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Jovan’s nameless barbarian climbs up a mountain fraught with danger:

He is rewarded for his efforts with some Jōvan cosmetics that descend from the sky.

A godlike voice tells him to use "the power only for good, never for evil.”

Do we know any details about this man’s adventure, and why Jovan Sex Appeal should only be used for good, never evil?

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    +1 This question is frickin' rad.
    – Lexible
    Commented Oct 8, 2021 at 21:47
  • 1
    Could it be because using it for evil is, y'know, bad?
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 8, 2021 at 22:02

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The whole scenario seems to revolve around this painting by Frank Frazetta

enter image description here

Indeed the animation cells bear a striking resemblance

As for the whole "good not evil" bit

  1. The implication is the scent is so powerful it could be used for evil. Given the name, it would presumably make you irresistible sexually
  2. While the famous movie would not be for a few more years, Conan the Barbarian had been around for far longer than that, and Marvel Comics had him as a regular with his own line of comic books starting in 1970. This clearly evokes Conan vibes. And Conan is a good guy...

Beyond that, this was a one-off commercial by Richard Williams. There's no attempt at broader lore that I know of.

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    +1 For going straight to Frazzetta!!! (That said, Frazzetta did far more muscle-bound sword and sorcery dudes than Conan… ZOMG I am getting the sexies just from thinking about them… Gotta run).
    – Lexible
    Commented Oct 8, 2021 at 21:47
  • What do you mean "Conan is a good guy"? Conan is a wandering adventurer, treasure hunter, mercenary warrior, hired thug, thief, pirate, etc. Many readers may think that Conan is a good guy merely because he is the protagonist, but merely being he protagonist of a story is not enough to prevent someone from being a villain, or even the main villain, in the story. Think of "Springtime for Hitler", for example, or The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1995) where the only main character who isn't a villain is one of the antagonists.
    – M. A. Golding
    Commented Oct 9, 2021 at 18:36

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