Sherrell Copy Cat Fragrances

Sherrell was founded in mid-1973 to produce and market copies of recognized perfumes, colognes and other toiletries. Sherrell initially purchased many of the essential oils for these products from IFF; IFF agreed to supply high-quality oils and to mimic the colors of name-brand products closely. Following disputes between IFF and Sherrell concerning the manner in which Sherrell advertised its products, IFF ceased selling oils to Sherrell in the Fall of 1974.

Sherrell hired Edward Silkin, a perfume chemist, to assist in the formulation of Sherrell fragrances. Sherrell sought to discover alternative sources for essential oils, but apparently had limited success. Sherrell also encountered increasing difficulty placing its advertisements in various newspapers. Sherrell discontinued business at the end of 1976, when this lawsuit was commenced.
Sherrell published advertisements in a variety of newspapers and magazines between December, 1973 and November, 1976. These included the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, Parade Magazine, TV Guide, the Washington Post, the National Enquirer and McCall's.
Sherrell's advertising claims can be classed into two types of representations. The first class consists of comparisons between Sherrell products and other well-known perfumes. Sherrell advertised its perfumes as "Copy Cat Equivalent Fragrances," which it claimed were "copies of the world's most famous Perfumes and Colognes." One advertisement stated, "Copy Cat will save you 50% or more with superb perfume and cologne copies. Sherrell guarantees that only your checkbook will know the difference, and that the fragrances will last as long as the originals." Other advertisements claimed that Sherrell perfumes were "deluxe fragrance copies which are equal to the originals,""superb copies," and "faithful copies." In one advertisement, Sherrell asserted, "Sherrell's rare essential oils have been so carefully selected, blended and formulated that even the most sophisticated perfume expert would have great difficulty in telling `Ours' from the imported originals."
A second group of representations concerns the origin of the ingredients contained in Sherrell products. One Sherrell advertisement claimed that "Our fragrances are compounded and made by many of the same firms that make the famous name brands that are sold in department and cosmetic stores." A second advertisement stated that Sherrell's products "are created specifically for us by many of the same firms who make the original French and American perfumes you buy in your department stores."

Sherrell mainly dealt in knockoff fragrances of the more popular perfumes and fragrances for men, but they also produced some of their own fragrances such as their Earth Drops line in 1974.

The Earth Drop line was made up of nature's own single fragrances, blended from flowers, woods, and rare spices. The line consisted of the following:

• Azalea
• Bergamot
• Carnation
• Cedar Wood
• Chypre
• Eastern Musk
• Earth
• Fire
• Frangipani
• Freesia
• Fresh lemon
• Galbanum
• Gardenia
• Grass
• Heliotrope
• Honeysuckle
• Hyacinth
• Jasmine
• Jonquil
• Lavender
• Lilac
• Magnolia
• Mandarine
• Mignonette
• Muguet
• Oak Moss
• Opoponax
• Orange Blossom
• Rain
• Rose
• Sandalwood
• Sweet Pea
• Tea Rose
• Vanilla
• Violet
• Wild Strawberry

Sherrell Copy Cat Fragrances for Women:

• No. 2 - L'Origan
• No. 3 - Arpege
• No. 4 - Chantilly
• No. 6 - Bellodgia
• No. 7 - Shalimar
• No. 8 - Aphrodisia
• No. 9 - Crepe de Chine
• No. 10 - Tabu
• No. 11 - Norell
• No. 12 - Joy
• No. 14 - My Sin
• No. 15 - Cabochard
• No. 16 - Wind Song
• No. 17 - L’Air du Temps
• No. 18 - Cachet
• No. 19 - Blue Grass
• No. 20 - Tigress
• No. 21 - Nuit de Noel
• No. 23 - Chanel No. 19
• No. 24 - Miss Dior
• No. 27 - Emeraude
• No. 28 - Ma Griffe
• No. 29 - Madame Rochas
• No. 31 - Charlie
• No. 32 - Youth Dew
• No. 33 - White Shoulders
• No. 34 - Givenchy III
• No. 35 - L'Interdit
• No. 36 - Chanel No. 5
• No. 37 - Audace
• No. 38 - Mitsouko
• No. 39 - Via Lanvin
• No. 40 - Bal a Versailles
• No. 41 - Chamade
• No. 42 - Chanel No. 22
• No. 43 - Fidji
• No. 44 - Estee
• No. 45 - Femme
• No. 46 - Replique
• No. 47 - Maja
• No. 48 - Y by Yves Saint Laurent
• No. 49 - Jungle Gardenia
• No. 50 - Calandre
• No. 51 - Le De by Givenchy
• Musk Oil
• Civet Oil
• Ambergris Oil

Sherrell Copy Cat Fragrances for Men:

No. M1 - Aramis
No. M2 - Arden for Men
No. M3 - Aphrodisia for Men
No. M4 - Bacchus
No. M5 - Bill Blass
No. M6 - Braggi
No. M7 - British Sterling
No. M8 - Brut
No. M9 - Canoe
No. M10 - Chanel Pour Monsieur
No. M11 - Eau Sauvage
No. M12 - English Leather
No. M13 - Equipage
No. M14 - Givenchy Gentlemen
No. M15 - Gravel
No. M16 - Guerlain Imperiale
No. M17 - Hai Karate
No. M18 - Jade East
No. M19 - Kanon
No. M20 - Lacoste
No. M21 - Monsieur Balmain
No. M22 - Monsieur Carven Vetiver
No. M23 - Monsieur Houbigant
No. M24 - Monsieur Lanvin
No. M25 - Monsieur Rochas
No. M26 - Moustache
No. M27 - Musk for Men
No. M28 - No. 4711
No. M29 - Old Spice
No. M30 - Pierre Cardin
No. M31 - Pub
No. M32 - Royal Bay Rhum
No. M33 - Royal Copenhagen
No. M34 - Royal Hawaiian
No. M35 - Russian Leather
No. M36 - Tabac Original
No. M37 - That Man
No. M38 - Woodhue for Men
No. M39 - Yardley Black Label
No. M40 - Yardley Original
No. M41 - Zizanie