Someone on another thread pointed out that Avon Spicy very closely duplicates Shulton Old Spice. I hadn't noticed this before b/c neither is a favorite and don't wear them often. Today I compared Spicy to Shulton. He was dead on: the main difference to my nose is that Spicy is less powdery and amped the spiciness a bit. Other than that, there's no doubt Avon was copying Shulton's mix. Spicy is pretty common everywhere and pretty stable - pick up a bottle and see.
So that got me thinking: what other popular (at the time) frags did Avon try to copy?
The only other tests I've done so far have me convinced: Avon's Excalibur and Clint, which are similar woody/leathery frags, pretty closely resemble the vintage MEM English Leather I have. Of the two, Excalibur is closer. Neither one quite nails EL's mix but side by side sniff tests leave no doubt that's what Avon was shooting for (you'd think their Leather was meant to copy EL it but if it was, I'm not seeing it. It's just leathery. Others can correct me on that, though).
Given they're also from the same '60s time frame, I'm going to assume Tai Winds and possibly Windjammer aimed for that unfairly maligned Jade East/Hai Karate vibe. I've got both on hand and will know when I break out my old HK and see.
Nothing I've come across seems comparable to Oland, Wild Country or Deep Woods. As far as I can tell, these were intended to be unique Avon scents that don't copy bigger name drugstore brands. But you older gents will recall far more brands from the day that might match them.
If Avon's copycatting was common knowledge at the time - or is now - I've never heard of it. Yet it seems so obvious a move for them to make. It sure ain't coincidence.
You guys got other ideas of where Avon's a/s might have been copycatting better known brands?
A trip down Memory Lane. In high school, I saved the Hai Karate (the one that was yellow in color) for the dances and big dates. Back in those days I had too many zits to use it on a regular basis.
lol
