Ed Hardy Perfume Guide: Inking Your Signature Scent

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Caroline Lambert

Are you looking for someone that’s going to be open and honest with you about the scents that are and aren’t going to work for you? Caroline isn’t here to play games when it comes to the world of perfumes. She loves breaking down every note of perfume and explaining how a perfume will work with your personal preferences. Plus, she loves learning about new scents, so she’s always on the hunt to find the best and latest perfumes on the market.

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The Ed Hardy perfume brand is correlated to a clothing brand so controversial and misunderstood that New Orleans nightclubs even banned it. Only an Ed Hardy Perfume Guide can set the record straight because the fragrances have nothing to do with the celebrities who ruined the clothing brand.

Trust a celebrity to carry a brand onto a train track and leave it to be run over by the monstrous engine. In fairness, stars also do wonders for brands, but the famed and worshipped demolished the brilliant artist Ed Hardy’s brand. The perfumes are something entirely different.

Once you step away from the rise and fall of the related clothing brand, look into the inspiration for the perfumes, and smell what comes from those beautiful bottles, all your concerns about controversy and misconceptions will be blown away, much like the art will wow you.

An important lesson I’ve learned in life is that I should never listen to the critics. If I want to know how a perfume smells, I try it for myself. Don’t let the masses drive a train right over your Ed Hardy curiosity. Take a leap and try the unique fragrances for yourself. You’re about to find a fantastic scent in this guide.

Unfortunate Roots

Don Ed Hardy is the man, artist, inspiration, and name behind the perfume brand. Hardy is a Californian native who attended the San Fransisco Art Institute to earn a printmaking degree, even receiving an honorary doctorate. He took the art world and transformed it into something new, wonderful, and contemporary.

Hardy spent years painting elaborate depictions that made people scratch their heads at first. “Abstract” is one word to describe Hardy’s artwork, and they almost had an Eastern feel to them. Nevertheless, museums and galleries around the world displayed his art.

The beat culture and jazz lifestyles in San Fransisco inspired much of Hardy’s artwork. His artwork exuded social consciousness and won numerous awards before he even left school. Hardy found his way into Los Angeles to recreate the social culture of the region as well, and his art became saturated with the figures we know today.

Hardy met Sailor Jerry Collins in the early 1970s, another man synonymous with modern tattoo art, and by 1973, Hardy met tattoo master Horihide. Hardy spent much of the 1970s and 1980s tattooing under the master in Japan, and his tattoo art would follow him back home and become legendary.

French businessman Christian Audiger saw Hardy’s talent as more than art, and they entered an agreement for a range of perfume, lotions, and clothing depicting Hardy’s creative mind. Hardy’s self-expression artwork was in the hands of a Frenchman by the early 2000s, and they launched the first fragrances in 2008.

Sadly, the brand saw a sharp fall by 2010, thanks to celebrities like Jon Gosselin, Madonna, and Britney Spears. Everyone wore the clothing during an inconspicuous time, slashing the brand’s name, leading to the nightclubs banning the clothing. Ed Hardy blames these celebrities for ruining his brand.

Judging the perfume range for celebrities’ mistakes is like comparing the night and morning skies. The rise and fall of the clothing brand doesn’t make the perfume any less valuable or fabulous. In fact, who doesn’t love a little controversy behind their fragrance? It makes for a great story!

Ed Hardy Perfume for Women

Sadly, you can mainly find Ed Hardy’s perfumes on Amazon due to the celebrity blunder and Christian Audieger’s poor branding decisions. The scents are still available, though, and they bring that artistic Californian street to the beautiful world of fragrances. Whether you love tattoo art or not, you’ll love these perfumes!

Ed Hardy Women’s EDP

Ed Hardy Women’s EDP has strong amber notes that push through the fruitiness of the top notes. It’s a rule-defying perfume that leaves nothing unchallenged. The artwork depicts skulls, roses, and a heart, traditional elements of tattoos. It’s vibrant, addictive, sexy, and explosive in every way intended by street art.

• Accords: Fruity, sweet, tropical, floral, citrus, terpenic, and amber
• First Notes: Apple, grapefruit, mango, and wild strawberry
• Middle Notes: Lime blossom, lily of the valley, and freesia
• Bottom Notes: Tonka bean, musk, vanilla, and amber
• Wearable Times: Daytime, spring, and summer

Yeah

• It costs $18.53 (inexpensive)
• Moderate wake
• It lingers for about four to six hours.
• The fragrance is sharp enough to be noticed but not overwhelming.
• It leaves a beautiful wake for young and vibrant women.
• It smells like you’re making a bold fruit statement on a hot summer day.

Nope

• It’s not a good scent for nighttime or cooler weather.
• It won’t smell great on mature people.
• The fruitiness can seem juvenile to some people.

Ed Hardy Love and Luck EDP

Love and Luck EDP is a favorite, meaning it will cost more. You can immediately see the Japanese inspiration behind the artwork, but it’s a gorgeous fragrance that blends traditional and contemporary scents to create something unusual. It might just have set the stage for new perfumes if the brand didn’t fall.

• Accords: Citrus, woody, fruity, powdery, sweet, vodka, soft spicy, musky, fresh spicy, and white floral
• First Notes: Bergamot, vodka, and blood orange
• Middle Notes: Plum, jasmine, nectarine, blackcurrant, and pink pepper
• Bottom Notes: Patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, and musk
• Wearable Times: Daytime, summer, and spring

Yeah

• Moderate wake
• It has a powerful fruity scent that works for bold women.
• A robust woody undertone tames the wake.
• It will get you noticed as a young woman.
• It smells like summertime cocktails on the beach.

Nope

• It costs $64.99 (much more than the first one)
• It only stays on your skin for about four hours.
• It doesn’t smell good on mature women.

Ed Hardy Hearts and Daggers EDP

Hearts and Daggers EDP is a highly feminine fragrance with an unspoken secret carried in the artwork. Although the scent promotes seduction, sexiness, and ultimate femininity, the artwork speaks of heartbreak, which feels like a dagger being driven through it. However, who causes the heartbreak? (Hint: it may be you!)

• Accords: Fruity, sweet, citrus, tropical, amber, floral, and fresh
• First Notes: Blood orange, violet leaf, and red apple
• Middle Notes: Jasmine, apple blossom, and mango
• Bottom Notes: Amber, musk, benzoin, and woody notes
• Wearable Times: Spring, daytime, and summer

Yeah

• It costs $26.23 (affordable)
• Intimate/moderate sillage
• It stays for about six to eight hours.
• The fragrance is intense enough to strike hearts with a dagger but not overwhelming.
• It creates a gorgeous wake for young and mature women.
• It smells like a fruity, tropical journey that dries down to a delicate wooden undertone.

Nope

• It might be too fruity for mature, traditional women.
• It doesn’t evolve the same wake in colder weather.

Ed Hardy Born Wild EDP

Born Wild for women is a daring, outrageous, and adventurous perfume. The artwork depicts a pirate with a touch of sweet, feminine innocence. It’s a dangerously seductive perfume for women who aren’t afraid to be a little outrageous. No one will forget the wake you leave with this beauty.

• Accords: Fruity, fresh, floral, woody, musky, sweet, green, aromatic, white floral, and powdery
• First Notes: Casia and black cherry
• Middle Notes: Magnolia, peach blossom, and lily of the valley
• Bottom Notes: Sandalwood and musk
• Wearable Times: Summer, daytime, and spring

Yeah

• Moderate sillage
• It stays for about eight to ten hours (which might justify the price)
• The fragrance is potent enough to turn heads, but it won’t make people stumble.
• It’s a beautiful wake for young and mature women with ambitions.
• It smells like the sweet tenacity of adventurous women with subtle woody undertones.

Nope

• It costs $102.35 (just as daring as the fragrance)
• It doesn’t work in colder weather.

Ed Hardy Villain EDP

Villain EDP is an explosive perfume with a villainous mermaid on the bottle. Who knows? It might be a siren more than a mythical mermaid. The bottle is embossed with the artwork, and this perfume tells a tale of luring men in like a siren. It’s a dangerous perfume with solid and sensual undertones.

• Accords: Ozonic, aquatic, fruity, sweet, floral, fresh, tropical, lactonic, caramel, citrus
• First Notes: Litchi, watermelon, and citrus notes
• Middle Notes: Magnolia, lotus, and freesia
• Bottom Notes: Sandalwood, creme brulee, and iris
• Wearable Times: Summer and daytime

Yeah

• Intimate/moderate sillage
• It lasts for eight to ten hours.
• The fragrance has a powerful wake that quickly dries down to a delicate caress of the senses.
• It works wonderfully for young and mature women.
• It smells like a seductive, sexy, and confident woman.

Nope

• You can’t find it anymore.
• The tropical smell can be overwhelming at first.

Ed Hardy Cologne for Men

If you think the female fragrances are loud and wild, you’ll be shocked to see what Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier brought for men. Hardy certainly doesn’t focus on subtle or traditional artwork, so why would you think the colognes are different? These colognes will impress you and everyone in your wake.

Ed Hardy Men’s EDT

Ed Hardy Men’s EDT is a beast in a can, literally. The artwork depicts a tiger, which is one of the most powerful wildcats in nature. This cologne encourages you to release your inner tiger. Become the man everyone notices when you leave a moderate wake of traditional and Eastern notes behind you.

• Accords: Citrus, amber, aromatic, musky, green, fresh spicy, soft spicy, powdery, and animalistic
• First Notes: Mandarin orange, bergamot, and clary sage
• Middle Notes: Mint
• Bottom Notes: Musk and amber
• Wearable Times: Nighttime, daytime, winter, spring, fall, and summer

Yeah

• It costs $21.49 (affordable)
• Moderate sillage
• It lasts for about eight hours.
• The fragrance has a powerful Eastern wake that dries down to a subtler freshness.
• It creates a beautiful and masculine scent for mature men.
• It smells like a lingering minty fresh and oriental spiciness on top of traditional foundations.

Nope

• It doesn’t smell good on young men.
• It may feel more conventional than most of Hardy’s range.

Ed Hardy Born Wild EDT

Born Wild for men is a unique fragrance that combines wild ingredients not often used by men with traditional undertones. It was one of Hardy’s final male releases, and it’s challenging to find. However, it’s a powerful scent man can wear in most weather. The subtle sweetness and fruitiness intertwine with the woody notes.

• Accords: Woody, soft spicy, warm spicy, aromatic, citrus, musky, fruity, fresh, sweet, and white floral
• First Notes: Musk mallow, apple, orange ambrette, and cardamom
• Middle Notes: Jasmine, pink pepper, and neroli
• Bottom Notes: Sandalwood and woody notes
• Wearable Times: Nighttime, daytime, spring, summer, and fall

Yeah

• It costs $59.99 (mid-price)
• Moderate sillage
• It lasts for eight to ten hours.
• The fragrance has a strong traditional wake.
• It works great for young guys who love modern fragrances.
• It smells like a forested journey with hints of fruity and sweet surprises.

Nope

• It’s hard to find now
• It doesn’t smell good on mature or traditional men.

Ed Hardy Skulls and Roses EDT

Skulls and Roses is an impressive cologne inspired by one of the best ingredients for men, lavender. The bottle is also uniquely shaped like a skull with a rose in its mouth. Skulls are infamous with tattoos, and this fragrance is as masculine as the bottle. The most vigorous exchange is between the spicy and lavender undertones.

• Accords: Lavender, citrus, aromatic, musky, fresh spicy, mossy, powdery, warm spicy, earthy, and herbal
• First Notes: Cardamom and bergamot
• Middle Notes: Lavender
• Bottom Notes: Oakmoss and musk
• Wearable Times: Daytime, nighttime, summer, and spring

Yeah

• It costs $32.33 (affordable)
• Moderate to strong sillage
• It stays for about eight hours
• It works better for mature and traditional men
• It smells like a 1990s man with sweat beading over his masculine body

Nope

• The fragrance has an overwhelming wake
• It’s not good for young guys

Ed Hardy Love and Luck EDT

Love and Luck EDT, the man’s version, is a bold and confident fragrance stored in a gambler’s can and bottle. It’s about encouraging men to take a chance, give it one more roll. What makes this cologne so special is that it contains a rare and expensive ingredient called agarwood, which could cost up to $40,000.

• Accords: Citrus, woody, aromatic, powdery, and fresh spicy
• First Notes: Orange, cardamom, bergamot, and mandarin orange
• Middle Notes: Sage, cypress, and violet
• Bottom Notes: Musk, vetiver, cedar, and agarwood (oud)
• Wearable Times: Summer, spring, and daytime

Yeah

• It costs $23.78 (affordable)
• Intimate/moderate sillage
• It stays for six to eight hours
• The fragrance has a moderate wake that slowly dries down to a delicate one after two hours
• It’s an excellent scent for mature men
• It smells like a sweet, oriental journey that ends in a subtle wooden undertone

Nope

• It won’t smell great on young men
• The intimate dry down is too delicate for some guys

Ed Hearts and Daggers EDT

Hearts and Daggers EDT is a wild and masculine version of the women’s perfume with the same name. It’s exotic with a tiger on the bottle and a flaming skull on the box. It’s a striking, powerful, and bold statement for the modern man, as the sweetness dances with the strong woody and aromatic undertones.

• Accords: Fresh Spicy, woody, aromatic, fruity, sweet, warm spicy, citrus, tropical, fresh, and patchouli
• First Notes: Basil, pear, and martini
• Middle Notes: Papaya, pepper, and rosemary
• Bottom Notes: Suede, sandalwood, patchouli, and woody notes
• Wearable Times: Spring, summer, and daytime

Yeah

• It costs $27.56 (affordable)
• Moderate sillage
• It stays for four to six hours
• The fragrance leaves a strong wake that stays for hours
• It works incredibly for daring young and mature men
• It smells like a journey through masculine forests while teasing the senses with fruity undertones

Nope

• It doesn’t smell good for traditional men
• It only suits a wild personality

Ed Hardy Villain EDT

Villain EDT is in a league of its own. The bottle looks like something you’ll find in a sorcerer’s cabin, and it has a beautiful cobra tattoo, showing the snake ready to attack. The bottle itself is embossed with the tattoo, giving it extra depth, perfectly depicting the oriental dance with woody undertones.

• Accords: Aromatic, fresh spicy, warm spicy, amber, woody, citrus, lavender, powdery, and herbal
• First Notes: Cardamom, basil, bergamot, and sage
• Middle Notes: Nutmeg, lavender, and pepper
• Bottom Notes: Virginia cedar, amber, musk, and sandalwood
• Wearable Times: Nighttime, daytime, fall, spring, and summer

Yeah

• It costs $22.23 (affordable)
• Moderate/strong sillage
• It stays for about eight hours
• It works well for confident mature men
• It smells like taking a walk through a spice market while wood burns in the distance

Nope

• The fragrance starts with an overwhelming and fascinating wake that slowly dries down to a notable scent
• It doesn’t smell good on young guys

Inked Tips for Better Wearing

Getting your hands on one of Hardy’s perfumes or colognes is only the beginning. You might just hold something that becomes a rare item of great value because they don’t make them anymore. The most important tip I can give you is to store it correctly, and that’s a priority!

Knowing your perfume or cologne is stored for maximum longevity is step one, then you can use these tips when you spray it for optimal wake and boldness:

1. Always apply your perfume after a warm shower or bath. Too much humidity can make it evolve faster, decreasing the wake and longevity. However, applying it to clean and subtle skin makes it last longer and matures better.
2. Apply a base product to moisturize your skin. You can use one of the products below if you can find them. Otherwise, a gentle moisturizer will do the trick, and this helps your skin absorb and evolve the fragrance.
3. You can also use petroleum jelly on your skin before spraying your perfume if you have dry skin. This helps the perfume stick to your skin because it doesn’t absorb well with dry skin.
4. Never hold the nozzle against your skin. The rule is to spray your perfume from five inches away. This allows it to spread evenly instead of having a blotch of perfume on a single point, which won’t absorb the same way.
5. Choose your spray points wisely. Your pulse or heartbeat can amplify the fragrance, so spray it where it matters. Called the hot points, your wrists, neck, behind the ears, and over your heart will give it a boost with each heartbeat. Perfume is a living thing in that sense, so feed it the pulses it deserves.
6. Use a finger to tap the perfume gently. This stimulates it in the same way your pulse does. You should avoid rubbing perfume. Allow it to air dry once you give it a few taps. You can also give it an airwave by zooming your arms back and forth like you’re motoring on your Harley. It will dry faster.
7. Enhance your fragrance by spraying once into your hair as well. Hair perfumes are pretty popular because your hair can sustain the fragrance longer. You can also spray once on your collar if you want the scent on your clothes. Spraying it on the hair and skin is best, though.
8. Never go overboard, especially with Ed Hardy’s range. Some of the perfumes aren’t overwhelming, but the unique scents can be too bold if you go overboard. Fragrances must evolve first. Don’t overdo it and think you can’t smell it. Give it five minutes. Two to three spritzes of Hardy’s range are enough.
9. Always use makeup wipes to remove the old perfume if you’re reapplying it during the day. You don’t want that overwhelming fragrance again, and makeup wipes will remove the undertones before you spray the perfume from scratch.
10. Don’t be afraid to layer perfumes and colognes. I find myself loving two fragrances together. Spray one spritz of the anchor perfume first and then two of the wake perfume. Choose delicate perfumes as anchors, only allowing them to promote the wake perfume.

Some excellent products for layering and moisturizing your skin before applying Hardy’s perfumes include:

• Ed Hardy Baby Got Black moisturizing bronzer lotion (yes, you can bronze your skin at the same time)
• Ed Hardy Peace and Harmony lotion (intensify your bronze and moisturize simultaneously)
• Ed Hardy Body Lotion (for women who don’t want a tan)
• Ed Hardy Women’s Bath Set (bubble bath and moisturizer included)
• Ed Hardy Villian Body Lotion (for women)

Recommended Alternatives

With the sad realization that Ed Hardy’s perfumes and colognes aren’t easy to find anymore, alternatives make a lot of sense. Some brands offer the same wild edge with experimental and contemporary notes. I love a brand that does something new, unusual, and questionable. These brands work as alternatives for the wild at heart:

• Nicki Minaj Perfume
• Jimmy Choo Perfume
• Guess Perfume and Cologne
• Taylor Swift Perfume
• Versace Perfume and Cologne

The brand alternatives aren’t precisely the same as Ed hardy, but then again, what fragrance name can be as unique as a tattoo-inspired brand? Every brand has its unique edge, but the recommended alternatives also offer some unusual scents and notes among their fragrances.

The first thing I think about with Ed Hardy perfume and cologne is that it’s a unique take on bold fragrances. That’s what makes it so special, and that’s what makes the alternatives worth a try. Otherwise, there are some perfumes and colognes that match Hardy’s range better.

These alternatives use similar notes and accords, making them as close to the tattoo perfection as possible.

Alternatives for Villian EDT (men):

• Dolce and Gabbana The One
• Silver Shadow Davidoff

Alternatives for Villian EDP (women):

• Dolce and Gabbana Anthology
• Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy

Alternatives for Love and Luck EDT (men):

• Armaf Club de Nuit Milestone
• Unforgivable Sean John

Alternatives for Hearts and Daggers EDP (women):

• Victoria’s Secret Pink
• Attractive by Lomani

It’s the saddest thing when a perfume brand falls prey to such scrutiny from a different line, but many of Ed Hardy’s and Audigier’s brilliant fragrance creations are still available. Always be careful not to purchase fake perfumes. For those you can’t find, trying alternatives are an option.

If you find Hardy’s original perfumes, you might even want to save them for that special occasion, not knowing if you’ll find them again. I spent a decade in the antique business, and I can tell you many products become collectors and rare pieces due to what happened to Hardy’s perfumes. You might just buy a future collectible.

FAQs

Ed Hardy Perfume Guide: Final Thoughts

If it wasn’t Ed Hardy’s tattoo art turning heads, his taboo clothing line-caught some attention. It’s a shame what happened to the perfume and cologne brand. My partner and I own the Villian fragrances, and we’ve only used them a few times. They’re so precious to us, and I think they might become a collector’s piece.

The smell is undoubtedly strong for both of us, but we love it when we feel our adventurous beasts surface. Sometimes, we want to smell like that couple rolling down the highway on their Harley Davidson. I recommend trying the Villian perfume or cologne if you want that feeling of insane freedom from the norms.

If you’re not into such a wild fragrance, you can always try another perfume or cologne from the Hardy range. Even if you don’t use it and store it at the back of your closet, know that it will become something in time.

For Other Perfume Trends

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