Saffron in Perfume: What It Smells Like and the 10 Best Saffron Clones

Saffron is the dried stigma of the crocus flower, and it takes a very large number of flowers to produce a small amount, which is why it's expensive. In perfume it contributes a dry, warm, honeyed and leather-like quality, often with a slightly metallic or medicinal edge. It tends to sit in the heart of a fragrance and pairs well with amber, woods and leather.

In our data, the saffron originals with the most clones are Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 (55), Tom Ford Tuscan Leather (17), Initio Oud for Greatness (15), Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymede (14) and Mancera Red Tobacco (10).

Baccarat Rouge 540 is a good test of whether you like the style: wearers describe a sweet, salty, metallic character, and opinion on it is split.

Saffron clones tend to copy the leather and amber more convincingly than the metallic edge. If the edge is what you love about the original, check the wearer notes for the clone before you buy.

The list above ranks clones by match score. We kept clones with a current Amazon listing and a match score of at least the number noted below, and allowed one clone per designer original so one fragrance can't fill the list. The minimum match score is 78%. A fragrance counts as saffron if saffron appears anywhere in the original's notes.

Scores measure scent similarity, not bottle quality or wear time. Read the notes on each card too.