J•H•L Aramis 1982 Cologne

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8.0 / 10 214 Ratings

J•H•L (Cologne) is a popular perfume by Aramis for men and was released in 1982. The scent is spicy-oriental. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.

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Main accords

Spicy

Oriental

Woody

Sweet

Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Orange

Bergamot

Pimento

Lemon

Heart Notes

Clove

Cinnamon

Fir

Rose

Base Notes

Labdanum

Patchouli

Sandalwood

Vanilla

Perfumer

Josephine Catapano

Ratings

Scent

8.0214 Ratings

Longevity

8.4170 Ratings

Sillage

7.9165 Ratings

Bottle

7.1163 Ratings

Value for money

8.231 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 01.12.2023.

Interesting Facts

The scent was created by Estée Lauder for her husband. His initials were JHL (Joseph H. Lauder).

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

08/27/2018

7
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Minigolf
240 Reviews

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Minigolf

Top Review 28

Bernard's legacy...or, Chant's not forgotten

There are only a few perfumers whose compositions I admire as much as Bernard Chant.
It was, along with two or three others, a "milestone" in modern fragrance history. His creations are present, rich in content, unique and bear a clearly recognisable "signature".
And J.H.L. is one of them. Here, spices play a very important role, which have been incredibly cleverly combined with resins and flowers to create a fragrance with a very mysterious aura. Almost androgynous, but very powerful, the larger-than-life "spirit" of an olfactory genius still seems to be present.
And probably only out of respect for its creator "J.H.L." seems not to have become a victim of the fragrance reformulation rage yet.
Everything still seems to be in the right place here.
Already the warm spicy introduction of the fragrance offers the prospect of a perfume for cool seasons. Dark orange glowing.
What appears to be a bit rough in the further course (especially clove),
is spun quite quickly by green resins of the fir, the flowery-spicy aroma of a wild rose and the almost glowing powderiness of cinnamon.
And J.H.L. isn't a pussyfooter. Nevertheless, at no time is it intrusive or penetrant.
Quite simply because the fragrance is not "static", has no "linear" course.
Rather, it is as if it were playing with its ingredients and always producing new variations of itself, without really smelling "different".
Small nuances in the emergence or retreat of fragrances always make it interesting for the nose.
You want to follow them.
Then the "substructure" of the fragrance ( patchouli, sandalwood, "balsams" ) can soon be guessed without displacing the other "Wandelsterne" of the perfume.
He blends in without being "conformist." Leads a life of its own without displacement.
Supports the entire fragrance and complements the composition.
Before you know it, you are in the middle of the action as a carrier and you can no longer unwind. Want to know more, follow the fragrance trail without reaching an endpoint.
With each spray on again and again anew, always a tiny little bit different, depending on weather or mood.
Bernard Chant LEBT continues in this fragrance.

12/08/2019

8
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Camey5000
81 Reviews

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Camey5000

Top Review 19

Elixir with double bottom

Aramis - JHL
As signature scent I call Monsieur de Rauch. Reason enough to look for similar scents. Among them I count especially Aramis - JHL.

Bergamot and green orange are a pleasant start for me. Animal creaminess appears. Against a light sweetness with vanilla and patchouli, heavyweights are driven up and the rest of the action is characterized by spices.

In the main course, allspice with cinnamon and above all carnation play the main role and give us a glimpse into a fir forest with loose population. Now the wooden character is clear and a tiny, almost watery fish swims in the nearby brook (and is already over - Animalik).

A dark, opulent elixir develops. Warm with rose, patchouli and cinnamon. Powerful with the resin of the cistus rose, with various woods and above all the clove. Labdanum calms, gives further depth and flatters the feelings, the soul. (Reason for purchase?)

In the clearing, one of the giant trees with its roots is torn from the forest floor and with a delicately smoky, dry final chord, the scent sinks into the twilight and the night.

JHL is not composed to be together in our home. The elixir is absorbed here roughly. I think that's the carnation. In the buttonhole she would be well accepted as a flower!

11/01/2023

7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Midnights
6 Reviews

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Midnights

Very helpful Review 16

A good life

"Nothing unusual, nothing strange
Close to nothing at all
The same old scenario, the same old rain
And there's no explosions here
Then something unusual, something strange
Comes from nothing at all
I saw a spaceship fly by your window
Did you see it disappear?"
("Amie", Damien Rice)

HE
Most days, life was good. The embers still crackled quietly, unexcited rather than passionate, between wooden coffers on the walls, beige sofa, clear, respectful glances and self-evident touches. Whether this was a fulfilled life or the well-tempered sum of fulfilled desires was a question he did not want to ask aloud or to himself. Longing was only a trickle now. Some days, however, this trickle swelled and became a river. Leaving his bed within minutes, it could flood everything that had not been stowed away at mind level or mindfully enough in the emotional safe. Like today. He's not home alone, but something has turned the trickle into raging waters within seconds. He goes into the garage and takes out the cardboard box labeled "Unterlagen Elternhaus" from the far corner. A small stack, seven or eight photos, shamefully hidden between two long since insignificant cadastral extracts.
A green Fiat Cinquecento, she stands next to it, reddish-blond hair and a laugh that would hold at least the happiness of two lives. The strap of her tank top has slipped, she carries bergamots and lemons in her right arm and has converted the lower part of her top into a catch basin for the fruit with her left hand. Her belly button flashes out, she is unaware of herself and her effect at this moment. How much happiness in life can fit in one photograph? How big are great loves? Or are they only so big (yes, present tense) because they never found their fulfillment and still hovered in the limbo of promises made in prospect but never kept? He thinks of the roses he had given her that day, how they filled the cottage with its east-facing windows with their fragrance. And he remembers how she wouldn't throw the roses away, even when they were almost faded and growling slightly animalistically.
The photo she took of him falls into his hands. Same year, different season, early winter. He had left the house with the excuse of needing to get some fresh air. The pre-Christmas scent of cloves and cinnamon still hung in his scarf. He had waited for her beside a fir tree, the tallest at the edge of the forest, his own after-shave, something with galbanum and patchouli, in his nose. When he embraced her, her neck smelled familiarly of vanilla, only hinted at, never room-filling. She had asked him a question weeks ago. He looked at her pleadingly and said "I can't." Breathed and resembling a feather, the words left his mouth. The feather became a knife blade coated with his words. At home, he blamed the red eyes on the cold.
A voice calls his name, hastily he puts the photos in the box and pushes them far back on the shelf. He will explain the reddened eyes today with the dust on the old boxes in the garage.

YOU
It was that time again. The familiar, ominous visit to the garage, supposedly looking for some relics in the old boxes. She is still in the kitchen, looking at the highest fir tree on the edge of the forest. She always knew there must be a trigger, only which one? She had just returned from the market, had put bergamots, lemons and a bouquet of fragrant roses on the table. An old Italian pop song was playing on the radio. She dismisses the question of why.
She's always been smart enough to quickly grasp what was playing. The sudden exuberance, the surprise visit of his parents in Italy, which he had to do partout alone. She was also confident enough to know that this thing would pass. Last but not least, she was blessed with enough self-respect to be aware not to play the game for too long. Then it sorted itself out just before Christmas. No one gets such red eyes from a little cold. She opens the window and calls out to him that lunch will be ready in 15 minutes, goes up the stairs to hang her coat in the closet. As she does so, she notices a box on the floor, a corner not properly covered by the long clothes. She kneels down and looks at the label: "Pictures and letters from Mom and Dad." Somewhere on the bottom of the box lies her bridge over the rivulet of longing. But not now, for now there's lunch.

12/18/2012

10
Scent

Drseid
819 Reviews

Drseid

Very helpful Review 6

A Fabulous Carnation and Rose Concoction...

Vintage JHL opens with a whiff of aldehydes (nothing overpowering, I assure you) before quickly transitioning to a beautiful mildly cinnamon and all-spice laced carnation and rose combo, with maybe just a hint of bergamot thrown in for good measure. The spiced floral accord remains through the heart notes, now joined by jasmine support that sweetens the accord, but never "too sweet." The spiced carnation and rose finally recede as the primary base notes of sandalwood and patchouli emerge to sweeten the scent just a tad further as they take the fore, while the spiced floral tandem hangs around well in the background, at this point just barely detectable but crucial to the scent's success even in the base. Projection and longevity are both superb.

Vintage JHL is a truly outstanding scent in every way. The cinnamon spiced carnation and rose combo is absolutely captivating, and speaks of extreme class and sophistication. I view this as a perfect scent for dressing up in a fine suit and tie. The scent is sweet, but unlike so many others that go too far and become cloying; JHL goes right to the limit, but masterfully never crosses that line and remains very wearable and easily accepted. The projection and longevity here also need to be emphasized as this is a true powerhouse of a scent... As an aside, when I first put vintage JHL on, I thought it reminded me a bit like my beloved vintage Floris No. 89, and there are definitely some similarities between the two masculine floral scents to my nose, at least. That said, upon closer inspection, vintage JHL is smoother, more refined and sweeter than vintage No. 89 (No. 89 relies on rough dry vetiver support, while JHL turns to a smooth sweeter sandalwood and patchouli... and of course there is the carnation). I never thought I would say this as vintage No. 89 is very dear to me and is an absolute all-time favorite of mine, but I prefer vintage JHL to it by a small margin. In short, vintage JHL is one of the best scents I have sniffed to date and easily deserves its classic status. I'll give this outstanding juice a well-deserved 4.5+ out of 5 rating.

Edit: I have now bought a re-release bottle of JHL to compare against my vintage juice... I find the re-release a very competent one, but there are some differences. The vintage juice is smoother, richer and rose is much more prominent. The re-release definitely tilts much heavier to the carnation, it is also more powdery (although not overwhelmingly so, never fear). Longevity and potency are still just as superb as with the vintage juice. I prefer the vintage juice of the two and can't go back having experienced it first, but those starting afresh with JHL with the re-release are not giving up much, and you save a ton of cash. I give the re-release a still very strong 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5. Bravo Aramis for bringing this one back, and in such great shape!

07/14/2012

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Top Review 6

Cinnaboydew

I don’t have a lot to add to what others have said about JHL, and certainly nothing particularly clever, but I would like to add my applause. What a great fragrance for men, and thank you, Aramis for re-releasing it. I would love to smell this on a young person who might discover complexity, plush and density from this fragrance from another era and sensibility. I don’t mean to be cynical about the state of most men’s designer fragrances these past few years, but JHL stands resolutely apart from them. It’s funny, actually. My real complaint about most men’s designer scents is that there are so many, and they vary from each other in such small ways that they smell the same even to people who are looking for distinctions. And yet look at JHL. It’s Cinnabar and Youth Dew with some carnation! Given this slapdash approach but brilliant result, I suppose I can hardly level the ‘sameness’ complaint against current men’s designer scents.

JHL is a beautiful example of Estée Lauder’s transplantation of French sensibility to American perfumery. It’s a rich combination of many ingredients (hesperides, culinary spices, balsams, florals, amber), beautiful evolution over time, and coherence from start to finish. JHL is a tribute from Lauder to classical perfumery, but the way she overlaps genres (spicy, amber, floral) gives us something that likely would not have come from France. Kudos for not sparing the voluptuousness in a men’s scent! We like a little lavishness too!

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