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B*Men to be Discontinued?

post #1 of 44
11/28/06 at 10:57am
Thread Starter 
Hello all, yesterday when I was shopping at Neiman Marcus I heard something somewhat disturbing. I had never smelled B*Men until yesterday, but found just like Angel Men that I loved it, I would have bought it if it weren't for the fact that I had no cash left! The Sales person there, who was one of the most helpful I've ever had, told me that once their current stock is gone there will be no more. Anyone know the reason for this? I have a feeling he could have just been trying to get me to buy more, but after already purchasing Burberry London and Angel Men I didn't feel that was necessary, well that and as I said I had no more cash!
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post #2 of 44
11/28/06 at 11:48am
Well, I've heard the same rumor, too. Some of the local Clarins Fragrance Group USA reps (Clarins handles Thierry Mugler, Azzaro, and others) are saying that B*Men is being phased out on a stock turnover/return to vendor basis in preparation for a new Thierry Mugler men's fragrance that will be launched in early 2007. Angel Men and Mugler Cologne are not affected, as they continue to be strong sellers.

If you want an official word, you can try contacting them by e-mailing Thierry Mugler Parfums at tmpconsumerrelations@clarinsusa.com or by calling their toll-free hotline at 1-866-TMUGLER (1-866-868-4537).
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post #3 of 44
11/28/06 at 12:09pm
I saw a bottle of Bmen in TJ's the other day - surely the kiss of death.

I also saw a 100ml bottle of Gucci pH there for 24.99 which also confirms the rumor that this will be dicontinued too

FWIW
mc
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post #4 of 44
11/28/06 at 12:24pm
apparently it has already been discontinued!!!!
This is what I've been told by an SA in John Lewis ..UK!
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post #5 of 44
11/28/06 at 12:34pm
Thread Starter 
I guess this means I know what I'll be spending my next paycheck on! I figure I might as well get the metal one, it is much cooler looking.
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post #6 of 44
11/28/06 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by marcuccio88

I saw a bottle of Bmen in TJ's the other day - surely the kiss of death.

Surely? I see all kinds of stuff at Marshall's that I don't suppose will be discontinued anytime soon: Bulgari pour Homme, Cool Water, Curve, and so on.

Quote:
Originally Posted by marcuccio88

I also saw a 100ml bottle of Gucci pH there for 24.99 which also confirms the rumor that this will be dicontinued too

I doubt that. Gucci pour Homme seems to sell pretty well.

I wouldn't necessarily doubt that B*Men would be discontinued, for various reasons.
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post #7 of 44
11/28/06 at 12:59pm
Too bad, I was thinking about getting B*Men someday....
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post #8 of 44
11/28/06 at 1:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MFfan310

B*Men is being phased out on a stock turnover/return to vendor basis in preparation for a new Thierry Mugler men's fragrance that will be launched in early 2007.

Do you know what this new fragrance is?
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post #9 of 44
11/28/06 at 1:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by myaccolades

Do you know what this new fragrance is?

The Clarins reps told me that all details regarding the new 2007 Mugler men's release are top-secret at this point. It was originally supposed to have been launched worldwide this fall, but was delayed until early 2007 for unknown reasons.

However, one TV station in Palm Springs, CA leaked news earlier this year that bodybuilder Greg Plitt (a former U.S. Army guy) will be the face of the new scent.
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post #10 of 44
11/28/06 at 2:18pm
Even if this is the case, don't expect B*Men to make like the dinosaurs so quickly. There are many frags out there that have been out of production but remain accessible thanks to the Internet and a myriad of retail outlets. I see no reason to scramble for it based on the notion that TM might be putting the brakes on it.
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post #11 of 44
11/29/06 at 1:41am
It reminds me of cold sour coffee. I won't be sad if it goes!
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post #12 of 44
11/29/06 at 2:18am
I think it's a shame because it's one of the only rhubarb scents out there, must go buy a bottle I think.
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post #13 of 44
11/29/06 at 1:28pm
I e-mailed Clarins/Thierry Mugler yesterday, asking this question: "I heard from several sources that B*Men is being phased out. Is this true?". Well, I got a reply from the always helpful Melisa Alexander today. The response?

"Unfortunately, yes." (Read: B*Men is officially being discontinued.)

Oh, well. At least they're coming out with a new men's scent in 2007, which will give us something to look forward to.
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post #14 of 44
11/29/06 at 3:15pm
Just checked the directory, I wasn't really aware that they only had two male fragrances. And one of those two has to go after only two years to make room for a new release? What's that gonna be?!

They should have kicked A*Men. It's been a while since I tried that, but I don't like the idea of wearing chocolate. I don't get that company, they try the artsy thing with that Le Parfum Coffret and at the same time cancel the worthwhile fifty percent of their male lineup.
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post #15 of 44
11/29/06 at 3:57pm
I have to go smell this one again soon!
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post #16 of 44
11/29/06 at 5:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by fakepurseninja

Just checked the directory, I wasn't really aware that they only had two male fragrances. And one of those two has to go after only two years to make room for a new release? What's that gonna be?!

They should have kicked A*Men. It's been a while since I tried that, but I don't like the idea of wearing chocolate. I don't get that company, they try the artsy thing with that Le Parfum Coffret and at the same time cancel the worthwhile fifty percent of their male lineup.

No offense but I think it would be completely unreasonable for them to quit selling A*Men, it is by far the better seller. B*Men is still available for the time being but is going to be gone soon.
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post #17 of 44
11/29/06 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeMâle

it would be completely unreasonable for them to quit selling A*Men, it is by far the better seller.

I agree. If you are gonna have only two male scents in the market, AMen and TM Cologne are good choices; they definatley cover a wide stretch of terrain. BMen just doesn't fit, and is considered (in commercial "units-sold" terms) to be a dire flop.
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post #18 of 44
11/29/06 at 7:14pm
Don't know why but B*Men turns my stomach. Not a bad fragrance - in fact Chandler Burr says it's one of the best out there - but it brings tears to my eyes.

No great loss to me!
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post #19 of 44
11/30/06 at 5:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

I agree. If you are gonna have only two male scents in the market, AMen and TM Cologne are good choices; they definatley cover a wide stretch of terrain. BMen just doesn't fit, and is considered (in commercial "units-sold" terms) to be a dire flop.

My point was: Why only two? If you don't like heavy chocolate gourmands you are stuck with a unisex laundry fresh fragrance. I utterly don't get it, and I think these two are quite polar(izing?) scents (not polar like in arctic) that don't really cover that much fragrance terrain. How about some diversity? They might as well reduce the production volume of B*Men.

Besides, it feels strange, all this talk about commercial success. Commercial success shouldn't be embraced as the no. 1 criterion, at least not here on basenotes.
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post #20 of 44
11/30/06 at 7:14am
B*Men is as close to a niche scent as a mainstream house can get, I think. It's totally unique, and more complex and interesting than CdG Rhubarb, which I also like. I mourn....
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post #21 of 44
11/30/06 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

I agree. If you are gonna have only two male scents in the market, AMen and TM Cologne are good choices; they definatley cover a wide stretch of terrain. BMen just doesn't fit, and is considered (in commercial "units-sold" terms) to be a dire flop.

Too bad. Maybe it was the name: B*Men. "B", as in "2nd place", "2nd choice", "runner-up", "also-ran", "not quite as good as". IMHO, B*Men is far superior and more wearable than A*Men (I own both). I've gotten lots of great compliments on B*Men, and very few (if any) compliments on A*Men. Good thing I bought an extra bottle for dirt cheap awhile back.

And to think, B*Men won the Basenotes' Award for best new men's frag of 2004.

"Isn't it a pity."
--George Harrison
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post #22 of 44
11/30/06 at 6:23pm
Sad to read that B*Men is being discontinued. Its what A*Men should have been in the first place.

Eitherways, time to stock up
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post #23 of 44
11/30/06 at 6:33pm
Yeah, I've been thinking about getting this for a while.

Never liked A*Men, but B*Men has always been intriguing. I love Cologne!

Time to take the plunge.
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post #24 of 44
11/30/06 at 7:50pm
This just makes me laugh at The Clarins Group!

When this scent was first launched I recall the head of Mugler Parfums stating to the press that they were not looking for BMen to head off in sales like Amen/Angel Men.

But they were instead going to make the scent grow slowly in the market - market gross was not an important matter to them for they nuture their fragrances in the market place.

Well it looks like the buck is important - why are they pulling it after what 2 - 3 years on the market?
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post #25 of 44
11/30/06 at 10:08pm
I also found BMen to be the most wearable of the Mugler line. I am intrigued to see what they come up with for a follow-up although if the Clarins group has the balls to call the next fragrance for men, C-Men, I will fall off my chair.

"What's that kewl new 'fume you're wearin', dude?"

"C-Men!"

"Ewwww!!!!"
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post #26 of 44
11/30/06 at 10:19pm
Weird. I just got my samples of A/BMen along with TM Cologne. I tried BMen on and found it rather thick, though enjoyable. Just from smelling the test sprayer things, AMen seems to smell better, less cloying. But I do believe that when applied moderately, BMen would wear rather well on me. Hope I can pick it up around here.
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post #27 of 44
12/7/06 at 6:36am
I got a B*Men 1.7 OZ spray on the clearance shelf at Marshall's yesterday. It was not a steal at $28.99. I'll give it a good wearing next week. If I don't like, to the swap boards it will go!
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post #28 of 44
12/7/06 at 7:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fakepurseninja

My point was: Why only two? If you don't like heavy chocolate gourmands you are stuck with a unisex laundry fresh fragrance. I utterly don't get it, and I think these two are quite polar(izing?) scents (not polar like in arctic) that don't really cover that much fragrance terrain. How about some diversity? They might as well reduce the production volume of B*Men.

Besides, it feels strange, all this talk about commercial success. Commercial success shouldn't be embraced as the no. 1 criterion, at least not here on basenotes.

BN'ers will wear anything they like regardless of sales; I don't think anyone here has sales as #1 criterium. It's just natural to wonder why something fails that's good, or why something succeeds that isn't good.

As to diversity, I'm with ya, I'd like to see more Mugler male frags. But I'd guess that it's simply because they sell tons of female frags, and why not take the easy route?

I tend to assume that anything I really like will eventually be discontinued, almost like a scientific law.
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post #29 of 44
12/7/06 at 8:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by docluv45

I also found BMen to be the most wearable of the Mugler line. I am intrigued to see what they come up with for a follow-up although if the Clarins group has the balls to call the next fragrance for men, C-Men, I will fall off my chair.

"What's that kewl new 'fume you're wearin', dude?"

"C-Men!"

"Ewwww!!!!"


rofl
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post #30 of 44
12/7/06 at 8:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp

Sad to read that B*Men is being discontinued. Its what A*Men should have been in the first place.

Eitherways, time to stock up

Are you kidding me? What A*men should have been in the first place?!?! A*Men broke down the door and opened up the whole gourmand market. Like it or not, A*Men was groundbreaking as hell. If B*Men had been released in its stead, it would have just been a good fragrance, but not anything revolutionary. If not for A*Men and its popularity, its possible that Mugler wouldn't even have a men's line of scents right now. Also, the influence that A*Men lended to B*Men is obvious. Thus, one way or another, if it weren't for A*Men, B*Men probably wouldn't exist right now.
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post #31 of 44
12/7/06 at 10:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by docluv45

I also found BMen to be the most wearable of the Mugler line. I am intrigued to see what they come up with for a follow-up although if the Clarins group has the balls to call the next fragrance for men, C-Men, I will fall off my chair.

"What's that kewl new 'fume you're wearin', dude?"

"C-Men!"

"Ewwww!!!!"

According to a SA at one of the department stores in London, the next men's release will be Alien for Men (due to public demand, allegedly). But then again, she couldn't confirm whether or not B*Men was going to be discontinued - it was the first time she had heard this.
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post #32 of 44
12/7/06 at 10:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trebor

According to a SA at one of the department stores in London, the next men's release will be Alien for Men (due to public demand, allegedly).

I've heard the name Alien Men floating around for the new 2007 men's release, too.
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post #33 of 44
12/7/06 at 10:40am
I'm not surprised by this one. The scent was a blatant clone of Amen, just toning Amen down so that it would appeal to a more mass audience. My first impressions was Amen Au Fraiche. It's not bad and if it weren't for Amen would probably be something I'd wear, but when you're putting out a scent that's 85% the same as another one in your stable, I think that's coping out. It's like that crap that Herrera was doing with 212. Change a few notes and then put it out as a new scent. With each subsequent version becoming less inspired. The fate of this scent seems to say this won't happen with Mugler...thank god. This scent was, and remains, a huge disappointment from them to my nose. Amen and Cologne are far too god to have this one lumped in with them. This whole masterbranding/variations on the house big guns is the equivalent of a band releasing a remix album of it's own stuff. Generally it's pointless and instantly forgetable. To Bmen.....it has it's fans, but for the most part has received the fate it deserves.
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post #34 of 44
12/7/06 at 10:54am
Has B*men really only been out for 2 years? I remember going to buy it right when it came out and it seems like it was at least more than 2 years. Hmm.
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post #35 of 44
12/7/06 at 8:27pm
"B*Men to be Discontinued?"

The sooner the better.
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post #36 of 44
12/25/06 at 9:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by myaccolades

Do you know what this new fragrance is?


Yeah, C*Men

LOL
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post #37 of 44
1/4/07 at 2:37pm
I love B*Men, it's alot nicer than A*Men IMO, it's sexy. They can't discontinue it!
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post #38 of 44
1/4/07 at 5:38pm
B*Men came out about 2.5 years ago I think. I distinctly remember going to Bloomingdales on Michigan Ave in Chicago and paying around $70 for a 3.4 oz refill bottle on the very first day it came out. I remember decanting some for PaulG also. I ran out of that original bottle and debating whether I want to wear this one again. I bought 2 bottles from TJ Maxx a few days ago for a fellow Basenoter but he hasn't replyiedto me. If anyone wants to buy them off me then send me a PM.
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post #39 of 44
1/4/07 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azsmells

I bought 2 bottles from TJ Maxx a few days ago for a fellow Basenoter but he hasn't replyiedto me. If anyone wants to buy them off me then send me a PM.

Barring any extenuating circumstances, people should go through with their commitments.
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post #40 of 44
1/4/07 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp

Barring any extenuating circumstances, people should go through with their commitments.

It's ok. I didn't open them and I kept the receipt. If no one wants them I'll return them.
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post #41 of 44
3/27/07 at 8:14am
Sorry to beat on a dead horse, but I read today an article in International Cosmetics News (via my college's library).

The article was an interview with Thierry Mugler Parfums' new president Joel Palix... he also confirmed that B*Men is being discontinued. The reasoning behind this is because "it did not meet expectations".

In other news, Mugler Cologne fans shouldn't fret: he said that that Mugler Cologne is growing and "has a very loyal consumer base", and that it now accounts for 5% of total Mugler Parfums sales.
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post #42 of 44
3/27/07 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MFfan310 View Post


In other news, Mugler Cologne fans shouldn't fret: he said that that Mugler Cologne is growing and "has a very loyal consumer base", and that it now accounts for 5% of total Mugler Parfums sales.

Keep those 300ml bottles flowing!
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post #43 of 44
5/28/07 at 6:13pm
If anyone cares... local TJ Maxxes in my area have B*Men on clearance - $20 for 50 ml, stuff like aftershave lotion and such is also heavily discounted.
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post #44 of 44
5/28/07 at 6:35pm
Hm... I'll have to get a bottle soon then! I like BMen much more than AMen. AMen is too out there for me, too sweet.

Hm.. Macys has taken it off their site.
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