Best Prada by Prada Alternatives & Similar Perfumes
Prada by Prada is an oriental woody fragrance combining vibrant citrus notes like bergamot, bigarade and mandarin with soft florals such as mimosa and rose. It deepens into a warm, resinous base featuring patchouli, benzoin, sandalwood, labdanum, musk, pink pepper and tonka beans. Its balance of fresh citrus and rich, creamy woods makes it distinctive. Those interested in similar scents should focus on fragrances that blend bright bergamot or bigarade with warm resinous or woody elements to capture its character.
Acqua di Colonia by Lorenzo Villoresi £130.00
- Key notes:
- bergamot
- bigarade
- lavender
- rosemary
- Aromagroups:
- aromatic
- citrusy
- green
A timeless, traditional cologne: fresh, versatile and eternally elegant like all true classics. The fragrance expresses all its radiant freshness with the most intoxicating citrus aromas: Bergamot, Lemon and Orange are a perfect contrast to the Lavender and invigorating Mediterranean herbs.
Mandarino di Sicilia by Perris Monte Carlo £160.00
- Key notes:
- bigarade
- mandarin
- orange blossom
- petitgrain
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
- green
A green citrus perfume in which the delicious juicy aroma of ripe mandarins is mixed with the dry greenness of petitgrain, soft musky geranium, and crisp cedarwood.
As always, Perris go for the best materials they can source from around the world. Mandarins in this perfume come from southern Italy, with nuances supplied by green and yellow mandarins harvested in different seasons.
The green fruit extract has a delicate fleeting aroma, which rolls into a more confident sweet blend of ripe mandarins. The amber note in the base merges the two into a happy zesty perfume.
Îles d’Or by Molinard £65.00
- Key notes:
- honeysuckle
- lavender
- mandarin
- mimosa
- moss
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
- floral
- green
Iles d’Or conjures Molinard's connection to the Mediterranean’s azure waters and the southern coasts of Provence. Guided by the scents of the dense Provençal maquis, this delightfully bright fern centred perfume explores the heated mix of lavender, sarsaparilla, and heather. With bright citrus and a floral essence one feels a siren song to this island of paradise.
Ithaka by Mendittorosa £200.00
- Key notes:
- benzoin
- bergamot
- incense
- labdanum
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
- woody
This formula is a huge bergamot space heated by a resinous background.
It's a bit like a Greek island in August when the aromas of sweet citruses mix with the green balsamic smell of cypresses and incensy vibes of rockrose Everything gets lifted into the air by the heat reflected from the stony ground. You can almost hear the cicadas in tall dry grass in this perfume.
Ithaka is the first perfume in the Versi trilogy exploring the relationship between poetry and perfumery and how to appreciate it.
It's inspired by the poem Ithaka written by C. P. Cavafy, and first published in 1911.
Perfumer: Camille Chemardin
Genesis, Concept and Creative Design: Stefania Squeglia
***
Ithaka (the poem)
As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon — don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon — you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind —
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn’t have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
***
P. Cavafy, fromC.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems.Translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Translation Copyright © 1975, 1992 by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Reproduced with permission of Princeton University Press.
Source: C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems (Princeton University Press, 1975)
Vetiver Santal by Marie Jeanne £165.00
- Key notes:
- benzoin
- bergamot
- sandalwood
- vetiver
- white musk
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
- woody
Perfumer: Sidonie Lancesseur
A clean versatile formula with stunning ingredients mixed for you by Marie Jeanne.
Vetiver Santal is a novel fresh sandalwood (coming from an archipelago at the edge of the world), dry vetiver from Haiti and a spark of benzoin from Siam.
Marie Jeanne is a new perfume house from Grasse, founded by a young perfumer from a family connected to Robertet for several generations.
Robertet is a bit like De Beers of the fine natural perfume materials - matières premières, for decades they have been dealing with the finest, purest and most precious stuff a perfumer can dream of.
In Vetiver Santal you can admire and enjoy aromas of a rare variety of sandalwood from New Caledonia, vetiver from Haiti, patchouli from Indonesia and benzoin from Siam among other exquisite materials.
St. Paul's by Exaltatum £130.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- bergamot
- frankincense
- incense
- labdanum
- orange blossom
- pink pepper
- Aromagroups:
- floral
- leather
- vintage/old school
- woody
The floriental baroquesque parfum St. Paul's embodies an adoration and admiration to the spectacular era of Baroque. This style in architecture, music, art, sculpture demonstrates exalted movements, clear details, intense light and dark shadows, emotional exuberance, richness, extravaganza, which distinct baroque from other style.
The English baroque represents iconic St. Paul's Cathedral, which dome has long dominated the London skyline.
The perfume opens with the precious orange flower and jasmine absolutes with a hint of dried and juicy fruits, contrasting with the darker woody and balsamic base.
Squid by Zoologist £200.00
- Key notes:
- benzoin
- incense
- musk
- pink pepper
- Aromagroups:
- marine
- unconventional
This deep and dark aquatic perfume takes you from the salty warmth of beach pebbles straight into the whispering waves, and eventually down to the inky fathoms inhabited by giant squids. Feel the caress of tentacles of incense — initially menacing, ultimately comforting.
Astra Infinita by Aura Eximia £205.00
- Key notes:
- bigarade
- birch
- cloves
- labdanum
- oud
- vanilla
- Aromagroups:
- leather
- spicy
- woody
Astra Infinita is Latin for “endless stars”, and this extrait is a celestial blend of brightness and depth. It opens with a citrus supernova: Sicilian lemon, bitter orange and Calabrian bergamot, softened by the golden ripeness of mango and the narcotic bloom of Reunion ylang-ylang.
Then Siberian birch and Indonesian clove meet black pepper and cedarwood, a core that feels both grounded and otherworldly. The base is slow-burning and eternal: Spanish labdanum, Cambodian oud, Mysore sandalwood and Bourbon vanilla. These stars are not distant. They’re drawn to you.
Ambre Royal by Ormonde Jayne £235.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- bergamot
- osmanthus
- patchouli
- tonka beans
- Aromagroups:
- woody
Time-honoured accord of roses and jasmine with dashing notes of orange blossom and bergamot but veers away and deepens with patchouli, cedar wood and fanned with a big hearted warm amber molecule, expertly synergised to create a perfectly balanced but hypnotic and opulent perfume.
Ambre Royal is to be treasured and trusted for it is both strong and sensual, warm but powerful.
Firenze by Ampersand £60.00
- Key notes:
- bigarade
- sandalwood
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
Travel to glorious Florence via the waftings of Firenze, an amplified interpretation of a classic Italian cologne. Bursting with fresh citrus, including bergamot, bitter orange, and lemon, it’s a match for you at your radiant, vibrant best. The Tuscan sunshine softens into Tuscan woods with dusky sandalwood and vetiver upholstering the gleam with velvet.
About Prada by Prada
- How does Prada by Prada differ from these similar fragrances?
- Prada by Prada uniquely balances bright citrus and floral notes with a warm, resinous oriental woody base, including patchouli, benzoin and tonka beans. Many similar fragrances share individual notes but differ in emphasis, often leaning more fresh, smoky, powdery or floral rather than maintaining Prada’s precise oriental woody harmony.
- Are these fragrances suitable for both day and evening wear?
- Several of the listed fragrances, such as Acqua di Colonia and Mandarino di Sicilia, have fresher profiles suited for daytime. Others like St. Paul’s and Astra Infinita, with richer resins and incense, are more appropriate for evening occasions. Consider the balance of freshness and warmth in each to decide when to wear them.
- Can these fragrances be worn year-round like Prada by Prada?
- Many of these fragrances share Prada’s versatile citrus and woody notes, making them adaptable to multiple seasons. However, those with heavier incense or smoky accords may feel more seasonal in cooler months, while fresher, lighter compositions tend to work well in warmer weather.









