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| The FIERCE Intense lined up at the ready, abercrombie.com. |
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| FIERCE Intense profile, abercrombie.com |
In regards to its olfactory format, FIERCE Intense is promoted as a "concentrated cologne" and being "our strongest, longest lasting fragrance" - a higher concentration of the FIERCE scent in cologne form. This is peculiar, however, given the fact that when a scent is in its purest, concentrated, longest-lasting form, it's a parfum. Contrary to prevailing layman understanding, a parfum and eau de parfum (right underneath parfum in concentration hierarchy) are not solely for feminine scents; they are merely types of a fragrance concentration. Being as they are, masculinity and femininity constructs polarizing everything, people have in recent times conformed with the idea that parfum / eau de parfum / "perfume" is for them (women) and "cologne" is solely for a man. No. Perfume is all scents, masculine or feminine, created for giving a desired odor to your body, whatever, and "fragrance" is used interchangeably. Recent time has just attached an incorrect and misleading feminine connotation to the term "perfume" in English. Who knows why, and it's really dim-witted and funny that it is so in English considering the fact that while the word can trace its origins to the Latin per fumus ("through smoke"), because of Anglo-French cultural relations (including linguistic and French holding prestige in English since the Norman conquest), it could have come into English by way of French considering France had become the center of the development and refinement of perfumery practice after it made its way into Europe by the middle of the 2nd millennium. That and the fact that French culture and language would become an ideal of all aspects civilization by the latter-centuries of the millennium. The feminine scents-driven bloom of the industry by the modern era and marketing surely contributed to the thought of "perfume" as feminine as a generic term for eau de parfum of which women's fragrances were basically made in standard; the French term parfum is masculine, people, and by definition is of all created scents for desirable use. (Note that le parfum is French for perfume/fragrance and parfum is also the French for the purest fragrance form; it just depends on the context in which you use the term). Certain masculine fragrances can be worked as eau de parfums and have in the higher strata of the industry (i.e. Dior Homme, Tom Ford Noir, Terre d'Hermes, etc.) and are more complex, bold, and price reflective; cologne is just for playing it safe and easy. Nevertheless, one must also consider the fact that many male fragrances take to a main prominence of citrus family notes within the formula, and that is also what defines an eau de cologne with a use of such in an overall formula of low concentration generally anywhere 2-5% of essential oils. However, cologne may linger rather lengthily, despite the low concentration, depending on the notes and also the climate. But here's the curveball: Colognes can be in light or more form. Also, regardless of the concentration for a masculine scent, sellers are well known to just slap it with a "cologne" label out of conformity even when venturing into eau de toilette territory (4-8%, give or take, and in between eau de cologne and eau de parfum) or higher.
Priced at US$118 for the only exclusive volume offering, 1.7 fl oz, FIERCE Intense was "sold out" rather fast after its release in the American market though, by the publishing of this post, it is still available in the United Kingdom, for example, with a price of GB£118 (rounding to US$190) – a strongly commanding premium price of parfum territory. The only parfum Abercrombie & Fitch has ever sold is the upscale, feminine EZRA scent at 0.5. fl oz for US$108. But even then, FIERCE Intense can't hardly dethrone EZRA parfum which, were it sold at 1.7 fl oz, would have been at a price much higher than anything around the world A&F asks for FIERCE Intense. Furthermore, if FIERCE Intense can be sold at 1.7 fl oz with an above-though-so-near price to what EZRA parfum sold for at 0.5. fl oz, then it is seemingly not the truly purest, strongest, long-lasting A&F Fragrance ever in the technical sense of what a parfum is and what is EZRA parfum. However, "our strongest, longest lasting fragrance" can hold validation within the context of considering the current lineup of available scents. Furthermore, a limited-edition higher concentration of FIERCE cologne – a very valuable, valuable and internationally renowned scent – at 1.7 fl oz would indeed command a most fittingly...intense price.
FIERCE Intense is only the latest installment in the impressive expansion of the acclaimed FIERCE fragrance label: the first move came in Christmas 2010 with release of the body care duo FIERCE hair & body wash and aftershave; cologne volume was expanded to 3.4 and 6.7 fl oz by 2011 and releasing a limited edition 1000ml by Christmas 2012; and 2014 has experienced the most expansion undertaking with a candle, spin-off scent FIERCE Confidence, and now the classic scent concentrate form. The all-new addition's exclusive standing in composition and limited-edition release furthers premium attitude.
And with the holiday season just around the corner now, who needs mistletoe when you've got FIERCE...
Stay FIERCE!