Background 1993 Eau de Toilette

Background (Eau de Toilette) by Jil Sander
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8.5 / 10 317 Ratings
A popular perfume by Jil Sander for men, released in 1993. The scent is spicy-sweet. The longevity is above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Spicy
Sweet
Woody
Floral
Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AniseedAniseed RaspberryRaspberry BergamotBergamot LavenderLavender LemonLemon TarragonTarragon
Heart Notes Heart Notes
HeliotropeHeliotrope CinnamonCinnamon JasmineJasmine Lily of the valleyLily of the valley CarnationCarnation LilyLily RoseRose
Base Notes Base Notes
SandalwoodSandalwood BenzoinBenzoin AmberAmber MuskMusk Tonka beanTonka bean VanillaVanilla CedarwoodCedarwood

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.5317 Ratings
Longevity
8.3249 Ratings
Sillage
7.8240 Ratings
Bottle
7.6251 Ratings
Value for money
7.268 Ratings
Submitted by DirkDS, last update on 11/15/2024.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
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Acqua di Sale by Profumum Roma
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Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions
ColinM

516 Reviews
ColinM
ColinM
Helpful Review 3  
Bizarre fougère
Background opens with a thick, quite peculiar soapy-medicinal blend comprising fruity notes, almond (tonka), a true load of cinnamon blended with powdery notes (heliotrope above all), balsamic notes, something creamy like white flowers, and something balsamic-resinous which reminded me of pine and fir balsam. Balmy, spicy, medicinal, woody, powdery, kind of gourmand-ish and balsamic... and leathery too for me, a smooth, soft but bold leather note underneath, slowly arising as minutes pass. A really solid leather accord, actually: waxy, rich, realistic, bracing and totally compelling. A sort of bizarre, colorful, kind of queery hybrid halfway Cuir Mauresque and Helmut Lang EDP, spicier than both and overall kind of more “weird” and playful - in a good meaning though. Kind of flashy too honestly, with (no offense for Germans) a sort of typical German “boldness” (i.e., tackiness) I smell in many older perfumes from Germany. Fun and creative, a bit linear and a bit heavy too, but a really peculiar and overall compelling take on the typical mid-90s Oriental “powdery-spicy” fougère theme (where the “peculiar” feature mostly lies in the sweet-medicinal-balsamic side).

7/10
0 Comments
10
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
Chnokfir

37 Reviews
Chnokfir
Chnokfir
4  
Cannot deny its background
There were times when perfumes were an opulent multitude of components, an excessive accumulation of different ingredients that made pinpointing individual notes difficult. This gradually changed after the 1990s. The fragrances were not necessarily flat, but rather predictable. "Background" by Jil Sanders is clearly "stuck" in the Good Old Days. Even today I have a hard time just to guess at some fragrance notes.

Rather unimpressive is the box it comes in. A simple black color with a subtle silver and light blue print. The bottle has a flattened front and back, looks like a sturdy short column, and is made of smoky deep green glass. A solid black cap, plus a thin silver band, perches on top. So inconspicuous that one might overlook it, if one does not know the scent. But, once you have sniffed it, you will never let it go.

The opening of this fragrance comes with a Bang! in a rush of fresh spiciness. Bergamot, lemon, tarragon and above all anise forge forward, with just a hint of licorice. Gradually more diverse flowers and spices move in, impossible to detect them all. Lavender and carnation are present, along with a velvety-soft, almost balsamic cinnamon. There are lily-of-the-valley and jasmine, I believe. Slowly one feels wrapped like in a down comforter, feather by soft feather, with a sweet lasting softness. There is much tonka and more vanilla, but also sandalwood and cedar. I can make out amber and some musk.

Fortunately, this is such a soft and balsamic scent - the intense sillage would otherwise be too strong. Here, it remains a very pleasant erxperience. The longevity meets high standards, just sparingly applied, this scent fills the whole day.

The background of yesteryear with opulent aromas has become rare in the mainstream segment of today, but you can still find many in the niche section. You can look there and get lucky. Nevertheless, I am glad to know Jil Sander's "Background" and have the pleasure of applying a few drops once in a while.

(Translation: Pipette)
0 Comments
LicoriceRain

57 Reviews
LicoriceRain
LicoriceRain
1  
Raspberry Cola?
Such an understated name, Background, which appeals to me a little, but maybe a little TOO understated. I mean, who would want to try and/or buy this based on such a boring name? I personally think a name can make or break a fragrance. Maybe this has something to do with it being discontinued? But anyway, as I read the notes, I now realize it has quite a bit of anise, which I didn’t recognize during my first wearing, although I love the smell of licorice. It’s nice, but not Full Bottle worthy. As others have said, it does remind me of Noxema, but also has a slight COLA vibe, maybe a raspberry cola. (I love a raspberry note, if done right.) Nice enough, but my humble opinion is Background is a bit muddled, with too many unnecessary notes. It’s alright, but I think it needs to stay in the… background.
0 Comments
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
9
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Pollita

244 Reviews
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Pollita
Pollita
Top Review 36  
Background. Or maybe Tonkaverde or Dolcebosco?
This community here is just amazing! Just this weekend I tested Métaboles Expressioniste by Ys Uzac and discovered a reference to Jil Sander's Background from dear Taurus1967. And already today I was able to test this fine, discontinued fragrance.
Right up front, this insane fragrance from my youth is Background unfortunately not. As much as I would have liked that. But I am not disappointed at all, because this green-sweet flatterer from the house of Jil Sander is beautiful and I also immediately discover similarities with favorites from their own portfolio. Still, it wouldn't be for me, because despite all its spices and woody notes, it develops a very intense tonal sweetness that just doesn't suit me. You should definitely like this one. Personally, I'm just a little critical with a lot of tonka, but that's on me, definitely not the fragrance.

My test material seems to be intact, because I can make out a scent progression. The starting phase initially makes me think of Keiko Mecheri's Paname, one of my favorites. This one is also discontinued, unfortunately, but today I'm not whining about discontinued scents for once. It gets boring otherwise. Background starts very green and the sweet anise and tart tarragon are just wonderful counterparts, coming together in very fine olfactory harmony here. I also immediately recognize the lavender in such. The top note of Background reminds me a bit of the lavender-scented pain oil Aconit by Wala. By the way, it's great for sports injuries or when you have a classic backache. But even that should be mentioned here only in passing, if someone knows the scent of the oil.

After that, the fragrance picks up speed and gradually becomes sweeter and sweeter. Heliotrope, cinnamon and especially vanilla and tonka gradually push themselves to the fore. The rest of the flowers are not to make out for my nose concretely, for that the composition is overall too coherent. A little tarragon provides here and there for some green, herbaceous background noise and some wood also says hello, but in the end, the fragrance then gradually flows into a fine tonka sweetness with vanilla.

It is clear to me why such a one in the nineties and especially in the designer sector could not hold, because such a thing is quite special, especially for that time. If this fragrance would be launched today, it would probably be found in the range of Profumum Roma. The vanilla note of Background reminds me of the Profumum Roma vanilla that I love so much. There it would probably be called Tonkaverde, Dolcebosco or something like that. Yes, it could be a Profumum Roma and would probably sell well. I myself know so far no Profumum Roma, which comes up with exactly such a combination of notes, recommend fans of Background, who miss him very much, to take a look at the fragrances of this brand. Could please.

Very many thanks to Lenka85 for the test opportunity.
29 Comments
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
Mo666

4 Reviews
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Mo666
Mo666
7  
"the 90s in a bottle"
We are sitting in the Opel GSi, from the radio Nirvana's "smells like teen spirit" the world is listening
us and the background Jil Sander...
A pleasant fresh and spicy scent that hasn't lost anything in its years...As so often happens
unfortunately also the good ones are out of service...too bad...one of the best of Jil Sander
5 Comments
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Statements

1 short view on the fragrance
Topfpflanze3Topfpflanze3 3 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
7
Scent
Opens up sweet almost like rough sirup and dries down like a typical 80s mens fougere. Solid and unique scent but no must have
1 Comment

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