Avon Far Away is one of Avon’s best-selling fragrances in the UK, and it has been since its launch in 1994. Avon daren’t discontinue it for fear of riots . It also has the distinction of being the fragrance I smell most when out and about here in South Wales. The women who love it REALLY love it and most of them are repeat buyers.

When Sarah McCartney asked me to co author The Perfume Companion with her in 2018, we both had free rein to choose fragrances we felt were important within their genres and that deserved inclusion. We had a lot of whittling to do, as we would have happily included many more had we not had limits imposed. I felt that I couldn’t possibly have left out this iconic floral scent, created by Xavier Renard and René Morgenthaler.

Firstly, I once dismissed this as so vanilla-y that it borders on coconuts (true-there are coconut notes and vanilla). However, when I revisited it, with a more open mind, I noticed many facets I hadn’t previously found. First of all, this is a grand white flower fragrance. It bursts with jasmine and gardenia. I thought I could discern tuberose, but no, it was jasmine and gardenia- a pretty heady combo at any time of day. Also present is karo karoundee- a white flower that has similar nuances to tuberose and is often paired with it. No, I hadn’t heard of it, and yes, I did have to look that up. (Thanks, Fragrantica!).

Before the flowers go anywhere, the peaches emerge, coupled with apricotty osmanthus, giving this a very peachy, powdery accord. This gets stronger until it peaks at freesia, more peaches and white flowers before relaxing into a warm, vanilla finish that you will recognise when you walk down any High Street.

Far Away reminds me of another early Nineties fragrance: Cassini by Oleg Cassini. I wore it a lot as I worked in the evening wear department of a House of Fraser store. There was a display bottle on a stand and we sales assistants all drenched ourselves in it. The peaches, vanilla and flowers have a sweetness in common with Avon Far Away. However, Far Away is still around and the Oleg Cassini perfume has long since gone. One nil to the affordable hero perfume.

Far Away was created in 1994 and its popularity shows no signs of dipping. There have been endless flankers, and last year they remodelled the bottles into round, flat flacons with different coloured lids, making them irresistibly collectable. Thousands of fragrances have fallen by the wayside since 1994, but Avon Far Away still has a solid fanbase old and new. To sum up, Avon has made a wonderful peachy, powdery, vanilla classic that puts good fragrance into an accessible price range. Who could ask for anything more?

Where to buy it

Avon Far away is widely available. Find it on Avon UK, and enjoy the playfully stackable flankers! During this high cost of living crisis, Avon Far Away is still an absolute bargain for £17 50ml EDP. NB there is a current offer of 2 x bottles for £22. Snap it up.

Disclosure

An earlier version of this article appeared back in 2017. I have updated it for 2026. My bottle was purchased by me and opinions are my own. The Perfume Companion is now out of print, but you can still find it online, albeit not brand new. The rights are owned by Sarah McCartney and me.