Imari 2015

Another delightful surprise from Avon. I bought Imari after receiving a travel size version for Christmas. I fell head over heels for this soft and powdery wonder. I can't say it is a passionate scent for me. To me it is another comfort scent that is worn for my own pleasure. I enjoy the powdery rose of this immensely. My only complaint is that I wish it were stronger. Still love and enjoy it.

I much prefer this newer version of Imari. The original was too overwhelming for me. This newer version is weaker, but in a good way. No overwhelming flowers/spices/incense mix. Instead this newer Imari is a soft, powdery-amber with a hint of flowers & incense. It's not a sweet scent which makes it easy to wear day or night. It's also season less.

There are many perfumes I simply appreciate, and there's the one that defines who I am. This is that perfume. Complex is an understatement for Imari. It's deep and mysterious, like an old library, with the patchouli and amber being the stand out notes here. But it smells timeless, not old in the sense of outdated.

Personally, aldehydes are my kind of notes since they represent the layers of the perfume in a very clean way. The floral notes are well-equipped with the beginning of citrus-aldehydic notes. It smells quality and dignity. It is a good option for work offices.

The original Imari was Avon's no 1 scent worldwide ( they used the name Impromptu for the U.K. and Europe, it was discontinued for them in the mid 90s). It was still available for the rest of the world in the original packaging and original scent until 2015. It was still their no1 fragrance, until the reformulation of 2015. For the 30th anniversary of Imari Avon reformulated the fragrance making it lighter and fresher, changing many of the original fragrance notes. They also designed new packaging for it. Since the reformulation in 2015 it was re-issued all over the world again as Imari, but it has now been discontinued in Europe, Asia and Africa. Today in 2025 the reformulation is only available with Avon in the U.S. Canada and a few South American countries. The original was a much stronger, richer deep fragrance. Top notes are Aldehydes, Galbanum and Bergamot; middle notes are Orris Root, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang and Lily-of-the-Valley; base notes are Sandalwood, Musk, Cedar, Amber and Vanilla. The reformulation is fresher, lighter and doesn't wear as long. Top notes are Aldehydes, Bergamot and Italian Lemon; middle notes are Iris, Rose and Jasmine; base notes are Patchouli, Amber and Vanilla. Personally, I like both versions. Side by side comparisons. I have original on left hand and todays version 'reformulation 2015' on the right hand... Original starts off woody, aldehydes and deep. Reformulation starts off citrusy, aldehydes and light. Original stays warm with incense coming forward and stays deep, heady and somewhat flat. Reformulation has no incense, it warms slightly and still has a sparkly tone to it. After a hour the original opens up, allowing the florals to come through. It still smells warm, rich, powdery and comforting. The reformulation gets a little more similar to the original, but still smells watered down and fresher compared to it. The reformulation therefore is like a Jour de Imari version. On the street I asked 20 people to smell them both. Only one liked the original, all the rest preferred the reformulation. So Avon's logic to reformulate seemed ok at the time, but it has back fired with all the loyal Imari original customers who had made it their best seller.