Régence

I have adored this fragrance ever since i was in my early teens and got my first Avon fragrance! ( A friend of the family was a Rep) Mom wore Rapture and Bird of Paradise (Avon),among other fave fragrances from the 60's.... My take on this vintage scent: Powdery-Sweet Greens- (Fern,and Mosses.A touch of white Musk,Jasmine,a mystery flower or two? Persian Lilac,Vanilla or Coumarin,Balsam Fir (Christmas Tree)..? I dont detect any Rose at all. There is something about this that makes think of Prell shampoo original scent,shich I LOVE also....I am going to try the Sweetcakes Soap fragrance oil- Original Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo f/o this company found or created...similar,green herbal Family I think... I have been picking these scents apart for years, because I am a hobby fragrance crafter and cream of being able to create a money making perfume one day.. It is a very amazing craft and skill to have! My nose is very sensitive to odor and teaching myself to i.d. is fun.I need to learn how to capture essences from plants as well. Back to Regence...the packaging has always impressed me too..I collect the fragrance whenever i can pick some up for reasonable prices..I might be willing to share a little....;-) A little boes a long way on me,and my clothing carries it for days if lightly worn...! I wonder if there afe similar perfumes out there.Would be a dream to work at a fragrance counter!

Super clean, slightly powdery rose. Jasmine and sandalwood are detectible but only in supporting roles. Maybe a faiiiint hint of lilac violet and heliotrope but only to make the rose note a bit more horizontal. I really love this one for its simplicity — why mess with a good rose? For me this site squarely between joy (which is much riper, bigger, and higher pitched) and Avon’s own to a wild rose (which is both sweeter and mossier). I have a large bottle of the “cologne silk” which had kept quite well and is pleasant to apply. Highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a straight ahead rose.

This was sent to me accidentally when I ordered anotherperfume oil, and I am PLEASANTLY surprised! My new-vintage (& full) bottle was well cared-for and smells new, I get a lovely blend of florals and woods just as you'd expect by the descriptors above, with what might be vetiver (i suspect Vetiver is an unlisted note in almost every vintage Avon frag--delusion? 😂) No old lady whiffs here, although an old lady might be who you need to consult to obtain this little vintage treasure.

Proper rose de mai and jasmine, iris powder and soap old Hollywood glam. I have a vintage 60s clown splash bottle and it is more like vintage No.5 or Coty L'aimant on me. It actually smells nicer than reformulated Chanel.

this opens with a powdery, soapy rose with woods. it's sheer and kind of ethereal. it stays pretty linear on me, i do not sense the jasmine. it's a clean, soapy, vintage rose. very nostalgic.

Ok sooo,I found a small bottle of this at my local goodwill for only 2 dollars. I bought it because the travel splash bottle was just really pretty. Now on to the fragrance........... oh boy....... how do I say this exactly, without being harsh?!?! .....plain and simple. This stuff is absolutely DISGUSTING!! It has florals,and some powdery notes,but it mostly just smells of putrid URINE! I WISH I was joking! Seriously,this is pee in a bottle! That's the main note in this ENTIRE fragrance. It's not cute,fun,sexy,pretty or any positive word in the English language. On the dry down,it smells like a dirty,dusty,thrift shop that only gets cleaned once a year. This is about as nasty as a fragrance can get. This stuff is absolutely foul!!!

I've tried several concentrations of Regence and I would highly recommend the 'cologne silk' (light green in color) or the perfume rollette (color should be light amber) over other versions. The examples of Regence cologne that I've tried are often damaged in the topnotes or even spoiled altogether. I've aquired one bottle of the cologne that still smells really nice though - the lighter the color of the juice, the better it smells. Go for very light colored juice in splash bottle The pure perfume, which is rather rare, smells DIFFERENT than other versions...almost like a totally separate scent altogether. It's a very pretty presentation box and flacon, but the unusual/inconsistent & lackluster (IMO) scent makes the pure perfume not really worth owning except for collecting purposes IMO. Now onto the fragrance... Regence is very powdery, combining classic waxy-smelling aldehydes with a soapy rose de mai. There may be a bit of ionone in here contributing a hint of violet. And it's fixed in the basenotes by oakmoss/patchouli/vetiver, a '60s groovy love musk, and possibly a barely perceptible pinch of vanilla, which make the fragrance strong and tenacious. I love the aldehyde + rose in this. Regence radiates a sort of classic, high-quality '60s French perfumery despite it being from an American brand. It is said that Avon spent a lot of money in developing Regence, sourcing fine floral essences from Grasse, France. I can believe it. Regence, with its Rose de Mai, really is a stunner if you like '60s powdery rosey aldehydic florals. It reminds me of Capricci by Nina Ricci (1960), and I agree with reviewer KRMarich below that Regence is somewhat similar to original Madame Rochas (1960) and to a lesser degree Caleche (1961), both aldehydic florals which were released a few years before Regence. But what Regence reminds me most of is.....Dove Soap. If you enjoy Dove bar soap, you will likely enjoy vintage Regence by Avon. And if you're looking for a fragrance that smells like Dove soap, look no further. Fun Fact: Regence was released in Europe as "Elegance." Same beige & malachite packaging and fragrance as Regence, but under the name Elegance, which they thought would resonate more for a European market.

I have a dram of Regence perfume circa 1967 in a cone-shaped "icicle" bottle which came in the original box. Smells like lots of soapy floral tones with loads and loads of roses and oakmoss underneath. One of the best Avon fragrances I have tried. It reminds me a lot of Calvin Klein Eternity but is a much older fragrance that was released in 1966. Also reminiscent of YSL Rive Gauche, which came out in 1971. I put a few drops on my wrist and it is really blooming. Another go at Regence and I get just a tiny bit of sandalwood at the bottom. I think this may be an aldehydic fragrance because it is super bright, a little Chanel 22 and Chanel 5. I am just learning to recognize aldehydic notes so I may be wrong. Definitely low on muskiness.

I found a small perfume OIL of this scent at the local thrift store for a dollar--WOW!! This form is GORGEOUS!! The oil has all the presence, elegance and timeless beauty of classic Lanvin Arpege or Carven Ma Griff---just dressy and womanly and sophisticated---I could imagine Ava Gardner wearing this to the Oscars!! I haven't really taken the older Avons very seriously until recently---dammit--these are WELL MADE real perfumes!!