September 2007: 2 posts

“The story of Chanel No 5 begins in Moscow in 1912 with perfumer Ernest Beaux’s studies of the aldehyde used in Houbigant’s Quelques Fleurs. It continues in La Bocca and Cannes, France, and then is almost derailed by competition from an unlikely source,” begins the article From Rallet No1 to Chanel No5 versus Mademoiselle Chanel No1 by Philip Kraft, Christine Ledard and Philip Goutell.

Published in October issue of Perfumer & Flavorist, it presents a fascinating account of the birth of Chanel No5. One can learn why Beaux was interested in aldehydes and how Coco Chanel decided to launch her own line of fragrances (breaking the agreement with Pierre Wertheimer of Parfums Chanel) during the WWII. Moreover, the piece offers the reconstituted formulas for Rallet No1 parfum and eau de toilette as well as mysterious Mademoiselle Chanel No1. Available for purchase from the Perfumer & Flavorist website.

I have to mention my own small involvement in this piece, which was consisted of providing some historical materials as well as a sample of Rallet No1 from my personal bottle. I have long treasured this gem, and I was glad to finally break open the seal for the purposes of analysis. It is certainly great to see it on the P&F pages.

As the Flavors and Fragrances 2007 Conference brochure states, “The Osmotheque, the International Conservatory of Perfumes, was launched in 1990. Its vocation is to put together an amazing collection of 1700 perfumes (400 of them almost forgotten fragrances: jewels of perfumery). Most of them are reformulated as closely as possible to the originals by «Osmothecaires», famous perfumers such as Jean Kerléo… As one of the most relevant «Osmothecaires», Patricia de Nicolaï, herself also manager of Parfums de Nicolai, will be happy to show you the most famous perfumes which have been keyed by novel synthetic materials at their time. These important creations include: ‘Fougère Royale’ of Houbigant, ‘Rose Jacqueminot’ of Coty, ‘Trèfle Incarnat’ of Piver… and many many more.”

“The Influence of Synthetic Materials on the History of Perfumery –A Smelling Trip into the Past” is one of the presentations during the conference which will take place on 24-26 September, 2007 at Imperial College in London.

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