Since it launched in 2015, Olympéa has been one of the most recognisable women's fragrances on the UK high street. Created by Loc Dong, Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion for Rabanne (formerly Paco Rabanne), it was built around the idea of a modern Greek goddess, and its signature twist — a salty, almost skin-like vanilla sitting under fresh white florals — made it stand out from the crowd of sweet gourmands that dominated the mid-2010s. That gold-topped bottle is still a fixture on dressing tables across the country.
The catch is the price. At the time of writing, the 80ml Eau de Parfum is listed at around £107 at Boots, with the 50ml not far behind. For a scent many people wear as an everyday signature, that adds up fast, which is exactly why searches for an Olympea dupe in the UK have never really slowed down.
What does Olympea actually smell like?
Olympéa is classified as an oriental (amber) floral. The published note structure is:
- Top notes: green mandarin, water jasmine, ginger flower (ginger lily)
- Heart notes: salted vanilla accord, jasmine
- Base notes: cashmere wood, ambergris, sandalwood
On skin, the opening is sparkling and slightly green — the mandarin reads a little under-ripe rather than juicy, and the water jasmine gives it an aquatic, dewy floral feel. Within half an hour the salty vanilla takes over and stays for the rest of the wear. It is creamy without being sugary, and the salt gives it a mineral, sun-warmed-skin quality that people either love or find slightly unusual. The drydown is soft, powdery and woody thanks to the cashmere wood and sandalwood, with ambergris adding warmth. According to Fragrantica's community-voted accords, the fragrance is dominated by vanilla and salty, followed by white floral, woody, amber, powdery, citrus and balsamic.
Why people look for an Olympea dupe
Olympéa is a fragrance people tend to wear daily rather than save for special occasions, and at over £100 a bottle that habit gets expensive. Many fans also simply want a second bottle for the handbag, the gym bag or the office drawer without paying designer money twice. And because the salty vanilla profile is so distinctive, a good inspired-by alternative lets you test whether that style suits you before committing to the original.
Introducing Goddess — Insp by Paco Rabanne Olympea
Goddess is our take on the same salty-vanilla floral direction. It is available in a range of sizes starting from £14.99 for the smallest bottle and going up to £44.95 for the largest, so even the biggest size costs less than half the price of the original 80ml.
We built Goddess around the same three-stage journey: a bright, slightly green citrus and dewy floral opening, a creamy vanilla heart with that characteristic salty edge, and a soft cashmere-wood and amber base. It is designed to feel warm, clean and feminine rather than heavy or sugary.
Best for: everyday wear from spring through to autumn, office days, daytime dates and anyone who wants a vanilla fragrance that does not smell like dessert. It also works well in the evening in cooler months, when the woody-amber base has more room to breathe.
Being upfront about the comparison
We want to be clear: Goddess is not an exact clone or replica of Olympéa, and no inspired-by fragrance is. Rabanne's formula uses its own proprietary materials and concentrations, and we do not have access to those. What we have done is compose our own fragrance that follows the same scent profile — salty vanilla over fresh white florals on a cashmere-wood base — so that someone who loves Olympea should recognise the family resemblance and feel at home wearing it. Anyone promising an identical copy is overclaiming. If you are expecting the exact bottle-for-bottle experience, the original is the only way to get it.
Longevity and projection
Olympéa itself is generally described as a moderate performer: it projects nicely for the first couple of hours and then sits closer to the skin, with the salty vanilla base lingering for most of a working day on clothing and skin. Goddess is built to behave in a similar way. Expect a noticeable opening for the first hour or two, then a softer, more intimate scent bubble for the rest of the day. As with any fragrance, performance depends on your skin chemistry, the weather and how much you apply. Spraying on moisturised skin and on clothing will help it last longer, and in hot weather the salty-vanilla heart tends to bloom more.
The verdict
If you love the salty vanilla and white-floral style that Olympéa made famous but cannot justify £107 for a bottle, Goddess is a sensible alternative. It captures the overall mood and progression of that scent family at a fraction of the price, and the smaller sizes make it an easy, low-risk way to try the style. It will not replace the original for purists, and we would never claim otherwise — but for everyday wear, it gets you very close to the feeling for a lot less money.
Shop Goddess — Insp by Paco Rabanne Olympea (from £14.99)
Paco Rabanne, Rabanne and Olympéa are registered trademarks of Puig. D&E Fragrances is an independent UK fragrance brand and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Rabanne or Puig. "Goddess" is our own original composition, inspired by the popular fragrance family that Olympéa helped define. Prices for the original fragrance were correct at the time of writing and may change.