Champs

Summary

Champs (or Parfums des Champs) is a brand created and owned by the company New Brand. The New Brand Perfumes branch is located in Wemmel, Belgium. After production, Champs products are distributed and imported by the wholesale provider called Fragluxe, which also lists the items on their website.

While Champs specializes in fragrances, the brand also includes aftershave creams, body lotions, shower gels, and deodorants. Champs provides products that imitate the sophisticated qualities that come from smoking Cuban cigars - labeling their products with their logo that reads “Cuba Original”. Their products are also designed in cylindrically shaped metal canisters, often packaged with a brown cover, to be reminiscent of the designs of these luxurious cigar products (“Cuba”). Despite where the inspiration originates, the brand actually has most of these fragrances are produced in France, with some labeled Cuba Paris.

While cigars are the main theme among the Champs products, there is a variety of collections to choose from. For instance, there is Cuba’s Classic collection or the Latino collection. Most of their fragrances are orientated towards male customers, but they also provide specific products for females as well (“Cuba Paris Perfumes And Colognes”).

Champs masculine products are designed to be rich, unique, bold, and seductive, using a range of aromas from wood to fruit. The brand creates fragrances to grab the attention of others, especially its Cuba Red Classic which combines the scents of wood and spice (“Cuba Classic”). Some of these products will even rely on the scent of tobacco, like the Cuba Royal Eau De Toilette, further strengthening the brand's connection to Cuban cigars.

Meanwhile, its feminine fragrances are sweet, flowery, playful, and romantic. One of the brand’s most popular products for women is the Cuba Heartbreaker Eau de Parfum, which combines a large number of scents, from apple to and vanilla pudding; masterfully combined to create a flirty and intoxicating aroma (“Set Cuba Jungle 4X35 ML”). Some female products share similar scents to the male fragrances, like the Cuba Maya Eau de Parfum, smelling of amber and musk (“Set Cuba Latino (L) 4 X 35 ML”).

Champs has been creating products for more than two decades. While its items are produced in France, they are sold all over the world. With the consistent popularity of these items, Champs may continue to have success in the future.

Background

Champs, founded in 1992, is a brand that specializes in creating fragrances that imitate the sophisticated experience of smoking a Cuban cigar. In addition to this, it creates other toiletries, such as aftershave creams, body lotions, shower gels, and deodorants. To emphasise this theme of cigars, the brand has taken the initiative of designing its fragrance bottles in the shape and color of cigars.

The logo of Champs is elongated to wrap around the fragrance bottles, further imitating the packaging of cigars. Its current logo, created in 2010 by PC Design S.A.R.L., reads “Cuba Original by Parfums des Champs”- “parfums des champs” translating from French to English as “perfumes of the fields.” In between the lines of words is a black and white portrait of a male figure (“CUBA ORIGINAL BY PARFUMS DES CHAMPS - Trademark Details”). Because of the usually enlarged words of “Cuba Original”, the brand is sometimes referred to as simply “Cuba”, like on the Amazon or Fragluxe website.

Champs products have been around for more than two decades, with some of its earlier items still being produced and sold, like the Cuba Red fragrance which has been around since 1998. The brand is currently owned by New Brand, located in Belgium, and are created in a factory in France. New Brand Perfumes aims to produce fragrances that are luxurious and crafted with quality ingredients, in addition to being affordable for the average customer (“Extasia Perfume”). Their main distributor and importer is Fragluxe, which also lists them on their website.

Products

Champs designs products for both men and women. Inspired by the extravagance of Cuban cigars, the brand produces fragrances and other toiletries (like shave creams, body lotions, shower gels, and deodorants) that replicate these cigars with similar scents and a cylinder packaging that resembles them. The company often uses a brown paper-like wrap around the metal canister with a logo at the top that’s stretched around it to authenticate the “cigar”-experience.

Despite where their inspiration originates, most of these items are produced in France by New Brand Perfumes and are mainly distributed by Fragluxe in Belgium. One of the goals of New Brand Perfumes is affordability. This perfume branch hopes to create affordable fragrances that are luxurious and crafted with quality ingredients. They also create fragrances for both men and women.

Common aromas featured are wood, musk, flowers, tobacco, and fruit. Champs has a large range of collections, with its most popular being Cuba’s Classic, Prestige, and Jungle collection. There is also an American, Paris, City, Latino, Jungle, and Chic and Tattoo collection.

Cuba’s Classic Collection

Cuba’s Classic Collection includes four fragrances, all of which can be purchased as a set. This collection is made of the products Cuba Gold, Cuba Orange, Cuba Red, and Cuba Blue, all of which are labeled as “Cuba Paris”. Cuba Gold is a perfume that will help customers leave great impressions, using a formula that is mixed with the aromas of pink pepper, grapefruit, vetiver, lavender, vanilla, and amber (“Cuba Gold (M) 25 ML”). Cuba Orange Classic combines the smells of jasmine, sandalwood, Virginia cedar, fruit, vanilla, and musk (“Cuba Orange (M) 100 ML”). Cuba Blue Classic mixes the smells of papaya, pineapple, jasmine, green tea, and amber. Cuba Red, originally launched in 1998, is designed with the scents of tobacco, exotic woods, spices, and oak-moss (“Cuba Red (M) 100 ML”).

Cuba Prestige Collection

The Cuba Prestige Collection are products that have classy, luxurious, and confident aromas. This group contains Cuba Prestige Black, Classic, Legacy, and Platinum. Prestige Classic combines the inventing scents of mint, caramel, coffee, and lavender ("Cuba Prestige Classic (M) 35 ML”). Prestige Black is rich with the aromas of mint, pepper, geranium, lavender, jasmine, cedar, oak-moss, and musk (“Cuba Prestige Black Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men”). Prestige Legacy features wood, sandalwood, lavender, musk, and basil (“Set Cuba Prestige (M) 4 X 35 ML”). And lastly, Prestige Platinum contains the earthy scents of bergamot, lavender, oak-moss, and patchouli (“Cuba Prestige Platinum Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men”).

Cuba Latino Collection

This collection aims to imitate the fresh aromas from Latin regions, designing the fragrances Cuba Copacabana, Cactus, Carnaval, and Maya. Wanting to cater to both genders, this set has a male version and female version. Cuba Copacabana for men is a blend of apple, lavender, cumin (“Set Cuba Latino (M) 4 X 35 ML”), lime, bergamot, geranium, lemon, cedar, musk, oak-moss, and amber (“Cuba Copacabana for Men Cuba Paris for men”). Also indulging in masculine aromas, the male version of Cactus has a blend of vetiver bourbon, violet leaves, leather, wood, and black pepper cedrat (“Set Cuba Latino (M) 4 X 35 ML”). Cuba Carnaval for men features lemon, bergamot, basil, pepper, cinnamon, rose, cloves, sandalwood, cedar, amber, vanilla, oak-moss, and leather (“Cuba Carnaval Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men”). And the final male fragrance of the Latino Collection is Maya, which smells of lavender, lemon, thyme, rose, amber, geranium, sandalwood, vetiver, and cedar (“Cuba Maya for men Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men”). The female version of Copacabana mixes the scents of orange blossom, Italian orange, bitter orange, jasmine, honey, and vanilla. Cactus for women is created through the aromas of oak-moss, ylang-ylang, frozen apple, mimosa, freesia, jasmine, sandalwood, and peach nectar. Like the other flowery and fruity scents, Cuba Carnaval for women smells of pomegranate, orchid, lotus blossom, frosted musk, white amber, and pink peony. And the last product of this collection is Maya for women, which is created through the scents of white flowers, musk, amber, and vanilla ( “Set Cuba Latino (L) 4 X 35 ML”).

Cuba Jungle Collection

Champs designed its feminine Cuba Jungle products to be bold and wild, while also giving a glimpse into the natural odors of the jungle. Like the other collections, this features four main fragrances, including Cuba Snake, Zebra, Tiger, and Heartbreaker. Both sweet and sexy, the Snake perfume combines citrusy and spicy aromas along with lavender and wood. Zebra is very floral and creates a unique scent composition of orchids, violets, musk, blackberries, and roses. The flirty Tiger fragrance is made of wood, vanilla, and amber. Lastly, the last product is Cuba Heartbreaker has a fun and complex mix of pink pepper, orange, red currant, jasmine, peony, amber, apple, mango, strawberry, freesia, grapefruit, linden, and vanilla pudding (“Set Cuba Jungle 4X35 ML”). While there isn’t a male version of this collection, there is an alternative collection called Cuba Strass, that has slight variance in its composition and clear packaging instead of the classic brown.

Cuba Royal

Cuba Royal is one of the more popular products of Champs because of its high quality and elegant fragrance. To showcase this regal fragrance, Champs has this product placed in a gold container to be opened. It smells of vanilla, olibanum, Virginia cedar, tobacco (“Cuba Royal For Men”), mint, grapefruit, rose, leather, and patchouli (“Cuba Royal (M) 35 ML”).

Ingredients

The goal of New Brand Perfumes is to use high quality ingredients to craft luxurious and rich fragrances. In addition, Champs tries to incorporate ingredients directly from Cuba to authenticate the Cuban cigar experience (“Cuba Perfume Online Webshop Ireland”),

Denatured Alcohol

Champs fragrances contain alcohol. Alcohol is used in these items because it helps the product evaporate on the skin and leave only the aromas behind. It is also used to break down the other ingredients of the perfume while merging oils and other aromas. As a result, the smell of the perfumes are lifted. As fragrances cannot use drinkable alcohol in their products, Champs uses denatured alcohol - labeled “Alcohol Denat.” on their ingredients list (“FAQ” ). Denatured alcohol is composed of ethanol and a denaturing agent, which is toxic if one were to drink from it (“ALCOHOL DENATURED”).

Water

One of the most common ingredients in Champs products is water. Water in perfume helps prevent alcohol from drying the skin when the product is sprayed on. In addition, water may prevent alcohol from withholding the aroma of the fragrance, enhancing the smell that is released. As a result, the scents of the products may last longer as well (“Water in perfume: Why? What? How much?”).

Limonene

Some Champs products, particularly those with citrusy scent profiles, may use the chemical limonene. Limonene is naturally occurring and may be found in the rind of citruses (“LIMONENE”). It is used by Champs to help incorporate more fruity aromas into perfumes.

Linalool

Linalool can be traced in different Champs products, from fragrances to deodorant. This ingredient is the main chemical component of lavender oil and has been used in perfumes since the late 1880s. It has been used for so long because of the sweet flowery, sometimes citrusy, scents that it creates (“Linalool”).

Coumarin

Coumarin is a chemical found in tonka beans, vanilla grass, cassia cinnamon, and more. The smell of coumarin is reminiscent of freshly cut grass with hints of vanilla. It is often used in perfumes and other cosmetics because of its unique smell (“Coumarin”).

Eugenol

Eugenol is a pale-yellow liquid that is extracted from the oils of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf. This ingredient adds a spicy, clove scent to perfumes and other fragrances. It is also used in food and essential oils. It can even be used as a local antiseptic or anesthetic (“Eugenol”).

Alpha Isomethyl Ionone

Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, also known as Methyl Ionone, is a colorless material. It serves to provide a combination of the scents of wood and violets for cosmetics. This ingredient is found in products from fragrances to shampoo ( “Ingredient - Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone” ).

References

• ALCOHOL DENATURED. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/700215/ALCOHOL_DENATURED/#
• CUBA ORIGINAL BY PARFUMS DES CHAMPS - Trademark Details. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://trademarks.justia.com/779/69/cuba-original-by-parfums-des-champs-77969100.html
• Coumarin. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fragrantica.com/notes/Coumarin-259.html
• Cuba Carnaval Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Cuba-Paris/Cuba-Carnaval-19349.html
• Cuba Copacabana for Men Cuba Paris for men. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Cuba-Paris/Cuba-Copacabana-for-Men-19352.html
Cuba Maya for men Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Cuba-Paris/Cuba-Maya-for-men-19367.html
• Cuba Prestige Platinum Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Cuba-Paris/Cuba-Prestige-Platinum-35600.html
• Cuba Paris Perfumes And Colognes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fragrantica.com/designers/Cuba-Paris.html
• Cuba Prestige Black Cuba Paris cologne - a fragrance for men. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Cuba-Paris/Cuba-Prestige-Black-35599.html
• Cuba Prestige Classic (M) 35 ML. (n.d.). Retrieved from
• Eugenol. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/eugenol#section=Top
• Extasia Perfume. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.perfume.com/new-brand/extasia/women-perfume
• FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.creatingperfume.com/faq.aspx
• Ingredient - Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.lushusa.com/ingredient-finder/ingredient?iid=11268
• LIMONENE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/702113/LIMONENE/#
• Linalool. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/linalool/linaloolh.htm
• Water in perfume: Why? What? How much? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.perfumeprojects.com/resources/water.shtml