Impromptu

Impromptu IS Imari. ( Original ) At least it was in the UK. Mine has the same burgundy cap with the gold ( lotus ? ) flower. so, see the Imari listing for actually, detailed notes. Definitely inspired by the likes of Chanel Coco and CK Obsession which we contemporaneous. Starts with full-on aldehydes then developed into spicy notes. So, a chypre/oriental if you wish. When Avon were good, they were REALLY good !

The original Imari was Avon's no 1 scent worldwide. ( They used the name Impromptu for the U.K. and Europe, It had a burgundy lid, the picture above with the white lid was for a limited summer edition. Impromptu was discontinued for U.K. and Europe in the mid 90s). Imari 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.

An ex-Avon rep over at Parfumo says that Impromptu and Imari are the same perfume and they simply changed the name at some point. That would explain why I recall my Grandmother owning that bottle, but with Imari printed on it. I recall it was a nice budget fragrance at the time and my grandmother wore it, and also Vanderbilt. The two are both powdery, floral, and woody with a bit of spice. I thought she always smelled like a lady, she knew how much to apply. She would give us fragrant, grandmotherly hugs, and never fill a room with her perfume.

Impromptu in Imari bottle? Hmmm