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Quest for original Eternity

post #1 of 14
3/2/10 at 7:30pm
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I wrote in 2009 to say that I thought that the formula of Eternity for men had changed. I loved that scent in 1990, but I was very disappointed with the bottle I bought in January 2009, labelled Coty Prestige. I thought that maybe Coty changed the formula when they bought Unilever (owner of Calvin Klein Cosmetics Co.) in May 2005

I just went to a perfume store here in Montreal (Canada) and asked to check the boxes they had. That was very instructive, as I found 4 different indications at the back of the boxes :
- Coty Prestige (which I already had and though wanted to avoid)
- Lancaster (which is Coty. I believe Coty bought Lancaster Group in 1996)
- Unilever (owner of Calvin Klein Cosmetics Co. until May 2005)
- Calvin Klein Cosmetics Co.

So I came back home, did my research on Wikipedia, to find out who was who, and decided that the more chances I had to pick the original formula was to pick the latter, CKCC. Today I went back to the store and bought a 50ml showing CKCC on the box.

Comparing the Coty with the CKCC, I can smell a difference. The Coty reminds me of the Classic Match copy, with a light note of pepper. Kind of more feminine, in a flat way. The CKCC, on the other hand, is closer to the original. I compared it with a 1999 CK sample, and with an original shower gel.

I am very tempted to go buy the Unilever bottle I am thinking that I might getting even closer to the formula that I loved so much 20 years ago..

The lady told me that that scent was very popular, and that for that matter there was no old bottle. So how explain that that store has as many as 4 different stocks ?

Should I go buy the Unilever bottle?
Maybe the formula never changed, and it is only me ?

Thanks for your feedback.
Martin
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post #2 of 14
3/3/10 at 10:20am
Martin,

I have used Eternity since it's inception and the formula has changed thru the years and it no longer smells like the original. The current Coty version is just a shell of it's former self. I doubt if I will buy it again after all these years. The Unilever version is "closer" to the original but has no lasting quality at all. The CKCC version is the "original" when Calvin owner the cosmetics division outright. This was not profitable so he sold it to Unilever.

I have sought out the CKCC version and have found and purchased splash bottles from a local perfume store. The problem is that the bottles now have become so old that they have gone "off" a bit and don't smell the same either. I find the Unilever version is the most pleasing scent of the choices available.

Hope this helps.

OFM
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post #3 of 14
3/3/10 at 10:24am
I wonder why the industry keeps changing perfume formulations,
when the users (us) almost always crave the original.

Why temper with something beautiful?
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post #4 of 14
3/4/10 at 10:24am
Thread Starter 
Hi OFM, thanks for your valuable feedback. I remember you also replied to my 2009 post. Its good to see someone else who understands =^).

Well, its been 2 days since I bought my CKCC Eternity for men, and I stick to my opinion: much better than the actual Coty EFM, but still not the same I remember from 1990. If it were only a matter of scent, I could say it is my memory that is imperfect. But it is also a matter of power. While the original version was detectable from miles away, the CKCC I just bought is quite discreet.

You said last year that you helped launch EFM. Do you work in the industry?

I found out on Internet that Unilever bought Calvin Klein Cosmetics Co. in 1989, the same year that EFM was released. Which makes me ask the following question: Was EFM released before or after the transaction? Since the launching of a new scent is a long process, I guess that EFM was created under CKCC (or should I say CK?), not Unilever. I guess that Unilever had time to change the formula only 1 or 2 years after the transaction, like 1990 or 1991. All this to say that I am not sure it would be a good idea to go buy the Unilever bottle But you say that from your experience, it is the best pick. So I guess I will go =^)

Still, what ever brand is indicated on the box (CKCC, Lancaster, Unilever), I doubt the item is the original formula. It s been 21 years already, all the stock must be out for years I should try to find a very unpopular store, which holds old stuff

I thought that if your CKCC bottles had gone off, maybe it is because they were splash, and more exposed to air. But the same happen to me with a spray mini: I have 2 little CKCC 15ml spray minis. One is comparable to the CKCC 50ml bottle I just bought, while the other is very bad, not even comparable to EFM. Both were purchased in Panama, in 2002 and in 2007.

So this means that even if I could find an original spray bottle, it could be bad. Well, there are worst thing in life

Martin
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post #5 of 14
3/4/10 at 10:41am
Martin,

I worked back then for a department store's men's fragrance counter. I was assigned the Eternity launch. It was great back then. There was such a buzz when a new fragrance was launched. Tons of visual material, TV spots, newspaper ads, etc. Eternity was so ground-breaking for it's time. Previous male fragrances were heavy, dark with tobacco, musk, leathers, etc. Eternity was so green, fresh and crisp botanicals. It also had great projection and was long lasting. Those qualities are sadly missing from the current juice. I have tried to find a substitute but until now have been unsuccessful. I even purchased a "knock-off" called Eternal Love for Men which didn't do it for me.

The closest fresh smelling fragrance I like is another CK cologne called Truth. In some ways I like it even better than Eternity but it suffers from bad longevity also, no matter how much I apply. Although fleeting I do get enjoyment from it for a while.

CK is introducing a new Eternity this April called "Eternity Aqua". I'm hoping maybe this version will be nice and have some staying power. We will see. Good luck with your quest in finding a fragrance. I have just given up on my beloved Eternity. I don't see it ever returning to the wonderful original no matter who owns it. I will just have to live with the good memories.

Regards,

OFM
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post #6 of 14
3/4/10 at 11:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grand Duc View Post

I wonder why the industry keeps changing perfume formulations,
when the users (us) almost always crave the original.

Why temper with something beautiful?


I wonder about this too! Why change what works??

I guess some answers for the reasons for changes are:

- change in ownership and change to a new fragrance formulator.
- natural changes occur in raw materials year to year
- saving money by going with less expensive synthetics
- New regs. require less or elimination of ingredients: ex. coumarin, oak moss

- can no longer source some of the old ingredients.

If you like it better stock up before they change it completely. It has happened to most fragrances at some time or another.
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post #7 of 14
3/4/10 at 5:57pm
Eternal Love is the only thing that comes close to me to the original Eternity for men. I too was assigned to the Eternity launch back in the late 80's and I do agree what is sold today is nothing like the original - the sillage has been cut down.

I believe that once Calvin's scents were marketed overseas the strenghts were lightened up. The US market leans towards heavy scents but in the Asian market looks towards lighter.
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post #8 of 14
3/4/10 at 7:07pm
I still remember wearing Eternity for Men when it first came out - I rocked that stuff, I think I went thru 2 bottles of it. It's not a scent I enjoy anymore, but I have a lot of respect for its admirers.
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post #9 of 14
4/9/10 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
I finally bought the Unilever bottle. It turns out to be similar to the CKCC. And the more I try the Coty, the more I find it dishonest to the original.

More... I read in Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez's guide that Escape (for women) had also changed. I already had old and new versions here. And Turin is right, The formula of Escape is now very different. I loved the original, and the new one just smells like (IMO) a old lady scent.

Coty should be sued for messing with those formulas. They could at least change the names...
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post #10 of 14
4/9/10 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Grand Duc View Post

I wonder why the industry keeps changing perfume formulations,
when the users (us) almost always crave the original.

Why temper with something beautiful?

I'm with you buddy, I do not get it at all. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I assume to make the production cheaper, but that lowers the quality of the product and lowers the sales.
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post #11 of 14
5/8/10 at 9:12pm
Is it possible that they dropped the sandelwood down a few notches and maybe the vetiver? I have not had this in my collection for over 15 years, not because I got tired of it, I just wanted to try different scents. I just recently bought this again after all of these years and I can say that it reminded me of the old Eternity, but just watered down. My guess is that Aqua Di Gio and all of the other aquatic frenzy colognes made them change the formula a bit. I'm sure this was to gain popularity from the high school kids of today, who wear weak sauce. Don't get me wrong, I will still wear this, but will need to spray more and maybe reaply. I did get 5-6 hours out of this and can say that my wife (who did not know me back in high school when I wore this all of the time) said "what cologne is that, it smells really good". I would say that it obviously still projects, since she said that when I was 10 feet away in another room(no bulls@#t)! My wife has only said that about a dozen colognes that I have worn and I own over 50( I know that doesn't show in my wardrobe, but I'm a busy man and don't have all the time to review and all of that stuff)
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post #12 of 14
5/9/10 at 6:12am
I have a lot of respect for somebody who does this kind of research on a fragrance...

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post #13 of 14
5/9/10 at 6:55am
Between my father, my brother and myself, we used to guzzle down a 100ml bottle of Eternity in no time. I can't even count how many bottles we must have used up. It was definitely one of my first fragrance along with YSL Jazz. I used to wear it to school. It was just awesome. A few years back (around 5 years ago) I bought a smaller bottle just to remind me of those old times. My bottle still smells fantastic. My box says Calvin Klein Cosmetics, Dist. by Unilever Cosmetics Intl.

As a result of this thread, I've just sprayed some on my arms. So it just became my sleep scent, tonight.
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post #14 of 14
5/9/10 at 8:03am
Is there any way you can see the differences(Coty-CK-Unilever) in the box (except for the small print on the back) or bottle ?
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