Perfume and Cologne Guides

Aramis Inc. was started by Joseph Lauder and wife Estée Lauder in 1964 to produce fragrances and grooming products for men.  The first fragrance produced is the Aramis Classic perfume and as a Estée Lauder flagship brand for men’s fragrances and grooming products, Aramis Inc. has produces some outstanding products that has established itself in the world of men grooming.  Estée Lauder was incorporated in 1946 by Joseph Lauder and wife Estée Lauder when they started producing their special formulated cosmetics in New York City.

Since then they have expanded and established their first departmental store account with Saks Fifth Avenue in New York in 1948.  Today, Estée Lauder now sells its products in departmental stores across the world and in 2008, its sales achieved a massive $8 billion.  Aramis perfume for men was launched in 1966 under the nose of renown perfumer Bernard Chant as a fragrance dedicated to the men of America who like fragrances that are strong in character.  It is a traditional and classical Woody Chypre perfume composite around notes that represent the power and masculine characters of men.

If you like a fragrance that is strong and provocative but at the same time sensual and romantic in the underlying, then you should give Aramis perfume a try.  It is the first eau de parfum designed for men, just perfect for the cold winter days and nights.  Because of its strong scent I would suggest that you forgo it during the warmer days as it is overpowering due to its high concentration of fragrance essence.

Aramis Havana Perfume

Launched in 1994, Havana by Aramis is an oriental spicy fragrance that opens with a lovely green and orange with a spicy pungent basil scent that slowly fades away, leaving the wearer with a tobacco-patchouli-woods dry down that is superbly masculine.  It is a cologne that is perfect for a date night, sadly to say it has been a while since Aramis discontinued Aramis Havana cologne.

In October 2009, Aramis relaunch a couple of their discontinued perfumes through the Aramis Gentleman’s Collection.  Through these, we also see the Aramis Havana relaunch as part of the collection.  For those who have been missing the scent of Aramis Havana, this is your chance to grab hold of a few bottles before it got discontinued again.

For those who are new to Aramis Havana perfume, the perfume contains top notes of Artemisia, Caraway, Mandarin Orange and Basil that provides a warm opening of the fragrance, domineering middle notes of Carnation, Fir, Cinnamon and Tobacco soon creeps in to provide the scents with a manly feels, and base notes of Sandalwood, Patchouli, Oakmoss and Vetiver that portray the masculine side of the perfume.

Aramis JHL Perfume

Aramis JHL perfume was initially launched in 1982 by Aramis as a oriental fragrance for men.  The perfume was created by Estée Lauder for her husband Joseph Harold Lauder, executive chairman and co-founder of Estée Lauder Inc, whose initial is JHL.  Joseph Harold Lauder passed away on 15 January 1983 while visiting the East Side home of a son.

The perfume opens with a fresh citrus smell of Aldehydes, Orange, Allspice, Pimento, Fruity Notes, Bergamot and Lemon as its top notes and settle into a retro masculine scent of Carnation, Fir, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang and Rose.  The whole fragrance is re-affirmed as a very retro and masculine fragrance that is worth collecting with base notes of Labdanum, Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli, Musk, Benzoin and Vanilla.

The Aramis JHL perfume was also discontinued a couple of years ago.  However Aramis relaunch JHL perfume as part of the Aramis Gentleman’s Collection in October 2009.  The perfume now comes in 100ml bottle and is sold as a set at selected stores worldwide at a retail price of $48.

Aramis New West Perfume

Aramis launched New West for Her perfume in 1990, as a floral green fragrance for women under famous perfumer Yves Tanguy.  The fragrance with its fresh, vibrant and colorful scents is most suitable for young lady.  It is a very floral and fruity fragrance with the watermelon notes dominating the foreground and a wet oceanic feel in the background and supported by the mossy and herbal musk base.

The perfume has a very good sillage and is perfect for office or causal wear.   The fragrance comes in top notes of Plum, Violet, Peach, Bergamot and Watermelon, middle notes of Cyclamen, Carnation, Lily, Mint, Galbanum, Jasmine, Hiacynth, Rose and Pine Tree Needles, and base notes of Leather, Amber, Musk, Oakmoss and Cedar.

Before launching New West for Her perfume, Aramis launched the New West for Him perfume in 1988.  The New West for Him fragrance was designed as an aromatic fragrance for man that reminds people of the great romantic holidays of beach, sun and sand.  The fragrance has a domineering scents of cedarwood and sandalwood with a light herbal notes in the background.  Very fresh and earthly masculine feels.

The perfume comes in top notes of Aldehydes, Artemisia, Lavender, Sea Notes, Mint, Caraway and Bergamot, middle notes of Pine Tree, Coriander, Juniper Berries, Bay Leaf, Jasmine, Watermelon and Geranium, base notes of Leather, Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli, Musk, Oakmoss and Cedar.  The perfume has since been discontinued by Aramis, however we will see Aramis New West in production from October 2009 where it is also included in the Aramis Gentleman’s Collection as a  100ml bottle eau de toilette.

Aramis Gentleman’s Collection

Bergdorf Goodman has the privilege to be the first to unveil Aramis The Gentleman’s Collection in September 2009.  Selected stores worldwide will only be getting the stocks in October 2009.  However, the Gentleman’s Collection that is launched in US will only contain six of the perfumes without Aramis Life and Aramis Always.  The full collection of eight perfumes will only be launched internationally.

The Gentleman’s Collection is made up of the following eight scents;

Available in US and Internationally

Aramis 900 (1974)

Aramis Devin (1977)

Aramis JHL (1981)

Aramis Tuscany Per Uomo (1984)

Aramis New West for Him (1988)

Aramis Havana (1994)

Available Internationally

Aramis Life (2003)

Aramis Always for Him (2006)

Through this collection we will be able to see many of Aramis discontinued perfumes being relaunched.  The whole collection is available at a retail price of $48.  Similar to that of the Issey Miyake aftershave, the Aramis Gentleman’s Collection is a perfume set that someone who enjoys the prestige and style of a perfume should not missed.