Miss Elizabeth Arden is a true legend in the beauty game. A hundred years ago, a sassy gal called Florence Nightingale Graham from rural Canada made her way to the Big Apple. She opened up the Original Red Door salon on Fifth Avenue in 1910. And Miss “Arden” wasn’t just about slapping on some makeup. Her mantra was all about a smart blend of science and nature, aiming to bring out a woman’s natural beauty. She was into skincare products that did good for the skin, not just cover it up. Elizabeth walked her talk well, from taking care of her skin to following good nutrition and fitness – at least to the extent of her knowledge and ability. Her mission was to bring a scientific twist to skincare.
From the cult-favorite Eight Hour Cream to the timeless Blue Grass fragrance and that bold red lipstick that matched the uniforms of badass women in World War II – she nailed it every time. This trailblazer wasn’t shy when it came to shaking things up. She introduced eye makeup to American women, practically invented the makeover, and was the brains behind the first-ever travel-size beauty products. She sent out a team of road-tripping demonstrators and saleswomen before that was even a thing.
By the 1930s, Red Door salons were popping up in fashion capitals around the globe. Miss Arden proudly claimed that there were only three American names known everywhere – Singer Sewing Machines, Coca-Cola, and, you guessed it, Elizabeth Arden. She built an empire and pretty much birthed a whole industry. Arden’s spirit, innovation, and commitment to quality are still the heartbeat of the company today.
I honestly don’t know much about her makeup and skincare, but Elizabeth Arden’s fragrances were certainly on my mother’s countertops growing up. These included Red Door, and later Sunflowers, which you can still get today, along with all the flankers. And it is flanker territory that I bring to you below because I’m going to ramble a bit about this fragrance and her flankers – Green Tea!
Green Tea
Green Tea was launched in 1999. It’s now 2024. It took me 25 years to try the stuff. I don’t know if this has gone through any reformulations, but I can say the following right away: 1) it’s got staying power, I’ll give it that (not the fragrance itself; the brand). 2) like all its flankers, it’s delightfully affordable. 100 ml of this EDT (or probably more accurately, au de cologne or au fraiche; it’s not strong or long-lasting) can be had retail for less than 50 USD, sometimes as little as 20, depending on where you shop. And 3) This smells nothing like green tea. And I know what I am talking about. I live in Japan and have lived here since before this perfume was released. I have lived in Japan since before this fragrance was released. That is a bit of a relief, however, because much as I like tea in fragrance, green tea is far too bitter to be infused into a perfume. I realize they must have been going with the idea of it, but even then, the bottling and actual smell of the fragrance is too soft and delicate for me to associate with green tea. Perhaps that is a Western association of the beverage? Green tea to me is earthy, bitter, aromatic, and best served in wabi-sabi-styled thick ceramics and not China porcelain, which is the actual vibe that this gives off.
- lemon, bergamot, mint, orange peel, rhubarb,
- jasmine, oakmoss, musk, fennel, carnation, white amber,
- green tea, jasmine, oakmoss, musk, celery seeds, caraway, cloves, amber
Right off the top you get lemon, bergamot, mint, orange peel, and rhubarb. What? Ms. Arden, I think you are confusing your teas! I shouldn’t be moaning to Ms. Arden, as she’s not the perfumer. Who is the nose? I was somewhat surprised to learn it is none other than Francis Kurkdjian. W We know Kurkdjian was good at bringing oud to the Western nose. Maybe this is his Westen sensibility for green tea?
Don’t get me wrong, it smells good – soft and subtle, refreshing particularly on hot days, nice citrus with a tinge of rhubarb, a watery, almost aquatic dry-down. It has a zinginess to it that I appreciate. It’s very unisex and it’s like drinking lemonade with mint leaves and just a sprinkle of sugar. On the other hand, it also might bring detergents of one sort or another to mind.
The biggest con to this fragrance, as well as with every green tea flanker, at least to my knowledge, is its Zara-like performance. This stuff lives near the skin, unless you overspray, and you’ll need to respray often throughout the day. Thus this cheap bottle is perhaps not so cheap when you consider this factor. And you’d best believe that in summer or if you are especially active, the performance will further be reduced, which is a shame. I have also found that the aquatic tones in here morph into something a little metallic over time. I don’t personally find this to be a negative, however – just different.
Green tea is more than pleasant enough to my nose overall, but it’s not to my taste. By the way, I did indeed get this second-hand – I’ve only worn it a couple of times. With that much juice already depleted, you can get that I purchased this for a song, and I did indeed. I was curious about the fragrance because someone gave me a later flanker with fig which I LOVE, so I FIGured I should further familiarize myself with potentially fabulous flankers filled with faint green tea filaments. I now have a total of five flankers. I’ll talk about the fig one soon, but why not go through the entire green tea flanker phenomenon? On the Elizabeth Arden website, you can only get the OG and the most recent one or two flankers, but if you’re as savvy as I claim to be, you’ll investigate other retailers to see what’s available and at what price.
- 2001 – Iced Green Tea – containing citrus and campherous notes.
- 2001 – Spiced Green Tea – with ginger, rhubarb, tea, cardamom, and patchouli). This one is the furthest to date from the original formula.
- 2005 – Green Tea Summer – citrus, black currant, lily, passion fruit, and musk.
- 2006 – the only EDP in the series: Green Tea Intense. It has fewer notes than the OG, likely stronger.
- 2006 – Green Tea Revitalize – blood orange, mint, lotus, magnolia, and birch.
- 2007 – Green Tea Tropical – green tea, lychee, and passion flower.
- 2008 – Green Tea Lotus – lotus, green tea, yuzu, and cherry blossom.
- 2009 – Green Tea Exotic – lily, orchid, jasmine, and narcissus.
- 2010 – Green Tea Lavender – lavender, camomile, green tea, and other goodies.
- 2011 – Green Tea Camilla – citrus, white and pink florals, woody musk, and amber.
Green Tea Cherry Blossom
In 2012, we finally arrived at the first flanker I own, Green Tea Cherry Blossom. Unsurprisingly, I found this flanker readily available online for sale. I live in quintessential cherry blossom territory, after all. Sakura-flavored beverages are standard seasonal fare in my local Starbucks. It’s that intense.
- green tea, lemon, bergamot, petitgrain, tangerine, sweet almond
- tea, cherry blossom, peony, apricot, plum,
- birch, musk, white lily, oakmoss, heliotrope
This is probably the one I like least in this collection. I am not a Sakura fan so really, I don’t know why I bought it. It was cheap and I was curious? It’s girly, it’s fresh, it’s light and clean, and it’s a little synthetic-smelling. Normally that is not an issue, but here it is. I would like a more natural-smelling flower. But here’s the thing – Cherry blossoms don’t have a particularly strong or distinct or interesting scent, in my opinion. No, I think the perfumer (and who IS the perfumer? I couldn’t find it for this one) is referencing the cherry, and not the cherry blossom. I think the synthetic note I am smelling is a light, almost medicinal cherry candy note. In addition, I don’t think green tea meshes well with it. Sure, they are both Japanese. So what? As a North American, I wouldn’t put peanut butter on a hot dog. Well, I’m sure someone does, though, and so I guess someone will also like this. But it isn’t me.
Green Tea Honeysuckle
So, as it turns out, the following 2013 release is another flanker I purchased. I bring you Green Tea Honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is pleasant. Pleasant – very light and lighthearted. It goes well with the green tea theme as well. Here are the notes:
- green tea, lemon, bergamot, tangerine, boysenberry
- honeysuckle, green tea, jasmine, neroli, ylang-ylang
- peach, birch, musk, ambrette
We have a nose for this fragrance, and it is Rodrigo Flores-Roux (sounds like a Spanish-French blend of a name). This gentleman is responsible for 11 of the Green Tea flankers from Elizabeth Arden. The other perfumes I’m acquainted with that he’s responsible for are Este Lauder’s Bronze Goddess and Clinique’s Happy. Happy, yes – this flanker is a happy one – fresh, floral, sweet, and carefree. At first spray, you get a blast of tangerine and lemon, but as citrus usually does, that fades fast, although it does hang out for a while longer when the florals break out. A little jasmine, but more so the Ylang-Yang, honeysuckle, and tea (though it is not green). As the perfume settles, some peach surfaces. Nice. This is not very polarizing. Very young, but not very exciting, and of course, it disappears fast. Ultimately this one, too, is a pass for me.
- 2014 – Green Tea Bamboo – bamboo, galbanum, violet, and mate.
- 2014 – Green Tea Yuzu – yuzu, lemon green tea, and mint.
- 2015 – Green Tea Cucumber – cucumber, watermelon.
- 2015 – Green Tea Jasmine – tea, jasmine, and musk.
- 2016 – Green Tea Mimosa – mimosa, heliotrope, ambrette, and musk
- 2016 – Green Tea Nectarine Blossom – exotic fruits, peach, nectarine, and musk.
Green Tea Fig
The next release in 2018 is my favorite: Green Tea Fig. And that is probably because I have what could be identified as a fig fetish of sorts.
- fig leaf, tea, ivy, citron, clementine, bergamot,
- fig, green tea, violet leaf, pistachio, tamarind,
- clary sage, must, tonka bean
This one has been used up almost entirely by yours truly. I bought this one years ago, and love to dig into it when I want to drench myself in figginess without using up my more expensive fig fragrances, of which I still have a few, I think… Umm, I might have used up a couple but I think I made decants for reference. Anyway, this one is delightful. It’s got the flesh of ripe figs in here. Sometimes I feel the fig is very sweet and other times I think it gives a more watery vibe. Either way, it’s delicious. There is also some bitterness in here but I think it’s probably brought on by the tea and not the fig leaves or stem. I don’t detect a lot of bitter milkiness that you might find in other fig perfumes. The fig doesn’t smell synthetic to my nose; it’s delightfully realistic. It’s also an energizing fragrance. I think all of them are to some extent actually. That must be a result of mixing with the original Green Tea DNA.
Though I have to be frank, if you didn’t tell me there was a tea note in here, I wouldn’t have known it. I do pick up on the tamarind note, I think. Perhaps that helps give it the zing I feel. This is great to wear in hot weather during the day, or possibly even evenings. If you are a fan of scents like Ninfio Mio by Goutale, which I reviewed way back, or Premier Figuier by L’Artisan Parfumeur, or Philosykos by Diptyque which I have a decant of somewhere… but you’re not the price tag that accompanies these pricier frags, give this a go, if you can find it. No, it’s not the same. Compared to my favorite Philosykos, this one is sweeter, fruitier, and perhaps less sophisticated. But boy, does this deliver on the fig.
Aside from the poor performance, I’d say two other things to consider with this fragrance is a) you must love figs and b) even if you like the smell of figs, this might not go with your body chemistry. A lot of people find this cloying and headache-inducing. So sad for those people. That is not so with me. This one is a winner, doubly so because it’s so affordable.
Green Tea Pomegranate
In 2019 we saw the launch of another fruity liquid in another colourful bottle from perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Green Tea Pomegranate. And as it turns out, this is my second favorite – of the six I own. I guess I like tea and fruit together, even though I can’t smell any tea in here.
- pomegranate, passionfruit, tangelo, bergamot,
- Earl Grey tea, violet leaves, white magnolia, davana,
- raspberry bloom, mate, musk, moss
What I enjoy about eating pomegranate (not smelling it) is that it manages to be simultaneously sweet and extraordinarily tart or sour at the same time. I think this fragrance captures the essence of the fruit well, even though it is the passionfruit molecule that we are likely inhaling, because pomegranate does not smell much. While I think it has more potential than the fig to produce headaches in some unlucky people, I also think this fruity concoction smells natural. The other notes – perhaps the tea notes and florals – do much to soften and smooth it out, and the bergamot at the top does wonders, too. It’s very well-blended. The fruity notes dissipate quickly, however, and it does gradually become a little grassier on the skin. But by that time, you may want to respray anyway.
One thing I must again acknowledge particularly about this fragrance, and to an extent others in the line, is that it doesn’t particularly smell refined, sophisticated, or expensive. It’s a cheapie. It smells like a cheapie, but … it also smells like a cheapie done exceptionally well. You do not need to spend a lot to smell good.
OK, there have been five more fragrances since the pomegranate.
- 2020 – Green Tea Pear Blossom – pear and pear blossom.
- 2021 – Green Tea Sakura Blossom – cherry blossom, jasmine, and violet.
- 2022 – Green Tea Lychee Lime – green tea, lychee, and lime.
- 2023 – Green Tea Citron Freesia– citron and freesia.
- 2024 – Green Tea Coconut Breeze – coconut flesh, salt, white amber.
I bet the Green Tea line will continue to pump out these lovely freshies, particularly if they remain affordable. Nonetheless, rather than blind buying retail, I would search for even cheaper options first, if you’re going to buy before you spray. I paid as little as 1/10th retail for most of my Green Tea fragrances, but they mostly have less than a third left. Buying secondhand is a great way to multiply your savings!