Charlie

The greatest aldehyde fragrance ever created. If you can find a vintage bottle, you owe it to yourself to try it. Still holds up after all these years.

My scary mother got headaches from perfume and is hostile toward anything overtly feminine, but she kept this on her vanity and it scares me still, frankly. The ubiquity of the scent during the seventies doesn't help, although I do, in theory, like the notes. I hid my Windsong and Muguet du Bois from her, usually unsuccessfully, and once she doused me in Charlie as a punishment, then took me to get a pixie cut. Shudder forever.

My second perfume..I was 14,.not something I would buy today but 35 years ago it was one of the most popular perfumes, everyone had it. Nostalgic.

Do not buy this perfume ,unless you miss your grandma and you feel nostalgic.

I have purchased a mystery box at auction and finally received a bottle of the famous Charlie! I never had this, or smelled it (that I was aware of) nor did anyone I know ever wear it. I’m not sure what year my bottle is from, I’ll have to look it up. I’m not loving a strong oak moss note lately but although it is detectable in this, it’s surprisingly fresh! The aldehydes bring a brightness to it keeping it from feeling as dry and dusty as some other vintage oak moss fragrances. It’s not bad at all! It’s definitely drug store fragrance royalty. I don’t know what has got into me 🤷♀️, but I’m really enjoying vintage fragrances lately! I think I’ve been missing them. I have probably 1000+ scents. (Yes, I have a problem 😬) but the ones that seem to be making me smile lately, are the ones that have been around for decades!

For decades, hell, since its release, the older generations have clowned on Revlon Charlie for smelling cheap and obnoxious. I'm trying it for the first time today, and I'm genuinely shocked. To clarify: I have a very aged - dark brown - vintage splash bottle of Revlon Charlie in my sample box. Original packaging and all. The notes look "spring-like", so I took it out today to give it a shot. I get crisp, breezy aldehydes and grassy galbanum uptop; a clean floral bouquet with green, peppery coriander, and an earthy finish with natural oakmoss and vetiver. Of all the drugstore perfumes to hold a poor reputation - why this one?! A lovely, clean, green chypre floral; down to earth and endearingly pleasant. May as well be perfume royalty compared to modern releases. Pheromone is smoother and more sophisticated, but Charlie hits hard for its price point.

Charlie by Revlon is by now something akin to drugstore royalty. This strangely rich aldehydic semi-chypre was introduced in 1973 and playfully named after Revlon's founder, Charles Revson (not to be confused with Charles of the Ritz). The iconically jingle-led commercials of the 1970s and 80s made Charlie a household name, even for those who never (consciously) smelled it. Those commercials also starred actress/model, Shelley Hack, who was then coincidently (or intentionally) chosen to be a castmember on television's Charlie's Angels, but only for one season. The modern incarnation of Charlie is now christened as Charlie Blue, though such a color association seems remarkably counter-intuitive, ...and now lacking the aldehydes. why? As for the scent itself, it starts with an unusually warm expression of aldehydic grandeur, before becoming a complexly green and spicy floral medley overlaying a rich oakmoss-dominant base, alongside sandalwood, musk, and more vanilla or amber that the note pyramid gives credit. I sample from a vintage bottle from the 1990s. This is still indubitably my favourite Charlie, ...though Charlie Gold does come close.

In 1974, my dad was a sales rep for Revlon in Southern California. I was just 6 but I remember him bringing home samples. I don't think my mom ever wore it but my grandma did. I loved how she smelled and have vague but fond memories of going into her bathroom and smelling Charlie. Once I hit my teens, I wore Charlie a lot. It seemed so earthy, warm and cozy. And it worked with my body chemistry like no other fragrance. Even when I dealt with weekly migraines as a young mom, on the days I didn't have a headache I would do a quick spritz before I ran out the door, kids in tow. It has probably been 20 years since I smelled Charlie. When I started collecting fragrances two years ago, I tried to find Charlie. I was sad when I found out it wasn't in circulation anymore but did purchase Charlie Blue because of how similar it was supposed to be. I was disappointed but I kept it and use it in late winter/early spring. It's nice but it's not MY Charlie. Recently, a friend said that she saw vintage Charlie on Ebay so I bought a bottle thinking that it was probably not my vintage Charlie. It arrived today and I am in heaven. The initial blast of aldehydes immediately brought up very old memories of my childhood. And while Blue is similar to the original it is like a less round version of the composition and definitely doesn't have the aldehydes. Charlie was supposed to be Revlon's less expensive version of no. 5. There are similarities but Charlie is more down to earth and relaxed. It's a vintage, aldehydic bomb/chypre/floral mess but it's fabulous. And it isn't linear. Once the heart notes fade, it turns into a sweet, musky skin scent. To my nose anyway It's, earthy, musky, a bit fizzy. It makes me think of walking through damp woods in November after a heavy rain where I'm wearing no. 5. Charlie is not an easy wear if you don't like vintage fragrances. I think it's unlikely to be a good option if you are under 40. You are unlikely to appreciate its carefree, earthy beauty. This has taken forever to finish this post because I keep smelling my wrist!

It is an over-the-top busy scent with just too many floral, woods etc. all combined in one bottle. It's a bold, old-fashioned floral that's pretty in a vintage way, but not something I'll use. I ended up donating it to a thrift store.

I had Charlie in my teens, I loved it. I progressed on to more sophisticated perfumes as I got older. I was in CW the other day, saw Charlie for )10, tried it, bought it, love it! Aldehyde bomb.

Does anyone have a breakdown of all the flankers for Charlie? Guess I’ll try to get a vintage bottle for now.

I really like vintage perfumes from almost every decade, but this one I just can’t understand. I tried wearing it, I tried to find something nice in it, but all I smell is dried pee, nothing else. If I wore this around people, I’d worry they might think I peed myself. I don’t get how this was ever popular.

Wow, this page reminds me of a friend of my parents who absolutely BATHED in Charlie! There are worse perfumes to bathe in; I like these 60s and 70s green perfumes with aldehydes. But in moderation, please! She was a very nice person though.

Today I am wearing Charlie. Tomorrow I am wearing Charlie. And I will continue to wear Charlie until the pain in my heart goes away. I am gifting Charlie to all of my friends, family and clients. We all LOVE Charlie. We Love you Charlie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to say I don’t remember what this fragrance smells like I just remember my granny loving it and wearing it 🥹

I have been on a vintage fragrance kick lately since discovering that I can actually stomach aldehydes now and even appreciate them. When I was a young girl, I thought fragrances like Evyan’s White Shoulders, Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleu & Charlie were the vilest of fragrance creations even though the women nearest and dearest to my heart wore them. Those fragrances actually repulsed me, and made me nauseous especially in a car. For some reason most recently, I wanted to remember these loved ones by their fragrances as they have been gone for many years. One by one I have purchased bottles of these aldehydic vintage marvels and much to my amazement have been absolutely beautiful to wear. I’m literally shocked by this discovery! Today I received an almost full vintage Charlie in its ratty old box from the late 70’s. I was happy to see that old box appear out of its packaging and even happier squirting a tiny bit of the rich deep gold elixir onto my left wrist to do its magic. Oh my! Another aldyhidic beauty! Scrumptiousness at its finest. I guess this means I’ve grown up in the fragrance world, or perhaps grown older! Right now the wrist Charlie is on has quieted down to a lovely oak moss and soft vanilla almost skin scent since I only sprayed a small amount. Ive gotten to the point I don’t watch many “influencers” on YouTube anymore but have in fact started enjoying YouTube channels that discuss the vintage fragrances from the past before fragrance ingredient mandates came from the IFRA goons, whether they come from rack store type clearances, estate sales or EBay. Theres much to be appreciated in those aldehydic beauties of our not so distant past.

I'm convinced my mother wore this when I was a baby, or a small child. It was released in 1973 and I was born in 1976. I don't remember her having it, or seeing it in her room, but when I smelled as an adult it was the most comforting and wonderful smell that instantly made me think of my mother and of hugging her. For this alone I really love it. Lots of aldehydes and florals that dry down to an extra-special-comfort-mom-hug smell for me. I wear it just for myself, and to bed.

I’m not normally sensitive to fragrances but this just hits me right between the eyes. 🥺 The scent itself isn’t offensive, but dear God…the only way I could fathom wearing Charlie is if I sprayed it in the air ONCE and walked through it. I’d like to smell the drydown but it isn’t worth the headache. Maybe I’ll be fortunate enough to catch this scent on someone else someday. 🩷

I really like the smell of this. It’s sexy…

My beautiful mother wore Charlie in the 80's. It was always sharp at first, but hours later a warm semi sweet woods would appear mixed with her own scent. This is where the magic happened. I used to buy it for her for Christmas ha

Charlie! So misunderstood for so long and by so many! Many many moons ago, when Charlie came to be, it was frowned upon by many. Understandably. Especially in Europe. With an array of Fidji’s, Miss Dior’s, Madame Rochas, Ô de Lancôme, Rive Gauche’s, Diorella’s and Cristalle’s, there was no need for a ‘cheap’ drugstore perfume like Charlie. I came to know it by a small silver apple pendant with a creamy formula that my mother had and never used. It wasn’t her style but I immediately loved its bitterness. I came to find a while ago a cologne from the 70’s in its baby blue box. Pristine. A time capsule of all sorts. And Charlie has won me over again! Upon first sniff, I can see where Charlie took its inspiration; Estēe and Fidji, its European equivalent. While Fidji was always a bit softer, Estēe, like a good American fragrance, was louder. And Charlie too. But instead of the polished sofistication of the Lauder, Revlon gave us a more approachable version. A rougher around the edges perfume, that just like its ads, didn’t need anything else to feel complete. Charlie greets me with a hyacintine floral beauty, with soft echoes of tropical white flowers. Some jasmine, some tuberose/gardenia but without a heavy feel. Flowers drenched in sparkling aldehydes and soft citrus notes that elevate this fresh cologne to last and last. Just like the box states. But the green heart soon comes along. Charlie has spades of oakmoss and galbanum, what mostly shows on my skin, with a touch of spicy coriander. Vetiver and sandalwood, which I’m smelling as proper Mysore, add a deeper woody background but never shadowing the green verdancy. Charlie keeps its slight floral character throughout, but as a background voice. The theme here is green. Green meadows, a freshly mowed lawn, your back garden. Things that would appeal to the newly independent American woman who was starting to take the workplace by storm, was sufficiently self-sustained without a man and could juggle her career and personal life. Things were changing, and Charlie came to be an affordable high quality fragrance for the modern woman. It was fresh, it was new, but most importantly, it was within everyone’s reach and it lasted the entire day. I love it. I’ve always had a soft spot for it, and now that I can wear the cologne freely, I feel in heaven with every breath. Carefree and wild spirited while retaining a certain elegance that within today’s market, increases drastically, Charlie is as unisex as they come. Its marketing and launch captured a moment in time that marked a change, but today, Charlie shines on its own merits. Sillage and longevity outstanding! Mid 70’s, 235cc Eau de Cologne reviewed.

my aunt used to wear this circa 1979ish. it smelled so good on her. that’s when people really wore their perfumes and scents were loud and proud. i ended up wearing this later on when i got older. it was such a vibe with the commercials and adds. an independant woman who was still womenly. they ruined this too. i wish there was a perfume restoration company.

It is back! After buying what I thought was Charlie Blue, I was using this bottle everyday. So a loved one got me another as a stocking stuffer. Box wasn't the same, and what she gave me said Charlie Blue on the box and on the bottle. What I had bought for myself said only Charlie (in White) on the box and bottle. The box is a much darker blue rather than the metallic one Blue came in. It's original Charlie, back in stores. Such a lovely powdery, chypre sent. Neither the oakmoss or geranium overpowers the other components. Blue had enough Charlie DNA to see where it came from, but had a fecal note to it that I just couldn't get past. But Charlie, oh original! How I missed you. As a little girl I wanted to be Shelly Hack from the commercials. Brassy, sassy American girl with a fragrance to match. It was too adult for me to wear back then, and by the time I could really wear perfume, they had replaced it with Charlie Blue. Sure it cost more than the Blue, White and Red versions, but this is the one that started it all. So glad it is back! If you can find it ( found it at Walmart of all places), go for it. A classic is back!

THE queen of the drugstore. We are so lucky to live in a world where this wonder is available for a song. Even setting aside its importance in the history of perfumery (which we should not! But others have said more than I could on this), Charlie is a wonder! This chameleonic elixir has many faces so it’s no wonder it tends to divide opinions. Even just on myself it changes remarkably with the weather. On cold days it is a bracing, direct, vegetal needle of aldehydes, hyacinth, geranium, vetiver, and oakmoss, which I love! In milder weather it opens a bit more and soapy, waxy, spicy symphony of lily, coriander, and gardenia come into play. Lovely either way, though not for the faint of heart or aldehyde haters! And be warned — even in the modern formula you only need one or two sprays max!

My Mémé wore this in the 70s when I was a kid. I haven't smelled it for 30 years since she passed. As a French grandmother she practically showered in this perfume. I'd probably got my love of scents from her. I'm Thinking of buying a $10 bottle on Amazon to bring back those memories of me and my siblings running from the fumes. Lovely lady she was but damn we could smell her the second she stepped in the house. RIP Mémé.

Charlie came out when I was in high school. The first ad that revolutionized advertising in perfume featured Bobby Short singing the Charlie jingle. I wasn't interested in being that girl in the ad, and besides Charlie cost a few more dollars at the drugstore than other perfumes I could afford to buy at the time. If I just had to have it, I might have saved for it. Unwittingly I became that girl in Charlie but by then I had moved on and up to perceived luxury perfumes from Chanel and YSL. I recently got my hands on a vintage Charlie and it is still good (I've had bad luck with buying vintage as a few haven't held up). This is an underrated fragrance. I became a Chypre fan long after high school and this is one but without the citrus. If I had only known what a beautiful fragrance Charlie is, without the floral or sweet bomb, I might have made it my signature in the 80s. The only problem is office workplaces in the 80s and 90s were like high school and wearing something you could buy from the drugstore would be perceived as lower than thou. What are you wearing? Charlie???!!! You don't wear Chanel No. 5 (or something along those lines)? How gauche. Then stick their nose up in the air and walk away. Ladies who have been there know what I'm talking about because it's all about the money. I have worn Revlon makeup for all of my adult makeup-wearing life. There is always something Revlon in my makeup bag. Right now, I'm crazy about their new foundation. Revlon is a part of my life. I hope the company will always be here.

I just picked up a small vintage bottle of this, and the scent of it is bottled 70s to me. Although I was a baby when this came out, and I wasn’t old enough to wear perfume yet in the height of its popularity, my mother and aunt had this, and Być Może, which was a similar smelling perfume from Poland. Woody, mossy, floral aldehyde. It makes me think of polyester, wrap skirts, the Dorothy Hamill wedge haircut, strappy heels, short fur coats, Maybelline frosted powdered eye shadow and Moisture Whip lipstick.. fun 70s find!

I own a few vintage bottles of the "concentrated cologne spray". One being an areysol, and the others are regular non areysol sprays. @gyps and @grapefruit352 I have had a bad experience too, while wearing this one day. I'm not sure if I sprayed too much or what, but it gave me one of those awful headaches that only goes away after taking a very long nap. I am trying to figure out what note did this to me, if any. I've had the same problem with Aromatic's Elixir. Don't get me wrong I like this very much, so much that I own a few bottles. It projects very very well, and lasted around 8 hours on my skin.

Revolting. Literally made me ill.

I am getting sneeze from this one instantly.