Pro Fitness for Men
Avon (1996)

Avon Pro Fitness for Men (1996) was the male counterpart of a pair, both fragrances themed around the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). Avon Products was lucky enough to become a sponsor for the US team, which put the ailing cosmetics direct-selling brand back under the cultural spotlight in its former home market of the US, helping to increase interest in the brand once more. This move would help send Avon upwards sales-wise, culminating in ventures with athletes into the 2000's which lead to record growth in sales. Unfortunately, these sales were pretty much countered by rapid and expensive market expansion, that left enough red ink for Avon to be purchased by its creditors in 2016 and moved to the UK. Oh well, at the time Pro Fitness for Men launched, Avon was riding high on the renewed attention towards its fragrances, leading ultimately to better ones than there had been for over a decade (including improvements to men's releases). Pro Fitness for Men itself sold really well, and is effectively a fresh green musk crossed with some fougère elements to adequately "man it up", while being deliberately kept light as an advertised "sport cologne". Fans of simple, clean 90's fare will recognize the vibe of Pro Fitness for Men right away, as countless designers and mass market brands rushed simular products onto the market around this time.

The opening is fresh juniper and some fruity-metallic aldehydes that remind me of peaches, with dihydromyrcenol and rounded by lavender. There isn't much noticeable natural citrus here, just that bright peachey laundry sheets vibe. Geranium, clary sage, and tomato leaf make a linkage, then I get a tiny bit of violet and iris ionones too, but not enough to pull this into Kiton for Men (1996) territory. The fresh rounded juniper vibe would also be revisited in Avon Prospect (2003) a few years later. All told, this scent bridges that fragrance to Avon Maxx (1996), a fresh fougère release concurrent with Pro Fitness for Men. The base is clean musks, a Calvin Klein Eternity for Men (1989) vibe from similar linalool-heavy synthetic base materials, synthetic woody molecules, "avon amber" and a speck of tonka. I am hesitant to call this fougère because it feels far soapier than it does green or "fern-like", being of a common thread to something like Clinique Chemistry (1994) from a few years before or Prada Amber pour Homme (2006) from a decade later. Performance is light but detectable in the projection department, while longevity is actually pretty decent, making this office-capable like the Prada. One thing is certain: You will offend absolutely no one, in true 1990's fashion. I'm a sucker for soapy, so this one hooked me super duper fast.

Pro Fitness for Men paved the way for some really good stuff that helped Avon climb out of their fragrance malaise, especially with men. Starring! for Men (1997), Far Away for Men (1998), Friktion for Men (1999), and Perceive for Men (2000) all followed Pro Fitness for Men out of the shadows. The latter would become a rather unique favorite that remains available today. If you're a fan of soapy clean, there is a lot to love about Pro Fitness for Men, and it's all refreshingly devoid of the usual Avon kitsch too, as the packaging is plain and focused on Olympic sponsorship advertisement. Pro Fitness for Men is the soft creative direction reboot Avon needed to be relevant for men again, and because it was, Avon took the opportunity to begin re-orchestrating Avon Wild Country (1967), then eventually re-introducing Avon Black Suede (1980), which somehow went onto be the brand's biggest seller for men. Pro Fitness for Men itself is simple as it looks, functional, satisfying, and oddly un-Avon in vibe; from it, Avon would continue the "Pro" series in some markets (using metal bottles) to the current day. Not much else to say here, since you either like this style of fragrance or you don't, although "enlightened" FragComm types need not apply; there's nothing for you here. Thumbs up