Best Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace Dupes 2026

If I want the closest pick for less money, I’d start with Dossier Woody Chestnut. If I want the lowest spend, I’d look at Zara Fireside Marshmallow. If I want more power and longer wear, Lattafa Ameer Al Oudh Intense Oud stands out.

By the Fireplace costs about 165 € for 100 ml in Germany and usually lasts 6–8 hours. In this guide, I’d split the six options like this:

• Closest smell: Dossier Woody Chestnut
• Lowest price: Zara Fireside Marshmallow
• Softer and sweeter: Bath & Body Works Bonfire Bash, Ariana Grande Cloud
• Stronger and darker: Lattafa Ameer Al Oudh Intense Oud
• Same winter mood, different scent shape: Bdk Parfums Gris Charnel

I’m judging them by four simple points: smell match, wear time, price in €, and cold-weather use.

Quick comparison

So if you want the short answer: buy Dossier for closeness, Zara for budget, and Lattafa for strength.

BY THE FIREPLACE DUPES // HOW DO THEY COMPARE TO THE ORIGINAL?!

1. Zara Fireside Marshmallow

Zara Fireside Marshmallow is the budget-friendly take on By the Fireplace. It picks up that smoky-sweet mood, but it lands more as a rough sketch than a close match. Community ratings put its accuracy at 6/10: easy to spot, yet missing the depth and that rich chestnut-vanilla feel that makes the original so memorable. The roasted chestnut effect feels lighter, and the vanilla-cashmeran dry-down doesn’t come through with the same richness.

Performance is modest. Longevity sits at 5/10 and projection at 4/10, so this is the kind of scent that stays close to the skin and fades sooner than By the Fireplace. In cold weather, that means it works better for relaxed daytime wear than for evenings when you want your fragrance to keep going for hours.

In Germany, Zara fragrances usually cost around 10,95 € to 22,95 €, which makes this an easy entry into the smoky-gourmand style. Put simply: it’s a low-cost way to see if this scent profile is your thing before spending more.

The best fit here is casual, everyday wear for someone who likes this scent family but wants to keep spending low. It wears like an easy, no-fuss version of the profile. The next pick goes in a sweeter direction and feels easier to wear on colder days.

2. Bath & Body Works Bonfire Bash

Bath & Body Works Bonfire Bash lands in the same smoky-sweet space as By the Fireplace, but it takes a softer turn. Instead of that deeper chestnut-smoke feel, it leans more on vanilla and sandalwood. The notes of Vanilla Bourbon, Creamy Sandalwood, and Cashmere Musk push it toward a gentler gourmand style. So the match is more about mood than true depth, with vanilla doing more of the work.

That softer scent profile also makes the lighter projection stand out more. Longevity is rated 5/10 and projection 4/10, which means it wears close to the skin. In plain terms: this is more of a personal scent than something that fills the room.

You can get more wear from it by layering with a matching body oil. That can stretch performance to about 6–8 hours. Even then, it works best as a lower-cost mood match rather than a full stand-in for the original.

Its biggest plus is the price, especially next to the original’s ca. 165–185 € for 100 ml. Best for casual wear in cold weather.

If you want more presence or a deeper feel, the next option goes another way.

3. Ariana Grande Cloud

Cloud moves away from smoke and leans into creamy gourmand warmth. It’s a softer gourmand option, not a direct smoky stand-in. By the Fireplace opens with cade oil, birch tar, and clove, while Cloud takes a different route with lavender, pear, and a coconut-praline heart.

That swap changes the whole mood. You get less smoke, more praline and coconut, and a softer feel from start to finish. If someone loves the cosy comfort of By the Fireplace but finds the smoke or incense a bit much, Cloud makes more sense. It feels less like sitting next to a burning fire and more like wrapping up in a soft knit jumper.

On skin, Cloud stays fairly close, with moderate projection and a light trail. It works best as an everyday scent in mild to cool weather, rather than in deep winter.

At roughly ca. 51 € for a standard bottle, compared with ca. 165 € for 100 ml of By the Fireplace, the price gap is plain to see. This is the one to pick if you want sweetness without heavy smoke or incense, plus something easy to wear day after day.

4. Dossier Woody Chestnut

Dossier Woody Chestnut opens with pink pepper and clove, moves into chestnut and guaiac wood, and settles into vanilla and Peru balsam. That smoky feel comes from extra guaiac and cade woods.

A verified buyer, Caroline, said:

"Very close to the original - it’s lacking a tiny bit of the peppery/spice of the original but it’s 95% there. Lasts 8 hours for me."

That kind of scent accuracy matters here because the price is still much lower than the designer bottle. Woody Chestnut has an 18% fragrance concentration and costs €39,00 for 50 ml. It’s also often marked down to €19,50. Shipping in Germany is free when you buy two or more items. If not, delivery costs €6,00.

This pick suits readers who want the closest match to By the Fireplace without paying designer pricing. If you’re after something darker and more resin-heavy, the next option goes a bit further from the original.

5. Lattafa Ameer Al Oudh Intense Oud

Lattafa Ameer Al Oudh Intense Oud is the darkest pick in this guide. It leans much harder into oud, which makes it the boldest move away from the original. You still get that smoky, woody heat, but the softer balsamic side takes a back seat. Instead, there’s more oud at the centre, with about 70% similarity to By the Fireplace.

It starts off woody and resinous. As it settles, the scent moves into sugar-vanilla, sandalwood, and herbs. That shift tells you pretty much everything about the trade-off here: less chestnut-marshmallow, more oud, resin, and projection.

Performance is where this one stands out. Longevity is rated at about 9 hours, with strong projection, which makes it the best performer in this guide.

Price is another big part of the appeal. At around €25,00 to €35,00 for 100 ml, versus over €165,00 for the Maison Margiela original, the gap is hard to ignore. This is the one for readers who find By the Fireplace a bit too soft or too sweet and want more depth and better staying power, especially on cold winter nights.

If oud sounds like too much, the next option goes in a different direction.

6. Bdk Parfums Gris Charnel

After the darker, smokier picks, this fragrance takes the guide in a more polished winter direction. Bdk Parfums Gris Charnel is the most polished option in this lineup, but it is not a true smoky chestnut dupe.

It does share that cosy, woody warmth you get from By the Fireplace, though the overlap mostly ends at the base. Where the Maison Margiela scent leans hard into smoke, chestnut, and vanilla, Gris Charnel goes quieter and more dressed-up: fig, black tea, cardamom, iris, and sandalwood. The result is a smooth tea-woody scent with soft spice and a powdery touch, not a smoky gourmand copy.

Think of it as a winter alternative with the same mood, not the same formula. Less smoke, more tea-spice and sandalwood - cleaner, drier, and more polished than By the Fireplace.

Performance is solid. Longevity is rated 4/5, with moderate, skin-close projection. That makes it a strong fit for:

• formal events
• special occasions
• evenings out
• everyday wear on chilly, grey days

Price-wise, this sits firmly in premium niche territory. A 100 ml bottle usually retails between €205,00 and €230,00 in Germany. Go for this one only if you want the By the Fireplace feeling without the marshmallow-smoke profile.

Gris Charnel fits readers who want that same cold-weather warmth in a cleaner, more elegant style. The next section looks at price, performance, and value across all six options.

Value, Performance and Pros & Cons Side by Side

The six options below don’t offer the same kind of match. That’s the point. Some lean into accuracy, others win on price, sweetness, strength, or a more polished feel.

Use this side-by-side view to narrow things down fast.

A quick read of the table makes the trade-offs pretty clear. Dossier Woody Chestnut is the one to look at if you want the nearest overall match. Lattafa Ameer Al Oudh Intense Oud goes harder on wear time and presence, but it pulls further into oud and resin. If you want something easier, softer, and less smoky, Ariana Grande Cloud and Bath & Body Works Bonfire Bash sit in that lane.

At the budget end, Zara Fireside Marshmallow keeps things simple and wearable, especially for the office, though it doesn’t stick around for long. On the more polished side, Bdk Parfums Gris Charnel gives you elegant winter warmth rather than a direct smoky stand-in.

Use the table based on your top priority, then move to the conclusion for the single best fit by budget and wear style.

Conclusion

Pick based on what matters most to you.

The table above lays out the trade-off between accuracy, price, and performance.

Best overall dupe: Dossier Woody Chestnut is the closest match in this guide. It delivers that chestnut-vanilla warmth well and also holds up nicely through the day.

Best budget buy in Germany: Zara Fireside Marshmallow is the lowest-cost way in. The catch? It sits lighter on skin and fades sooner.

Best sweeter option: Zara Fireside Marshmallow and Bath & Body Works Bonfire Bash work well for readers who want a softer, sweeter version with less smoke.

Best stronger smoky pick: Lattafa Ameer Al Oudh Intense Oud brings the most power and the longest wear, but it also drifts the furthest from the original.

If closeness to the original is your top priority, start with Dossier Woody Chestnut. If keeping the spend low matters more, go with Zara Fireside Marshmallow.

FAQs

Which dupe smells most like By the Fireplace?

Dua’s Fireplace by Dua Fragrances is the closest-smelling dupe to Maison Margiela’s By the Fireplace. It earns the top accuracy score here at 7/10.

The reason is pretty simple: its smoky, resin-rich mix of cade oil, incense, and chestnut gets very close to the original’s warm, smoky, woody profile. If you’re chasing that chestnut-vanilla signature, this is the nearest match.

Which option lasts longest in winter?

Dua’s Fireplace by Dua Fragrances seems to last the longest in winter, with up to 8–10 hours on skin.

Wood Fire - 1874 from Perfume Parlour is also described as very long-lasting. It has a strong, comforting scent that can stay around for a full day. Both work well in cold weather thanks to their warm, smoky notes.

Which dupe is best if I want less smoke?

divain.484 is the best pick if you want less smoke. It keeps that cosy, toasted feel, but goes in a softer, warmer, sweeter direction. You still get the balsamic comfort, just without the heavier wall of smoke.

Next to Fireside Marshmallow or Dua’s Fireplace, it feels like a gentler take on By the Fireplace. The chestnut-vanilla warmth is still there, but the whole thing wears with a smoother, more easygoing mood.