CLEOPATRA'S BOUDOIR

"Love having an Aramis man around..?"

Aramis, one of the best selling male fragrances of all time, surprisingly was, in its original incarnation, a fragrance for women.

Launched in 1964 by Estee Lauder, it was largely inspired by Cabochard by Gres, a women’s fragrance created by the same perfumer in 1958. 

Marketing tests to select the perfume for Aramis, Mr. Nielsen says, showed that men wanted a distinctive scent. Aramis, when marketed towards men, was formulated to be "rich, distinctive, dominant and long lasting", said the fragrance's creator. It is available in a series of products and its woodsy, peppery Oriental scent is anything but  the "barbershop" type.

Fragrance composition:

• Top notes: bergamot oil
• Middle notes: clary sage, myrtle oil, clove bud oil
• Base notes: patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, oak moss

The scent of Aramis was available in the following forms:

• Cologne
• Herbal Cologne
• Friction Lotion
• Stick Deodorant
• Roll On Deodorant
• Spray Deodorant Talc
• Shaving Foam
• After Shave
• After Shave Cream
• After Shave Emulsion
• Special Shave Formula
• Hair Spray
• Hair Stay
• Bath Soap
• Hair Groom Spray
• Pre-Electric
• Cool Spray Talc
• Astringent
• Shampoo on a Rope
• All Weather Hand Cream
• Pick Up Facial Mask
• Mark Out in Natural or Sun Tan ( a concealer for blemishes)
• Eye Pads
• Spray Shower Oil
• RNA Bio-Complex Moisturizing Cream
• Malt Enriched Shampoo
• Grit Soap
• Pre-Shave Concentrate
• Shaving Concentrate
• After Shave Concentrate
• Bronzing Gel
• Hair Gel
• Hair Wash
• Aerosol Spray Cologne
  
• Heavy Duty Groom Spray
  
• Aramis Razor
• Aramis Comb

According to fragrance expert Roja Dove, ‘There is nothing inherently masculine or feminine about a fragrance – it’s all marketing.’

Milton Bentz, creator of Tuli-Latus, a perfumery company that created smell alike fragrances in the 1970s, who often wore his women's fragrance recreations, remarked in a 1974 article that "I've never felt that a man wearing perfume would, in any way, compromise his masculinity."

It is interesting to note that more than half of all men’s colognes are bought by women, which is why the best-selling men’s fragrances are those best liked by women, and this is something that  the industry’s ‘noses’ are very conscious of. My husband often spritzes on my vintage Black Cashmere by Donna Karan, it works beautifully on his skin and smells delicious.

An estimated one-third of men’s fragrances sold are bought by women to wear themselves. Sometimes I wear my husband's Pi by Givenchy, I love the blend of the vanilla and the spices.