Quick answer: A flanker is a perfume released later under the name of an existing one, usually with its own formula, strength or twist. It shares the name and part of the idea, but it is a different perfume: not a replacement for the original and not automatically better. A rename is something else again, which is why Mykonos Empire becoming IMPERIUM does not make it a flanker.
What is a flanker perfume, and why do so many fragrances come in several versions? The word turns up in reviews and forum threads with very little explanation, so this guide defines it in plain terms, shows what a shared name looks like with Mykonos scents, and explains how to approach a new version when you already know the original. We are an authorized Mykonos retailer for Europe; the Mykonos facts below come from the brand's product data and handbook, and the explanation of the term is general perfume knowledge.
What is a flanker perfume?
A flanker is a new perfume released under the name of an existing one. The word comes from marketing, where a flanker is a variation launched next to a main product. In perfume, the original is the flagship and the flanker stands beside it. It usually keeps the name and adds a word, a number or a colour to it, such as "Intense", "Night" or "Sport".
What changes is the formula. A flanker can be lighter or more concentrated, fresher or darker, sweeter or drier, or it can bring one note of the original to the front. What it keeps is the name, often the look of the bottle, and part of the idea.
What a flanker is not: a rename, where the same perfume gets a new name, and a new bottle or size of the same perfume. Those are packaging decisions. A flanker is a different composition.
Why do perfumes come in versions?
- The name is already known. A new version starts with attention that a new name would have to earn.
- People want close but different. You like a perfume, but you would like it fresher for summer, stronger for the evening or less sweet.
- It lets a perfume house explore an idea without starting from zero.
The practical lesson for you as a buyer: a shared name is a hint about the family, not a recipe. Always check the notes of the version in front of you. Our guide to fragrance notes explains how to read a pyramid.
Which Mykonos perfumes share a name?
Mykonos has several scents that share a name. We call them sister scents and claim nothing more: the data we work from does not say which came first, and it does not call any of them a flanker. They are plain examples of how a shared name behaves in practice.
Reflection and Reflection Elixir
Mykonos Reflection and Mykonos Reflection Elixir are both extraits and both open with grapefruit, bergamot and ginger. After that they part ways, as the table shows. For the full comparison, read Reflection vs Reflection Elixir.
| Reflection | Reflection Elixir | |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Grapefruit, ginger, bergamot | Grapefruit, bergamot, ginger, rhubarb leaves |
| Heart | Marine notes, cardamom, lily of the valley | Ylang-ylang, peach, magnolia |
| Base | Musk, patchouli, amber, ambroxan | Ambroxan, musk, chypre accord |
| Sillage / projection / longevity (handbook) | Moderate to strong / moderate to strong / 10+ hours | Strong / strong / 12+ hours |
| Seasons listed | Autumn, spring, summer | Autumn, spring, summer, winter |
California, California Blue and California Club
Three more share a name: Mykonos California, Mykonos California Blue and Mykonos California Club. All three are citrus extraits, and that is where the family resemblance ends.
- California lists mandarin orange and lemon on top, lychee, rosemary, cardamom, lavender, geranium and aquatic notes in the heart, and tonka bean, teak wood and vetiver in the base. Mykonos gives its accord as citrus, aromatic and aquatic.
- California Blue goes fruity and salty: lavender, pear, grapefruit and pink salt, then rhubarb, water blossoms and marine notes, ending in moss, soft wood and caramel.
- California Club is floral and woody: bergamot, lemon and violet leaf, then rose, violet and iris, over amberwood, ambrette and sandalwood.
California and California Club both open with lemon; beyond that, the pyramids share very little. Our comparison California vs California Blue goes through the first two in detail.
Is Mykonos Empire a flanker? Why a rename is different
Mykonos Empire is not a flanker. The brand's own description says Mykonos redesigned the fragrance and renamed it IMPERIUM, and that the scent is unchanged: same composition, same concentration, only the bottle is different. A flanker is a new perfume with an old name; a rename is the old perfume with a new name. We explain the change in Mykonos Imperium explained.
How do you choose between a perfume and its flanker?
- Compare the pyramids. Which notes carry over, and what is new? In the Reflection pair, only one of the two has peach and magnolia in the heart.
- Compare ratings and seasons. Mykonos rates Reflection Elixir's longevity at 12+ hours and Reflection's at 10+ hours; how long either lasts on you depends on skin and climate.
- Do not take an extra word in the name too literally. A word such as Elixir, Parfum or Extrait is a naming choice; Elixir vs Parfum vs Extrait explains what such names can and cannot tell you.
- Try it on skin. Perfume smells different on every person, so use our tips on how to test perfume, or use how to choose a perfume as a starting point.
To browse every Mykonos scent side by side, open all perfumes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a flanker?
A flanker is a perfume released later under the name of an existing one. It has its own formula, so it can be fresher, stronger, sweeter or darker than the original.
Is a flanker better than the original?
No, it is different. A new version is a new composition, and some people prefer the original. Judge it on its notes and on your skin rather than on its place in the line.
Why are there so many versions of the same perfume?
A known name is easy to remember, and many people want something close to a perfume they like but fresher, stronger or less sweet. A new version also lets a perfume house try an idea without starting from scratch.
Are Reflection and Reflection Elixir the same perfume?
No. They share a name, a grapefruit, bergamot and ginger opening and the extrait concentration, but the heart, base, handbook ratings and listed seasons differ, as the table above shows.