China Rain

(Note before review: I do not see Body Time's China Rain as a default fragrance on Fragrantica, so I have to list Terranova's. It's the exact same fragrance; from what I understand they were once one company but split into two. But I use Body Time's product, not Terranova's) This stuff is a masterpiece. It's basically what everyone should ideally smell like after they shower. Just a sharp, clean, musky floral. And of course like many masterpieces, it's inevitably copied. J.Lo's "Glow", the scent that started Jennifer Lopez's fragrance empire, is a blatent and embarrassing dupe of China Rain. As the story goes, Ms. Lopez was a fan of the product for years and frequently ordered it from the Body Time store. And when she decided to make her own fragrance, woooooow... what a coinkidinck... it smells just like China Rain. But there is an important difference. The dry down. As time passes, underneath Glow's China-Rainy mask you're left with nothing more than something plastic and synthetic (ironically similar, in my opinion, to J.Lo. Underneath the spectacular beauty you're left with a tired, self-absorbed, whiny diva). China Rain doesn't do that. It remains China Rain throughout. And the longevity (of China Rain, not Glow) is AMAZING. I don't know about you, but I hate respraying fragrances after a couple of hours, or having to carry around a small decant of the stuff because you know it's gonna fade away. Unless it's a three dollar body spray it shouldn't do that. But China Rain lasts and lasts. Some thoughts: -It is marketed as a women's fragrance but it is unisex. Men can rock it. -If you like "Glow", please give China Rain a try. It is hands down the superior product all around (including sillage and longetivy) and it's only about 20 bucks for the cologne (it also comes as a veeeery concentrated oil which is well worth the extra money. A few dabs of the oil and forget "rain", you're in a China Typhoon). -Be forwarned: this stuff is strong! A dab will do you you. -Is both a casual and a nighttime fragrance (yay) and is appropriate for day or night use. -Great for all seasons (I personally love scents that are like that!) but shines in spring and summer. Not ideal for beach use though. I mean, you can, but there are better picks out there for the sun and the sand. -Very young to very old can work this. It's very versitile! -Only "con", and a minor one at that, is it's not terribly appropriate for the workplace. If you must wear this to the office, just a touch, please! As stated, the sillage is cray cray. You don't want to offend anyone. Not everyone digs this kind of fragrance because of the sharpness.

Cross-posting this part of my review from Terranova Rain, in case it's helpful to anyone looking for China Rain or wondering about who made what version: Since there seems to be a bit of confusion about how Terranova, the Body Shop, and Body Time fit together, here's the scoop: The original Body Shop in Berkeley, CA (so named because it occupied the premises of a former auto body shop), was opened by Jane Saunders and her sister Peggy in 1970. In 1987, they sold the rights to its name to Anita Roddick, who had founded the UK-based Body Shop and was willing to pay handsomely to be able to use this name in the US market too (this is the Body Shop brand we're all familiar with today). The Berkeley natural bodycare shop was renamed Body Time, and its burgeoning wholesale arm was called Terranova. Jane Saunders' daughters eventually took over both halves of the business until they themselves retired and shuttered everything in 2020. As other people here have mentioned, there are a few places that have acquired the Body Shop/Body Time/Terranova original formulas and continue to produce the company's signature scents. Perfectly Scentsable out of Ashland, OR, is one - I've tried both their Rain and China Rain and they seem spot-on to me. Scents By The Bay, also located in Berkeley, is another one I recently ran across but haven't tried yet - they also claim to be working with the Saunders' original formulas and have a whole section on their website dedicated to Body Time scents.

I love this little gem! So soft, clean and gentle. The musk here is light and graceful, the lily note delicate and fresh. The overall vibe is joyful, innocent and pure. I like to wear this to bed after a bath. Blissful relaxation! EDIT: I love this soooo much! It’s a beautiful base for anything clean, green, musky or powdery (so a huge range of fragrances). Currently wearing it layered with Love, Chloe... which is a divine, clean powder bomb. But just putting it out there for others with different tastes. This works beautifully as an amplifying base for so many clean, green, powdery or white floral perfumes. And a tiny oil ($20) lasts an age. Worth trying out!

I was searching for a clean, shower-fresh frangrance to wear to yoga class and this (but by Body Time, not TerraNova) was recommended. I blind bought the cologne version last month and the bottle is already half gone, that's how much I love it. I plan to order the oil next, and soon. Applied after a shower in the morning, I can still smell this on my skin at bedtime, but much softer and so warm. It wears nice and close (the way I like it) and is a skin-but-better scent to me. As a bonus, China Rain layers well with so many fragrances, even gourmands, which surprised me. Divine layered with Alkemia Aanandha and Kyse Oiu Plus.

I see a few different bottles on ebay. Some has rain drops printed on the bottle, some just have words "china rain". One is fake? Or both legit? What do you know about bottle design? I am trying not to buy a knock off. Update: I bought one with rain drops on the bottle (see picture on the official TerraNova website). I love it. Reminded me about Casual by Paul Sebastian. Very close. I dislike its oil form. I want it to be spray! Lovely scent but I have oil form. It is very subtle, so you need to spread a lot all over your skin and it is greasy. I will buy Glow J Lo because people say it is a dupe and it is spray.