Undeniable for Men
Avon (1991)

Avon Undeniable for Men (1991) is an early celebrity fragrance attaching Billy Dee Williams, and if rumors are to be believed, he had zero creative input on this, signing legal papers handed to him in passing to get his name on a fragrance line. Celebrity fragrances weren't proven sellers in those days, but it was an experiment Avon was willing to commit in search of relevance in a growing ocean of designer dominance. The stuff here literally smells like it was pegged for an American black cultural stereotype of the 1970's; Undeniable wears thick, musky, powdery, sweet, and ambery, like it crawled out of an inner city bodega and shares DNA with Jovan Musk for Men (1973) or Musk for Men by Coty (1974). Since we are talking about the same actor who also starred in many 70's "blaxploitation" films and became the face for Colt 45 malt liquor (another cultural stereotype), either Mr. Williams was letting old white executives exploit him for racially insensitive marketing while getting the last laugh at the bank, or was just riding high on his career peak with Star Wars as Lando Calrissian and past the point of caring about optics. Either way, it's bizarre to find a fragrance like this released in 1991, so somebody was playing a joke on the buying public somewhere in Avon HQ.

The opening of Undeniable for Men is all about sweet citrus and spice, which is no surprise. Cinnamon, clove, cardamom, mandarin orange, and a blast of that tonkin-like ambery 70's musk greet the nostrils. After the first twenty minutes or so, this throwback "disco destroyer" scent gets more powdery, vanillic, and a tad cleaner, with sandalwood, tonka, muguet, Avon's smooth house amber, and oakmoss. The musk note never goes away, and eventually Undeniable becomes all about that musk, flanked by the vanilla and sandalwood. There really isn't much of a top/heart/base structure here, as the musk is noticeable right away and everything collapses into that musk for the duration. Some compare this to Caron Le 3ème Homme (1985), but they aren't at all alike outside the clove. Wear time is about 8 hours with that musk lingering on skin longer, and good projection for the first four, so consider this typical "mens' cologne" strength. Where or when you'd use this is anyone's guess, but musks like this tend to feel most appropriate in the cooler climates or times of year, for obvious reasons. These types of musks take my breath away, so while I like them, they are a rare indulgence typically under-applied as to not exacerbate my allergies. You wanna be "the cologne guy"? Wear this to work.

Avon was in typical out-of-touch fashion when releasing a strangely irrelevant heavy musk for men in the early 90's, regardless of whether low-key racism was part of the intent or not. No young person of the day would be wanting this for Christmas no matter their ethnicity, as freshies and aquatics were taking over, while older guys by then settled on aromatic powerhouse fougères and were sick of potentially stuffy musks like this. However, I do admit this does feel like something Billy Dee Williams would wear, as it fits the smooth-talking debonair but thinly-veiled seducer vibe he tends to give off on-screen, but considering he could afford anything he wanted, why would he wear Avon? I say this with respect because I love Avon, but a millionaire actor in the 80's or early 90's was more likely to plop his butt into a Creed or Guerlain boutique than call the local Avon lady. All jokes aside, Undeniable for Men is a vanillic clove and musk bomb that isn't without its charms, but the furthest thing from what anyone wanted or expected from a men's fragrance in 1991. It's no surprise Undeniable came and went from the Avon catalog with the same quickness as their non-celebrity releases of the day, lasting but a year on the books outside a holiday re-issue in 95. Thumbs up

The box says "inspired by Billy Dee Williams." He must have been a fan of Caron because it reminds me of Third Homme. As with most Avon Men's Fragrances from the 80's - 90's, it is Cologne strength, so you'll get 2 hours of full blast and then 2 more hours of "close to the skin," and then that's about it. Discontinued, but still you may be able to find it cheap enough to warrant reapplying to get a full day's worth out of it.

Warm and spicy. The spices in this are more on the gourmand side. I detect cloves for one. Sweet cloves and ginger and a little bit of woods. Maybe some cinnamon. Woodsy and ambery base. I'd have to say this is fairly interesting for an Avon fragrance.

UNDENIABLE IS A TERRIFIC AVON FRAGRANCE. IT'S LIKE A VERY FINE/EXPENSIVE MEN'S COLOGNE. IT HAS A RICH, WARM AND SPICY FEEL TO IT...VERY FRESH AND VERY UNIQUE. IT'S NO LONGER MADE, BUT I'VE FOUND A NUMBER OF THEM ON E BAY. TRY THIS IF WARM, FRESH, AND SPICY ACCORDS, APPEAL TO YOU. YOU WON'T BE SORRY YOU DID.