Chemistry (1994)
by Clinique

Chemistry is another fragrance I used upon its UK debut in 1994. I went through a couple of bottles and then completely forgot about it. I knew it had been discontinued, now only available on-line or at selected shops, but since joining Basenotes I've been revisiting fragrances from my past and was compelled to give Chemistry another try.

I was 21 when it first came out and simply put, Chemistry isn't a youth scent. I liked it very much, but those were the days of nightclubs and wild partying and Chemistry gets lost in loud, sweaty atmospheres; it simply isn't strong enough. (You could just spray on a lot more but Chemistry isn't a scent that lends itself kindly to over-application.) Also, as somebody who back then bathed in Antaeus and has always tended to favour more noticeable fragrances, to me Chemistry seemed...well, a bit throwaway.

I'm 36 now and rediscovering Chemistry has been a true pleasure. A very simple scent with no other aspirations than to make you smell fresh and clean, it's a real pleasure to wear. This is a fragrance to lend you a generally pleasant air, only revealing itself totally when somebody comes very, very close...it's the perfect date or bedtime scent. And maybe it's because I'm older or maybe it's because Chemistry is no longer widely-available, but I certainly wouldn't label it throwaway now.

It won't go over with the CK crowd, of course, completing lacking frivolity. But I'm of the mind that it's how the individual wears a fragrance that's most important. If you can wear it deftly with confidence then any fragrance can be made suitable for any occasion - if it's a particularly strong fragrance one squirt on one wrist delicately applied to other areas can even make it suitable for work or a quiet dinner. I couldn't pull Chemistry off way back when but that shouldn't stop younger guys from giving it a try although, in fairness, most will probably find it a little too serious.

As it is, I spray one squirt of Chemistry on my heart before dressing, one each side of my neck and one on each wrist. The initial gingery blast suggests this may be too much but within minutes it significantly mellows. There is no pretension with Chemistry, you catch it occasionally throughout the day - a simple, warm and comforting fragrance which works its magic through subtlety.

As much as I love fragrance I'm horribly allergic to it. Unless I use a barrier cream, almost any fragrance brings me out in a disfiguring, maddeningly-itchy rash - something that I'm actually prepared to put up due to my love of fragrance. However, Chemistry does not cause my any reaction at all on my skin - probably due to Clinique's stringent anti-allergy policy - so it's ideal for anybody else who suffers with sensitive skin.

Give this forgotten little gem a try. Rewards may be plentiful.

6th October, 2010.

Initial blast is a bit chemical and alcohol-y, but it dries down to a very simple, clean gingery amber melody, citrus in there somewhere. Lasted the better part of 2 hours on my skin. Very 90's, but not outdated by any means. Certainly pleasant.

5th October, 2010.

Im really dissapointed with this blind buy (13$ for 30ml) , it was a decant so no big deal,
i like clinique happy so i thought this might fit the bil for spring/summer
its simple - true
it does not develop - true
its projection is zilch - true
is it bad? yes it is, a bit sweet, ambery-gingery with blast of rotten citrus that is synthetic and gives me a headache
the funny thing: the name is right! it strenghten (intensify ?) chemistry of your body ...smell
for entire 30min i smelled my dry skin much better :o
if you know what i mean

wow i did 180 on this! never expected
its still same perception but it does not give me headache anymore i need just HOT weather to reach for this
and it stays for a long time 6-7h but mostly skin scent
small thumbs up

28th May, 2010. (Last Edited: 12nd October, 2011.)

I still have the original bottle of Chemistry someone gave me as a gift many years ago. Not because I don't like it. Just because I always forget that I have it. That's just it Chemistry is simply not very memorable. I concur with the similarities to CK One other have mentioned here. That's really only on the initial spray. Chemistry calms down quickly and becomes a very soapy, clean smell. Great for office wear.

19th May, 2010.

I find some similarities to Calvin Klein Eternity. It's a bit sweeter though. This style of frag was very common in Europe in the early 90s, I can find at least 5 other frags that have similar feel. Opening is a dull citrus, not tang, no tart. Many mention simple, this is just that, very simple. it is warm and clean...so office wear for the winter? Or maybe just hanging around the house.

20th November, 2009.

I've been a Clinique Happy user for about 7 yrs now, and decided I'd go for a change. Based on how much I liked Happy, and based on the reviews here I figured I'd just buy a bottle of Chemistry blind (I know, probably not a good idea). I was looking for something mild and inoffensive, and most reviews substantiated this. Additionally Clinique os on the cruelty-free list (an entirely different discussion altogether).

Anyway, upon first application, I was extremely disappointed- it smelled exactly like Eternity by CK, and I also remember back in the 90's that a lot of the popular colognes had that syrupy smell similar to Eternity that I personally couldn't stand. To me it was sugary and lemony in the way that pledge is lemony...not good.

In any case, I decided to let it sit for awhile before I made my decision, and it definitely gets much better after the initial application (I guess you would call it the "dry down" but I'm no expert on scents). Today is the 2nd day wearing it and I'm starting to really like the smell after it settles down, it's just different than what I expected- not quite as interesting as Happy, but at least for me personally it gets better as the day goes by and it lightens up significantly. Just the first 20 min or so it's a perfect analogue for Eternity, so I just make sure to spray it on right out of the shower so by the time I'm out of the house it's settled into my skin. I'm glad I waited to get past that point before writing!

Obviously as many have pointed out most of it depends on your skin and how it reacts. At the basic level, this cologne is generally clean and not too overpowering, so it all depends on how it mixes with your own skin (sorry for the same old cliche line about skin chemistry but it is true). I'll give it a thumbs up since it seems to agree with me.

Really the bottom line is as long as a cologne is agreeable and smells clean, I'm happy. Not looking for any miracles. Just something inoffensive and mild, and in this regard, Chemistry fits the bill for me.

23rd October, 2009.