In the recent Gregg-marriage-to-Cher stories from Ultimate Classic Rock and Inquisitir, Gregg is quoted as saying Cher "smelled like I would imagine a mermaid would smell – I’ve never smelled it since, and I’ll never forget it.”
Interesting because I would imagine a mermaid smelling sort of fishy.
But anyway, my friend Christopher was recently buying fragrances online and he sent me this great survey of celebrity fragrance lines:
I was struck by the endless number of celebrity fragrances I was encountering. It prompted me to cull some information by looking up the various celebrity "houses" on Fragrantica. It looks like La Liz [Elizabeth Taylor] started the whole genre, and aside from her it was a largely dormant field until Antonio Banderas got on board nearly twenty years later. (and with a vengeance–he has released 62 fragrances–!!!–and counting…) and then J Lo went full speed ahead ahead five years after him.
The major success of J Lo's Glow seemed to have convinced every pop tart and her mother to start shilling scents. Paris Hilton actually has a number of well-regarded fragrances, but really, how many people are running around wearing Britney Spears? Apparently a lot. And who knew Christina Aguilera had so many fragrances? I thought she had two or three at most; they are not well-promoted, unlike Spears' line, which is widely/routinely advertised. I was also surprised to see that Halle Berry is up to seven fragrances in just eight years.
The only males that came to mind were Banderas, McGraw, Bieber and Usher, and in presenting the information I decided not to include Usher because he only has five fragrances, which seemed a relatively modest amount, given the size of his celebrity. It looks like he has given up on the endeavor, as all five were issued between 2007 and 2009 and nothing since. Coincidentally, I actually like the Usher scents I've sniffed, but they don't have good longevity, but I imagine that is the case with many of these fragrances, as they are on the low end of the price spectrum. I also smelled a Paris Hilton fragrance for men which I thought was fantastic but ultimately I couldn't bring myself to purchase something that would put $$ in her pocket and to have to answer people who inquired about the wonderful smell, "Oh, what I'm wearing? That's Paris Hilton."
And here's a link to Uninhibited's entry on Fragrantica; I think you will really enjoy all the detailed impressions from past and present wearers: www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Cher/Uninhibited-9615.html
- Liz Taylor: 17 fragrances [started selling in 1988]
- Antonio Banderas: 62 […in 1997]
- J Lo: 28 […in 2002]
- Paris Hilton: 22 […in 2005]
- Britney Spears: 21 […in 2004]
- Jessica Simpson: 16 […in 2004]
- Celine Dion: 16 […in 2005]
- Mariah Carey: 14 [in 2007]
- Sarah Jessica Parker: 14 [..in 2005]
- Christina Aguilera: 14 […in 2004]
- Beyonce: 13 […in 2010]
- Rihanna: 10 […in 2010]
- Nicki Minaj: 8 […in 2012]
- Katy Perry: 8 […in 2010]
- Halle Berry: 7 […in 2009]
- Cher: 1 [1987]
- Madonna: 2 [2012]
- Tim McGraw: 7 […in 2008]
- Justin Bieber: 7 […in 2011]
And I leave you with this frightening image, the bottle for Nicki Minaj's Minajesty, introduced in 2013. I'll bet it smells like a million bucks!
Wow. So considering that hefty list of celebrity fragrances, it's interesting that Cher's one itty bitty little ole fragrance does so well in comments considering that the competition is so fierce, considering that her perfume bottles are now 30 years old (!) but then also considering Cher has special mermaid-smelling powers she could put to use designing a fragrance, not just according to Gregg Allman but most people who meet her are always commenting on how she smells so nice.
Cher's debut fragrance Uninhibited was launched in 1987, soon after Elizabeth Taylor launched the infamous fragrance Passion. In fact, Cher's fragrance was sort of overshadowed by Passion, which sold very well with the wealthier and "more mature" Elizabeth Taylor fans. But it seems Uninhibited has become "a beloved vintage fragrance" according to comments online. Here are a few excerpts I thought were quotable. As Christopher and I discussed offline, the majority of these fragrance consumers don't seem to be SuperCherFans with any agendas to promote Uninhibited. These are simply perfume junkies who love it. Behold some of the best reviews of Cher's career…
Comments on Cher's Uninhibited
As a feminist lesbian, I'm as big a Cher fan as there can be. She made a career out of "not fitting in" and being different, a total individual and an empowered woman who took life by the horns and made it hers.
**
Uninhibited is an old school power fragrance. I definitely smell aldehyde and rose notes, which are very nearly a deal breaker for me. But the tobacco note really hooks me in. It softens and sweetens as it develops on the skin, and eventually dries down to a classic Oriental style fragrance with a punch.
**
This is a quintessential '80s scent. Loud, proud, brash and sassy. I get so many compliments on this fragrance and I'm sort of embarrassed to say it's Cher, but no one else is ever fazed by it. I fear that when my bottle is gone that will be the end of Uninhibited for me. It's getting harder to find and the prices are crazy on Ebay.
**
It opens with a blast of powdery leather smoke, that almost burns your nostrils. And a dry sandalwood mixed with some unburnt tobacco dominates thereafter. The tobacco is not the sweet/cherry type, but more earthy and dark. I am also sure that aldehydes are present, and the vanilla stays in the back the whole time (with today's standards the vanilla is almost nonexistent, but I guess a vanilla in the 80s was a whole different conception than now).
**
Uninhibited is one of the few scents that it gets better with the age. If the bottle was unopened, the scent is even more beautiful than it was when it was produced.
**
Hello from France, as a men, i used this women perfume at the age of 18 in 1991! i bought it in Geneva, i loved this strong smell and unique composition (so many ingredients distinctive).
**
One of the most precious gem in my collection. I keep it for real special occasion. Amazing. Simply beautiful.
**
…the heliotrope is to die for in this . Its expertly created, and some of the industry experts mention this as one of the best created…
**
All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW!
**
A treasure. If you find it, snap it up!!
**
…my obsession with this bewitching elixir continues!
**
Unreservedly recommended.
**
GUY: HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE with this fragrance! My co-workers noticed the smell as soon as I walked in and said it smelt great on me, I smiled and said what it was and that I ordered it exclusively offline. I received compliments on it all day and am so gonna hunt down a big bottle of this little gem for daily wear.
**
One bad comment: This doesn't suit me at all – I smelt as if I'd been doused in WD40!
**
This really was just about the ONLY "celebrity" fragrance worth buying, in my opinion.
**
One of the most stunning fragrances ever made, hands down. I kept seeing this at outrageous prices online and, of course, it peaked my interest. So, I tracked down a misspelled listing on the bay and got a partial bottle for a relative song. I've been completely obsessed ever since.
**
You don't have to be A Scamp, A Camp and A Bit of A Tramp to sport this fragrance, however, I would not recommend it for the uncool–you should be uninhibited as the name implies.
Cher Eau de couture by Scent Beauty is still for sale. They're offering a travel atomizer now and a collector's edition which looks like the first edition with chain-mail innards. Regrettably, the collectors detail page gives no indication as to what makes the collector's edition special. At that price point, that's not very motivating. I wish they would diversity into lotions and other products but maybe that's beyond the scope of this company.
(food/bakery scents) or aquatics (lighter/saltier/more metallic)…there’s also a green or vegetal component that I can detect." He added that he's not much of a fan of this type of profile.
