It might sound strange today but, prior to the 70s, it was rather uncommon for a woman to buy perfume for herself or wear a fragrance on a daily basis. This all changed with the revolutionary scent known as Charlie, introduced in 1973 by Revlon.

Named after the company’s founder, Charles Revlon, Charlie broke through the barrier of commercial fragrance and offered a scent that smelled of success, coinciding with the new phenomenon of woman rising up the corporate ladder. Sure, they were dressing more like men but that didn’t mean they needed to smell like one. Charlie was liberating, a sassy rebel in the world of perfume and soon after its introduction, women across the country were smelling like Charlie.

The original scent is often described as a sharp flowery fragrance with hints of rose, sandalwood and fresh cut grass and remains unchanged to this day. In the 90s, a plethora of Charlie spin-offs hit the market with names such as Blue and Red in 1993; White, a year later; Gold the subsequent year; and Sunshine in 1997. Each offered distinct scents that varied from the original. White offered an aquatic scent, whereas Gold reminded one of the spicy scents of the Far East.

Charlie remains popular to this day, not only with working women, but with anyone who wants that smell of success that Charlie has been giving off for over 30 years.