Aramis

Aramis: The Sophisticated Touch

When it was first launched in 1964, Aramis was the first to offer this level of men’s fragrances in department stores. It found great success, and it is still a great classic today. Just that first fragrance is sold around the world in more than 100 countries and territories, and now there are a great number of excellent fragrances under the Aramis name, which is still producing new perfumes and colognes to this very day.

Another Innovation from Estee Lauder

Aramis is the idea of Estee Lauder, the world-renowned cosmetics company. The name comes from the Dumas character in “The Three Musketeers”, one of the dashing swashbucklers at the heart of that tale. Aramis cologne was a big hit and an instant classic. It epitomized the masculine scents of woods and spices that is at the heart of so many great men’s colognes. Many men who were young when Aramis was first released remember the scent well, because it was the first aftershave or cologne they ever used.

While Aramis was established as a brand for men, it has since created variants that work perfectly well for women, or even for both genders. Drawn by the success of the brand, others have come to have their own fragrances created under the Aramis name, including fashion giant Tommy Hilfiger. Since its inception in the 1960s, Aramis has produced a number of enduringly popular fragrances, including New West for Her, and Havana.

Aramis Classics

The original Aramis was created for men who like classics and appreciate tradition. This quality means the fragrance will never go out of style. Its strong and woody tone is intensely masculine, enhanced by the definite scent of leather. This fragrance is especially popular in America, where such scents are especially prized. Aramis also contains notes of clove and moss, and opens with the scent of an open grassy field, touched with a hint of cinnamon. It is designed for evening wear, though a number of men where it any time.

The women’s fragrances are just as classic, though with a feminine bent. Often, a men’s fragrance is rebuilt or recreated to serve as something suitable for women. One such is example is New West for Her, which saw its debut in 1990. It is a pleasing tangle of fruity, woody, green, and floral scents which merge together into a satisfying whole. It opens with fruity tones from peach, bergamot, watermelon, and plum, with a hint of violet. The heart is more floral, containing carnation, lily, jasmine, hyacinth, and mint. At its base are more seductive and sexy notes, however – leather, musk, cedar, oakmoss, and amber.

Havana, first released in 1994, is a truly unique and exotic scent, earthy and sweet at once. Much of its nature is involved in the scent of tobacco included in the mixture. Surrounded with woody scents like sandalwood and fir, and spicy scents like cinnamon and caraway, it gives the impression of fine cigars and warm tropical weather – much like one might find in Havana itself. The feminine version has a fruitier opening of apple, peach, mandarin, and melon, with tropical flowers at its heart, anchored by honey and vanilla at its base. It is a classic Aramis tactic – two scents that evoke the same sense, one distinctly masculine, the other distinctly feminine.

Across an ocean from Havana is another region – Tuscany, Italy. Tuscany Per Uomo, is a fragrance meant to bring the essence of that land to mind. It opens with lime, bergamot, lemon, and lavender, with carragon, orange blossom, and anise at its heart. Leather, tonka bean, cinnamon, oakmoss, basil, and patchouli are at its base. This is the kind of cologne to wear on a daily basis, like taking a bit of vacation to work every day.

A more powerful formulation is Tuscany Per Uomo Forte – forte meaning strong or powerful in Italian. This variation was launched ten years after the original Tuscany, in 1994. It is spicier and less fruity, containing elements of lavender, tarragon, nutmeg, and star anise. Hints of flowery essences give it a certain balance, while woody and musky tones at its base give it true masculinity.

The Power of a Brand

Aramis began as a single men’s fragrance, but that single fragrance was a revolution in the fragrance industry. From one classic cologne, this child of Estee Lauder has created more than a dozen other fragrances worthy of the Aramis name, and more are surely on the way in the future.