“Do you have skin? I only need one arm.” I am in my office at International Flavors & Fragrances speaking on the phone with an evaluator (an individual who works with the perfumer to guide him/her on the project). Spending most of my waking hours in the fragrance world sometimes makes me feel as if I am jettisoned into another universe. It is small, closed, and very passionate.  The language it uses is laden with industry specific jargon and turns of phrase. Take the aforementioned and very common scenario. The first time I heard this question I was utterly baffled, being completely unprepared for such a query. Of course, the answer is simple—skin is needed to test the fragrance. Although paper blotters are used heavily to study the development of a fragrance composition, the skin is the ultimate test. As a result, I wear no fragrance to work to make sure I “have skin,” and I return home wearing up to 8 different perfumes on my arms. I always get a seat on the train. …

Continue reading →

Below are a couple of excerpts from an interview with Serge Lutens published in Stakes & Professions in Perfumery, a compilations of essays from perfume industry professionals published by Éditions d’Assalit in 2007. For those interested in the professions available in the perfume industry, this book would prove to be useful. More than a few dozen of essays in the volume were written by various industry journalists, researchers, creative directors and perfumers like Jean-Luc Ansel, Jean-Pierre Subrenat, Frédéric Malle, Christophe Laudamiel, Patricia de Nicolai and Thierry Wasser. The introduction is written by Michael Edwards.

Continue reading →

def: vetiver — frequently used in perfumery, vetiver oil is steam distilled from the rootlets of grass Vetiveria Zizanoides. It has a dark earthy-woody aroma, with a grapefruit bitterness and a touch of anise-like sweet spiciness.

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The newest addition to Chanel’s Les Exclusifs range, Sycomore is advertised as inspired by the fragrance originally created in 1930. I have a bottle of the original, therefore I was curious to compare the two. I would describe the original Sycomore as closer in spirit to Bois des Iles (vetiver, sandalwood and soft aldehydes.) It played up its gamine features with a twist of tobacco and violet.  The new Sycomore eschews the obvious floral allusions. It is an elegant and pared down vetiver, which emphasizes the green hazelnut facet of the root. The embellishments are subtle, yet they serve to highlight the beauty of the raw material well. With hardly any retro references, Sycomore (2008) is a thoroughly modern fragrance. As far as I can tell, there are few, if any, allusions to the vintage. …

Continue reading →

Two quotes capture the essence of spring particularly well for me.

“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” Albert Camus

“It’s spring fever…. You don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” Mark Twain

Never do I feel so uplifted or so delighted by the smallest things—seeing a soot blackened tree branch near my office suddenly burst into bloom, finding the first buds on my jasmine plant and smelling the most wonderful of scents–that of wet earth and fresh grass. The sensation is not dissimilar to that of being in love. Of course, every change makes for new olfactory explorations for me. The following list (in alphabetical order) captures my current, 2008 if you will, mood. If you are interested in my more general reflections on the springtime scents, I would suggest Fragrances of Spring and Perfumes to Usher in Spring.

Continue reading →

Fragrances in the chypre fragrance family remind me why I love perfume in general. Granted, the topic of chypre could fill a whole book, I offer some tidbits to incite curiosity to explore this great family further. I also offer a selection of favorite chypres, from classical and modern, as well as some advice to those new to exploring this family. …

Continue reading →