Tova Signature

So I have Tova Beverly Hills Signature Elixir. It comes in a clever little square bottle, and the fragrance sort of oozes around inside like a lava lamp full of prosecco. There's a lot of talk here about it being this any wild amalgam of things, and all I can guess is that, with its complex bouquet, it reacts very unpredictably to different people's chemistry. For my part, if I'd read the reviews or scent profile before trying it, I would have opted for something else. But it was given to me, about half used, a little old (maybe 2016 or thereabouts?) in an elegant, clear glass 50ml atomizer. Nothing else on the Tova page resembles this perfume, so I can only presume we are talking about the same thing. What we have here, is the modest discretion of a 1950s femme fatale playing it demure in diaphanous silk floral scarves, out for a Sunday drive with a handsome playboy. But underneath the lavender eyeshadow, and cool feline smile is Liz Taylor's Cleopatra. I didn't really believe in signature scents, but I really could wear this almost forever. It lingers and changes throughout the day with 2 spritzes on pulse points. No need for the aforementioned "Tova cloud". It would be a completely different animal if not activated properly, I think. It didn't smell anything this promising in the bottle, but every day it unfolds in theatrical splendour. Top notes - florals (I'm getting geranium, but maybe that's the jasmine - bergamot combination?). No lavender nonsense (which is generally repulsive, anyway). If it's there, it's well disguised. Base notes: musk, sandalwood, amber. The musk is subtly feral, like a squirrel in a tree, or a cat in the sun, not like Tabu's tiger-on-its-back smuttiness. I love it forever. And it does NOT smell like any sort of cleaning product! Fight me.

I have several bottles of the original black lidded, frosted bottle Tova, a couple of Signature Royal and a couple of the newest Tova Signature in the tall slim bottle with the gold cap and little bow on the neck. Personally, I ADORE them all! While I will trust that there are subtle differences in the scents, if only for the fact that good ol' fragrance laws (?!?!?) have made certain ingredients illegal. (Thank you, Big Brother, for saving us from ourselves...) But to my rather unrefined nose, these all smell delightful! Soft, confident, sexy. Clean with a dash of raunchy musk to keep it interesting. The past 3 days, I have worn the tall slim Tova Signature and all 3 days men have told me how wonderful I smell. Two of them wanted to know what it was. I wear many different wonderful fragrances but sometimes I wonder if those fragrances are wearing me rather than me wearing them. I never feel that way when I wear any of my Tova's. On my skin, the longevity is amazing! I put this on 17 hours ago. Four sprays, two on my torso and two on my back. Even after that many hours which includes an hour long run on a treadmill, I can still smell it on myself.

Good God this stuff has been around for a long time. And like so many others, it's been gutted. I will say this last version as shown in the picture is the most identical to the original. Which I like A LOT, but didn't love. I always loved Tova Nights better. Although the signature was nice too. My son always said it smells good, and my daughter said it is me, it smells like mom. I wish the IFRA would go and do something else. Sigh

I am so in love with this perfume! Smells soo delicate and well, "luminous", wonderful and glorious! I smell a lot of lavender, bergamot and teensy bit of musk that is not overpowering. All of these are perfectly balanced with each other and creates a wonderful elixir of deliciousness. Love Love Love this!!!!

I get so many compliments on this, it nice and light, great for the summertime.

I have to laugh and shake my head as I go through this interesting conversation in the comments. It's a little microcosm of how personal and subjective fragrance is. Shout out to Perfume_Guy... I get all the things that you're saying, and you're definitely not wrong. And I'm hoping that it isn't just nostalgia that makes my opinion different. But so help me, even if this darn juice has no distinct notes whatsoever and it does seem soapy (which is ALWAYS a code word that tells me to stay away when I see it in reviews...) still... I am in that camp that really enjoys this scent. I did have it decades ago, and I was a scent newbie. But I don't think it's that. There is something elegant here, even if it is a whisper scent. I usually like much LOUDER things, whether it's full of fruit, spice, citrus or any number of other things. For any curious person, give it a try and see where you fit on the scale of the weird spell this has cast over us!

I was recommended this scent by a fellow Fragrantica user when I was looking for a perfume that was similar to the old (early 2000s) version of Bath and Body Works Moonlight Path scent. I found this on QVC; I ordered a pack of two purse spray refills for $24. Overall, I like this scent. I wish the lavender were more noticeable, since the soapy aldehydes and bergamot drown it and pretty much everything else out. The musk and amber are faint, but they pop up every so often. This makes this perfume a great choice for people who don't want a strong musk note. It's a nice, versatile scent- good for all but the most formal workplaces and events. This is another one of those scents that pretty much only bothers people if the wearer bathes in a tub of the stuff.

This is such a lovely soft clean scent! It smells like you just got out of the shower, dried off with the softest fluffy cotton towel, and put your lotion on. It’s very understated, clean and calming. It’s a fabulous bedtime scent, you’ll sleep like an angel! I can’t see this being offensive to anybody, and it could be perfect for the workplace if you’re not allowed to wear fragrances or work in close quarters. It also could be worn in any season. It wears very lightly, like “your skin but better”. I personally like a bit louder fragrance, but this is very beautiful.

I get an overwhelmingly 'clean & soapy' vibe from this fragrance. No bergamont, though I believe the bergamot would have relieved the heavily cloying feeling of the soapiness I am experiencing. I am not feeling perfumed as much as I am getting the distinct impression I have been well lathered in a gloriously fragrant soap. I am not put off by it, nonetheless, it is not what I would have expected, given the notes. I do like it, but not enough to buy another bottle. Appropriate for bedtime use, prior to tucking in, or a nice frag for the office or a casual date.

Chic in the bottle.I love how it's just cover me a soft powdery cloud all day.It's light but very complex smell on my skin. I feel the pure feminity when I'm wearing it.Beautiful from the opening until the end.:) I found some similarities with The Body Shop White Musk.

My mother adores this fragrance. Smells very clean, expensinve, floral and really does cling. Unfortuately for me the very heavy handed aldehydes are unrelenting and cause me to have a stinking headache. I do love to smell it on my mother though.

I've worn Tova Signature since its original formulation - back circa 1990....right through the various iterations (when QVC bought Tova Borgnine's company out and used a different perfumer and what seemed to be different/cheaper source notes)....Now I've purchased the latest iteration which has a burnished gold top with a dark bow and is suppose to smell as close to the original as possible (considering the strict laws now about certain source notes). This is a nice formula, but is more of a hint of what the original Tova Signature smelled like back in the day. It's not bad though and if you like a light, skinscent that's mostly lavender, sandalwood and musk you might enjoy this.

I blind-bought this after seeing it on QVC a number of times, expecting an elegant, slightly soapy floral. I now understand why she always suggests the "Tova Cloud," where you spray it into the air and walk through. While this is fine on clothing, it's awful on my skin. It took me a while to place the scent but I think it smells like the Brown Bottle of Lysol my mother had when I was a kid. Just very chemical-y and strident, like a hospital. I know this is a beloved fragrance so it's probably a clash with my particular chemistry, but I was really surprised.

This is a classic. It's very powdery-soapy. A perfume close to it would be Estee Lauder White Linen. Signature has a great staying power and can be too overwhelming. When I had it, I found it interesting. By now I wouldn't buy it anymore, because it's so strong and clean. In the meanwhile there are some variations out. I like "Signature Autumn" most. My favourite Tova scent is "Body Mind Spirit" nevertheless.

I have the QVC version, and it smells like Ivory soap on me. I wouldn't wear it outside but only to bed after a bath or shower. Sillage is extremely weak, and I can sense some aldehyde notes that almost borders on smelling like "old lady."

Pickles. Seriously.......all I smell is pickles!!!! I am praying that this is just a bad bottle and that my skin has the ability to turn supposedly good juice into pickle juice!

I really enjoy wearing this fragrance. It’s light enough for day/office/day date wear yet has long lasting power for such a “clean and fresh” fragrance. It does wear down after maybe 3 hours to a skin-like scent. Like someone else mentioned, it’s in the same family of dreamy, fresh fragrances like Amazing Grace which I also very much enjoy, especially in the summer. Although it’s winter in Chicago now, I have found myself reaching for Tova every day for a week since my mom gifted me the perfume. I personally love the clean, soapy, ever so slightly creamy smell. It seems like a lot of commentary here leans against this type of fragrance. I tend to pull a lot of sweetness from perfumes so I have to be careful what I wear as some fragrances can become overbearing and cloying on me. But this, this is just serene goodness. When I wear it, I think a soft, loose, white cotton dress and a fresh breeze in the summer as I sip on a sparkling water. It brings joy to me.

Yes, Signature is predominantly a musk - at least the one I've got which I think is the latest incarnation. I see that it is indeed slightly reminiscent of JLo Glow, as someone else said. If you look on the QVC's, UK & US, you'll see very mixed reviews for this, as apparently the 80s one was stronger/better for a lot of people. I see what they mean by weak for a supposed EDP strength but I think, as someone said on QVC US, that you may not find it strong on yourself but it does project and others do notice it. It does also have quite an oily texture. For me, the musk element of Signature is more predominant than the 'clean' White Linenish aspect, which you do catch a lovely whisper of once in a while as you wear it. Overall, I quite like Signature, it's a welcome addition to my wardrobe as I was so bored of everything I have already and wanted something a bit different.

I Absolutely love"Love"LOVE Tova Signature Perfume & have been wearing it from Tova first ever brought it too QVC UK!! There simply is NO other Perfume out there that smells as divine as this wee beauty,& I can honestly say that no other Perfume I own gives me as many compliments as I get when I wear this little gem!! & being a Senior Theather Pre-Op Nurse I have to be really careful what I use when im at/in work Theather etc,& this NEVER let's me down!! Even the top Surgeon's alway's ask me "What is that gorgeous perfume that your wearing today"!! Im also really glad that it now seems to be as close to the original again as possible!! I hope they never tamper with this gem ever again!!

I've seen Tova's presentation on QVC many times, so one night I order it as a present for my Mom. Am I the only one thinks this perfume smells like a laundry detergent? I didn't smell any lavender, jasmine, musk, sandalwood and amber at all! all I smell was this "soapy" laundry detergent smell like I just took a shower with some random soap bar. can someone enlighten me on this fragrance? I've seen so many rave review on Tova Signature but I just don't see where is the allure, sexiness and the mystique of this fragrance that everyone loves?

A phlebotomist was wearing this and I had to know what it was and where to get it. It's a beautiful white musk to my nose. I bought myself a sample set and from there I ordered full sizes of this and one of the flankers for my sister's birthday because I knew she would adore it - it smells like our aunt's house and so far I have a collection of fragrances that smell like our aunt's house. This is like a bolder version of Philosophy Amazing Grace. I don't get soapiness at all.

Tova Signature is completely and absolutely divine. Beautiful. I've loved it forever, and will always. Thankfully I have a few bottles. I will always wear it, and I only get compliments, from everyone, everytime I wear it. It's heavenly. It makes me feel like a queen.

This smells like dry idea deodorant, which is “unscented” but still has this clean, almost sterile quality about it which I adore. Also, bug spray. On clean linen sheets, bathed in moonlight, with sprigs of silver lavender lost in the folds. I am obsessed with it.