 |
| Quite an impressive list. |
This particular Halston is one that I've had a troubled past and present with. The first bottle I owned back in 2011 had treemoss in it, and I developed a bit of an allergic reaction to it. This seemed odd to me, because I've worn other treemoss frags without trouble. Having recently spotted 1-12 in a Burlington, I decided to give it another go, 14 years later, and wow, what a fiasco! The first bottle I purchased didn't have an atomizer stem, which made it impossible to spray, so I returned it. Defect bottle, no big deal. I knew they had other bottles, so before going to the cashier I grabbed another one and asked to exchange it. For some indecipherable reason, Burlington insists on putting its fragrances in those stupid clear plastic anti-theft boxes, and none of the cashiers could open it. Defect anti-theft box, no big deal. The cashier said, "Well, you paid cash so it makes it easy, go grab another one if you can find it." So I did, and when I came back I smiled and said, "Third time's the charm." Indeed, it was. Bottle #3 was retrieved, and it works.
I repurchased 1-12, not because I was particularly interested in owning it again, but because I happened to get a glimpse of the ingredients list on the back of the box, and did a triple take. I've never encountered a mass market fragrance with this many exotic (emphasis on that word) natural materials in it. I've also never seen one with this many anti-UV materials, 3 by my count (tell me if you spot more). My guess is the high number of naturals necessitated the high number of anti-photosensitizing skin-protectant chems in the formula, or perhaps this is just the standard EA approach, I don't know. Anyway, let's break it all down, and then I'll get into the implications of wearing something like this.
| Ingredient | Why It's Used | |
|---|---|---|
| BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) | Antioxide | Prevents oxidation of fragrance materials. |
| Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone) | UV absorber | Protects scent molecules from UV degradation. |
| Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate) | UV absorber | Helps protect the product and user from UV light. |
| Ingredient | Why It's Used | |
|---|---|---|
| Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Amyl Salicylate, Benzyl Salicylate | UV absorber, fragrance fixative | Help extend scent longevity and provide floral, sweet, or balsamic tones. |
| Acetyl Cedrene | Woody note | Synthetic cedarwood note with good fixative properties. |
| Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone | Floral-violet aroma | Common in fougère fragrances; adds floral depth. |
| Alpha-Terpineol | Floral, lilac scent | Used for its fresh floral and slightly piney aroma. |
| Benzyl Benzoate | Solvent, fixative | Enhances longevity and adds a mild balsamic note. |
| Beta-Caryophyllene | Woody-spicy aroma | Occurs naturally in clove; adds depth. |
| Ingredient | Source / Aroma Profile | Why It's Used |
|---|---|---|
| Camphor | Sharp, medicinal | Lends brightness and cooling effect. |
| Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Oil/Extract | Floral, exotic | Adds creamy floral richness. |
| Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Peel Oil | Fresh, citrusy | A bright top note in fougère scents. |
| Citrus Aurantium (Bitter Orange) Peel Oil | Zesty, bitter citrus | Adds brightness and freshness. |
| Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil | Sharp citrus | Top note for freshness. |
| Lavandula Oil/Extract (Lavender) | Herbaceous, floral | Essential in fougère; calming and aromatic. |
| Juniperus Virginiana (Cedarwood) Oil | Dry, woody | Gives structure and masculinity. |
| Pogostemon Cablin Oil (Patchouli) | Earthy, woody | Adds depth and longevity. |
| Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Flower Oil | Green, floral-rosy | Often used to bridge floral and herbal notes. |
| Santalol (from Sandalwood) | Creamy, woody | Fixative and base note. |
| Ingredient | Profile | Why It's Used |
|---|---|---|
| Cinnamyl Alcohol, Cinnamal (Cinnamic Aldehyde) | Spicy, cinnamon | Adds warmth and spice. |
| Citral | Lemon-like | Bright, citrusy, often from lemongrass. |
| Coumarin | Sweet, hay-like | Core to fougère perfumes; very characteristic. |
| Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate | Sweet floral | Synthetic jasmine-like note. |
| Eugenol | Clove-like, spicy | Spicy, warm aroma. |
| Farnesol | Floral, sweet | Adds softness, typically rose/lily of the valley. |
| Geraniol | Rosy | Commonly in rose-scented perfumes. |
| Geranyl Acetate | Green, fruity-floral | Adds fresh top note. |
| Hexamethylindanopyran (Galaxolide) | Musky | A clean white musk scent. |
| Hexyl Cinnamal | Jasmine-like | Floral aldehyde. |
| Hydroxycitronellal | Floral | Classic lily of the valley note. |
| Limonene | Citrus | Adds zest and brightness. |
| Linalool | Floral, slightly woody | Lavender-like softness. |
| Linalyl Acetate | Fruity, floral | Part of lavender’s odor profile. |
| Pinene | Piney, resinous | Sharp, fresh coniferous top note. |
| Sclareol | Sweet, ambergris-like | Derived from clary sage, adds warmth. |
| Terpineol | Lilac, piney | Light floral nuance. |
| Terpinolene | Herbal, piney | Adds lift and green freshness. |
| Vanillin | Sweet, vanilla | Comforting base note. |
This makes no fewer than ten natural oils in the composition, about 21% of the formula, which is roughly the standard norm for fragrances. However, let's look at these naturals: ylang oil (surprising choice, but makes sense for rich and natural floral sweetness), bergamot peel oil, bitter orange peel oil, lemon peel oil (not relying on aldehyde like Z-14), natural lavender extract (not a big surprise, but nice to see), cedarwood oil (somewhat of a surprise to see), patchouli oil (very nice to see), rose geranium oil (gives it that fresh, slightly rosy accent), and here's the kicker, santalol, which is sandalwood oil, in this case assuredly Australian, even though santalol is actually from Indian sandalwood, so it's debatable! Very impressive to see them using natural and possibly Indian sandalwood oil in tiny amounts in a supposedly "cheapie" fragrance.
I've never seen anything quite like this. Real cedarwood oil? Real patchouli oil? Not just a patchouli isolate molecule, which is what far more expensive patchouli frags use (100 milliliters of 1-12 is ten bucks). No, they're using actual essential oil of patchouli in 1-12. Ylang oil? Natural citrus peel oils, three of them, in surprisingly large amounts due to their being cited fairly early in the ingredients list. These come through crystal clear to my nose upon first spray, and last longer on paper than skin, but one thing I notice is that they significantly brighten the fragrance. My other bottle of 1-12 was similar in scent but nowhere near as crisp and fresh as this one is. Combining the natural citrus with the natural lavender, and boosting them with citral, limonene, linalyl acetate, and linalool is solid perfumery. This is clearly a bid for quality, but why?
For comparison, here is what the back of the box looked like eleven years ago, which is when the fully moss-less formula came about:
As you can see, the materials listed are the same or similar in a few instances, but overall in both the synthetics and naturals, this is an entirely different composition. There is no longer any hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, likely due to updated IFRA regs. Almost none of the naturals are listed. I question if they were in there back then, but with the changing regulations, it's impossible to know.
I have no idea if EA still produces Halston's fragrances. It's entirely possible they discontinued these years ago, and the surplus of stock simply continues to circulate the discounters due to nobody wanting to buy and wear them. Even if they're discontinued, it bears noting that 1-12 is an interesting case in regards to public perception. The usual criticism is that they removed all the moss from the formula, leaving a "moss-less" version that I've seen more than one person refer to as "bubble-bath" or "soapy." Here's the weird thing about that critique -- the majority of seventies masculines where excessively soapy. You can say this fragrance is too soapy, but it was released in 1976. What do you expect? If you know anything about perfume, and anything about vintage perfume, you know that any masculine released between 1964 and 1994 has a high probability of being perceived as a hygienic formula. Heck, Brut smells like fancy hotel soap, and always did.
Of interest to me is the inclusion of natural camphor in the formula. Camphor is usually found in stuff like Tiger Balm and Vicks. Too much of it, and you can get a headache and even dizzy. This might explain the allergic thing. Plus, I'm sensitive to natural sandalwood oil, so that's probably a factor as well. My guess is the types of naturals being used in 1-12 make it a higher risk for an allergic reaction, but then again it's a pretty strong fragrance, and one or two sprays is all you really need to make this work. It smells now like a strong citrus and lavender scent with leafy-green and grassy underpinnings, made a bit sweet and mellow by Galaxolide and vanillin in the base. If you want something that smells agrestic and mature, and don't mind the dirt-cheap packaging and image of Halston's stuff, 1-12 is a no-brainer. I wouldn't call it straight green, but brownish-green, and quite good.