Is Armaf Checkmate King a dupe of Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal Absolu?
Close match Widely recommended as a substitute, and most people who compared them agree.
Armaf Checkmate King is a close match to Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal Absolu. Of 17 independent sources that compared them, 16 say it is near-identical or close, 1 say it is similar or inspired by it and 0 disagree. Checkmate King costs CA$48.99 for 100 ml at Fragrance Cart (CA$0.49/ml); Scandal Absolu costs CA$154.49 for 80 ml at Fragrance Cart (CA$1.93/ml), so the alternative costs 75% less per ml. Prices are checked every 20 minutes. These figures last changed on .
Jean Paul Gaultier
Scandal Absolu
|
Armaf
Checkmate King
| |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $154.49 80 ml | $48.99 100 ml |
| Per ml | $1.93 | $0.49 |
| Verdict | Close match of Scandal Absolu | |
| Buy | See prices | See prices |
The evidence
- Say close 16
- Say similar or inspired by 1
Confidence: 85%. It combines how many independent sources agree, how strongly they word it, how recent they are and how many disagree. How confidence works
In their words 11
I’m 17 years old and already own Checkmate King by Armaf as an inspiration of JPG Scandal Absolu Pour Homme.
A Reddit post, Oct 2026, 22 points
I did not like Mandarin Sky, but I kinda am loving Checkmate King which is the clone for JPG Scandal Absolu.
A Reddit comment, Dec 2024, 3 points
Paris Corner North Stag Expression Deux/II (Best Layton Clone in the world) & Armaf King Checkmate(JPG Scandal Absolu), the only two anyone would ever need, an affordable and excellent option would be Fragrance World Nuke 2.0 which is a Spicebomb Extreme Clone and an incredible one :) i got it for 3
A Reddit comment, Feb 2025, 3 points
He even goes as far to say he prefers it over Armaf Checkmate King which is a highly rated clone of Scandal Absolu.
A Reddit post, Aug 2025, 3 points
Checkmate king is a jpg scandal absolu clone, which is cool but tbh I'd be ok if it smelled like cat p!SS because the bottle looks so awesome.
A Reddit comment, Jul 2025, 2 points
If you can find it where you are I'd check out Checkmate King by armaf its a scandal absolu clone and in that same price range of 45-55 CAD and a bit more interesting and better quality overall than mandarin sky even though mandarin sky is pretty damn good itself.
A Reddit comment, Dec 2024, 1 point
It's really good, but to be honest, a week ago I tried Checkmate king who's a scandal absolu clone and I liked more than mandarin sky (better blended, more mature).
A Reddit comment, Apr 2025, 1 point
I know checkmate king is a clone of scandal absolu, and that mandarin sky is a clone of just scandal.
A Reddit post, Jul 2025, 1 point
On the topic of Liam Gray, to me it smells like a softer version of Armaf's Checkmate King (Scandal Absolu clone)
A Reddit comment, Jul 2025, 1 point
My personal favorites would be Scandal Edt (Mandarinsky if you need a dupe), Checkmate King if you want Scandal absolu instead, or The Kingdom.
A Reddit comment, Jul 2025, 1 point
Armaf Checkmate King(JPG Scandal Absolu dupe) - 100ml \~90% - No Box \*\*TRADE PENDING
A Reddit post, May 2026, 0 points
How the verdict is worked out is on the how it works page.