Less Than Zero (1987)

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There’s a bottle of Calvin Klein Obsession on the dressing table in Clay’s mother’s bedroom. This oriental spicy fragrance was created by Jean Guichard and launched in 1985.

The white box under the glass counter is a product from the Chanel No. 5 body line: I couldn’t find any picture of it, but I guess it contained a jar, so it could be an after-bath powder, a body cream or even a set of soaps.

Sweet November (2001)

There’s a huge bottle of perfume among the twelve Christmas presents that Nelson (Keanu Revees) gives Sara. It’s named after her and it’s a “custom-made fragrance capturing that special something a woman leaves on a man.”

Caronaimezmoi.jpgIt’s actually a factice of Aimez-Moi (Love Me in French, how apt) by Caron. Created by Dominique Ropion and launched in 1996, it has notes of violet, star anise and mint.

Thanks to Claudia Murru for the id.

Madonna’s Material Girl (1985)

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There are toiletries and perfume bottles on the protagonist’s dressing table. Some of them are generic vanity bottles, but we can give a name to others. The tall ribbed bottle with gold cap, for example, is the Guerlain natural spray cologne bottle, used for different fragrances from 1964 to 1977.

Thanks to Annette Flaconnage for the id.

A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

futile2_bornunicornThere are several toiletries on a bureau in Doug Kenney’s bedroom.

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marsh-vaseline_bornunicornAmong them, a jar of Vaseline and a bottle of Old Spice cologne. The tall green bottle could be Pinaud Clubman talc, but the front label is not shown, so I can’t tell.

futilemobilhandlotion_bornunicornThere’s an interesting bottle with a red pegasus on the front. Believe it or not, it’s a Mobil Gas Station hand lotion, presumably from the 1940s/1950s.

American Crime Story S02E03 (A Random Killing)

americancrimestory_s02e03_bornunicorn (1)The tragedy which struck the life of the Chicago businesswoman Marilyn Miglin (her husband, the tycoon Lee Miglin, was killed by Andrew Cunanan in 1997) is told in the third episode of the tv show. Marilyn, famous for Pheromone [1], thrived in the fragrance and skincare field, so much that the brand is still on the market.

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The opening scene sees the protagonist (Judith Light) on television, selling her products. The key product is the aforementioned Pheromone, which appears all through the episode. Launched in 1978, it’s based on the concept of customised fragrance: it “reacts to your body’s chemistry, creating a highly distinguishable custom fragrance,” recites the brand website.

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The same bottle appears twice, in scenes set in front of Marilyn’s vanity. Miniature bottles of Miglin fragrances – Pheromone, Jasmin and Musk – can be seen, too.

americancrimestory_s02e03_bornunicorn (8)In the closing scene, set again at a television studio, other Miglin products appear.

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The square box contains the Pheromone Allure gift set, which includes the Luxurious body moisture, a bottle of eau de parfum and a refillable purse spray.

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We can also see another fragrance gift set, which includes Midnight (brown bottle), Pheromone (clear bottle), Pheromone Red (red bottle), Fo-Ti-Tieng (green bottle), Lace (white bottle) and Destiny (clear bottle).

[1] If you want to learn more about Pheromone, read this post by Barbara Herman.

A growing archive of beauty products and perfumes in movies and tv shows