When I first encountered CBIHP ATB 1966 (which will henceforth be referred to as “1966”), I concluded that it was a fairly blatant knockoff of Bond No 9 Fire Island. However, Basenotes informs me that Fire Island was actually released a year after 1966, making Fire Island the copycat. The two scents are not identical, of course, but both are based on the cheap-and-cheerful smell of sunscreen. Fire Island was famously modeled on the French sunscreen Ambre Solaire, while the sunscreen note in 1966 smells a bit more down market, probably Coppertone or Banana Boat.
Is anyone else super confused by this ad? I mean, are they not essentially admitting that their product is defective?
1966 takes its beachy notes to their logical conclusion, adding aquatic notes to evoke the ocean. In my opinion, this is where 1966 stumbles. The ozone muddles what was otherwise a great-smelling scent.
The key difference between 1966 and Fire Island lies in the general feel of the two scents. To me, 1966 seems too literal-minded, more of a good smell than a perfume. Fire Island takes a more abstract approach to the “beach in a bottle” concept, and as a result it comes closer to fine fragrance than 1966 does. 1966 may be a more authentic representation of the beach than Fire Island, but I find Fire Island’s gardenia note to be frankly more pleasant than 1966’s marine effect. Full credit goes to CBIHP for originality, but as far as I’m concerned, Fire Island constitutes an improvement on its predecessor.
SCENTS OF SELF 
Hi Ari! Have you tried Bobbi Brown Beach? It’s all about salty jasmine. Similar to Fire Island. I’m crazy about it.
Hello Karin! 🙂 I’ve never tried Beach, but now I have to! I think I just assumed that since Bobbi Brown is really primarily a makeup brand, it wouldn’t be all that impressive.
I love Beach! One of my summer staples. And the soap (limited edition only available in the summer) is a must-have, too.
I love Beach too but my fave beach perfume is Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete. It really smells warm sun drenched salty skin. It somehow manages to evoke warmth and in my opinion is more like a French sunscreen than Fire Island. Available for a song online, even though it was a limited edition. I also love the retro Guerlain style bottle.
Jane, that sounds fabulous! The bottle is, indeed, gorgeous. At $50 for 100 ml, I may just have to get me some. Thank you so much for the suggestion!
The product would not be defective (Coppertone) as it was marketed as sunTAN, not sunSCREEN products. Originally, there was the red lid (oil), yellow lid (lotion), & green lid (shade). The SPF were 2, 4, & 8. It was a time when “baking” in the sun was considered healthy and desirable.