Impulse is a
perfume
Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. ...
manufactured by
Fabergé which was part of
Unilever
Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy ...
, an
Anglo-
Dutch company based in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, and
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Introduced as a 'perfume deodorant' in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
in 1972, Impulse was launched in the UK in 1981, including the butterfly design and the slogan "Men can't help acting on Impulse." Impulse perfumes have been developed by Ann Gottlieb, an olfactive consultant credited with having led the development of several successful fragrances.
History
In the early 1980s, six scents were introduced, in the USA, called "Always Alluring", "Delightfully Daring", "Instantly Innocent", "Mysterious Musk", "Possible Playful", and "Suddenly Sassy". In 1986, three scents were introduced called "Elation", "Electric Musk", and "Temptation". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, two scents were introduced called "Tres LA" and "Night Rhythms" that were both merged with
Prince Matchabelli. In 1992, the last scent introduced, in the USA, called "Impressions". In 2006 there were eight fragrances with names such as "Thrill", "Goddess", and "Siren". In addition to the bodyspray, the Impulse brand includes
antiperspirants
A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent or mask body odor due to bacterial breakdown of perspiration or vaginal secretions, for example in the armpits, groin, or feet. A subclass of deodorants, called antiperspirants, prevents s ...
and
moisturisers.
In the late 2000s, there have been three new limited edition fragrances available called "The City Collection" and they are called "Paris", "London", and "New York". A re-release of these three fragrances were brought out as "Paris Chic", "London Vibe", and "New York Sass". in 2008, a fragrance called "True Love" has been released.
In 2010, two fragrances from Impulse were released, called "Into Glamour" and "Very Pink" respectively.
Product ranges
There have been different Impulse body spray ranges too, such as the Impulse Shakers range. This range was designed for summer and had slightly different style to normal impulse sprays, as it had a small "ball" inside the can for "shaking" the ingredients up together before spraying. It came in fragrances like "Berry Crush", "Frangipani Fling", "Melon Madness", and "Tropical Breeze". Another interesting branch out for Impulse was the "water resistant" formula "Summer Splash".
In Australia the fragrances varied slightly in name. From 1988 these included "Spellbound", "Mischief", "Midnight", "Temptation", "Inspiration", "On Fire", "Impressions", "Merely Musk", and "Incense". Two of these 20-odd year old fragrances are still available in Australia today: "Merely Musk" and "Incense".
Promotion
In the summer of 1997, the
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vi ...
became spokesmodels for the Impulse body sprays edition known as "Impulse Spice", while on tour promoting their two albums, ''
Spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...
'' and ''
Spiceworld''. Stars of Impulse
commercials include
Neil Morrissey and
Emma Harrison. Impulse's 1998 advert ''Chance Encounter'' was the first mainstream television advert in Britain and Ireland to feature a gay couple.
[ In 2016, ]Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery b ...
became the spokesperson for three Impulse body sprays limited editions known as "Rock & Love", "Vanilla Kisses", and "Why Not?".
References
{{Unilever
Unilever brands
Perfumes
Products introduced in 1972