After Effect

After Effect leans hard into the smoky-gourmand oriental territory that made Initio's Side Effect a cult favourite, opening with a spiced bergamot-cardamom rush before settling into a tobacco-leaf and vanilla heart. Where the original blends its rum-cinnamon accord with genuine depth and a slow-burning tonka-patchouli base, this dupe compresses the same ideas into a louder, sweeter, more linear ride. The opening hour is a fair approximation of that boozy, smoky warmth, and for the price it captures the mood well enough for casual wear. It just doesn't have the original's persistence or the layered evolution that makes Side Effect worth its designer price tag - projection drops off within a couple of hours and the base reads as generic amber-vanilla rather than the resinous, tobacco-forward dry-down fans expect.