  • Tags:
  • #sexy
  • #sweet
  • Aromagroups:
  • edible
  • woody

Seeking comfort in the familiar, this creamy and calming scent offers the perfect haven. Cold milk adds a cooling element to an otherwise rich and warm fragrance of marshmallow, mahogany and tonka bean.

This is the Balanced & Expressive version of Milk, with a noticeable projection that’ll make a mark, not a scene. Also try Milk | Personal and Milk | Bold.

2
Milk | Bold

Milk | Bold by Commodity £135.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £6.00
  • Key notes:
  • incense
  • marshmallow
  • smoke
  • Tags:
  • #sexy
  • #smoky
  • #sweet
  • Aromagroups:
  • edible
  • woody

Milk's warm notes of marshmallow, tonka bean and mahogany wood emblazoned with the unexpected smoky depth of firewood and amber. A smoky, sweet and inviting scent to be worn with confidence.

This is the Bold version of Milk, a powerful, room-filling rendition of its Balanced counterpart, infused with deep, dark notes that’ll make your presence known. Also try Milk | Personal and Milk | Balanced & Expressive
.

3
Milk | Personal

Milk | Personal by Commodity £135.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £6.00
  • Key notes:
  • cedarwood
  • incense
  • marshmallow
  • Tags:
  • #sexy
  • #sweet
  • Aromagroups:
  • edible
  • transparent
  • woody

Milk's warm notes of marshmallow, tonka bean and mahogany wood are made lustrous with skin musk and white cedar. Light as a feather, this sweet and caressing scent lays close like a second skin. A creamy, sheer interpretation of Milk | Balanced & Expressive that is soft and innocent.

This is the Personal version of Milk, for those who prefer a subtle, intimately-projecting fragrance that invites closeness. Also try Milk | Balanced & Expressive and Milk | Bold.

4
Divin Enfant

Divin Enfant by Etat Libre d'Orange £155.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £5.00
  • Key notes:
  • marshmallow
  • musk
  • orange blossom
  • Aromagroups:
  • floral

"A child can either charm or annoy us with the same ruthlessness. A child can be irresistible with his angel-sweet smile but he also knows how to drive us crazy. Under the angel, the faked innocence of a demon.

After the gentle top notes of orange blossom and marshmallow, breaks the unexpected accord of coffee, leather and cold tobacco, a shrilling symbol of our sleepless nights. True to his reputation of “polymorphic pervert”, this mini-sized tyrant is only happy when he succeeds in imposing his whims, which he always manages to do.

What a sweet little monster!"

5
Yes I do

Yes I do by Etat Libre d'Orange £155.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £5.00
  • Key notes:
  • jasmine
  • lily-of-the-valley
  • marshmallow
  • Tags:
  • #clean
  • Aromagroups:
  • floral

Renamed for decency reasons, the perfume previously known as "Don`t Get Me Wrong Baby, I Don't Swallow" is now called "Yes, I do"

We are quoting ELdO here:

"It all starts with a hand on the nape of a neck. The hand of a man familiar with the practice of attracting young women, accustomed to crumpling their sleek hair and to getting the better of their well-behaved manners. This is the story of a man in a car at night, of a manly hand that draws a perfectly fresh face towards him - expressed at the start by a bouquet of white flowers: lily of the valley, jasmine and orange blossom–, and who anticipates the chocolaty taste and tenderness of a mouth. It is also the story of a woman who at first resists and finally goes down on him. The art of the “American kiss” unfurls on accords of ambre solaire, almond, sugar cane and marsh mallow. The man will discover everything there is to know about her: the warm roughness of her tongue, the rousing sensation of her back and forth. All there is to know and no more than that! The appetizer ends in a whisper: “Don’t get me wrong baby, I don’t swallow.”

***

Composition: Jasmine, lily of the valley, orange blossom, amber, patchouli, cacao, musk, marshmallow...

Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu (who's also behind ELdO's Jasmin et Cigarette,  Tom Ford's Velvet Orchid, quite a few Commes des Garcones, Burberry and many other perfumes)

 

6
303 Marbre Rouge (Red Marble)

303 Marbre Rouge (Red Marble) by Bon Parfumeur £175.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £7.00
  • Key notes:
  • amber
  • benzoin
  • chilli
  • incense
  • pink pepper
  • tolu balm
  • vetiver
  • ylang-ylang
  • Tags:
  • #beast
  • #sexy
  • Aromagroups:
  • spicy

The fusion of the Taj Mahal's cold marble and its surrounding garden. Marbre Rouge brings the flowers inside the palace walls.  Initially spicy, the fragrance warms up around cardamom before revealing its ylang-ylang heart. The amber notes of benzoin and Tolu balsam leave intensely sensual scents on the skin.

Perfumer: Sidonie Lancesseur

7
Orson

Orson by Carine Roitfeld £190.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £8.00
  • Key notes:
  • amber
  • benzoin
  • incense
  • ylang-ylang
  • Tags:
  • #animalic
  • Aromagroups:
  • edible
  • floral

Leaning against the rooftop railing of your walk-up, the timid light of the studio opposite lit up our faces. Your coat draped over my shoulders, your floriental fragrance enveloping my thoughts, together we watched them – the young artist and his colorful canvas.

A fragrance of unwavering sensuality. The sensuality of the petals of hawthorn flowers, the very generous tuberose absolute and ylang ylang are illuminated by peppers. The powerful presence of sandalwood, benzoin laos, opoponax and venezuelan tonka bean root the ethereal petals in the earth.

8
Chameleon

Chameleon by Zoologist £200.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £8.00
  • Key notes:
  • coconut
  • frangipani
  • sandalwood
  • sea salt
  • ylang-ylang
  • Tags:
  • #fresh
  • Aromagroups:
  • floral
  • woody

Perfumer: Daniel Pescio

With Chameleon Zoologist continue the theme of tropical habitats full of heavenly exotic flowers. In this perfume you can experience them as a little creature with independently mobile eyes traveling in the thick lush canopies past plumeria blossom, ylang-ylang and other exotic blooms of the island of Madagascar. There are further fragrant hints as to the geographical location of the plot: accords of sea breeze, coconut, mango as well as the notes of vanilla and vetiver.

So sway on a branch of ylang-ylang with Chameleon while being caressed by a spicy vanilla breeze from the Indian ocean.

9
Dialogue with Venus

Dialogue with Venus by Pierre Guillaume White Collection £140.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £6.00
  • Key notes:
  • milky skin accord
  • sea salt
  • vanilla
  • ylang-ylang
  • Tags:
  • #sexy
  • #sweet
  • Aromagroups:
  • floral
  • unconventional
  • woody

THE INSPIRATION

In 1977, the year I was born, Helmut Newton immortalised Charlotte Rampling in a series of photos entitled Venus in Fur. A feline and supersensual woman embodies sexual power: emancipated, she takes possession of her body and asserts her desires. Echoing the sexual revolution and its bohemian patchoulis, the perfumery of the 70s distils a chic eroticism, all in suggestion, where heady white flowers pierced by green, powdery and aldehydic notes anchor the fragrances of this decade in a glamorous sophistication.

THE PERFUME

Dialogue with Venus opens with a white floral accord evoking the luxurious and exacerbated femininity of the 70’s, while its fruity, silky and solar vanilla is treated according to the codes of the House of PIERRE GUILLAUME PARIS. Subtle exotic sprays flow through this floral melody like a wind of freedom, suggesting a mischievous and sexy “je-ne-sais-quoi”, an effortless chic.

10
Vanille Mafonja

Vanille Mafonja by Reserve en Afrique 1934 £150.00

Not sure yet? Try a 1 ml sample for £8.00
  • Key notes:
  • amber
  • incense
  • myrrh
  • pink pepper
  • sea salt
  • vanilla
  • Tags:
  • #sexy
  • Aromagroups:
  • edible
  • spicy
  • woody

This fragrance is a tribute to the beauty of Madagascan vanilla — one of the finest vanillas in the world. Mafonja means “intense” (as in power or strength) in Malagasy.

It opens with a breath of fleur de sel, evoking salt-kissed skin. A soft heat follows, as cinnamon, pink pepper (Mauritius), and nutmeg wrap the senses in warmth. Ylang-ylang (Comoros) lends a creamy, luminous floral note. As the scent deepens, a darker story unfolds: resinous myrrh (Somalia) and olibanum (Somalia) melt into dark amber.


Réserve en Afrique eaux de parfum feature responsibly sourced naturals, and are free from parabens, phthalates, UV filters and colorants. Their natural alcohol base is derived from beetroots, and they are a PETA-listed vegan & cruelty-free brand.

About M by Mariah Carey

How does M by Mariah Carey differ from the fragrances listed here?
M by Mariah Carey uniquely combines sweet marshmallow, salty sea salt, and exotic ylang-ylang with floral gardenia and smoky incense. Many listed fragrances share some of these notes but vary in composition, resulting in differences in sweetness, smokiness, or freshness. None replicate the exact balance found in M.
Which fragrances here highlight the marshmallow note most prominently?
Milk | Balanced & Expressive, Milk | Bold, Milk | Personal, Divin Enfant, and Yes I do all feature marshmallow as a prominent note, emphasising the sweet gourmand aspect similar to M.
Are there fragrances with similar sea salt and ylang-ylang notes to M?
Yes, Chameleon and Dialogue with Venus share both sea salt and ylang-ylang, providing a fresh, coastal floral vibe akin to elements found in M.