Any fragrance that’s been around for 50 years deserves our respect and Revlon Charlie EDT (also known as Charlie Original and Charlie Blue) warrants my approval without hesitation. Launched in 1973, it was very much an aldehydic-floral scent of its time, with pioneering advertising and marketing helping make it a huge commercial success.
IMAGE: Revlon.
Tapping into the spirit of female empowerment and career advancement of the decade, ads featured Shelley Hack (the first woman to wear pants in a fragrance commercial) striding out in confident and liberated style. Later ads featured Sharon Stone and Cindy Crawford. Pop culture extra! In 2007, Oprah Winfrey interviewed Hack on her talk show as an acknowledgement of the influence of the Revlon Charlie ads on her aspirations.
IMAGE: Revlon.
What a pity the American beauty brand isn’t doing more to celebrate its award-winning icon (in 1974, it bagged The Fragrance Foundation – Women’s Popular and Media Campaign of the Year awards). Perhaps its recent bankruptcy problems are a reason for this glaring oversight.
IMAGE: Oprah.com
PERFUMER
The perfumer behind Revlon Charlie EDT, Francis Camail, is also the man responsible for other classics such as Estée Lauder Aliage EDT (1972), Pierre Balmain Ivoire de Balmain EDT (1979) and Goutal Eau d’Hadrien EDT (1980).
PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS
The bright freshness of lemon blossom creates an immediate uplifting vibe, while a note of hyacinth brings greenery to the composition. There’s more fresh floralcy from notes of rose and lily-of-the-valley. The crisp and clean effect is enhanced by aldehydes.
Now’s a good time for Ingredients 101. Aldehydes feature in a veritable rollcall of all-time classics, including Chanel No 5 Parfum (1921), Carven Ma Griffe Parfum (1946), Rochas Madame Rochas EDT (1960), Hermès Calèche EDT (1961) and Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche EDT (1971).
“While aldehydic, it’s not heavy when compared with many others in the genre.”
Depending on which one is used and how they are used, they can give compositions a clean, citric, soapy, laundry-fresh, waxy, between-the-sheets sensual, even metallic vibe. They are particularly useful in helping give top and floral notes extra sparkle and pop (as they do so well in Revlon Charlie EDT). After all that freshness, the fragrance goes deeper in the drydown with notes of sandalwood and oakmoss. While aldehydic, it’s not heavy when compared with many others in the genre.
Let’s get this question out of the way. Aren’t aldehydes old-fashioned? Don’t trigger me. While retro but not out-dated (there’s a difference), Revlon Charlie EDT maintains its youthful allure and will appeal to anyone who’s open-minded enough to appreciate the classics.
Wear it when you want a dose of fresh and versatile upliftment. It sparkles in warmer weather but as I’m not a seasonal fascist, you can wear it in cooler weather too.
Rich, agree respect! Andre
Happy 50th Birthday to Revlon’s Charlie! A brilliant trip down memory lane. I’ll have to give it a spray next time I see it in store. Fantastic article, Rich.
Respect all round, dear Andre! Lots of thanks.
Passionate and with a reason, because Charlie is the one and only. So young and attractive, I smell him all night long and admit it – it’s love… Bought in my mission – searching for perfume treasures. He stole the hearts of so many beauties, influenced fashion trends, and is here, as charming as the times he was born. Richard, an outstanding presentation with your inevitable dose of humor. You should know how much I enjoyed reading it… Thank you for this special review!
It brings me joy knowing you enjoyed this post, dear Dusica. Although, it’s been reformulated over the years, Charlie remains a cheap and cheerful gem. From IG, it’s clear it was a formative fragrance for so many people. Many thanks to you too!
It took a while for aldehydes to grow on me. I’m sure I’ve smelled this one around over the years without realizing it. Great to see that it’s lasted!
They can take some getting used to. With its popularity, no doubt!