M&S shoppers are raving about a “gorgeous” eau de parfum that smells just like a much more expensive, £170 designer fragrance – but comes with a price tag of just £12.

The ‘Warmth’ Wellbeing Fragrance is part of Marks and Spencer’s ‘Apothecary’ range, which features products like perfumes, candles, reed diffusers, and facial creams or serums, all at affordable prices of £25 or less for individual items.

The 50ml bottle of eau de parfum expertly blends fragrant notes of cardamom, cinnamon, sandalwood, and cedarwood, to create an earthy, spicy tone that slots it into the Woody family of fragrances, evoking a feeling of warmth and comfort.

The scent is designed to bring a sense of comfort and wellbeing to your day, and can be sprayed onto pulse points at any time when you need to feel calm. It is also vegan and cruelty-free, making it suitable for all shoppers.

What’s more, the M&S ‘Warmth’ scent contains all the same ingredients, and the same cardamom, cedarwood and sandalwood aromas, as the Santal 33 eau de parfum from luxury fragrance brand, Le Labo – which will set you back a whopping £170 for a 50ml bottle.

And this has not gone unnoticed by M&S shoppers, who have compared the two scents as they praised the M&S dupe for smelling “gorgeous”.

The Warmth Eau de Parfum from M&S’ Apothecary range has garnered a rating of 4.3 stars out of five, with over 400 reviews – and two-thirds of shoppers giving it a perfect five-star score.

It contains spicy, earthy tones of cedarwood, sandalwood, cardamom, and cinnamom
It contains spicy, earthy tones of cedarwood, sandalwood, cardamom, and cinnamom (Image: Marks & Spencer)

One happy buyer wrote: “Gorgeous. Warm spicy wood, very similar to Santal 33 but without the “pickle juice” note. Highly recommend.”

Another echoed this sentiment, commenting: “Great dupe for Le Labo Santal 33, at a fraction of the cost. My boyfriend steals it all the time!”

Meanwhile, a third customer added: “A wonderfully warm scent for winter time. Musky and woody but so natural. No nasty chemical or manufactured smell here, a must for the over 40s woman looking for something special and different without the usual designer price tag. Well done M&S.”

And a fourth raved: “I am in love with this fragrance, in my opinion this is THE best fragrance M&S have ever produced themselves. It smells just like Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka, but less intense. Super value for such a good dupe, with really good longevity too, highly recommend.”

However, several shoppers noted that the smell does not last very long after spraying the M&S Warmth perfume, with one writing: “Was a nice smell, but lasts no time at all, fades very quickly. Needs some work.”

And another, who gave the scent a three-star rating, agreed, commenting: “This perfume smelt lovely, it had a spicy warmth. However the aroma soon faded, and I found that disappointing – if it had lasted longer I would have scored it higher.”

If you’re looking for a similar scent, and keen to keep the price tag low, Boots has this Creation Lamis Prive Sandal Intense Eau de Parfum Spray, with notes of cardamom, sandalwood, fig, and Tonka bean, at £14.99 for a 100ml bottle.

Or, if you are prepared to splash out a bit more for a “beautiful” scent that beauty fans are “obsessing” over, the Jo Malone Hinoki & Cedarwood Cologne Intense boasts an “intensely fresh and distinctive” aroma, costing £112 for a 50ml bottle, or £160 for a larger 100ml option.