Red Door Perfume Guide: Will You Love It?

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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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Red Door perfume has become a brand set in stone and continues to dig its way deeper into the hearts of women all around the world. The color red has always carried a bold statement, as seen in red carpets and front doors. Red dresses and lipstick get attention when we flaunt them on a girl’s night out.

What lies behind red is somewhat of an attractive mystery to the mind and heart. Moving away from the boldness of color so magnetizing, it also whispers notes of elegance and sophistication. Quite simply, the ideas flowing through your mind are what Carlos Benaim had in mind when he created Red Door perfume.

For a perfume that grabs the attention of people around you and exudes confidence in a gentle aroma, Red Door amalgamates a world of finesse with explosive beauty. Incredibly, this perfume is more versatile than you think. It can drive passion while keeping a romantic edge, drive elegance while seeping sweet innocence.

Red Door is ironically a doorway to great opportunities, but you should first know how to wear it, what you can look forward to, and how it can be a first-choice for Millenials and Gen Zs alike. It’s not just for mature women!

Red Door Perfume Guide: The Roots Underlying Red Door Perfume

Inspiration for the Red Door signature fragrance came from Elizabeth Arden’s spa and salon of the same name on 5th street, New York. Sadly, a luxurious spa where anything was possible became another tragic tale in 2020 due to the pandemic. Memories can never be erased when a place leaves such an impression on its patrons.

Irrespective, the spa will always be remembered for its classy red door leading into an elegant salon with red, white, and chrome finishes. A red door has deep meaning as it welcomes people to rest, recoup, and explore.

In 1989, perfumer Carlos Benaim introduced Red Door perfume as a tribute to the mesmerizing spa. Benaim won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Perfumers in 2004, and he topped it off with a Perfumer of the Year Award from the Fragrance Foundation in 2014. Benaim also created:

• Liquid Night
• Promesse
• Havana Pour Elle

Olivier Gillotin also had a hand in creating the Red Door fragrance. Gillotin is a senior perfumer at Givaudan in America today, and his cousin works as a cherished perfumer at Chanel, one of the largest brands in the world. He’s also known for:

• Amalfi Citrus
• Far Away Rebel and Diva
• Reveal Men

With such strong roots and a name like Elizabeth Arden behind Red Door, you can be assured that the perfume brings older and newer generations together. I’m just another Millenial who loves Red Door. This is one of my all-time favorite perfumes, from the symbolicism to the aromas that bounce around my nose.

Please don’t take it from me alone. Even though I use Red Door for steamy nights and provocative moments, I also believe in breaking down all the factors to help you choose whether the perfume suits your lifestyle.

First Impressions Leave Lasting Memories

I know the first question on my mind when I contemplate a new perfume. What is the first impression people experience when they see and smell the fragrance? For me, it was like walking through the famous door that inspired the bottle to reach a world of magic and abundant bliss on the other end.

Seeing the bottle reminded me of the flashy red carpets found in Hollywood. I could nearly feel the touch of silky velvet caress my skin as I gave the first squirt. There was a moment of warmth as the perfume started blending with my skin. I could hear my pulse increase as the aromas began unfolding.

I found a field of roses blooming in all their glory as my mind wandered through the fragrant doorway. I could smell other notes like lilies and violets, but the roses stood out as they blended into a spicy, warm smell tickling my nose. I was momentarily taken into a sensual plain where I could feel every note in my soul.

The experience won’t be the same for others. Everyone has unique preferences. My senses were forever changed to love Red Door perfume, but take advice from someone well-known, like actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. She recommends Red Door as one of her five favorite perfumes.

This perfume must leave a lasting impression if a celebrity recommends it without it being her brand. Red Door also maintains a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Amazon after more than 4,000 reviews. That must mean it’s left an impression on the minds of thousands of people.

What Do You Need From a Perfume?

I consider various factors before buying a new perfume, not just the smell I experience as I squirt the first drop on my skin. I also consider the price, sillage, reviews, packaging, accords, seasons, and notes. It’s true; not all perfumes wear well through all the seasons. Some have a warm accent, while others have a cooler accent.

These are the criteria I use to determine whether a perfume is added to my closet.

Price

We don’t like admitting that price plays a role in everything we buy, but we can’t deny it. Red Door perfume, fortunately, has a wide range of products and sizes to suit everyone’s pocket.

Elizabeth Arden offers Red Door Eau de Parfum at $58 per 50 ml bottle. The 44 ml cream deodorant from Red Door costs only $15. The classic-style Eau de Toilette from Red Door costs $72 per 100 ml bottle. The prices seem reasonable for such an established brand. After all, mine doesn’t seem to expire.

Other products also exist, including the 200 ml Body Lotion by Red Door, which only costs $16.49. The body powder by Red Door is also a fabulous product and costs $15.70, while there’s an option for you if you’re looking to experiment with the perfume.

You can purchase the 10 ml Eau de Parfum sample of Red Door to determine whether it works with your skin’s chemistry before making a bigger commitment. It only costs $14. As far as price goes, I’d rate the price range 4.5/5. The classic bottle is pricey, but it’s worth it for a lasting perfume if you’re willing to invest.

Sillage

The word “sillage” is French, and it means how a perfume leaves a trail of scent behind you when you leave a room. It’s similar to the concept of a boat’s wake as the water stirs behind it. The sillage will wholeheartedly depend on your skin chemistry and age.

Red Door tends to have two types of sillage if it works well with your skin. It turns into a herb-like trail with mature women, but it leans toward a sweeter trail with younger women. Learning about your sillage with Red Door is easy if you purchase the sample bottle. Hence, the convenience of it makes me rate the sillage at 4/5.

Reviews

Reviews are such a complicated method for choosing your perfume because numerous factors influence them. Amazon is like a gateway to the global market, so I trust the reviews left on the products. However, there are other websites, and some aren’t so kind to Red Door perfume.

Red Door perfume began as an Eau de Toilette spray, but an additional formula was used when the bottle changed from a dome shape to a door shape. The Eau de Parfum was introduced at this time, and due to its difference in saturation, the perfume wears longer but differently.

I’ll explain the difference between EDP and EDT soon. I’m making the point that you need to read the reviews and which products they are specifically. Women who used EDT for years and moved to the EDP would naturally experience varying sillage and notes. I’m also still a sucker for the EDT version.

Packaging

Elizabeth Arden made the right choice by moving the bottle from the dome shape to the red door itself. A red door is hugely symbolic in Western and Eastern cultures. It’s sleeker, trendier, and fits well with younger generations. Feng Shui designers believe that red should be the entrance to a harmonious home.

For the Western world, red doors signify a place of rest and peace within a welcoming entrance. Red doors also indicate wealth, health, prosperity, and good luck in Chinese cultures. The new design of the Red Door perfume bottle certainly earns a 4.5/5 from me due to its deeper meanings.

Accords

The accords in any perfume work together to create a unique fragrance, also known as the soul. They’re the combination of scents that tickle your nose and leave a unique sillage once blended with your skin chemistry. The main accords of Red Door perfume are:

• Floral/white floral
• Powdery
• Sweet
• Warm and spicy
• Woody
• Rose
• Honey
• Amber
• Tuberose

Imagine walking into a room where roses bloom against the backdrop of cedar and sandalwood drenched in honey and anise. The rich vetiver scent comes through as you notice other floral notes, gentle but noticeable. The accord combination earns a 4/5 from me as I love spicy, warm, woody, and sweet mashed into floral.

Notes

The notes of any perfume are the essential oils and other concentrated ingredients that interact to create the accords you smell. There are three types of notes in each perfume, and Red Door perfume contains the following incredible blending aromas:

Base Notes: These are the foundational notes that add depth to solidify the fragrance.

• Heliotrope
• Musk
• Vetiver
• Cedar
• Sandalwood
• Amber
• Benzoin

Middle Notes: These are the heart notes that linger once the top notes start fading.

• Carnation
• Rose
• Honey
• Ylang-ylang
• Tuberose
• Lily
• Freesia
• Jasmine

Top Notes: These are the notes first detected when you spray perfume.

• Orange blossom
• Plum
• Peach
• Anise
• Violet
• Rose (yup, again)

Knowing which notes come through at which stages can help you determine what sillage you want to leave behind. Rose remains top and middle notes, meaning it will linger until the perfume fades. The heavy floral presence in the top notes makes this such a feminine perfume.

The perfume also has a strong woody undertone, which is harmoniously masked by the floral middle notes. The spiciness of the perfume fades within two or three hours as it’s mainly based on the anise in the top notes. The sweet and woody undertones linger as long as the floral notes.

Determine whether these note tangoes entice you. I give the dancing changes a rating of 4.5/5, but that’s my personal preference.

EDP versus EDT

The type of fragrance you choose will also determine the longevity of the blending notes and accords. Eau de Toilette is the classic version that hit our shores in 1989. Eau de Parfum is the longer-lasting, albeit a criticized version of Red Door perfume. Allow the differences between EDTs and EDPs to help make up your mind.

• Red Door EDT lasts two to four hours on the skin, whereas EDP lasts four to six hours.
• The EDT version is more likely to become an aromatic or herbal accord, whereas the EDP version is likelier to become a sweet and floral aroma.
• EDTs are gentler on the skin, whereas EDPs have higher concentrations of raw components.
• EDTs have a higher alcohol content, whereas EDPs have a higher essential oil saturation.
• EDTs contain between 5% and 7% essential oils, whereas EDPs contain between 12% and 18% essential oils.
• EDTs are less intense, whereas EDPs are stronger and intoxicating.
• EDTs cost less, whereas EDPs cost more.
• EDTs are expected to expire two years after opening the bottle, whereas EDPs last around six or more months longer.

The main differences between Red Door EDT and EDP are subtle, but they can interact differently with your skin or offer varying longevities. The only poor rating I give Red Door perfume is for its longevity. It earns a 3.5/5.

Body Chemistry

Due to Red Door perfume not lasting as long as Chanel or Coach Dreams, understand which skin types and body chemistry can make Red Door linger for longer. A perfume must evolve on your skin, which is affected by your PH level and skin type.

A suppler skin indicates a more balanced PH level, meaning fragrances will evolve well on the skin and last longer. Sweat can affect this, so consider how active you are before buying perfume without lasting longevity.

Dry skin types also evolve perfumes differently from oily skin types. An expert told Marie Claire in the UK that perfume evolves better and lingers longer on moist skin. Moisturizing the skin is a hack to make it last longer, but oily skin will naturally carry it for more hours.

Red Door perfume can be manipulated to last longer, allowing me to give it some credit. I rate its ability to evolve over longer periods on the skin a fair 3.6/5. Considering all the factors combined, my personal rating would lie at 4.1/5 for Red Door perfume. You may rate the factors differently, and that’s how you determine whether it’s the right perfume for you.

Experienced Tips for Red Door Perfume

Wearing perfume isn’t as simple as spritzing away and walking through clouds of vapor. You should wear any perfume to the best of its potential, and Red Door is no different! Imagine wearing a sexy red dress with cowboy boots to a cocktail evening. It makes no sense, right?

Wear the perfume right, and you’ll benefit in most settings. These tips will ensure successful, elegant, and multi-aged wearing for Red Door.

1. Don’t rely on overkill spritzing because the fragrance must evolve. The middle notes may only come through after one to two hours of wearing it. Be careful of smelling like a florist. Women should wear Red Door as a sexy, spicy, alluring, sophisticated, and classy aroma. Two to three squirts suffice.
2. Don’t overwhelm your skin by touching the nozzle to your pores. Always hold the perfume bottle three to six inches away before spraying.
3. Have a shower or bath, and moisturize your skin with vaseline or body lotion before applying the perfume. This will allow it to linger for longer.
4. Don’t waste perfume on your clothes. It works best against your skin. Spray it against your bare neck, wrists, behind the ears, the bottom of your throat, or at the back of your knees.
5. Use your pulse to evolve the fragrance and accords by choosing “warm spots” like the wrist or anywhere you can feel your pulse. The blood flow creates a warming effect that helps the fragrance evolve better and stay longer.
6. Never rub perfume into your skin. Allow it to absorb naturally and only dab it lightly.
7. Wear Red Door in winter and fall or at night for the best evolution as it has a warm and spicy accord. You can pull it off during the day, but it won’t smell as wonderful.
8. Layer your fragrances for an intoxicating effect. Red Door smells sweeter on younger skin, especially if you use the EDP. Combine it with vanilla perfumes to create a lasting impression of sweet innocence over sophistication.
9. This perfume works well in most settings, but save it for formal, casual, and romantic encounters. Red Door is my go-to perfume when I want to drive my partner insane. It’s a fragrance both of us enjoy.

Red Door Alternatives: Quick Review

It’s okay not to fall in love with the same perfume someone else enjoys. Our uniqueness transcends us as humans, so don’t feel like you have to love everything others do. I’d highly recommend Red Door perfume, but Elizabeth Arden has created alternatives in the same range.

Red Door “Revealed”

Red Door Revealed was launched in 2003 to target even younger crowds. The designers chose to stick to the old-school dome-shaped bottle but made it blush pink to look more innocent, sweet, and girly instead of elegant and mysterious. It also comes in various sizes, from 10 to 100 ml, making it an additional travel option.

Red Door Revealed is another floral and feminine fragrance with woody undertones. It’s a gentle scent that works well for Gen Z ladies and even teenagers. The key takeaways from this alternative are different notes, accords, and seasons. It’s best worn in summer and during the day. A 100 ml bottle will cost you around $24.

Base Notes

• Musk
• Oakmoss
• Black amber
• Guaiac wood

Middle Notes

• Lily
• Plum
• Bulgarian rose
• Tiare flower
• Orange blossom
• Yellow champaca

Top Notes

• Pear
• Pink peony
• Green orchid

Accords

• White floral
• Sweet
• Fruity
• Rose
• Fresh
• Powdery
• Musky
• Woody

Pros

• Affordable for young women
• Has a modern floral scent
• Works during the day
• Has a soft sillage
• Lasts up to six hours on the skin

Cons

• The return of the dome-shaped bottle is disappointing
• The blush pink color makes it look like its reserved for school girls
• It doesn’t mix well with water

If you feel too young for the exuded femininity of classic Red Door, the Revealed alternative will work well with you.

Red Door “Shimmer”

Red Door Shimmer is the golden, glamorous effort of Elizabeth Arden in her range of salon-inspired perfumes. The shimmering scent and design intend to scream glamor and youth more than sophistication. The Shimmer version also comes in a dome-shaped bottle, but it looks like the night sky is falling to the bottom of the bottle.

Red Door Shimmer gives the impression that this perfume is targeted at young girls and women, probably between 17 and 25. It has an overwhelming fruity scent masked slightly by floral accents, which are trending with younger women. There’s nothing wrong with flaunting it as a 30-something-year-old, either.

If you’d like to be bold about your fruity scents, a 100 ml bottle of Shimmer will cost around $23. Both alternatives cost less than the original Red Door. However, let’s break down the perfume for you to make an informed decision about whether it will work for you.

Base Notes

• Musk
• Vetiver
• Sandalwood
• Red amber
• Tonka bean

Middle Notes

• Casablanca lily
• Peony
• Gardenia

Top Notes

• Japanese pear
• Blackberry
• Pink pepper

Accords

• Fruity
• Floral
• Amber
• Sweet
• Woody
• Spicy
• Musky
• Fresh
• Powdery

Pros

• Another affordable perfume for younger women and girls
• Pretty design on the bottle that resembles falling stars
• Lasts five to six hours on the skin as it’s an EDP
• Can be worn during the day, in winter, and fall
• Has a soft to moderate sillage

Cons

• Doesn’t work well for mature women
• Won’t work well at night
• The dome-shaped bottle continues to disappoint

If you’re looking to shimmer and shine, attracting the attention of young suitors with noses for the fruity side of life, the Shimmer version of Red Door may work well for you.

Need More Convincing?

The truth is that no one can make you choose a perfume. You must follow your nose and allow your personality to shine through the options. Whatever you do, don’t use those paper strips to test perfumes in a store. The paper can’t match your body’s chemistry against the perfume.

Red Door perfume, the traditional one, is to me like a doorway to another plain, one where anything is possible. It can soothe my mood while keeping me warm and romantic. It’s certainly a passionate fragrance, or that’s what I use it for mostly. I’m a Millenial, but I also enjoy the finer things in life. Who doesn’t?

Sometimes, the finer things are the mature fragrances that seep just the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, floral, and grace. I notice the sillage or wake my perfumes leave, but then again, I’m a highly sensual person who’s in touch with my senses like others can’t believe. I notice every note and accord.

To determine which perfume works best for you among the Red Door range, you must consider what you want, what the perfume can do for you, and each factor we covered, from skin types to the tips that will make Red Door a mystical, beautiful perfume for you.

FAQs

Bottomline

Elizabeth Arden is famously known for creating beautiful, intoxicating, and all-consuming perfumes, ranging in price and availability. Red Door perfume is no different. It’s one of the classic perfumes that just broke the vintage class in 2019. Evolving the formula and design of the bottle are simply ways to modernize the perfume.

The broad availability already sells the perfume to everyday households, men and women alike. If you can’t find it on Amazon, you can always visit the website to order your fix of Arden’s gorgeous range. Addictive is one way of putting it. Alluring and mystical at the same time, Red Door perfume is a sure winner.

Bias aside, I’d highly recommend buying the sample bottle to determine how this perfume works with your body chemistry. Step out of the shadows and into the red doorway to magical, elegant, and floral fields.

You can learn about more other popular perfumes and colognes here:

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