The Life Challenge: The History Behind Avon Fragrances And Colognes

Avon Products Inc. began as The California Perfume Company in 1886, when the Union Publishing House changed both its name and the focus of its business from publishing to perfumes and cosmetics. The direct sales model still used by the Avon company today began with the California Perfume Company's earliest representative, Mrs. P.F.E. Albee. The company's first sales brochure was published in 1896. By 1902, the company had 10,000 sales representatives and was a pioneer in creating career opportunities for women at a time when most women did not work outside the home or were limited to clerical and domestic work.

The first products to bear an Avon brand name were launched in 1928. The California Perfume Company filed for its first "Avon" trademark on a beauty product in 1932, and officially changed its name to Avon in 1939.
Avon became a publicly-traded stock company in 1946, and expanded its business around the world over the second half of the 20th century.
In 2011, the company celebrated 125 years of business and has over six million sales representatives operating in more than 100 countries today. The company remains relevant in today's market through its use of technology for its products and for marketing, and has reached a new generation of customers through its use of celebrity spokesmodels such as Reese Witherspoon, Courtney Cox and Patrick Dempsey.
Avon expanded its offering to the youth market with the introduction of a new brand, mark, in 2003.
Perfumes have long been a staple in the Avon line, from the California Perfume Company's "Little Dot Set" of fragrances to the celebrity-endorsed fragrances offered by the company in the 21st century.
Avon has 202 perfumes in their fragrance base. Avon is an old perfume house. The earliest edition was created in 1959 and the newest is from 2012. Avon fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Nathalie Feisthauer, Firmenich, Jean-Pierre Subrenat, Laurent Le Guernec, Pascal Guarin, Yves Cassar, Carlos Benaim, Pascal Gaurin, Bruno Jovanovic, Calice Becker, Ellen Molner, Harry Fremont, Ann Gottlieb, Richard Herpin, Frank Voelkl, Reese Witherspoon, IFF, Christopher Sheldrake, Jean-Marc Chaillan, Jean-Louis Grauby, Ilias Ermenidis, Alberto Morillas, Marc Chaillant, Loc Dong and Stephen Nilsen.
So, which ones are your favorite? Do you have any of the "older" fragrances just lying around? Are you shocked by how long some of the fragrances have been around? I honestly didn't realize one of my favorite Avon fragrances, Imari was released in 1985.
Open a new box of crayons, and your mind is flooded with scenes from the first day of kindergarten. The smell of a snuffed-out candle can evoke memories of birthdays past. And a whiff of the right perfume can bring back times spent with a long-gone grandmother. I know whenever I smell a pink rose candle I am reminded of my grandmother. I have kept that candle for many years and simply enjoy the smell and the memories it brings.
More than sight and sound and touch, smell is the sense most linked to both memory and emotion. Scientists say this is probably because scent is so important to survival. Just think of kittens, eyes closed, learning who their mother is by her unique scent. Smelling and remembering smells help animals find edible food and avoid danger.
With that said, which of these fragrances or colognes bring back memories? Growing up in the 70's I remember several Avon scents from my mother. Helps remind me of pleasant memories.