Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj & Taylor Swift -- Smells Like a Rip-Off ... Perfume Co. Sues Over Celeb Fragrances

Something stinks in the perfume world -- someone is trying to cash in on the huge success of Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift's signature fragrances and cosmetics ... allegedly by mimicking products created by Elizabeth Arden.

Cosmetics giant Elizabeth Arden is the licensed manufacturer of the celebrity scents bearing Justin, Taylor and Nicki's names ... and in a new federal lawsuit it claims a company called Preferred Fragrance has been trying to horn in on their massive biz.

Two Bieber perfumes (Someday and Justin Bieber's Girlfriend) have raked in $87 million in retail sales -- while Taylor's Wonderstruck perfumes and lotions hauled in $60 million ... so, there's a TON of money on the line here.

In the suit, Elizabeth Arden says Preferred's Bieber knock-offs -- called Today and Be My Girl -- use packaging that almost exactly mirrors the packaging of EA's Bieber perfumes.

The lawsuit points out a bunch of similar infractions related to the Minaj and Swift products