Fragrance house

Jovan

Founded in Chicago in 1968 as Jovan, Inc., Jovan developed an early creative identity around overtly sexual advertising and packaging, including its “talking package,” which printed sales copy directly on the box. Jovan Musk Oil, introduced in 1972 after Barry Shipp encountered strong interest in standalone musk oil, helped establish the brand’s commercial success. In 1975, the Fragrance Foundation voted its Musk Oil promotion the most exciting and creative national advertising campaign. Jovan also made a cultural-marketing milestone during the Rolling Stones’ 1981 “Tattoo You” tour, becoming the first fragrance to sponsor a rock band. Ownership changed in 1988, when the brand was acquired by its managers in a leveraged buyout and became Quintessence; Joh. A. Benckiser acquired Quintessence in the early 1990s and merged it into Coty in 1993. Jovan is now a Coty consumer fragrance brand centered on musk, with its Musk fragrance described as a best-selling musk brand in broad distribution. In September 2024, Coty launched a new unisex Jovan Musk Eau de Parfum collection.