Oakcha Love in Rome
Brand: Oakcha
Feminine · Extrait · £29
Inspired by Valentino Donna Born in Roma.
Description
Love in Rome by Oakcha is a gourmand floral alternative to Valentino Donna Born in Roma, rebuilding its signature jasmine and bourbon vanilla heart at a fraction of the price. Product Overview Love in Rome sits at the center of Oakcha's inspired by collection, a line the brand built specifically to recreate designer bestsellers using the same note families and a comparable concentration. Oakcha positions Love in Rome as its take on Valentino Donna Born in Roma, matching the original's black currant opening, layered jasmine heart, and bourbon vanilla base almost note for note. It is sold as an Extrait de Parfum at roughly 30 to 40 percent fragrance concentration, a notably richer build than the typical Eau de Parfum, and it ships in a 50ml bottle alongside a companion perfume oil version for those who want to extend wear between sprays. The pitch is straightforward: the DNA of a fragrance that retails near 130 dollars, delivered in Oakcha's own bottle for well under 40 dollars. Scent Profile The opening is sharp and dark, blackcurrant paired with pink pepper and bergamot giving a tart, slightly spiced burst that mirrors the fruity-floral snap Born in Roma is known for. That fades into a dense jasmine heart built from three separate jasmine materials, jasmine absolute, jasmine sambac, and jasmine tea, which gives the middle stage a layered, almost tea-like floral quality rather than a single-note white flower blast. The base is where Love in Rome earns its gourmand label: bourbon vanilla, cashmeran, and guaiac wood settle in for a warm, creamy, slightly woody finish. Reviewers consistently describe the drydown as sweeter and creamier than the Valentino original, with the vanilla pushed forward a touch more than the designer version. Technical Structure and Development The progression follows a classic top-heart-base pyramid, but the jasmine accord is what carries the fragrance through its middle hours, transitioning smoothly from the tart citrus-fruit opening into the vanilla-wood base without an abrupt handoff. Cashmeran does a lot of quiet work here, giving the base a soft, musky, slightly powdery texture that keeps the vanilla from reading as flat or one-dimensional. Because it is formulated as an Extrait rather than an Eau de Parfum, the oil-to-alcohol ratio is higher, which is the main reason wearers report it running warmer and staying closer to the skin than a standard-strength fragrance with the same note list. Performance Oakcha markets the Extrait concentration specifically for extended wear, and community feedback backs that up: the fragrance is generally reported to last well through a full workday on skin, with some wearers stretching it further by layering the matching perfume oil underneath or on pulse points. Sillage is moderate rather than loud, more of a warm skin-scent presence in the drydown than a room-filling projection, which tracks with how the cashmeran and vanilla base is built. It is described on Oakcha's own intensity scale as Distinct, sitting above a light scent but not in heavy-projection territory. Wear Scenarios - Cold-weather daywear where a warm, vanilla-forward scent reads as cozy rather than overwhelming - Date nights or evening occasions where the jasmine heart and creamy base carry a romantic, slightly sweet signature - Everyday office or errand wear thanks to its moderate sillage and skin-close drydown - Layering with the companion Love in Rome perfume oil for wearers who want extended longevity without reapplying spray Scent Family Positioning Love in Rome sits in the vanilla-fruity-floral-woody space, a lane defined by tart fruit top notes giving way to a dense white floral heart and a warm gourmand base. It shares that structure with the broader wave of Born in Roma style fragrances that built the fruity-jasmine-vanilla combination into one of the more recognizable feminine profiles of the past several years, sitting closer to a gourmand floral than a purely fresh or purely sweet composition. Inspired By and Style Comparisons The comparison to Valentino Donna Born in Roma is the entire premise of the fragrance, and it is the most consistent point raised across reviews and social commentary: the blackcurrant and pink pepper opening, the triple jasmine heart, and the bourbon vanilla and cashmeran base track closely with the designer original's published note structure. Where wearers note a difference, it is usually that Love in Rome leans a shade sweeter and creamier in the drydown than the Valentino version, with the vanilla sitting slightly more forward. For anyone who loves the Born in Roma profile but wants to sample or wear it more freely without worrying about cost, Love in Rome is consistently cited as one of the closer available matches on note composition and overall character. Flankers and Variations Oakcha sells Love in Rome as both a spray Extrait de Parfum in a 50ml bottle and a separate perfume oil, giving wearers a layering option to boost longevity or a lighter application format for warmer weather. Both versions share the same core note structure of blackcurrant, jasmine, and bourbon vanilla. Market and Community Reception Love in Rome has become one of Oakcha's more visibly discussed releases on social platforms, particularly TikTok and Lemon8, where a steady stream of side-by-side comparison and smell-test videos frame it directly against Valentino Born in Roma. The recurring verdict across that content is that the two are close enough in character that testers repeatedly call it one of the more convincing matches in the Born in Roma dupe conversation, with several creators specifically praising the creamier, sweeter vanilla finish as a point in its favor rather than a shortcoming. It also shows up regularly on third-party roundup pages listing the best available alternatives to the Valentino original, reinforcing that its reputation is built almost entirely around how closely it tracks its inspiration.
Notes
Top Notes
Heart Notes
Base Notes
Main Accords
Tags
Vibes
Occasions
Performance
Style Lane
Atlas Match
Best Notes Match
Dossier Ambery Jasmine
Shared notes: Blackcurrant, Pink Pepper
From This Brand
Oakcha Akimbo
Same DNA Style
Jo Milano Paris Mi Amour
Inspired by Valentino Donna Born in Roma
See Jo Milano Paris Mi Amour →
Compare Love in Rome
Where to Buy
Check current price and availability on Amazon.co.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Oakcha fragrances long-lasting and what is their oil concentration?
Yes - every bottle of Oakcha is hand-poured exclusively as a heavy Extrait de Parfum featuring an intense 30% to 40% oil concentration, which easily averages 8 to 12+ hours of active skin longevity.
What is the relation between Oakcha and Oil Perfumery?
Oakcha operates out of New York and Toronto as the premium spray-based sister brand to Oil Perfumery, utilizing the exact same highly credible luxury compound oil bases to develop their spray formulas.
What are the most famous best-selling fragrances from Oakcha?
Oakcha's most viral community blockbusters include Sweven, Praise The Perfume, That Girl | Viral Vanilla, and their globally celebrated signature candy-inspired and luxury designer dupe series.
What is Oakcha Love in Rome a dupe of?
Oakcha Love in Rome is a dupe of Valentino Donna Born in Roma. It interprets the original scent profile using high quality alternative ingredients at a fraction of the price.
What does Oakcha Love in Rome smell like?
Oakcha Love in Rome opens with Blackcurrant, Pink Pepper, Bergamot, moves into Jasmine, Jasmine Sambac, Jasmine Tea, and settles on a base of Bourbon Vanilla, Cashmeran, Guaiac Wood. It is built to capture the character of Valentino Donna Born in Roma.
Is Oakcha Love in Rome long lasting?
Oakcha Love in Rome is Extrait, formulated for strong performance as a budget friendly alternative to the original.
What does EDP mean?
EDP stands for Eau de Parfum. It typically contains 15 to 20 percent fragrance concentration, giving stronger performance and longer longevity than EDT. Most Middle Eastern clone brands release their fragrances as EDP, which is a significant reason they tend to outperform designer equivalents in longevity and projection at a lower price point.
What is an extrait de parfum?
Extrait de parfum, also called pure parfum, contains the highest fragrance concentration, typically 20 to 40 percent. It lasts the longest, projects most richly, and develops the most complex dry-down. Bujairami releases all its fragrances as extraits, which is a significant part of why the brand has developed such a strong reputation for performance.
What is maceration and should I let my new fragrance macerate?
Maceration is the process of fragrance molecules fully integrating and settling after production. A newly bottled fragrance can smell sharp, synthetic, or unbalanced because the individual ingredients have not yet harmonised. Leaving a bottle to settle for two to four weeks is standard practice in the fragrance community. Remove the cap and let the bottle breathe overnight to accelerate the process. Most heavy Middle Eastern releases benefit significantly from maceration.
What is a blind buy in the fragrance community?
A blind buy is purchasing a fragrance without having smelled it first, based on notes, reviews, community consensus, and comparisons to fragrances you already know. The Atlas compare tool, scent accuracy scores, and community reviews are specifically designed to reduce the risk of a disappointing blind buy by giving you data before you spend money.