Rare Gold
Avon (1996)

Rare Gold by Avon (1996) is an Olivier Cresp creation, and one of the first big-time flavor firm contracts Avon got after transitioning away from in-house perfumers, supplies, and compounding. Yeah, they had been getting work from oil houses since the transition began in the late 80's, but a lot of those were quick and dirty, likely mods from designer contracts spruced up and altered to wear an Avon badge. Rare Gold feels like a ground-up fragrance where Anne Gottlieb sat down as creative director and evaluator on Avon's behalf (as she was also doing for Calvin Klein), then hashed it out with perfumer Olivier Cresp to make sure this was a big launch. As you might have suspected, Rare Gold was indeed a big success that is still made now, thirty years later, which is indeed rare considering how quickly Avon fragrances come and go. Something like this now would be seen as mature, but it was absolutely everywhere in the 90's, worn by all ages.

Rare Gold sits somewhere in the spectrum between White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor (1991) and Fleur de Rocaille by Caron (1993), in that it's a big aldehyde white floral with a dollop of musky sweetness, but also has boozy fruitiness floating around too, with peach and orange blossom, plus some old-fashioned carnation in the heart. Amarige by Givenchy (1991) would toss in tiare flower into this mix for some tropical vibes, while all these were really playing catch-up to Jardins de Bagatelle by Guerlain (1983), which started this whole merger of fruit and aldehyde white floral chypre. Rare Gold is the most succinct of the lot, with the least confusing barrage of materials, because Avon is Avon and doesn't want a phone book for a note pyramid to print in its catalogs. Still, there isn't a ton to really separate Rare Gold from its designer siblings besides the much lower price, making it a steal for fans of this now-vintage style.

Keeping up with the higher-end market while delivering on Avon value was the new modus operandi for the perfume division anyway, and they were willing to spend serious cash on the development of good formula, as Harry Freemont once confided to me; Avon was willing to spend more per kilo than many designers selling their finished product for four times more after margins were tacked on. Rare Gold is really a perfect example of that, and although it doesn't have much by way of Avon's usual quirkiness - something that made their earlier output so much more endearing - Rare Gold does have the quality in both the performance area and in style. Avon ditched the camp and simple charm to make big bold perfumes like their upmarket cousins, since they that had started inadvertently becoming more-direct competitors by being heavily discounted in big box stores popping up all across America. Rare Gold was "serious" Avon. Thumbs up

I've got an old bottle from the nineties and I must say this smells very modern. Peach, powder and flowers done right this time!

when I wear this my son tell me that i smell of 'holidays' . It was affordable without smelling cheap or soapy.

I've always considered that 'Rare Gold' was one of the most elegant perfumes by Avon. It's pretty heavy and floral - but all in all, it's great.

Horrible drydown. On me this just smells like a smudgy old-ladyish musk/aldehyde. The floral notes disappear quite quickly and I'm left with lots of soapiness and a hint of envelope glue. I didn't get any neroli at all. This perfume has a lot of sillage and it lasts, but that's no good thing. I tried to wash it off, but it just wouldn't quit, and now I've got a headache. Eugh.

I agree that this is one of Avon's best fragrances in a long time. It's too complex for me to be much good at analyzing it, but I do detect sandalwood, neroli, and frankincense, plus tuberose or perhaps jasmine/hedione. I read it as dressy, and good for all seasons. It lasts well, too.