I have to admit that I've never tried the Clean line or even the Philosophy line. I'm a fan of the clean, fresh smell for those days where I need something inoffensive to wear to a school meeting or doctor's consultation, but my idea of clean and fresh is not smelling like laundry. I like and agree with your ideas (I need to try that Wild Pansy). My list usually includes spicy, woody scents or light florals with musk - Miller et Bertaux 1,2, or 3, D&G Feminine, Lanvin Oxygene, L'Artisan Dzongkha, Omnia, Ava-Luxe Moksha - my list is pretty long. I might not be the best judge of clean and fresh though because I believe that a light spritz of SL Fleurs d'Oranger qualifies!
Thank you, thank you !
There are many subtexts at work here.
Many of them disturb me, as well.
Some of them smack of denial, of wishful thinking [ in and of itself, not bad- but perhaps, unhelpful].
You can remain'youthful' [ whatever the hell that is !]and still grow up.
I can't honestly recall the last time anyone intimated that I smelled like an 'old lady'.
Just last week, in the bitter cold snap, I had to hunt down warm scarves for my very large sons;I found two old cashmere mufflers in good nick, that I'd kept amongst my perfumes....
My six-footers wrapped themselves in them, gratefully, with deep sighs of satisfaction.
"This feels like I'll have you surrounding me all day- no one else smells that intriguing, or comforting".
Now, THAT'S how I like to be remembered.
[BTW- The combos included Feminite de Bois, Mitsouko, AG's, L'Artisans, Hermes', Dyptiques, vintages, PG's, Ava-Luxes.]
Kathy, honestly, I would say don't bother trying them. I meant what I said--you might as well spritz on Febreze and be done with it (although I should point out, the Clean fragrances are supposed to be all natural). I think a light spritz of FdO is exactly the right idea--it's about application. L'Artisan Dzing! is another fragrance of mine that I like for "light" days. In fact, that whole line works much better, and offers more sophisticated choices. 
Good morning Chaya! How happy your boys must have been, wrapped in that warm comfort.
I am just disturbed by the "generic mommy" trend, this wave of puritanical excess. I don't know what else to call it. "Youthful" and "child-like" are two very different things. Youthful should be sexy and fun, the inner self that's still 21 or 28 or 35 or whatever. At least that's my take on it.
Thanks for the post, greeneyes. It's nice to see something so opinionated and incisive written about Clean fragrances.
Back in my undergrad years, I used to wear Clean (and I wasn't married, a mother, or Republican). The affair didn't last very long, as soon as I realized how much I was paying to smell like Febreeze.
I remember reading an article about the lady who created the Clean line. She said the idea behind it was to get away from the overwrought perfume advertising of today (Buy this, it'll make you glamorous!). I do think today's advertising is exaggerated, but Clean is the tamest form of rebellion ever. If you really want to rebel, why not make something like Etat Libre d'Orange or Frederic Malle?
P.S. I wear Bandit now, that tells you how much my fragrance universe has expanded.
Amen.
I don't even like my laundry to smell of laundry, so why would I spritz myself with a faux "clean" smell.
I love your stereotype description, btw. When I'm out shopping, those women are the bane of my existence.
Hi Sabrina. You know, I can see this being a good starter fragrance for a younger person--although the price seems a bit high. The funny thing is, to create a *new* perfume line to combat the overwrought advertising...well, at least make something fabulous! Don't just create more mediocre perfume (adding to the market glut) and then act all high and mighty about it. I guess that's part of what really irks me--maybe she's not selling overwrought glamour, but she's selling false virtue.
Hi Kathy. I know! I want to snatch their cell phones away and whack them over the head.
I tend to buy very lightly scented or unscented laundry products, myself. I AM conscious of wearing too many scented products...I like my perfume to be the star--for those people who get close enough to smell it.
Very interesting post, and I agree completely. To me, the trend of clean, safe cookie-cutter fragrances without a hint of sexy grown up nuance goes hand in hand with some other disturbing women's trends of the past few years. Things like Hello, Kitty jewelry, in real gemstones that cost real money. Jumpers, jumpsuits and those one piece rompers, lord help us. Shorts as business attire. Too precious prints in items like rainboots and umbrellas. Empire waisted minis, and short pleated miniskirts (channeling one's inner cheerleader or boarding school, perhaps.) As long as I'm probably offending people, I will say also that I find it kind of creepy when adult women collect teddy bears and dolls. It's like a collective wish to retreat into childhood, when somebody else took care of us and all the scary grownup stuff. A dangerous stance for women to take in today's world. I say we all grow up and embrace the perks of full womanly adulthood, one of which is wearing chypres and full bodied sexy perfume! Hey, it's a start.
this "clean" trend has long been a pet peeve of mine. people who want perfume that doesn't smell "perfumey" (and they make it sound as if that's something bad!) should, as you say, just not wear any scent at all.
i, too, grew up around wonderful, womanly scents (ma griffe, fleurs de rocaille, my sin), and chose to wear womanly scents as soon as i could (farouche, ivoire, norell, cabochard, l'air du temps, and femme to mention a few). i still wear them and others.
i did buy one of the philosophy scents - the one that smells like starch - but it was by mistake - i actually wanted the one that smelled like berries. i wore it once, and did get a compliment, but never touched it again. i think i gave it away to the zoo - which collects perfume to give its big cats something to play with (they scent toys). something about it just put me off. if i ever want to smell like starch again, i will go buy a can and spray my fabric with it.
btw, jil sander pure is perhaps the most ridiculous "clean" scent i've smelled. it smells like water and not much else. i laughed when i smelled it. it was so minimalist as to be nonexistent. the ultimate perfume rip-off.
i have a theory: the girly scents (the candy, not just the clean), bangs and the obsession with waxing down there (which, i'm sorry, can only make you look like a prepubescent girl) make me believe we're somehow unconsciously appealing to the pedophiles amongst us. lolitas unite! what is that about?!
Rosarita, don't even get me started on shorts as business attire. And don't get me started on leggings on women over 25. It seems sometimes that women paradoxically have fewer and fewer choices, and in a lot of ways, I believe women are to blame. What's up with women who worked to get MBAs and law degrees giving it all up to stay home? What's up with women in their 40s dressing like their teenage daughters? What's up with women dressing their ten-year-olds like teenagers?
I think it is a sort of collective retreat into childhood, as you say, but then there's also the disturbing trend of women living through their kids. Perhaps the same thing. But do they have to turn into one?! When I was a child, the lines were finely drawn between adults and children. No longer seems to be so.
Minette, I agree with your theory! I'm sure someone is going to attack me for saying so, but this trend in some ways it feels like the American equivalent of a burka. Why? Because it erases a woman's power. It erases her as a person. If you dress like a little girl (jumpers and Keds) or like a baby doll (pink sweats and empire dresses), and you wear safe soapy scents or candy, then essentially, you are saying, "I'm harmless. I'm not a threat. Do not take me seriously."
I think women should have fun with fashion and perfume, but I also think we should be honest with ourselves about why we're making certain choices. I like a little pink now and again, I admit. But it's like I said to Chaya: it's about being fun and youthful (and generally not at the office or an event), not about being child-like or coy. And it's not a persona.
I also believe this is why a certain percentage of American women have so strongly embraced French women as their ideals. We've had to look across the ocean for women who are REAL women...and who wear REAL perfume!
*applause*
The quest for purity, in any form, makes me very, very nervous.
And that "all natural" aspect of the line's pitch is very interesting. And almost certainly untrue except in the most elastic definition, no?
And will add that I find the very *name* "baby girl" disturbing.
Hi A. It is! It is a disturbing name! And as for the "all natural" thing: as I'm allergic to any number of things in the "all natural" world--trees, weeds, dust, mold, animal hair--I rarely fall for that one. "All natural" is not synonymous with "safe," even if it isn't toxic. And it's the worst kind of marketing ploy.
Thanks for the laugh this morning! I loved your description. Too funny. And for the record, the older I get, the more "out there" my perfume choices have become.
Hi Cynthia. I guess it's true that age brings confidence. 
Yes, THANK YOU. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!
Febreze is a much cheaper perfume, I think..
But I can see the appeal, yet if they want to hook a man, they say to smell like pumpkin pie or lavendar... it makes them horny or something.
Ah yes, well...I am sure canned pumpkin can go a long way as a perfume! And it's so much cheaper--and edible!
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