Velvet Underground

Concentration: 20%
Gender: Unisex
Vegan | Cruelty-free | Made in France

When Tom Ford released Lost Cherry in 2018 as part of his Private Blend line, it landed with the kind of cult reaction that turns a fragrance into a phenomenon. A sticky, almost edible cherry liqueur opening, almond on the heart, and a sensual tonka-vanilla base. The catch: a 50ml bottle sits north of $580 AUD in most Australian retailers, which is exactly why lost cherry perfume dupes have become one of the most searched fragrance terms in the country.

Velvet Underground is our impression of that scent. We chased the mood of a velvet-curtained back room at 1am: candied cherry, warm skin, a faint trail of smoke. On the gourmand spectrum, it sits in the rich, boozy-cherry corner rather than the lighter fruity-floral end. Sweet, yes, but grown-up about it.

If cherry is your thing, the rest of our cherry fragrance collection is worth a look too.

Top Notes (The first notes you smell) - sour cherry and bitter almond. The opening is juicy and tart, with that unmistakable jammy cherry pulp leading the way and a marzipan-like almond edge keeping it from tipping into pure sweetness.

Middle Notes (The heart of the perfume) - cloves, rose, jasmine and plum. The heart turns warm and slightly spiced, with waxy floral petals folded through stewed plum. It's where Velvet Underground starts to feel grown-up rather than candy-shop, and where most Tom Ford inspired fragrances tend to come alive.

Bottom Notes (The notes that linger all day) - Peru balsam, tonka bean and vanilla. Resinous, smooth and lightly boozy, with tonka and vanilla pulling everything into a soft, lingering finish.

Vegan | Cruelty Free | Clean Ingredients

Ingredients: Alcohol, fragrance and water. All our fragrances are made in France, are vegan and made with a high-end blend of natural ingredients and safe synthetics. If you're concerned about potential allergens, please email us at hello@aerre.co

Here are the details: Alcohol Denat, Parfum (Fragrance), Aqua\Water\Eau, Methyl Dihydrojasmonate, Dipropylene Glycol, Iso E Super, Vanillin, Galaxolide, Piperonal, Exaltolide, Coumarin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethyl Vanillin, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Nerolidol

Velvet Underground is a 50ml Eau de Parfum at 20% aromatic concentration, formulated and bottled in Provence, the same fragrance region that supplies many of the major French houses. That concentration matters when you're looking at lost cherry dupes, because a lot of cheaper alternatives sit at 12-15% EDT strength and fade by lunch.

On skin, the wear arc moves through three clear phases. The opening is sweet and tart for the first 30-45 minutes, all bitter almond and cherry pulp. From there it settles into a spiced floral heart for a few hours, with rose, jasmine and a warm clove edge taking over. The dry-down is where it really earns its place: tonka, vanilla and sandalwood that linger for up to 8-10 hours on most skin types.

Pricing starts from $29. Shipping is free on orders of three or more, and our curated perfume sets give you up to 25% off when you build a trio.

When to wear it
Velvet Underground earns its keep after dark and after the temperature drops. Think autumn dinners, winter dates, candlelit restaurants, a glass of something red across a small table. The cherry-almond sweetness and the warm tonka base read richer in cool air, which is why most winter perfume picks lean into this kind of structure. It also suits low-lit settings: a wine bar, a late drink, a fireplace, a black-tie event where you want presence without shouting.
Where it doesn't shine? A 35-degree Sydney afternoon at the beach. A sterile, fluorescent-lit office at 9am. In heat, the gourmand notes can feel heavy, and in a quiet meeting room they can read as too much. Save it for the evening shift, the cooler months, and the moments that deserve a second sniff.

How to apply
Getting the most out of an Eau de Parfum is less about quantity and more about placement. A few small habits will stretch the wear time and lift the projection without turning your spritz into a cloud everyone in the lift can taste.

Where and how to spray
- Hit your pulse points: inner wrists, the side of the neck, behind the ears, and the inner elbows. Warmth from these spots pushes the scent through the day.
- Spray onto moisturised skin. A plain, unscented lotion gives the fragrance something to cling to, which is one of the factors affecting how long it lasts.
- Don't rub your wrists together. It crushes the top notes and shortens the dry-down. Spray, let it settle, walk on.
- Layer it. Try a base of Amber Haze on the chest with a wrist spritz of Forest Spice for more depth.

We've sent out over 1,000,000 bottles, and every order is backed by our 30-day risk-free returns policy. If a scent isn't right for you, send it back.