We all remember our first ‘grown-up’ perfume—mainly for the way it made us feel. For me, like many ’90s millennial babies, it was Calvin Klein’s CK One, which in hindsight was a truly iconic trailblazer. As for how it made me feel, the words “cool”, “modern”, and “free” feel like an understatement.
Launched in 1994 as the first openly-marketed unisex scent, with the tagline “A fragrance for a man or a woman,” CK One was the brainchild of Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont. The beloved scent was undeniably ahead of its time, as well as representative of what was to come both in perfumery at large. Seemingly anticipating a future in which gender fluidity was openly discussed and accepted, the scent was—and still is—so much more than a beauty product.
If you’re a Millennial or Gen X-er, you’ll likely remember the campaign CK One launched with. With both male and female models (including some of the most iconic names of the moment such as Kate Moss, Stella Tennant and Jenny Shimizu), the marketing was designed to spark conversation.
But I could argue that CK One, bottled within its signature simple silhouette of frosted glass, is just as cool today as it was then. I still know people who see it as their ride or die now.
What fragrance notes are in CK One?
While CK One was arguably most renowned for its modern approach to perfumery marketing, it’s also a fantastic smelling perfume, and boasts a long list of moreish notes.
An impressive 21 notes are packed into a single bottle of CK One, which, on paper, might seem like olfactory overload. Somehow, however, the combination just works, and surprisingly manages to smell fresh and clean, rather than overtly complex.
Sitting at the top is a bouquet of citrus; lemon, green notes, bergamot, mandarin orange, pineapple, cardamom and papaya. CK One has middle notes of lily of the valley, jasmine, violet, rose, nutmeg, orris root and freesia. Then at the base, there is green accord, musk, cedar, sandalwood, oakmoss, green tea and amber.
CK One: a beauty editor’s honest review
CK One to me is, unsurprisingly, highly nostalgic, and is representative of that feeling you have when you’re just entering adulthood and finding your feet (and style). It has a notable freshness that feels clean and modern, with a heavy, juicy burst of citrus from the lemon, mandarin orange and green notes that sit at the top.
With wear, CK One becomes a little more powdery and warm, rather than cool and fresh, at least on me. That’s what I like about this scent; it has layers, and honours each note through its lengthy olfactory journey on the skin.
As well as the smell, I just adore the aesthetic and message behind CK One: this is a scent designed for everybody at all times in their life. To have a bottle of the simple frosted glass sitting on your dressing table, atop a bathroom shelf or thrown into a bag makes you feel safe and stylish, no matter which era you’re currently in. Safe to say, there will always be a bottle of this in my collection.