At The Beach 1966

At the Beach 1966 is an extraordinarily accurate -- and extraordinarily *evocative* -- olfactory replication of a hot day at the beach in the northeastern United States in the late 1960s. For those of the right age and background to have memories of such days, this fragrance's effect can seem almost uncanny. One whiff and I can see the schmear of white zinc oxide on my Uncle Joel's nose and feel the elastic around the leg holes of my Speedo chafing me where the sand and salt got caught beneath it. This is not perfume as fashion, but perfume as art. It is a narrative rendered entirely in smell. The narrative opens with the unmistakeable sweet, chemical smell of Coppertone -- not current Coppertone, but the Coppertone suntan lotion of the late '60s and early '70s, back before anyone called it "sunscreen," back when only the palest and stodgiest of middle-aged grown-ups used the bottles that came with SPF ratings. It is a very distinctive smell, and in the context of this fragrance, it operates almost as a chevron pronouncing the time and place in a film might. It is the olfactory equivalent of a title card reading "August, 1966." Having thus established the time frame of the narrative, the suntan lotion accord seems to recede somewhat, allowing other smells to come forward to share the spotlight. There is a realistic sea water accord, cold and so briney you can practically taste it. A touch of ozone gives the impression of the breeze coming off the water. Then there is the mineral tang of hot beach sand, the organic chalk of crushed shell. There is a dry and sun-bleached woody note: a boardwalk, perhaps, or possibly a set of silvered cedar planks laid as a pathway across some sharp-grassed dunes. And then, as dry-down approaches, there comes what to me is the most extraordinary note of all: a smell that I can only describe as that of hot skin. Not the smell of sweat, mind you, but the smell of skin that has been heated by the sun. It is a hot sunny skin smell. So compelling was this illusion of warmth, of literal *heat,* in fact, that I actually found myself doing a touch test, just to convince myself that the skin where I had applied the fragrance wasn't really any warmer to the touch than my bare skin elsewhere. Now that is extraordinary. While the show At the Beach puts on is stunningly evocative, it does not last very long -- not, at any rate, in the water perfume (the absolute might well last longer). In a few hours, it is all over save for a white musk rather reminiscent of dryer sheets, which sticks around for some time after the narrative proper has ended. But that's just as well, really. It's hard to imagine wearing this fragrance the same way one might wear, say, something that you slap on in the morning to smell nice for the next eight hours at your workplace. And frankly, I'm not sure if I'd really *want* to smell like mid-century suntan lotion all day long. A shorter duration seems more appropriate for a fragrance that acts so effectively as a window to another time, another place. As a memory in a bottle.

Just back from 'Liberty' in London, one of the few places that stocks I Hate Perfume. I went specifically to try this on, this is how intrigued I was by it's name and the reviews here. First of all let me say that I'm in no way experienced in desctibing a scent, so please bear with me. The only 'beachy' fragrance I've tried up to now was Bobbi Brown's 'Beach'. The 'At the Beach 1966' is all the same emotion without the sickening (and very straightforward feminine) jasmine top note that seems to be covering the underlying sand, water, beach essence. 'At the beach' is unisex, fresh but not citrusy, almost as if a rush of sea air is entering your lungs, mixed with minerals and a lingering smell of not coconuty sunscreen that is very faint in the background. It reminded me of a beach, but not a crownded or a tropical one, an oceanic scenery and the feel you get when you have just come out of the water. I could also sense some cucumber notes (not my favorite and faint enough thankfully). I tried the essence, hence the most concetrated form of this scent and I'm sad to say that 2 hours afterwards I can barely smell it... Like holidays on the beach it didn't last long:( Edit Jan 2013: Finally succumbed and bought the absolute of this liquid memory. Its longevity isn't as good as I hoped but it's very good layered with Bobbi Brown's Beach

I've never smelled 45-year-old suntan lotion, so I'm going to ignore the fact that this was meant to smell like a particular product. If you told me this was a new Gendarme, I'd believe you; right away it has a similar lush green and floral aspect to my beloved but unpurchased Gendarme Green, or even Kiehl's Forest Rain, but the florals are turned up a notch, which might make this serve well as a women's scent. I agree that the sea air is playing a role here, with a trace of something like Aqua Motu, but I wonder if it's simply because we think the beach "smells like suntan lotion" or vice versa, from being so used to that association. Later, the bright freshness starts to fade and leaves behind more powderiness, though I wonder if the note progression in a "water perfume" should be slower because the solvent sticks around longer. By the base, it's a lot closer to just being a standard women's floral scent, but still hasn't totally crossed over because the standard suntan lotion notes (partially violet?) are relatively sharp and assertive. For those of you who are into masculine or not-too-feminine florals, or fans of the Gendarme line, this is definitely worth a try, though I'm not sure I'd use it myself. Thumbs up for uniqueness!

Just like the fragrance notes indicate, this is an aquatic that mimics being at the beach. A bit of sand, a bit of suntan lotion and the only thing that's missing in the experience is having water in my ear. I liked the scent better as a sample than when I got it, although in truth, it may be a dramatic difference in the types. Admittedly, the sample I had was of the absolute version and the bottle I bought was the 100ml water perfume. If I were to rebuy, I'd definitely buy the absolute. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful fragrance but I'm guessing that many of the people who are absolutely in love with it, equate it with nostalgic memories of their past. Overall, I'd have to say it's a very good summer aquatic but I can think of better or different choices for summer wear, such as Creed's Virgin Island Water or Guerlain's L'eau. In addition, this fragrance is nearly identical to Bobbi Brown Beach but a bit more expensive.

Some friends were talking about "Coppertone" so I Googled it, simply to see what the dominant note was. (We were arguing jasmine versus orange. I was on the jasmine side.) I came upon reviews for this perfume and the Bobby Brown version. The reviews for the CB version were so positive that I immediately ordered the sample from CB I Hate Perfume. OMG, it IS the original Coppertone! To me there's a lovely melon/jasmine thing going on and it really does dry down to a sand/surf mood. The ingredients have a nice, rich, quality feeling. Nothing cheap about this scent! It's December now, and the beachy thing is just what I need to feel up during these dark nights. So I'll be ordering a full bottle and wearing this one regularly. I can still smell it at 6:00PM (put it on at 8:00am this morning), and I'm still not tired of it. Can't wait to try some of his other scents, as well.