Quest for original Eternity

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

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

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...