1990's Curve. The old, the new, the clone, and current alternatives.

As staple for the late 90’s and early 2000’s, it seemed every guy had this one. And it was a beast. The question is raised: Are the current formulations and clones similar to the original, or must we look elsewhere to get those notes of juniper, amber, cactus, and lavender that we loved so much. Let’s dive in.

Liz Claiborne’s Curve for Men. The original. I applied this today, and immediately, I was taken back. This twenty year old 5 mL bottle smells exactly as I remembered it. Smooth, deep woody, ambery, lavender, with a unique cactus undercurrent. There is also a slight peppery and juniper note. There is pineapple listed as a note, but I do not detect that at all, and I can’t say that I remember a pineapple note at all either when I wore it decades ago. So I do not think that top note has degraded over time. It must be and has been a subtle accenting note if it was even there. But did I say this fragrance is smooth? Dang, it’s good. Curve was coming out of the “complex” era of fragrances where the notes were many and well blended. So individual note details are hard to describe, and the fragrance functions as a whole. This is a strictly linear fragrance and doesn’t change much if at all over its lifespan. As for performance, it has decent projection, but not crazy. Again, this one works well in a work space, but spray heavier if outdoors or in an open space. It does lend itself to cooler weather because it does feel thicker and heavy, but it could be worn in an evening setting during warmer weather. As for longevity, it projected nicely for at least 5 hours, then it was a skin scent. It was gone in 8 hours.

In 2011, Liz Claiborne was acquired by Elizabeth Arden Co. and the Claiborne name was dropped from the label. And alas, the downhill slide from there is real.

Elizabeth Arden’s Curve for Men. I would like to think that I am not aggravated by many things. But this is one of them. I do not know why, but synthetic rubbing alcohol pineapple is where they thought this fragrance needed to be. The pineapple is up front, and not in a good way like Aventus DNA. Though I can’t help but think they brought the pineapple forward after Aventus’ success. The opening doesn’t smell like I remember the fragrance at all, and when compared to LC Curve, that seems truer than ever. The opening is just awful. For one hour, this is a vastly different fragrance. Then, to say something nice, it finally lands pretty close to the original late in its life as the pineapple alcohol evaporates away. Although it does seem to lean a tad bit more on the black pepper and juniper; and the cactus note seems absent. As for performance, this is right on par with the original. And as for longevity it is a skin scent after 5 hours. It actually may last just a tad longer than the original, just a tad longer.

The clone:

Dua His Curve. The claim is that this is replicating the original formula. Sure, if the original formula was ten times more pineapple than Elizabeth Arden’s version. And this screechy pineapple does not go away after an hour. It loudly sticks around for over four hours. At that point this one settled down close to the original as well, but what a journey to get there. And like the modern version, it leans in more than on the pepper and juniper in the end. So, even though the claim is that it is imitating the original formula, it is obviously taking its inspiration from the EA version and is largely indiscernible from the modern version in the late stages. Projection lasted over 7 hours easily, which is where Dua clones thrive. And it lasted on the skin for about 9 hours. So it does perform better than the original and the modern version on both projection and longevity.

The alternatives.

Ted Lapidus Pour Homme. I included this classic because on paper this one matches the scent profile of Curve almost exactly. This is a classic oriental fragrance that can be challenging for modern noses. This is sophisticated, masculine and timeless. We’re not talking “trendy” with this fragrance. And as for how it relates to Curve, the notes are pineapple, lavender, juniper berries, pine, amber, cedar, and musk. But also basil, oakmoss, and incense, and these later notes make the tone more sharp than the smooth Curve. This is a linear fragrance with very little development. If you want a sharper, more classically masculine version of Curve, this one will qualify. Of all of these as I tested them, this was the one of two that got the most compliments from women. Just saying. Perhaps, our modern sensibilities want “sweeter” fragrances, but this one got some head turns even though it is not sweet at all. Performance for an oldie was surprisingly good. Descent projection for 6 hours, and gone at 10 hours.

Parfums de Marly Percival. This one is the opposite of Ted Lapidus. On paper it looks very different, in application yet it is decently close. Notes are lavender, mandarin orange, hedione, amber, tonka, and jasmine among others. Here the white floral with the mandarin adds a sweet fruity top reminiscent of the modern version of Curve. This sweetness lasts well into the development of its lifespan. And this sweet fruity accord is smooth and refined, not like the screechy synthetic Dua, or the rubbing alcohol of the modern Curve. As an alternative, this is likely as close as you will get and your best bet if you can’t get a 20 year old Liz Claiborne bottle. It projects nicely for about 6 hours and is gone at 8 hours.

Alternative leather flanker.

Montblanc Legend EDP. I almost considered the EDT, as it is pretty close but feels a lot thinner than the original Curve, and the above Percival is closer in my opinion. Thus I chose the EDP as a “leather” flanker. Here, like Percival, the bergamot and jasmine adds that slight sweet element that replicates the top notes of the modern Curve, but this one is less fruity. The woody notes and leather make it a heavier fragrance than all the others and so it feels more like the original Curve in that respect. It is also very smooth. It is close enough to feel like Curve, but with the leather it is a tad more interesting than a straight alternative. For performance, it projected decently for 5 hours, and was gone at 8 hours.

In conclusion, the sad truth is, of the fragrances currently on the market, there is none that replicates the original curve. If you miss that fragrance, you simply need to buy a twenty year old bottle labeled “Liz Claiborne Cosmetics Inc” on the packaging information or on the bottle, and be sure Claiborne is on the graphic just under “Curve” on the bottle and packaging. Don’t bother with the modern EA version, or the Dua Clone for that matter. Unfortunately, no modern alternative that I have tested, including others that I didn’t list here (Abercrombie Fitch Fierce or MB Legend EDT) are that close. Percival in my opinion is the closest but even that is only 70% at best. Lapidus Pour Homme has some similarity, 50% I’d say. And for a more interesting leather with Curve DNA MD Legend EDP is pretty nice.

How say you all? Have you tried any of these? Which would you choose?

Liz Claiborne Curve

Elizabeth Arden Curve

Dua His Curve

Ted Lapidus Pour Homme

Parfums de Marly Percival

Montblanc Legend EDP

Other (List below)

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