Colors de Benetton (Original)

AMBER HARMONY. Crunchy green florals, fruits, herbs & animals all come together enriching the mossy forest floor, from which the cedar tree processes its golden amber. Essentially an amber scent (and is categorized as such despite the absence of amber in the notes or main accords), this opens with a cacophony of greens, fruits and flowers that within a few minutes to half-an-hour, all coalesce into a beautiful soft amber harmony. As it's metamorphosing, some reminders for me of Aura Mugler EDT and Ulysse Vicky Tiel. When it's at the amber stage, I get balsam shampoo and Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo. Hearkens to memory, the vintage Benetton ads, from around the time of release, that featured models of several different ethnicities grouped harmoniously together - something that wasn't widely done in the 1980s. This is long discontinued, but vintage bottles are still available on Etsy. I spent my allowance on this when I was 12 in Disneyworld at the Italian Pavilion Epcot Centre. As a kid I always loved this, but wondered why the distinctive notes disappeared so fast... Update 07/27/24: Sprayed this on the back of my hand this morning and was pleasantly surprised at how much the performance has improved. The notes are all more clear now, with the exception of pineapple which is very soft (probably due to how citruses age, getting less bright). It's so much stronger than I remember and the Madagascar Vanilla has come a lot more forward, in the base. Mind = blown.

This scent was the scent of sex and adventures to me, it was intoxicating, addictive, relentless and I wanted it all of the time, every day and night it was my whole being. I became its loyal slave. I am not surprised it's by B Ellena, the man is a genius at capturing feelings and Colours really is about that coming of age and everything thats attached to that memory. Bottles... I'VE HAD A FEW... ! I had to giggle at Monaleesa's story, oh yeah, the big bottle had to be bought!! Do not touch any reformulation of this, you will wonder what we're all talking about... and you'll miss the intoxicating ride of this fantastic, completely UNIQUE vintage formulation.

I bought this at the mall back in high school, 1992. My bff bought something...I forget what. She was a fragrance lover though and was wearing Dali, Dune, and Joop in 11th grade. We went out one Friday night and bought perfume. A lot of girls wore this back in the 80s and early 90s. My high school smelled like this, Calyx, Beautiful, and Obsession. Going back in my memory this smelled quite unique and I've yet to stumble upon a dupe. Maybe, just maybe Kat Von D Sinner?? Herbal. Almost like a good herbal, spicy 80s shampoo like Flex. Look at all those notes! Sounds weird, huh? They worked together though. It was a deep, youthful scent and I miss it terribly.

If you went in a Benetton in the late 80's, this scent would overwhelm you. I remember it being fruity, loud and spicy; a perfect representation of the colorful clothing at Benetton at the time. When I remember being a teen of the 80's, this is what I smell. It's one of those scents you will never forget. Edit: I bought a vintage bottle of this and it's just as I remember. It still smells great and the performance is still crazy even for a vintage EDT. What a wonderful and unique fragrance this is!

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have this fragrance in my life again . . . I loved this stuff. It reminds me of big perms, Aussie Sprunch Spray, orthodontist appointments, Wet and Wild frosted pink lip gloss, Guess and Esprit sweatshirts, and teen angst. It was different from the other scents I was wearing at the time (Exclamation, Malibu Musk, Tribe), and seemed deeper and more mature to my teenage nose. It just smelled so good . . . sigh. At least I have those memories . . .

oh God this was my childhood love scentwise. I miss the fealing this one gave me . I fealt so mature and grown up .This scent so fresh ,clean not to fruity not to citrusy . This somehow was just right . I would realy love to smel it again . I have just memorys about it so i realy cant tell how it smells like today . This im sure i have been thrue 5 bottles of that was how much i loved it . If someone knows of scents similar to this please let me know

This in 1 of the first fragrances I owned and still do. Quite a few years back I was lucky enough to be able to buy 2 bottles from Canada, although I live in The Netherlands. It's a friendly perfume, not offending. I used to wear it almost every day and have used about 20 bottles of it (bigger clear bottles and smaller painted bottles). Now I still wear it but want to make sure I don't run out of it :-) I love, love this scent.

This was my first real perfume that i got as a gift from my mom when i was in high school. She bought one bottle each for me and my sister on a trip to Rome. I still ADORE it and i am so sad it is discontinued or reformulated :( I think it has one of the highest ratings also that ive seen here on Fragrantica (though not the most votes) and very few dislikes. I wish they would bring it back!! 🙏🏻

This was the first perfume that I was aware of that wasn't from the Body Shop - everyone wanted it and we used to go to Boots on the High Street at lunchtime from High School to spray it (pour it) on ourselves before we could afford to buy it. I recall that it was a fresh fruity smell unisex (that was novel then!) young and fun.

got this as a gift from my aunt long long time ago, really love the scent. it's smelled heavenly for me really wanted to buy more bottles , sadly for me no more available in my country . later i found benetton united dreams stay positive and I think the smell remind me of this Colors the benetton

I have 2 vintage miniatures. This feminine fruity-floral fresh is good. Semi-chypre, semi-sports water with all the sophistication and quality of perfumes from the 80-90s. A very rich and harmonious bouquet, not a single note itches or blows your mind. This is a very correct perfume.

this is the first ever fragrance I got myself. I think I was around 10. it was adorable then. now I can hardly remember the scent but I remember the feeling everytime I wear it. time is so fast...

This was one of my favorite scents! Every summer they would come out with a large lotion and I would always get so many compliments on the scent. I miss this fragrance so much!

This perfume is seriously sweet and fruity! I get a lot of compliments when I wear it. It's definitely a playful scent, perfect for daytime.

Good lord, I miss this stuff so much. The reformulation doesn't come close.

Is unique, i want this again..... So good.

Testing a vintage mini, likely from the late 80s or very early 90s: This is a really fun one, because out of my slow exploration of vintage samples, this is one of the first that feels like I can triangulate between some other, more well-known fragrances. Namely, Mugler's Angel and Cacharel's LouLou. I was pretty surprised when I first applied Colors de Benetton by how much the opening on my skin smelled like a variation on Angel - that same dry patchouli note overlaid with sugar, but instead of candied sugar, it's the syrup from a tin of fruit salad, heavy on the pineapple. That doesn't last too long, and then it starts to feel like a more restrained LouLou: juicy, tropical dusk, warm. Again, the pineapple and peach give the tropical impression instead of LouLou's tiare flower and plum. In the drydown, the patchouli returns, the pineapple sparkles on top, and the flowers support the whole composition. I find this incredibly wearable in 2026 if you want a daytime perfume with that Memphis 80s vibe without worrying it's going to overpower every enclosed space you happen to be in.

This is a strange fragrance I can't quite make up my mind about. It's been decades since I've been in a Benetton store in the search for that perfect light grey cardigan - don't scoff, I rocked it! At some point I came across the fragrance, and then promptly forgot it. I don't wear cardigans anymore either. At this point in my life I'm probably too old for vintage C. but that's OK. Pineapple doesn't wear well on my skin, and come to think of it back in the Benetton era I used to wear Armani and KL. Anyway, C. starts out with a soft pineapple note and goes on to become an oakmossy floral. Soft is the keynote concerning sillage and lasting power, too. C. is a cheery, youthful fragrance, and a lot better than what's being marketed to younger consumers these days. According to other reviewers the remake isn't very good, and I'm not interested in testing it. Vintage C. by B. is a nice fragrance but to me it's mainly a memory aide.

Recently acquired a vintage bottle of this, after a newer scent reminded me of it. It's a bit more unisex than I remember it being. I remembered it being slightly sweeter but the drydown heads to powdery citrus, with a touch of sweetness on me now. Although it smells close to my memory on first application, the sage seems to take center stage after a while. I still like it - this scent always reminds me of the fashion and beauty magazines I devoured as a kid in the 80s and 90s.

As a kid, I loved this perfume. I discovered this scent hidden in my parents wardrobe gifted by my aunt who worked in Spain before. The pentagonal bottle and the colorful box is very memorable. Fresh and fruity, and longevity is also a killer. Of course, I am describing the pre-Reformulation Era bottle here. original 80's-90's release: 8/10 olfactorx.blogspot.com

The fragrances of the 90's and early 2000's were total quality. They lasted forever and projected for days. If you compare the number of components to todays blends they really are no match. Perfumes were so nuanced, complex and rich. This is no exception. I loved it. It was a floral oriental that any age could get away with.

Oh my god....the pineapple 🍍 and the tuberous play and amazing part....the first spray is gorgeous abs it settles so creamy and sweet. Just bare in mind I like this cause it takes me back to the 90s when perfumery was stunning.....but I wouldn’t say this is a safe blind buy as it can amaze lots but disgust a bunch of others.

I have a bottle from 1994 and it smells stunning. It takes me back to my childhood the basil smells amazing and it still has the strength from back time. Oh my god you this scent is so 90s like Giorgio Beverly Hills. Despite being launched in late 80s this one has got that new era smell of the 90s

I used it in highschool and really liked it. Somewhat unisex, should I say? Never liked the bottled though: it lacks the juvenile spirit of the brand, is too structured and geometric thus downgrading the fragrance.

I think I have found the difference! The green one is not a reformulation, it was supposed to be the same scent. I had the one with the colored letters, I even had a plastic one with builtin spray with all colors on it. I remember it to be a herbal fruity heavy perfume. I can clearly remember them changing to other bottles, green for women an blue for men and somehow I even think there was a red and yellow one? Anyhow, the scent was the same. This mustve been around 1992/1993. I bought one around 2000. Scent was the same. Now I still have one with colored letters and a green one. Scent is the same. Bottles marked as Colors de Benetton eau de toilette and made in France and as far as batchcodes they are made from 1995/2005, codes are repeated every ten years, so 1985 and 2015 are impossible. Now last week I found another green one, the scent is totally different, herbal spicy light, with some memory of the original. But now the bottle is slightly lighter green, tad different lettering, code says its 2008, name is United Colors of Benetton eau de toilette on the bottom of the bottle and made in Italy. Made and/or distributed by Selective Beauty Saint Denis. I looked it up and it appears they took over the brand in 2005! So I think that is the point where the scent started to change . I also see the batchcode consisting of less than 5 numbers before and after the takeover and/or reformulation also having the a lettter and 6 digits. Can anybody please check their bottle and see if yours is indeed a Selective Beauty one and different than you expected? By the way you can also see the difference in branding after 2005. Before was colors, tribu, hot and cold and some others. After 2005 the big logo appears on the bottles and there is an explosion of new scents I think the main change/difference is made in France versus made in Italy.

I gambled and bought a vintage mini of this as I have been taking a trip down memory lane the past month and have an overwhelming urge to revisit frags I haven’t smelled in decades. I have begun the acquiring...amassing...ummm...hoarding process full FORCE. As a result, I’ve joined the fragrance whore club 😂...ZERO shame in this game. I never did have a bottle of this when it came out when I was in High School, but my smellmemory seems to recall some aspects of it...such as the initial BIG BLAST of Pineapple. We didn’t have a Benetton store on the west side of town where I lived, the closest one was downtown Portland in the Galleria (as @forallinose mentioned below....yep...that Benetton across the mall from the Jay Jacobs store that employed the HOTTEST guys back in the day ...am I right or am I right @forallinose??). Sorry...I couldn’t resist 😂 Just fun seeing a fellow Portlander on here. Ok back to Colors...Welp....received my mini ( in splash form, clear bottle, black cap, Colors written in different colors on each side), and my gamble did NOT pay off this time...I got a bottle that had clearly gone to Sh*t. Bummer. I had tried to go the right route in finding a mini whose juice hadn’t turned to the color of a dehydrated person’s pee. That obviously wasn’t enough. As I am not one to give up, and seeing that a few of you have managed to score some that have not been subjected to the same fate that the bottle I bought had, I’m looking for some pointers on how/where to acquire some of this juice that still may be reasonably intact. Msg me if ya got any!

This came out when I was in High School. I remember exactly where the Benetton store was located at the mall. I recall shopping there for clothes, and have a memory of how unique and interesting this perfume seemed when it first came out. If you go back and watch the 80s commercials, or look at the ads from that time period, it gives you a good idea of what the fashions were like, and the message they were trying to convey. The perfume was an interesting blend of fruit, floral, and herbal/ woody notes. I recall it lasted all day, and had massive sillage and projection. It was easily identifiable as Colors De Benetton, the same way you wouldn’t confuse Liz Claiborne, Giorgio, Anais Anais, Paris, LouLou, Poison, or any of the other popular perfumes from that time for anything else. It was at its best when it first came out in 1987, in the clear bottle, and for a few years after.

I had this. And the people that are saying pineapple?? I’m saying umm where !? I too am a teen of the late 80s..and had all the typical scents of that time but I was more poison opium and Lou Lou on occasion and anais anais ( but only because I had just discovered the author) and wanted to feel like sassy French gal ha. So I had some sweaters from Benetton my mom bought me this. Well it was strong! There were some scents from that time that I hated this was one of them! I didn’t know why then, I do know as I’ve grown up and my knowledge has grown in perfume...I think it’s oak moss!! I just don’t like it. I’ve discovered all the perfumes that gave me a headache? Had the oak moss ...well lesson learned ha but it was a nice trip back to the 80s remembering it

I can’t be the only dude that wore this! Back in 1988, this was my summer. I tried the men’s version, and it was ok, maybe even good. But this was so much better, even for a guy. The men’s version smelled slightly sweet, but it had a chemical nuance that was a little off-putting, like Endust (NOT Lemon Pledge). The women’s version was heady, strong but not overbearing, complex, sweet, but not cloying, and as others have noted, was unisex despite its label as a women’s fragrance. I rocked this stuff with my cuffed acid washed jeans, my bright teal Swatch Watch, and a mullet. I wish they would bring back this original formulation.

I loved this layered with Dior's Poison - you would imagine the result would be the equivalent to a massive blow horn (maybe to others it was who knows, haha) but to my nose they blended perfectly. I have purchased several vintage bottles only to find that every one of them had turned so it would appear I am out of luck. * If anyone has a good vintage bottle and wants to swap decants please let me know - I would love to combine the 2 again just for the trip down memory lane.

I have a vintage sample I found at the thrift store. And although I don’t notice much pineapple, the rest of it remains wonderful. I don’t usually wear oak moss or ambers or herbal perfumes, but I can’t stop sniffing my arm. I wish I had more! This perfume came out when I was a teen and I always wanted a bottle. Wouldn’t it be fun if they brought it back?

I was 23 in 1987 when I bought a bottle of this at the Benetton store in the Galleria in Portland, Oregon. I'm pretty sure it was the only fragrance I owned at the time because I didn't have a lot of money. I haven't smelled it in years, but I still remember that it was a beautiful fragrance at a terrific price. Wish they still made it.

I too want to smell this fragrance again! I used it in high school. I miss it and would love to smell the sent again... I don't know if I would even like it as an adult-- but I would sure love to see for myself! I think Benetton no longer makes it... and i would be kind of scared to smell a bottle new or not from the late 80 early 90s.

Herbal, fruit, orange blossom, incense and sweet woods. This smells like 1987 in the best way possible. This is like a cross between an old school green fruity floral chypre like Quartz, Creation or Halston , crossed with an ambery, mossy one like Must, Obsession or Moschino.

Iconic fragance! of cult! Morden and vanguardist ... with the hold and power of the icons from previous decades... Really complex, intoxicant, magnetic ... Similar to nothing!!! It was reformulated horribly years later.

I WANT THIS BACK SOOOOO BAD! lol.. Such a great scent!