In 1932, George G. Blaisdale formed the Zippo lighter company creating an American icon. The one thing that really stands out about this company is its customer service. If your lighter malfunctioned or it did not work (for any reason) you could send it back to Zippo and they would fix it FREE! Collectors covet Zippo lighters and the Company created special editions for Hollywood legends who were former customers including James Dean, James Garfield and Bruce Lee to name a few. Cheech and Chong are also Zippo Customers. For over eighty years, Zippo has been producing lighters and keeping their promise. Two years ago they expanded their line to fragrances. Distributed and produced by the Italian company MAVIVE, these fragrances are extremely high quality and a truly unique twist on the original product idea.

The flacons look like actual Zippo lighters. The perfume is held in an inner casing (made of glass) and the 100 ml bottles come with a 50 ml case and two 50 ml inserts. When you finish one, you just take the sprayer off the old one and snap it on the new one and insert it back in the outer casing. The sprayer tube looks like the wick, and the perfume sprays from where the flame would be. I was an avid Zippo collector, in the early nineties, and had over thirty of them in my collection. Now I have a few (with sentimental value) and am overjoyed that one of my favorite companies has branched out into my most passionate love: perfumes!

I was as skeptical as the next perfumista when the first one Original came out in 2010. My first thought is that this was a joke, actually. Upon going to the Zippo store located in Bradford PA and actually trying it, I have to say I was very impressed indeed! The quality of the raw ingredients is immediately evident. The packaging lists pure essences and oils from around the world. It seems Zippo has put the same thought and quality into their scents as they always have into their lighters. 2011 saw the release of On the Road for men and this year (just in time for Christmas) they have released another fragrant pair: Into the Blue and The Woman. I know they are neither niche nor luxe or by some upscale perfume house…but they are worth smelling, having and definitely worth the prices!!

ZIPPO Original is housed in a classic chrome covered case and its packaging lists Sicilian bergamot, clary sage from Provence, cashmere wood, Indonesian patchouli leaves, tonka and smoked vetiver from Haiti and Java on the back of the box. This is NOT an all-natural perfume, but it does contain many high grade oils. It comes out of the sprayer very green and slightly bitter and shiny (bergamot and grapefruit) and has a lushness to it like violet leaves. The classic cologne aura is there only with a semi-modern flair that makes it masculine but fresh, without melon or cucumber. It gets drier and greener as it develops (sage) and warmer as pepper and tonka meet over geranium and lavender. The dry down here is superb! It takes an arid and smoky combination of two vetivers and along with patchouli’s earthiness and cashmere’s sexiness creates something quite impressive and extremely rich and indulgent smelling…without getting pretentious or overly regal. This is something you could wear with jeans and a pullover or a suit and be equally classy. Sillage: very good. Longevity: excellent.

On the Road was a scent that (from the notes listed) I was most excited about. Sicilian lemon, Granny Smith apple, Florentine iris, cashmere wood, Indonesian white patchouli and skin musk promised something as sexy and enticing as the model for the ad, with his motorcycle and leather jacket. It begins cleanly as a slightly sweet lemon and fizzy grapefruit are accompanied by a crisp green apple. It sounds a tad generic, I know, but bear with me here. At first it was not what I had hoped for (so many mass market scents aren’t these days) and I only bought the 30 ml EDT. After letting it develop, and successive wearings, I wish I had gone larger! Somehow the freshness of the fruity opening is assuaged by the cool green feel of the iris, a delightfully soft pink lotus and a musk that is neither animalic nor overly clean or “white”. This creates something as sexy as it is sensitive. It is almost like the tough guy has a softer side and is not ashamed to show it. A soft smooth patchouli and cashmere wood finish add an ever-so- slightly dirty woody feeling to the aforementioned clean and brisk notes and it just gets better and better. It does have a rather lackluster opening, but the musky floral heart and sensual base are terrific!! Sillage: good. Longevity: very good.

Into the Blue, on first reading the press release, made me cover my eyes and say “Oh NO! Not another BLUE scent!” Ironically, I ended up with a largest bottle of this particular fragrance as part of a 4 piece gift set. Although it does have Blue in its name, it is not exactly “blue” (fresh, clean and watery with lots of calone and what not). It begins with a sheer opening of equally crisp, juicy and dry fruits (apple, mandarin and bergamot) surrounded by soft green leaves. It does have lotus in its heart, like many blue perfumes do, yet cyclamen (Persian violet) takes off the “watery” edge and makes the floral accord more dry and smooth. Plum and jasmine (usually found, for the most part, in women’s scents) add a soft enticing floweriness and a hint of the dark seductively sweet nature of the plum. After all this, the dry down lands squarely on a base of musky woody notes with just a dab of opulent vanilla, nothing too cloying or sweet, and is just delicious. What is so nice about this scent is that, even in its last remnants, it is maintains its freshness alongside the warm dry woody notes and subtle muskiness. Sillage: average. Longevity: quite good.

 

The Woman EDP is Zippo’s very first women’s scent. Its sheer frosted bottle with pink metallic edges very much gives an idea what lies within the juice. It most definitely has a sheer quality to it yet (like the frosted glass) seems somewhat opaque. The opening of real French black currants is delightful with its equally dark and tart aroma. The darker aura is lightened by a very interesting (almost wet) leafy accord. The heart notes merge to create something interesting that, to me, smells very much like black elder flowers: something densely floral, yet unique, with a thick (almost “chewy”) muskiness to it. Jasmine’s indolic and often too creamy nature is balanced by the dreamy lotus and rosewood’s cozy warmth. Cedar wood gives it a deep earthy strength, as a soft trail of musk pervades. It most definitely smells feminine but not too “girly”; it’s a soft and elegant female scent that is definitely fruity and floral…but so much more. Sillage: above average. Longevity: very good.

Disclosure: Reviews based on bottles purchased by me from Zippo/Case Visitor’s Center in Bradford, PA.

James Garfield with a Zippo

When I collected Zippo lighters and had other friends that also did, we used to light our flames from each other’s lighters as a way of sharing energy, friendship and love. I would like to share the perfumed flame, so to speak, and have four 5 ml decants (one of each fragrance) to give away to four readers. To be eligible leave a comment saying which one you would like the best or some special memory you might have of a Zippo lighter or someone who carried one. The draw will close on December 22, 2012.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

-John Reasinger, Editor