Impérial Ocean French Avenue 2026

Yeah this smells very much like Le Sel D'ssey but a bit "sweeter and darker" to my nose. Great performance on skin and clothes, was projecting for a while when testing. Salty and floral. very inoffensive.

one caveat - its a cheap alternative for certain countries that dont have access to discounters.
For example Le sel dissey costs $90 for 100ml here, but FE is around $50. That 40 could be worth saving up for the real deal but for what this is, its pretty good!

As I am a big fan of the Le Sel d'Issey line, I was eager to test Imperial Ocean, especially since it was released as a dupe.

The fragrance opens very aquatic, fresh and somewhat synthetic, underpinned by a light saltiness and minimal ginger in the background.
The bergamot also keeps rather restrained, with the focus here clearly more on the aquatic aspect than the fruity one.

There is a certain similarity to Le Sel d'Issey (EDT), but the differences are clearly recognizable.
I find the original's opening fresher, higher-quality and less citrusy.
Although no fruity notes are listed for the Issey Miyake, I detect a light, fresh honeydew melon note there, which is completely absent from Imperial Ocean.

The drydown presents a similar picture.
The Issey Miyake becomes softer, rounder and is less loud overall.
The French Avenue, on the other hand, projects more strongly and comes across as somewhat younger and livelier due to the prominent lemon.
You can easily tell the two fragrances apart.
The Issey Miyake also develops a woody note over time, which makes it seem more mature, and it is slightly saltier, which makes it feel rounder and more beautiful overall to me.
If I had to choose between the two, the original would be the clear winner.

This continues all the way to the end: Imperial Ocean remains more citrusy, synthetic and loud and could easily be worn by teenagers as well.
The original, on the other hand, smells more mature, woodier, less fruity and noticeably higher-quality until the very end.

Where Imperial Ocean clearly scores, however, is performance.
It lasts forever: On my skin, I can perceive it for approximately 12 hours, roughly twice as long as the original (which can of course vary depending on skin type).
The projection is exceptionally strong, especially during the first three hours, after which it remains very present for another five hours and only then slowly fades away.

Conclusion: If you love the original, as I do, you will not find a dupe here that replaces it 1:1.
You do get the same DNA, but the differences are impossible to miss.
Ultimately, I would estimate the similarity at around 70%.
However, if you are not expecting an exact clone, you still get a solid, pleasant aquatic fragrance here with truly strong performance.
Anyone approaching it with this expectation will not be disappointed.