I'mperfect
Avon (2004)

Avon I'mperfect is really quite the lark in the 2000's "Renaissance Overreach" period of the house, where under CEO Andrea Jung, they would rotate in and out unprecedented numbers of fragrances, branching into new lines, markets, and products, before running up a tab that crushed them financially. Some of their greatest, albeit least-known and shortest-lived fragrances would come from this period (with some of my personal favorites with production spans under a year), and I'mperfect is one such creation. Simply put, Avon I'mperfect is the unisex fragrance that almost was, and I say almost because it looks and smells unisex from the name and asymmetrical striped bottle, thanks to the citrus-lead dusty white floral ambiance, but was marketed only in the men's portion of the Avon catalog. It's funny to see listings of old stock on eBay go both under men's and women's fragrance headings, which is a testament to it's unisex design, but I have a feeling that Avon was just too "good ol' fashioned American conservative values" minded to market anything as unisex, even in the 2000's under a progressive spendthrift CEO like Jung. What's more amazing is the composition here was mirrored very closely by Calvin Klein cK All (2017) almost 15 years later and that scent is undoubtedly unisex. The base of I'mperfect does veer masculine at the end (but so do several "unisex" cK Series scents as well), and suffers from typical Avon performance in regards to projection, but is rather quite nice. Because it was made to be sold to men, I'mperfect does have an aftershave component, which makes it perhaps the only unisex-smelling scent to do so, even if it is a creme balm and not a splash.

Avon I'mperfect opens with manadarin just like cK All, but adds in a bit of citron and juniper. The top doesn't last long as the middle of orange blossom and cascalone come in, which is an older and very similar molecule to the custom "paradisone" found in cK All. Parallels end with the top and middle, as these are still 13 years worth of perfuming chemistry advancements apart from each other. The base of I'mperfect goes much sweeter, meatier, and woodsy than cK All, with Iso E Super, tarragon, a slightly more vanillic version of classic Avon amber, oakmoss, and musk. In fact, the biggest thing that separates Avon I'mperfect from Calvin Klein cK All is the inclusion of real oakmoss in the base, which regardless of everything else, makes I'mperfect actually the superior fragrance, since that buttery finish slides up next to amber and tarragon, allowing us to forgive the scratchy Iso E Super woods display. There's even a bit of a phantom tea note here that's interesting. The base definitely shines through on skin, but if you enjoy the dusty citrus white floral top and middle, just spray on shirt, effectively layering the scent with itself as you'll get the top all day on clothes, and the base all day on skin. Avon I'mperfect also has the convenience of being a very transparent scent, which allows you to layer it on top beefier moss-based aftershaves or richer gourmands for a dynamic twist, almost like layering an eau de cologne with something heavier; you definitely can't do THAT with a cK One fragrance. Avon I'mperfect is light, airy, with a surprisingly muscular base compared to other unisex fragrances but then again, it technically ISN'T one, is it? I'mperfect was one of the earlier Eau de Toilettes marketed to men in the 2000's, so longevity is respectable at about 6 hours on skin, longer on shirt.

It's rare that Avon ever does anything ahead of it's time, although it had done just that with a few proto-aquatic masculines throughout the 50s, 60's, and 70's, or aromatic fougères that get called copies of later designers (because Avon always copies everyone else...), so seeing them make a fragrance that utilizes a style which would come into vogue as unisex well over a decade beforehand is unsurprising to folks who know their Avon history. The real question here is what followed sheer coincidence, or did Harry Freemont cannibalize his own work when teaming with Albert Morillas to make cK All? Freemont isn't listed as the nose for I'mperfect, as Avon tended not to list their perfumers most of the time back then, but he did notably work with Avon in the 2000's, so it's probable that he worked on this. The nearly identical top and middle between Avon I'mperfect and Calvin Klein cK All is too obvious to ignore, despite the 13 year gap. I'll leave the sleuthing to the professionals here, but that's my two cents. I'mperfect varies wildly in price in the aftermarket from single-digit to designer MSRP, so shop carefully if you're looking to try it. I'mperfect is just a bright, pleasant, crisp, and lightly-sweet scent with a woodsy moss dusting in the base, suitable in summer for a person of any gender, just sadly way ahead of it's time and thus discontinued. You can substitute with cK All if you want, but that one is too dusty and harsh for colder climates, whilst Avon I'mperfect is nearly year-round perfect for casual use.

For someone, who has tried almost all of Avon scents for men, I was pretty surprised by "I'mperfect". It is pretty sweet for something that cheap. I hadn't expected from Avon to go in that sweet direction for a casual scent for Men.

It's not much (it's still Avon) but for that price it's not bad.