SO... ILUM DEAN – Fresco & CREED – Aventus

Quite similar IMO.

They're similar in that they're both fresh pineapple-ish scents with a smokey base, more or less. But one smells elegant and expensive and one smells cheap and kind of bad. But to many people, the hype matters more than the scent, so, if they can't afford the real thing, they'll buy Fresco instead.

For the price of Fresco, there are much better options. Granted, those options don't smell like Aventus, but if that's the priority, it seems silly to buy this junk when you could get in on a split of the real thing instead. 20ml of something fantastic is worth more than 100ml of junk.

I wore my sample of Fresco for two days. The feedback I got from friends was split between meh and bad. There's a bit of a bubblegum smell to Fresco that smells juvenile to my nose. I'm a guy who loves a bargain, but this is one I personally don't recommend. YMMV.

Fresco is probably 50% similar to Creed Aventus. But it just copies the most basic superficial parts.

Fresco isn't bad, but it's not very good either. It has some performance problems.

I'll put it this way. I love GIT, but I'd still wear Cool Water. I love Aventus, but I wouldn't buy Fresco.

And Ilum Dean is not even a real fashion house. It's just a guy who lives in his apartment and has a cheap website.

Sorry, but just another victim of the hype train.

Agreed.

Similar cause it gives off similar vibes, but I think Aventus is much better. The fact that this feels like a cheap ass, done in a garage frag, with false advertising campaign adds to my suspicion even more in terms of what the hell is inside.

I have been a wearer and lover of Aventus for some time now. I received 3 samples of Fresco about 2 weeks ago when everyone else was receiving theirs. I finally decided to give it a full wearing last night.

At frist sniff, I could see the resemblance - it would be impossible not to. However, the pineapple note really isn't quite the same as Aventus. Fresco's pineapple note smells more like Paco Rabanne's Black XS L'Excess. Sweeter and more transparent. And the other supporting notes were substantially different as well.

I heard other people on the other thread comment about Fresco smelling like cat piss in the dry down. I was skeptical of those comparisons since so many other people claimed it smelled identical to Aventus. However, after wearing it for about 30 minutes, the pineapple softened and mingled with a musky note so much that is did have a sort of cat piss vibe. It wasn't that bad IMO, but it certainly legitimized the claims that others made of the similarity to me. At this point, any close similarities were mostly gone. Fresco to my nose is a ghost of Aventus - sharing some common notes, which is certain to evoke the comparison, but it is really a much different creature.

While coming in at almost 1/10 the cost of Aventus, I can see the appeal - but only if you can't afford the real deal. However, even at $30, I can name many other fragrances I think I would rather have - because they smell better, and because I trust the manufacturer. Nautica Voyage (for example) smells good, lasts forever, and I trust the brand. Fresco is weaker, much less longevity, and is made by someone I don't know and can't really trust. While others may be completely comfortable putting anything on their skin and breathing in anything someone gives them, I am a little more discerning. I am picky about where I eat, and also about what fragrances I will wear. If Fresco is made by some kid in their parents basement (?), I think I would rather pass... That's just me.

Different to me.

You don't see any similarities?

Neither appeal to me, but they are definitely quite similar and Fresco is an excellent alternative, IMO.

i think the smell is pretty close, but longevity and projection lacks in fresco.

Question to you guys: I haven't smelled either one - which is closer to their counterpart: Fresco to Aventus, or Al Rehab Silver to SMW?

Don't quite get your point with this one. A person could live in a basement if all I cared. If they make a decent frag, I'm all for it. Not a big Fresco fan, but my point is we never know what people go through to get where they are. Just saying bro!


If[QUOTE=noirdrakkar;2831732]Fresco is probably 50% similar to Creed Aventus. But it just copies the most basic superficial parts.

Fresco isn't bad, but it's not very good either. It has some performance problems.

I'll put it this way. I love GIT, but I'd still wear Cool Water. I love Aventus, but I wouldn't buy Fresco.

And Ilum Dean is not even a real fashion house. It's just a guy who lives in his apartment and has a cheap website.

Sorry, but just another victim of the hype train.

Man I like Fresco. Fresco is good! Why, because I was brand new to Creed and saw all the Aventus hype and bought a decant. I was super excited to smell some pineapple. Pineapple lasted for about 5 seconds and then all I got was a rainy-burnt cabin kind of vibe. The way you feel about Aventus depends too much on the batch number. Fresco is Fresco no batch # issues. Yes, it smells like Aventus but what makes it good for me is that I think Fresco smells like the mean of Aventus batches and will continue to smell the same and not vary over time.

Creed elitism running rampant through this thread.

Also seing lots of people saying they could find many better fragrances for $30 but only 1 person saying so gave even a single example (Nautica Voyage).

Definitely SMW to Silver - there are people that disagree, but I think Silver is about 90-95% identical to SMW for its entire life.
Besides the stronger lemon (weaker other-fruits) in Silver, they're dead ringers. Silver lasts well over 12 hours on me.

Fresco is definitely very similar to Aventus, but they're not related to the staggering degree that the other pair are.
Fresco's strength/longevity is also seriously lacking compared to the powerful Aventus.

I most heartily agree with this statement. While not a big fan of Aventus, I feel Fresco is only 50% of the way to even smelling like Aventus. Strength of Fresco is really sad by comparison.

I bought a bottle of Fresco because at the price frankly I didn't care if it turned out to be rubbish or not. When it turned up I thought the projection and longevity was lacking but I had put it on straight after a shower before going out and my wife's initial reaction was that it smelled "fresh".

I tried it about a week later and it lasted significantly longer I got home from work which was about 10+ hours after applying Fresco (3-4 Sprays) and my wife could still smell it on me even then and commented that I smelled good. My Aventus decant on the other hand is significantly stronger I have one spray on my arm and still get wiffs of it. Whilst there are definate similarities they are still quite different.

Aventus smells richer and more deep while fresco is much lighter. I don't think Fresco is in the same league as aventus nor would I expect it to be given the price but it's still a decent fragrance at the price and for someone with a limited budget or who wants something like aventus it's not bad. I think of fresco as a good daytime summer scent. I also get much more smoke in Aventus that I really don't get in Fresco at all, and I get more lemon than pineapple in the opening of Fresco

Very Similar! Only difference is Projection/Longevity is weaker in Fresco. Not a problem as you can re-apply! For that price you can re-apply 10 times a day.

To me, the difference was much more than that. They smell similar, kind of like how a MacDonalds hamburger is similar to one you'd grill in the backyard - both have a burger and a bun, but the differences are pretty big too. There's a bubblegum note in the Fresco pineapple/fruit that strikes my nose as cheap. I'm all for a bargain, but I don't ever want to smell cheap. Also, when I wore Fresco around friends for their take, reactions were neutral to negative. Not terrible, but overall, not good.

If the hype is what matters most, buy this stuff. Or, just lie and say you own this stuff, I guess, and join in the hype?

If smelling good is what matters most and you can't afford the real thing or don't want to buy into a split, buy something else. There are tons of better options even at the Fresco price point. Here's a great thread for quality cheapies. I think there are excellent affordable recommendations in the $100 Wardrobe thread.

I have to say that I find myself wearing Fresco more often than Aventus (about 3 wearings to 1 in the last month) primarily because most of my time is spent in the office.
As I've previously mentioned, Fresco is much lighter than Aventus and won't choke anyone out, and since a meeting can be sprung on me at a moment's notice, I can ill-afford to risk offending anyone's senses with even one spray of the powerful Creed.

I don't get the bubblegum note that L'HBI does, and I find the scents to be really quite similar. Ignoring the strength and longevity issues, I'd say Fresco is a more than acceptable alternative (I didn't say substitute).
I'm not saying they're identical but for the concentration, nor am I saying Aventus isn't better.
Fresco doesn't have the same base as Aventus, but the heart of oakmoss and blackcurrant is what I really love about Aventus, and in that I feel Fresco delivers in a more subdued manner.

In the 'hype' thread that caused us all to buy it, Fresco was described as 'Aventus Lite', and the more I wear Fresco, the more I discover that the description is on the money.

Think of Coke and Diet Coke - arguably similar taste, slightly different purposes, some will only drink one and eschew the other, while others will enjoy each at different times. That's how I feel about Fresco and Aventus.

I have the 4 oz. Z01 batch of Aventus that I use for special occasions. For everyday use I use my Fresco. Doesn't really smell cheap. You could put Nautica Voyage in a different Bottle with a luxurious name and it could sell millions. I find the top notes in fresco to be much better than Aventus. The fact that you already know it's cheap is making you think that it's cheap quality.

its very nice and similar. i like these alternative frags as i dont have the money to buy full bottles.

Doesn't last long on me, about 4 hours and its gone. im going to try loads of sprays, like 10-12. If you are one of those people who would wear aventus every now and then anyway, i would get a 25ml decant that will last you until you really decide if you want a bottle. As i believe the amount of sprays you would use from the fresco bottle, would use the same amount by the the time you finish your decant.

This is the best cheap fragrance for the car. Where ever you go, you have the choice of smelling like Aventus

It's not that at all. I own and love scents ranging from niche (LDDM) to dirt cheap ($10 for 100 ml of Corduroy, which I don't hesitate to recommend. It's really underrated). I totally agree with you about Nautica Voyage, btw.

Buy my bottle excited Fresco and after a test started selling fragrance. It resembles the first 10 minutes in the opening and the base of smoke after that is just a horrible dirty musk,for me it does not compare.

probably fresco, because al rehab silver is flat out disgusting.

bout same for both. rehab should cost more given that its a good copy.

Most definitely! For a frag that costs about a fiver, it's an absolute steal!

Finally got a chance to sample them side-by-side. Initial wearings of Fresco on its own led me to think that they are quite similar. Now, they hardly smell similar. Fresco goes on with a harsh, lemon note , and immediately begins to dry down to a pineapple/bubble gum scent. Really reminds me of a fairly generic shampoo. Aventus has way more depth beneath the pineapple, and smells way less synthetic and jumbled.

Fresco definitely isn't awful, and it is somewhat like Aventus. If you don't want to spend the $$ for Aventus but want something similar, give it a shot. But if you have your heart set on a bottle of Aventus, this isn't a long-term substitute.

I own a few Creeds, but I'm far from a fanboy...I'd have to say that this has definitely opened my eyes as to Creed's quality. Are they worth the premium price? That's debatable, but it's easy to detect the significantly higher level of quality in this comparison.

True. Thanks for the link to the quality cheapies. Will check some out.

I really like both, but where I think Fresco falls down is that it's lacking Aventus' sweet red apple note.

Who ever said Fresco is like Aventus-lite was onto something, and to those who only have the pineapple lite / smokey batch of Aventus, I would love to hear what it smells like when layered with Fresco's zingy pineapple top notes.

Got a sample of this a couple weeks ago...Smells great for 2 minutes, and then nothing. Don't waste your time.

Alright, I got a sample of both. Before this I haven't smelled either. I put one on each arm.

They're quite similar, with maybe one or two notes different/lacking/additional between them. I think it's possible that Aventus itself varies as much as the difference between them. The most significant difference, though, is the longevity. I can't smell Fresco after about an hour; or perhaps just a very faint melted plastic smell. Aventus lasts maybe 6+ hours, and I can still smell the base notes after I shower. Therefore, even if Fresco was less than 1/6 the cost of Aventus, I still wouldn't buy it; I don't feel like keeping a bottle with me and spraying every hour.