Sweet Honesty

This is the innocent, pure and delicate scent of childhood. It's like being transported back to the 1970s or 80s, taking a bath with Johnson's Baby Shampoo and pink Dove soap at your grandmother's house in a muted shell pink bathroom lined with shelves of Estée Lauder and Avon perfume bottles shaped like kittens and owls. You added just a dab of Perlier Honey Miel Bath Cream to the tub before you got into it. The gentle, honeyed, baby-soft fragrance of the products fills the room, but the window is open, and you can also smell the freshly-mowed lawn outside. My seminal love for hyacinth, lily and lemon notes very likely was first conceived with this perfume. The sillage may not be great, but it is everything I ever wanted skin scents like Philosophy Pure Grace to be. So nostalgic & affordably good it that it almost makes me wonder why I ever started using anything else. It also layers beautifully with Cristalle & Jo Malone Sea Salt.

this smells how i imagined perfume smelled when i was a child. also has a public restroom cleaning fluid note.

Avon Sweet Honesty (Vintage 1975 Garden Girl Decanter) Like many people, I remembered Sweet Honesty from my childhood. But when I tried a modern roll-on version a couple of years ago, I was left disappointed. It felt thin, simplified, and lacked the richness I remembered; I just assumed nostalgia had gotten the better of me. Not too long ago I decided to hunt down the original version; eventually acquired a 1975 4oz Sweet Honesty ‘Garden Girl’ decanter for $5 on eBay, and discovered my memory wasn’t wrong after all! Upon first opening of the decanter, the aldehydes were sharp and soapy; they dominated the opening and made the fragrance seem way more old-fashioned than it really is. So i decided to air out the funk :) I accidentally left the bottle open for a couple of hours while airing it out, and when I returned the aldehydes had softened dramatically - pro tip in case your vintage bottle smells too sharp! What emerged underneath the soapiness was just beautiful, I was elated! The heart of Sweet Honesty is a softly blended floral bouquet of muguet, hyacinth and rose with a creamy, almost velvety texture and a bit of a green snap that isn’t bothersome at all. Everything is just blended into a shower-fresh ‘wow you smell so nice’ aura. The fragrance gradually settles into a rich powdery base with warm skin musk and a gentle, vanillic honeyed sweetness that feels comforting, not sugary. There is far more depth here than what I expected from a fragrance often dismissed as a simple Avon scent. The woody component is present but not at all dominant, rather it’s a support scaffolding for the florals and the honey-vanilla. What impressed me most is how balanced the blend feels. The powder never becomes dusty, the sweetness never becomes cloying, and the skin-scent musk remains soft and approachable. The vintage version of Sweet Honesty has a warmth and fullness that its modern version seems to lack. It is absolutely lovely and wearable in modern times, I’ve caught myself reaching for it whenever I go out in public and just want to smell clean and pretty and know that I’m not offending anyone with my sillage. Vintage Sweet Honesty is also a fabulous and very calming/comforting bedtime fragrance, as other reviewers have noted! For anyone chancing a vintage bottle of this, please don’t judge it solely by the first few minutes. If the aldehydes seem overwhelming to you, a few airings should help reveal the beautiful floral-powdery-honeyed composition underneath. In my case, it transformed the fragrance from “yikes” to “this is exactly what I remembered.” I did lose a bit of the juice in the process (I noticed the level went down a little in the bottle after I had left it open) but it was worth it, as it transformed the scent into something very wearable (and a little off the top of a 4oz decanter is nothing) Now I fully understand why Sweet Honesty survived for decades. Beneath the clean, soapy opening is a genuinely lovely crowd-pleasing fragrance, with far more character than its reputation suggests. To me it’s solar floral happiness in a bottle! ************************ For those searching for the original Sweet Honesty, the launch spray bottle is transparent with a bow molded into the glass towards the top and a pink column cap. However, I personally recommend getting one of the Cologne splash decanters listed below and transferring the juice into an atomizer, so you can blow off the excess aldehydes from your bottle before use. The following decanters contain the original Sweet Honesty fragrance and can be had for a few dollars (not an exhaustive list) - Garden Girl both 1975 (yellow) & 1978 (pink) versions - Queen of Scots milk glass scotty dog - Precious Doe - Teddy Bear (fuzzy) - Little Miss Muffet - Mary Mary quite contrary - Little Bo Peep - Little Burro - Curious Kitty - Treasure Turtle - Hobnail Bell - Emerald Bell - Just a Twist - Song of Love (birdcage) - 1978 California Perfume Co historical tribute bottle

smells pleasant but much like soap which isn't really a problem for me

All us little girls in primary school used to wear this and First Flowers back in the late 70s. Such nostalgic memories of this scent. I picked it up from ebay in a really sweet ballerina bottle. The scent is too powdery and sweet for me to wear now but I'm so glad I've got it in my collection. The only modern day near equivalent I can think of is Demeter Baby Powder. I also bought it in a cute little mouse top bottle, Bird of Paradise in a swan bottle and Moonwind in a unicorn bottle - all super cheap. I just wish quirkly little bottles like this were made nowadays :(

I've been revisiting many avon offerings as of late and this one truly surprised me. Powdery, musky and intimate. I found myself spraying and respraying. For $12 it's astoundingly pretty. Worth a try of you love Powdery, uber feminine fragrances.

This is a very nostalgic scent for those who grew up in the 70's and 80's. Most teenaged girls from those two decades will recognize it. It is very powdery. If you do not like that sort of thing then this is not for you. It is probably the first perfume many girls received from their mothers when they looked through those Avon books. Probably even got the roll on deodorant as well. Oh the memories!!!

I love this one so much. I have the little bottle shaped like a Victorian era Christmas caroler. It smells a bit like Johnson's baby shampoo, or maybe Dove bar soap, but somehow it doesn't feel cloying or overly soapy at all. It has a sort of fresh, clean green note to it that separates it from being too childlike to me. While it is extremely versatile, I find myself using it after showering at night more than anytime else. It's so cozy to me that, for a while, I used it so much before bed, I didn't think I could sleep without it anymore. It feels like running through a field of white roses and baby powder. It feels like someone pulling back your hair and kissing you goodnight on the forehead. It's just the loveliest little fragrance. If the word "gentle" was a scent, it would smell like this.

I really like this scent, it is definetly more for bed time, since it is really powdery and relaxing. It last really long in my skin and I like it ☺️

It was a beautiful fragrance when it was first created—soft lily of the valley blended with lemon and a hint of musk. What is sold now is nothing like the original, just an imitation of a lost recipe.

I don't have any prior experience with this scent that would make it nostalgic, but I did love it right away! I find that a lot of old fashioned scents can give a range from 'old lady' to 'rich old lady,' depending on the bottle. This one, however is a lot more youthful, approachable, and I'd even call it friendly-smelling. I'm going through the old Avon scents and recently fell IN ♡ with Moonwind. And, while I do think that Moonwind sits higher on my preference list and has less silage and significantly less staying power for me, I will return to this blend often. It has that same sort of 'something special,' that makes it memorable to me, but with none of the pretension of some finer and more expensive mixtures on the market. Also, it DOES smell a little like Dial soap. I love it!

Sweet Honesty is one of the most nostalgic fragrances I own. It's soft and powdery and reminds me of being a little girl, since that's probably when I first used it. To me, it smells exactly like a Cabbage Patch Kid, soft, sweet and powdery. It's not exactly like baby powder, but it's a powdery scent in its own right. It projects well and lasts ALL day on me, which is rare for any of my perfumes. I smell my wrists constantly when I wear this b/c I find it so nostalgic and calming. Instantly puts me in a better mood and even makes me reminisce about my childhood. It's not the most sophisticated perfume, but I still give it a 7/10 for the wonder it makes me feel.

Really? This is the "poor man's Chanel No.22" ?

Sweet Honesty (current formulation) is like a grown up version of “Love’s Baby Soft”…minus the softness. The aldehydes render this fragrance more soapy than powdery, to me. The lily is very green in this composition. It’s as if someone rubbed a bar of Pink Dove Soap across freshly-cut grass. It projects rather loudly for the first hour or two, especially when paired with the deodorant/body cream. Longevity is not impressive. I have to reapply frequently. I do like this! The scent is undeniably dated, but pleasant nonetheless. Clean. Simple. Linear. Curious to see how Sweet Honesty behaves in the heat…I’d like to see the less “honest” side of her. I’ve been layering with a touch of musk oil ( Jovan/Skin Musk) for added warmth.

Mi abuelita huele a esto y me encanta, es tan reconfortante como ella. No lo usaría pero me encanta olerlo.

Nostalgic but not a good nostalgia for me. It's pure baby powder. I didn't like it back when I was a teenager and never changed my opinion.

LOVE Many memories and I find it comforting, especially in winter. It was my first perfume in 1977. I got it for Christmas along with a yellow bunny powder puff with SH powder in it. At 6 years old I was feeling like a big girl 😊 Still today in the winter I put it on at bedtime and it's completely nostalgic and comforting. As long as they make it I will keep a bottle. It's actually a very pretty fragrance so that helps keep me buying it.

Sweet Honesty by Avon is a fragrance that will always hold a special place in my heart—it was the “grownup” perfume that I had as a little girl and the one that sparked my love for fragrances. The scent is a soft, powdery rose that feels light. It’s an easy-to-wear perfume, perfect for when you want something simple and comforting. Whether you’re running errands or spending a day at the office, Sweet Honesty is a gentle, timeless choice that never feels out of place.

A friend of mine told me that this perfume is what I naturally smell like and had to track down a bottle from '97. It's definitely old and very blended if not a bit off. Sweet Honesty mostly smells like baby oil. Or maybe someone who doesn't wear perfume but has a habit of not fully rinsing the mild bar soap from their hands after each wash. The opening is a little harsh with a bright, sweet lemon and warmed honey that's light enough it feels stirred into hot water. Sticky, fully fragrant rose and hyacinth, wet with summer rain, bloom and fade rapidly. There is a touch of cedar in that bright opening but all drys down to a soft musky baby oil, leaning a touch soapy. Understandable how one could think of this as a natural human scent. Though I'm not sure how I feel about it being mine (if my friend is right). Could be a nice fragrance to wear to bed. Overall very soft and soothing. Sweet Honesty feels like the granddaughter of Stetson. Not sure if that will make sense to anyone else though (lol).

A couple of years ago, I ordered fragrances from the Avon Classics collection, intending to give them as gifts for Christmas. From among them, the one that caught my attention was Sweet Honesty Upon initial sniff, it emitted something so pleasant and so innocent. It was neither too sweet or powdery. But gave it away as planned. Then recently, my Avon lady decided to retire. She invited old customers to buy her remaining inventory. I immediately snapped up the Sweet Honesty cologne. Once home, I couldn't to open and try it. Probably, because of changing hormones or menopause, it didn't smell as innocent as pleasant as before. In fact, it was too strong, sweet and cloying that I couldn't wait to wash it off. Oh well, had to toss it in my for-gifting box.

I'm using this for almost 24 years.. the scent is no longer popular but I'm loyal to it. Keep coming back for sweet honesty..

I didn't realize that this perfume was Sweet Honesty until a few minutes ago, when I looked at it more closely. My sweet friend picked up a bottle of this for me at an estate sale, and it's in its original box, which is called Christmas Candle; the perfume bottle is about half full and shaped like an adorable green Christmas candle with a screw-on metal (rose-gold color) top that looks like a flame. So I thought the perfume was called Christmas Candle and got confused when it didn't smell remotely Christmassy. Anyway, I haven't done a skin test yet, but the paper test is promising, and I love all the alleged notes. I must say, I'm not crazy about the name, but that's only because I have a penchant for Bitter Deception (niche marketers are free to steal that name for their next costly limited formula).

I've been wearing this scent occasionally since high school in the 1990s. I picked one up in an Avon store I found and have been eeking it out occasionally for a decade since. It still smells just as amazing. The scent is light and powdery with the most satisfying aldehydic note that only gets more intimate. The floral notes are low key and not obvious, which is great since I'm not a huge fan of florals.

To me, as fresh and vibrant and wonderful today as it was yesterday. A spray suitable for a girl or a woman in her sixties. Floral and musky and all around delightful. I bought a bottle with perfumed skin softener recently. Oddly enough, I didn't respect it much as a teen, but did like to wear it to school occasionally and always found myself smelling my wrist. I wanted more sophisticated scents then; innocence was the last thing I wished to project. Ironically, I only later realized how great it was. I wear it when the mood dictates, spring, summer, and fall. Not really a winter scent. Naturally, it's perfect for spring and summer, but it also works well on those unseasonably warm early fall days. I believe that was when I first appreciated it, because it reminds me of school in the earliest days of the school year, when I would wear it. Really takes me back in time. Although, it really is a remarkably modern fragrance. It's hard to imagine how anyone could dislike this, let alone hate it.

A sentimental scent. Sweet and powdery. Your first real perfume in early teens. A generational fave. A great gift for a younger teen. Highly recommend.

My second review of this, since I finally got around to getting one in the new bottle. This was one of my first perfumes in the 80s, and I’m happy to report that I think it smells the same. I still have a late 90s bottle of this, and I’m comparing them side by side on each wrist, and they are the same scent. Soft, sunny, honeyed, powdery, rosy. I don’t think it’s missing any notes. The 90s one may last a little longer, but this is still inexpensive enough that you can reapply as needed.

This smells like baby oil, exactly like it. I really love it. This will perform its best in summer.

refreshing cologne, I only put it on when it's very hot and humid as it smells of pure soap and baby wipes on me, no flowers/honey/vanilla, unfortunately. it was really cheap so i'm not returning it.

I love Sweet Honesty! It smells like pressed powder — so I wear it almost everyday!

I'm so biased to this, so maybe skip over my review. One night a year or two ago, I admitted to my mother over the phone of my draw towards perfume. She told me of one perfume she could wear and enjoyed and I couldn't remember if it was Sweet Honesty or True Love. I had recently purchased some second hand perfumes at the time and a vintage of both were in there. I told her she would enjoy this 2nd one too. I couldn't remember which was which, as they're very similar in softness. Since then, seeing both bottles on my shelf reminded me of her and when I get homesick (I live far away) I sniff one of the bottles, very infrequently do I spray as just seeing them makes me feel she is close. Fast forward to this week. Just the other night I sprayed True Love and left a review, thinking it was that one which she said she could wear, but tonight I've sprayed Sweet Honesty... I went searching online to see which bottle I have, as it came with no top. While searching, I found the "Precious Doe" bottle I remember always admiring on her dresser top. It's this! Mine is just a plain oval shaped 50ml bottle, but hers was lovely, and as I lay here I can smell her. This is it. This is my mother. She only ever had the one bottle that I remember, so I guess I can't call it her signature scent and she hasn't worn it in years as she never treats herself to anything, but smelling this reminds me of her in the 80s, and of me opening the doe bottle and having a sniff every chance I had when she wasn't looking, even long after the perfume was gone. I'm going to find a way to get her a bottle of both because I just know she will enjoy True Love as well... but this is my mama. So soft and sweet, not like candy, but like a baby's head if that makes sense. I know this isn't much of a review, I can't even describe this scent other than powdery soft and a light sweetness with a touch of musk. It reminds me of hugs, being held by her. Tucking my face up into her neck while I cried for whatever reason as a child. It sits close to the skin so only the closest people to you will smell it. I hope this hasn't been reformulated, though I'm guessing like nearly everything else, that it has. The one I have smells just like hers did. I'll try and get my hands on a newer one and save this one for those nights when I miss her the most. I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure that out, but in any case... now I know.