Gender Bender: Ciara by Revlon (1973)

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

This is another in a series of fragrance reviews that asks, “Can a guy pull off a women’s perfume?” Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!

Hello and welcome to my new column here at Fragrantica: “Gender Bender”, an exploration of aroma, gender and scented freedom. Though by no means do I prescribe to fragrance having a gender, sociocultural stereotypes about masculinity often prevail at the fragrance counter. Join me as I explore some of the 20th century’s masterpieces of perfumery in my quest to address the familiar question, “Can a man successfully wear a women’s perfume?”

Summary: My favorite fragrance from Revson/Revlon was once advertised alongside a young, 1970s Lauren Hutton as “The thoroughly feminine fragrance.” With its sweet and spicy raspberry, vanilla, rosewood and leather composition, and by today’s standards, it might easily be re-advertised as “The thoroughly masculine fragrance.” Having kicked off this column with the iconic Joy by Jean Patou, I now focus my attention on a “drugstore classic.”

Perfumer: Unknown; perhaps Charles Revson?

Try this if you like: Nag Champa incense, Oriental compositions (woods and vanilla), powdery scents, raspberry as a fragrance note, leathery scents, the aroma of a head shop.

Pros & Cons: “Bergamot, Lemon, Raspberry, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Rosewood, Musk, Oakmoss, Tonka Beans, Vanilla, Balsam, Opopanax” Revlon.com.au. And from Fragrantica.com  “Ciara was presented in 1973, in a gleeful and merry breeze of bergamot, lemon and neroli at the beginning. A floral wave of jasmine, iris, palisander and ylang-ylang form the heart, while base notes include incense, myrrh, raspberry, sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, leather, musk, opoponax and vanilla.”

Reminds me of: Cuir [leather] de Lancome, Diesel Fuel for Life for Men, Joop! Homme, Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez, Tom Ford Noir, Tabu by Dana, Molinard Habanita, Moschino (original), Jil by Jil Sander (1997).

Designer’s Description: N/A

Number of times tested: 20+ over the last 30 years.

Number of sprays applied for this review: Two sprays to the back of the hand from a current bottle I purchased (Revlon, ca 2015).

Fragrance strength: 100 Strength Concentrated Cologne Spray.

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex) Today’s Ciara is but a pale echo of what it once was; that’s ok as I still love it in its 2015 wispiness. It opens with a clear burst of sweet citrus and raspberry but set against a sharp rosewood and ylang accord, accompanied by a hint of its oriental basenotes. As the scent settles, the tangy sweetness relaxes and various facets of leather, summer bonfire, Nag Champa incense and a bit of moss and musk appear. There is something cacophonic about the drydown; something just seems a bit off … and a bit ashy. But I have to admit that it is actually somewhat compelling. I’m reminded of the strange middle phase ofMugler’s Womanity that so many folks have responded to.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) My $10 Ciara Cologne can outlast most major niche offerings (cough, cough, L’Artisan). 12+ hrs.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) One spray is sufficient; two was a bit much for me. This is likely one of those to spray into the air and then walk into. I can’t even imagine what the 200 strength is like.

Note about the packaging: Basically, the same diamond-shaped glass bottle with gold cap and burgundy lettering as the original; housed in an oddly kitschy, yellow paper box with gold relief classical figures.

Where can I buy it? Found online for as little as $10 USD for a 2.3 oz. spray and sometimes less.

The Bottom Line: In 1992 I started college and met Joop! Homme, about as far away from other 80’s fragrances in my collection such as Perry Ellis for Men,Claiborne for Men or Kenzo pour Homme as one could get. As such, I loved it! It had the sweetness I’d come to expect from women’s fragrances along with a punch to the face of orange blossom and vanilla. I kept thinking to myself, “THIS is a men’s scent?” It was one of the first times I truly questioned the foolishness of ascribing gender to scent. Later that year I made a new friend who wore vintage Ciara; she was excited because it was a classic, something she was unlikely to discover anyone else wearing. Then one night she hugged me and asked if I had been wearing her perfume; I had to laugh as I had been wearing Joop! Homme. Ever since that introduction, I have been endeared to this inexpensive gem and I know from discussion boards, other articles’ comments, and Ciara’s Fragrantica page that many of you are just as much in love as I am.

So how does Ciara wear on a man? I’ve already mentioned its similarity to Joop Homme, and to some respects other men’s scents such as Tom Ford Noir, Diesel Fuel for Life, and CK Shock. In a blind sniff test, and when asked to choose which is the “men’s scent” alongside Davidoff’s Cool Water, three friends unanimously chose Ciara as a masculine. Why? “It’s leathery.” Or “It’s spicy.” Or “It’s smoky.” Of course, why couldn’t these adjectives also describe women’s fragrance? Funny, isn’t it … how we’ve moved from animalic, spicy and woodsy fragrances as completely commonplace in women’s perfumery (J’ai Ose; Rabanne La Nuit;Paloma Picasso) to almost non-existent in 2015 save a handful of niche offerings.

Once upon a time Ciara was a freshly-baked berry pie with clotted cream sitting in the window of a log cabin complete with roaring fireplace and new leather armchairs. The Ciara of the 70s is definitely not the Ciara of 2015 … so few things are. Even the current olfactory pyramid is puzzling: what happened to the leather notes? Today’s Ciara is all about its drydown—pencil shavings, incense, a head shop, and yes, burning plastic (in reference to the ashy cacophony). The first time I wore it for this review I kept thinking how perfect this would be as an avant gardeComme des Garçons release—literally it could be a bonfire of vanities, the kind where make-up and perfume are displayed; Ciara indeed smells like a rare, sweet incense.
 

Now, a few comments about Ciara and Revlon: Visit the US website for Revlon and I dare you to find Ciara. Visit the Australian website and voilà, Ciara. What gives? And in the interest of full disclosure of knowledge, I have to leave you with this: Revlon’s position on animal testing. My stomach turned a bit at the idea that once our favorite fragrances leave the hands of their creators, who knows how they may be tested for market. I do wonder though at why the fragrance shows up on Revlon down under, for example, but not Revlon North America. What do you think?