Fragrance TV ads – you’ve gotta love ‘em. The dream-like plots, the kooky scores, the cheesy monologues. It’s hard to imagine a world without them.
A go-to medium for new releases, fragrance TV ads have historically played a massive role in the sale of perfumes, not to mention the perpetuation of stereotypes.
With their provocative themes of sex, beauty, romance and freedom, fragrance TV ads represent television advertising at its most potent: where anything is possible, and everything is guaranteed.
As Quartz highlight in their article ‘Why are celebrity perfume commercials so incredibly awful?’, fragrance adverts “rely on the power of suggestion”. In this case, the fetishization of smelling good and its intrinsic link to attracting mates. Sure, some of these ads are corny as hell, but that’s not the point. The point is, they stick in your head, and that’s what makes them so memorable.
Submitted for your approval are 13 fragrance TV ads which I simply adore. Ads which, as dated as they are, inspire in me a deep sense of artistic contemplation. Here they are…
Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche
Not gonna lie – this ‘80s ad for the aromatic fougere, Drakkar Noir, does make me jizz in my pants a little. Everything about it is so badass: the backing track, the lighter slam, the archery, the woman in the red dress running through the rain. No wonder so many blokes went mad for this in the ‘80s! To quote the ad campaign directly, I can “feel the power” just watching it.
Fahrenheit by Dior
In this spellbinding TV ad for the 1988 art fragrance, Fahrenheit, a solitary man walks purposefully across a boardwalk to an excerpt from the wondrous Lyle Mays/Path Metheny jazz fusion song, As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. Above him is an ominous night sky – one-minute blood red and the next minute menacingly overcast – and in front of him is the sea. As fragrance TV ads go, it’s one of the most entrancing out there.
Navy by Cover Girl
Possibly my favourite fragrance commercial of all, this TV ad for Cover Girl’s Navy features an addictive combination of smooth jazz and sparkling blue skies, which call to mind brighter, happier days. Between the flip phone, saxophone playing and voluminous long hair, I’m thrown straight back to a decade which I loved and long for: the 1990s. A decade that began with the launch of this very fragrance.
Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent
Say hello to King Kouros – the powerhouse fragrance to end all powerhouses. Here depicted as a deep dive into mystical, macho waters, where the smell of testosterone hangs on the air and the thought of sex is ever present. Widely heralded as one of the strongest, most skankiest scents ever released, Kouros is in league all on its own. To think this was YSL’s second creation for men – what a milestone!
L’Aimant by Coty
Make no mistake about it – this TV ad for Coty’s L’Aimant is dated as fuck. The drab room, the soft lighting, the posh narrator, the traditional looking model. I think that’s why I love it so much – it’s as old fashioned as I am. Not that we should expect anything less from a fragrance released in 1927. Rumour has it this was Coty’s answer to Chanel No 5: Chanel’s first ever perfume.
Paris by Yves Saint Laurent
In this dreamy ‘80s TV ad for YSL’s Paris, we’re transported from an undisclosed waterfront in France to capital city Paris in a cool blue convertible. In the driver’s seat is a beautiful woman in a pastel pink suit and high heels. Her hair tied back, her face determined and pensive. For an ad that’s not aged particularly well, the fashion in it couldn’t be more “in” right now – and that's saying something!
Relax by Davidoff
If this fragrance TV ad is anything to go on, then it’s no surprise Davidoff’s Relax was discontinued. The commercial is basically a soft porn clip – and a very nicely made one at that. Not sure who the director of the ad is, but it has a distinctly Lynch feel about it, with its haunting music, noir lighting and surreal sequence changes. Pity the fragrance isn’t around anymore – I’d love to try it.
White linen by Estée Lauder
Bright visuals and shimmering high key music combine to mesmerising effect in this 1987 advert for Estée Lauder’s White Linen: a crisp and refreshing floral aldehyde perfume with zingy notes of peach, hyacinth and lily of the valley. As the advert suggests, this isn’t just a fragrance, it’s a statement maker: an expression of radiant class and elegance that cuts across language and reflects in everything from the clothes we wear to the homes we occupy.
Adidas Classic by Adidas
Ah man, what an earworm this advert is. Who would’ve thought that a commercial for a sports fragrance could be so charming and subtle. The sunlit room, the bossa nova soundtrack, the man in the mirror dabbing on aftershave, his partner’s eyes linking with his and asking him to stay. This is how a fragrance advert should be - playfully innocent. Not overly sexual, or unduly crass. Sure the guy has just passed up a ball game with his buddies to stay in bed, but that’s fine. They understand...
Canoe by Dana
Before there was Brut, there was Canoe. A 1936 aromatic fougere with familiar notes of lavender, lemon, geranium and oakmoss. A classic male fragrance with a similarly masculine advert to match. Cringy though the advert is, I do rather enjoy its depiction of masculinity. That of a mature man-about-town who owns his environment and understands women (never mind the beach body ready type). Oh, and the music’s a lot of fun as well. Think Sims 1.
Jazz by Yves Saint Laurent
If the black and white video doesn’t draw in, then the doo-wopping will. Staying true to its fragrance name, this commercial for YSL’s Jazz is as jazzy they come. A coming together of suave looks and suave moves. C’est si bon, (translation “It’s so good”), which rings throughout the video, let’s you know that this is a lively, celebratory fragrance. One for suit and tie affairs where the mood is just right. Worn correctly, the fragrance may just put a spring in your step.
La Nuit de L’Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
French actor Vincent Cassel is the star of this pulsating fragrance advert for YSL’s La Nuit de L’Homme, in which he plays a master seducer who picks up women in Paris. More short film than commercial, it has all the hallmarks of a top movie: good lighting, brilliant camerawork, kickass music, a quality cast. Catwalk aficionados will spy not one but three models in the advert: Marine Vacth, Alyssa Ali, and Eniko Mihalik. All beautiful women enraptured by the great allure of La Nuit de L’Homme (or at least the smell of it on Cassel).
Catalyst by Halston
Another jazz entry to the list here. This time from fragrance brand Halston: a US fashion house famous for its designs in the ‘70s. Catalyst for women, the fragrance in question here, couldn’t enjoy a classier presentation. Showcased as it is in black and white, with a dinner jazz backing beat and some sultry close ups of the female form. The stand-out moment for me is when the woman’s body (by the power of ‘90s animation) becomes the bottle itself. What a wicked bit of editing.
So, there you have it – my 13 favourite fragrance TV ads. Did any take you by surprise? Have I overlooked some gems? What are your favourite fragrance TV ads? Share your thoughts in the comments box below to keep the discussion going.
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