Unforgettable
Avon (1960)

My grandmother sold Avon in the late 60s and early 70s, and gave me a bottle of Unforgettable (labeled as cologne) in the special edition butterfly bottle that Avon bottled a few other fragrances in at the time. The butterfly bottle is beautiful and subtly iridescent. The head of the butterfly doubles as the screw cap.

My particular bottle has probably been opened no more than 10 times since the 60s, and has survived very well from what I can gather.

The opening is bright and alcoholic, coupled with a somewhat generic citrus note that quickly fades. Oak moss and patchouli start to come through, with powdery notes twisting around the warm spices in the background. Dry down is clear Oak moss, patchouli, and powdery florals that are warm and pleasant. This fragrance is marketed towards women, but I could see this being a unisex fragrance with the subdued florals and interesting base of oakmoss and patchouli.

For as old as this fragrance is, I expected it to smell more like old woman, and compared to the "old woman fragrances" I own; a tester of Tutti Twilly d'Hermès (My Fiancées mom LOVED smelling this on her but I don't), and a 20 year old bottle of my grandmother's signature scent, Must De Cartier. (You can argue the virtue of comparing a Chypre to a Floral Fruity to an Oriental, it's what I have). When I started learning about fragrances I thought I hated powdery notes, but as it turns out I deeply apricate them when done right. The way powder is expressed in Unforgettable is, well, unforgettable. It's warm and doesn't overstay its welcome. It plays with the mossy notes and is complemented by the subtle warm almost sweet spiciness. What baby powder SHOULD smell like. In a shocking contrast, Tutti Twilly's powdery notes emulated diaper bag in comparison.

The formula was slightly irritating to my skin on initial testing on my wrist. No redness or anything, just slight irritation that faded.

Overall, I'm extremely happy I have a piece of family history in my collection, especially because it's a vintage oak moss Chypre that you can't get anymore. I don't have much experience with Chypres, so I'm not sure how this one compares to more modern options, but I would hazard a guess that there are much better options which are easier to acquire. I wouldn't go out of your way to get ahold of this one, but definitely grab it for a good price at an estate sale if you see it, if only for the collectability.

Unforgettable by Avon (1960) is an aldehyde leather chypre that nipped at the heels of things like Bandit by Piguet (1944), Miss Dior by Christian Dior (1947) or Cabochard de Grès by Parfums Grès (1959) just the year before. Unforgettable isn't as stridently "leather" as most of them; but it does have the same key components, so whoever made this at the Avon perfume labs was paying attention. In place of that committed leather vector, we see a more typically-Avon assembly of florals, to keep things as expected for the usual Avon customer of the time, used to things being generically "pretty" at best. This works in Unforgettable's favor, being more floral than the typical leather chypre of the period, rounder and softer, more sensual almost by accident. My mother wore this one quite a bit, alongside her other favorites, Avon Bird of Paradise (1969) and Avon Charisma (1970). I personally find Unforgetttable quite unisex, as I do most leathers from this period.

The opening is the full aliphatic "golden" aldehyde treatment, like Chanel No. 5 (1921), and most other "big" perfumes for women. This of course makes Unforgettable feel really "adult" compared to some of the sweeter, more powdery, quietly-musky things making the catalog rounds of the day. The aldehydes give way to orange oil and carnation, with a healthy geranium to "rose" it up too, alongside muguet, iris, and freesia, all common players in the Avon ensemble at the time. Patchouli, cedar, cistus, oakmoss, and tons of sour pyralone make that classic tannery leather accord vintage enthusiasts all know and love, making Unforgettable feel like a bastard child of perfumer Bernard Chant or Germaine Cellier, unloved and adopted by Avon out of foster care. The original pink bottle graphics and pretty filigreed gilding really belies what Unforgettable is all about, sadly. Performance is bazonkers, so don't worry there.

I don't need to tell you what happens next, as Revlon eventually released its own fragrance called Revlon Unforgettable (1990). They secured rights to the Nat King Cole song, which was just a year away from being covered by his daughter, Natalie Cole; when it was, they secured the rights to that too, and Revlon plastered commercials with both versions of the song all over television, and radio. Revlon so completely sealed out the 30-years-older Avon fragrance of the same name, that Avon just never bothered to re-issue it again after a brief reappearance in the late 80's alongside Bird of Paradise (my mom owned the re-issue pair around that time as well). Some of the DNA I feel also made its way into the men's aldehyde leather chypre Clint! by Avon (1976), which may inform its own similarity to Aramis by Estée Lauder (1965) Thumbs up

I just adored unforgettable back in the day. It lasted all day and I received so many compliments on it.

I absoulutely adored Unforgettable.The scent was so pretty and had its pwn identity. I always felt feminine,and gorgeous. Its such ashame that Avon has become so,so, boring now.2010.

I detect powdery notes, some patchouli. Also citrusy notes in the opening. Reminds me of Coco Mademoiselle in a vintagey sort of way.

Here's another one that is no longer available. This is soft and powdery. I still have some of this and its really nice. This is good if you dont want your fragrance to enter the room before you do.