Unlisted Brand • Fragrance Reformulations (General) • Fragrances

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hesperia on 10/22/2010 9:39:00 PM more reviews by hesperia

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Youdropped, you're a girl after my own heart! I've been bitching for YEARS about perfume reformulation. So far, I thought it was only the big companies that did it (I will never forgive Guerlain for reformualting Mitsouko; NEVER), but after reading your post I see it's metastasized across the board. That's a ringing shame! If it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT.

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*TOP REVIEWER* youdroppedabalmonme2 on 10/22/2010 6:53:00 PM more reviews by youdroppedabalmonme2

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly and nostalgic (I swear, I'm only in my 30s!), I just have to write a rant about The State of Fragrances Today. In particular, the state of classic fragrances, reformulated, repackaged, and sold in discount stores and online. I've been burned-- no, scorched-- too many times by a seemingly incredible bargain on a once-loved scent. Three ounces of eau de parfum for $9.99? Seems like a steal, until you realize that what's stolen is the very soul of the fragrance in question. Yes, I'm talking to you, Monopolistic Cosmetic Conglomerates. EA Fragrances has turned White Shoulders into disinfectant, Giorgio into candied deodorant, Sebastian Design into diluted hairspray. Five Star Fragrances has made a travesty of Royal Secret and Pavlova. Coty Prestige has destroyed the integrity of Calvin Klein classics like Obsession and Eternity. Something not-quite-right happened to Shalimar when Guerlain sold it off but kept its name on the package. Same with Procter & Gamble's version of Joy, which is still putatively by Jean Patou. The real blow is that these reformulations are sold not only at discount, but also at full price in department stores.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that since 1992, certain ingredients have been verboten for ecological reasons-- oakmoss and civet come to mind. However, I think the larger issue is simply the glutted fragrance market. Each year manufacturers launch hundreds of fragrances that all begin to smell like each other. And with organically derived ingredients like rose attar, sandalwood, and benzoin being replaced by "accords" like "mango musk" and "apple martini," it's no wonder they all have the same clumsy, synthetic character, like high-rent bathroom freshener. The line between Bath and Body Works' inhalable candy and real fragrance is increasingly blurry. I find myself spraying more and more of the scents I used to love, hoping that the faint hint of the scent's potential grandeur develops into actual grandeur, but nope. They may smell "good," but they're not art. Not anymore.


So, those of us who miss the complexity and pleasure of vintage fragrances resort to trolling eBay for our fix, and hoping the fragrances we love have survived OK living in someone's basement for 30 years. I know there is no fighting the corporate behemoths that be. But I won't swallow my fate without speaking my piece first. So there it is.

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