Pheromone

My love affair with "Pheromone" goes back to 1990. I was an au-pair then in Miami and I received this fragrance as a birthday gift from a good friend of mine who was working as a flight attendant for Pan Am. She once told me, that on one of her flights back from Europe another flight attendant was wearing this fragrance and got tons of compliments and (indecent) proposals from male passengers while serving the first class..... I was so intrigued by this story that I wanted to get this fragrance so bad...but back then I did not have the money to buy it myself....so luckily, I received my first bottle as a gift :-) I was hocked from the first sniff and it became my all-time favourite for almost 18 years! For me it is one of the most unusual fragrances out there. (True, the story behind "Pheromone" how it was discovered in Egypt etc. etc. is truly fascinating and a PR masterpiece). When I smell the fragrance now, I get the "green" in it....back then, I did not somehow...all I got was the exotic spices and the warm, mystic notes. Thanks to "Pheromone" I started to appreciate the greener fragrances...like "Mitsouko " which this fragrance reminds me a bit, but "Pheromone" is not quite a "Chypre". I believe the magic of this fragrance is in the body chemistry! I know, "Pheromone" was extremely popular since it was released, but I think not everybody was wearing it well.... The beauty of this fragrance reveals itself only if applied with a very light hand. Too much of it and you will run for cover! So, it is no surprise to me, that it got the reputation of a major "stinker" but with any fine things in life....less is often more! Now and then, I wear "Pheromone"...I consider it a classic and therefore is not dated or old smelling. It is (still) a very unusual fragrance to this day - You will get noticed when you wear this gem....it is not for the shy and wallflowers out there.....you will need to wear it with an attitude of an Egyptian queen!

I've heard some people dislike some perfume when they first smell it and then come back to it and they fall in love with that scent...I've never experienced that until now. I got a great deal last summer on ebay and bought a vintage Pheromone by Marilyn Miglin, an eau de Parfum. When I got it I kinda liked it but I didn't love it, and I even liked it so little that I've propably only sprayed it like three times after the first spray. But today I tried it on and fell in love. ( The official notes are as follows Top notes:Bergamot, Leafy Greens, Orange Flower Mid notes:Jasmine, Geranium, Iris, Cassis Absolute Base notes:Sandalwood, Oakmoss and Vanilla Absolute ) ...not quite what was listed here in fragrantica but leafy greens include palm leaves, mint etc) The scent opens with a huge green leafy bomb, maybe a little bit aldehydic even. The sillage fills the room. Palm leaves are there for at least 30 minutes. As the scent warms on the skin it gets muskier, more flowery and woody. High quality jasmine is noticable. The basenote part is just the most amazing and my favourite part of the whole show. There is definitely some hardcore oakmoss which has been there the whole time. There's fabulous "vintage" Vanilla-Sandalwood combo among the oakmoss. Maybe even some civet? This drydown reminds me of Chanel no 5!

Dense, moody Aromatic/Green/Chypre. "Biblical" aromatic notes (picture Moses and the Pharaoh's daughters in the bulrushes) lead you into a marshy world of sullen, bruised florals and sodden, dark-green essences that remind one of a Louisiana bayou at twilight, or a hidden Florida salt marsh. Atop a powerful, nigh-indelible mossy chypre base. A fragrance Marie Laveau or Nefertiti would've prized. I think PHER'OMONE is a daring perfumer's masterpiece. It smells like nothing you know of. It is a love-it-or-hate-it number. It smells Yin... concave, recessed. Instead of projecting outward, it seems to be curved inward, if that makes sense. It smells like a real flesh-and-blood woman who has just shampooed her long hair and stepped out of the shower. Her body soaking wet, steamy warm and clean yet still offering hints of the smell of woman. Yin. Moody, sophisticated, mature, evocative. Not for young girls, cheerleaders, ingenues or sorority sisters. I agree with another writer who said that it smells Texan... haha.... like a Lynn Sakowitz Wyatt type: staggeringly, unfathomably rich and expensively turned out from head-to-toe... 80's helmet-hair and padded Dynasty shoulders, but with an oldschool working-class Texan accent you can cut with a knife.

This has been my signature scent since the early '90s and I have never fallen out of love with it. Living in Chicago, Marilyn signed purchases for me on the spot at Marshall Field's on at least two different occasions. I got to speak with her about when she was a dancer and she asked about my career. She has beautiful etiquette and is just a lovely person. I will never stop loving Pheromone. I adore the well-blended complexity of this fragrance, but definitely pull out the lotus, palm, and spices. The dry down is heaven. I've never received more compliments on a fragrance, although I wear it solely for my own enjoyment. Here's a tip for those of you who feel you need to buy vintage: You needn't. You can purchase the perfume or the perfume oil. Both are glorious and smooth, and haven't changed over the years. And you can order directly from Miglin's website, by phone, or stop in the boutique on Oak Street (yes, that's the luxurious Gold Coast) in Chicago.

This fragrance has become a staple in my collection since the very first time my date and "future" husband smelled it on me and found it simply irresistible, I was 22 yrs old then. I strongly believe that body chemistry and personality affect how a fragrance will tell its story on our skin rather than age. A truly beautiful fragrance is ageless! Pheromone is so unique ... I have not encountered a fragrance quite like it. This exudes luxury and sophistication and I am so happy that I discovered it in the midst of other common and generic scents that surround us. It is not for the weak, the initial spray comes out strong and spicy but then it dries down to an ethereal yet profound woodsy and floral notes blended so well that it's so hard to describe it other than ... infinitely provocative to the senses.