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

Kylie Minogue Darling, the debut fragrance from the Australian pop diva, is the latest entrant onto the celebrity perfume scene. Moreover, in the short time that it has been out, according to some sources, it has managed to become the top selling scent in the UK. In other words, Posh Spice beware! Although at one point I defended celebrity fragrances, I have grown bored of the numerous neon-pink, fruity and girly offerings that are lavished upon us by the celebrity fragrance market. Being quite pleasantly surprised by Hilary Duff’s With Love…, I decided to seek out Darling. After all, it was created by Thierry Wasser of Firmenich, the perfumer who is responsible for several interesting compositions such as Calvin Klein Truth and Christian Dior Addict. …

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While working on a new project, I have been delving deeper into the chemistry, the science of olfaction as well as taste. During my weekend reading of Harold McGee’s Food & Cooking: an Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture, I came across a quote that explains the relationship between taste and olfaction in a very clear and simple manner. “The olfactory receptors in our nasal passages can detest many hundreds of volatile molecules that are small and chemically repelled by water, and therefore fly out of the food and into the air in our mouth. The sensations from our mouth give us an idea of a food’s basic composition and qualities, while our sense of smell allows us to make much finer discriminations” (270).

As a side note, I cannot recommend Food & Cooking: an Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture highly enough. I was given the book as a present by a fellow foodie to consult as one would an encyclopedia, that is, to read bits and pieces as the need would arise. Instead, I started reading this 800 page volume cover to cover, without losing my interest and all the while being amazed by McGee’s incredible knowledge. The book also provides enough fascinating information to those who are interested in fragrance. Can you guess what Serge Lutens’s Bois de Violette and Pinor Noir have in common?  Read on for an answer…

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In fragrance as in fashion, there are waves of trends not only in terms of the style of a composition but also for certain ingredients. Pink pepper (often referred to as baies rose) is one such example. Its bright, resinous fragrance with an effervescent fruity sweetness lends itself to various arrangements, from the citrusy-woody elegance of Ormonde Jayne Isfahan (Isfarkand) to the animalic roses of The Different Company Rose Poivrée, among others. While I was familiar with pink pepper oil, I have never cooked with the peppercorns themselves. Unable to resist the temptation of something shiny and pink, I purchased a small packet and started to experiment. …

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The Perfumer & Flavorist Magazine is one of the leading trade publications for the fragrance and flavor industry. It starts 2007 with the publication of its free newsletter P&Fnow, which is circulated twice a month via email. It will highlight the news, feature interviews with perfumers, flavorist and industry professionals as well as offer new product reviews and reports on the latest developments in the industry. You can sign up for it here.

The January issue of the magazine is already available. It is an issue devoted to trends and forecasting, and it features a few interesting articles. One of them is Fragrance outlook: Noir to Niche (page 22). It features interviews with perfumers Pierre-Constantin Gueros and Agnes Mazin, who discuss the latest developments in perfumery and especially in niche. The chemist in me also enjoyed Perfumer’s notes: Javanol, which focuses on Givaudan’s sandalwood aroma-material (page 32). My article Scent outlook: The 7 Best Things About Fine Fragrance Now appears on page 24. You can see the overview of the articles on the Perfumer & Flavorist January issue page.

One of the newest issues of Cosmetic World has landed on my desk. It makes an announcement of the new limited edition Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, Young Sexy Lovely. I thought that it was a marketing tactic to encompass everything, but the name apparently incorporates the monogram for YSL. Well, it is not as if the two are mutually exclusive… The fragrance contains notes of nashi pear, mandarin, blackcurrant, cherry blossom, magnolia, wine yard peach, crystalline musk, amber and cedarwood. The addition of the cherry blossom note should clue us in that Young Sexy Lovely is meant to appeal to Japanese consumers in the US market.

Yet, the most interesting feature of the issue is a piece by John Ledes called Perfume Burials. It discusses the unprecedented growth of fragrances and the difficulties the brands and the stores have in sustaining the numerous releases. If sell-through fails, then the unsold stock is destined to end up on the shelves of the discounters. His observations on the future of the celebrity fragrances are illuminating. “The ‘celebrity’ fragrance wave of the 2005-2006 fragrance flood will have its survivors. However, it will be the scent that survives and not the ‘charm’ of these ‘ladies.'”