“Two natural endowments are necessary to a fine perfumer—good taste and an olfactory nerve suited to segregating not only kinds of odors but their qualities. Coty’s gift for his career was an olfactory nerve, marvellously talented and acute. Its judgment, incidentally, was once unquestioningly accepted by a rival who was bringing suit. Though he began by exporting essences from the flower fields of Grasse on the Riviera, and can still be recalled later peddling his perfumes to the barbers of Paris, it was by way of his bottles that he really broke into the big perfume business of Europe,” said the fascinating article about François Coty published on May 3rd of 1930. Read the rest from the New Yorker archives. It is fitting to include an article on Coty this week. After all, his first fragrance La Rose Jacqueminot has been a major success.

I shall be back next week with the discussion of Shisiedo Nombre Noir and damascones, the materials that can range from roses to dried figs. Their glow is what illuminates Nombre Noir, gives interesting complexity to Guerlain Nahema and fills the lucid heart of Be Delicious for Men.

Update 9/5/2011: The IUNX line was reintroduced to the market in 2008, and the fragrances are currently available at the store next to the entrance of Hotel Costes in Paris.

“Each rose that comes brings me greetings
from the Rose of an eternal spring,”
Rabindranth Tagore, Bengali poet

If jasmine is the King of flowers, rose is most certainly the Queen. Whether one prefers the smiling and effervescent roses, like Hermèssence Rose Ikebana, Les Parfums de Rosine Un Zest de Rose and Parfums 06130 Yuzu Rouge or the somber oriental and chypre like Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit, Montale Aoud Queen Roses and Frédéric Malle Une Rose, the diversity in the world of roses is both fascinating and astounding. Just as aromas of fresh roses can range from apricots to violet jam, the fragrances exploring roses can offer a great variety. Attempting to provide a full overview of roses in the modern perfumery is an impossible task, therefore I shall limit myself to offering a few favorite examples of the rose focused fragrances that demonstrate a particular character and style.

The classical aldehydic florals cannot be envisioned with a rose, glowing in their hearts like a precious jewel, its honeyed sweetness and vegetal richness supporting an opalescent veil of aldehydes. Chanel No.5 is the archetypal aldehydic floral, while Guerlain Liu is Jacques Guerlain’s answer to Ernest Beaux, whose other creation Chanel No.22 gathers a bouquet of white flowers, rose caught among lilacs, orange blossom and jasmine and anointed with myrrh. …

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Beautyhabit is offering various Valentine’s Day gift suggestions, from pink rose scented Diptyque Roses candle to the sandalwood and saffron embellished Idole de Lubin. See more gift ideas here. Spend $85 or more and receive a 2 piece box of Coco Delice chocolates along with a bounce back $15 coupon, which can be applied to any $100 or more order from Beautyhabit. The offer expires on February 15, 2006. The bounce back coupon expires on June 30, 2006. Use COCODELICE coupon to receive this offer.

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

Rose is often considered as a quintessential feminine flower, a flower that represents woman in different stages of her life, a flower that men traditionally give to the women they love. The pronounced rose notes in the modern perfumery are usually reserved for feminine compositions, despite the fact that this fascinating flower appears into 75% of all modern fragrances and into 10% of all men’s scents. In the Middle East, where rose is traditionally considered masculine, the yellow rose being the symbol of Islam, it finds way into fragrances intended for men much more often than it does in the West. Since rose is usually interpreted as sweet, lush and soft, it is interesting to experience creations that highlight its masculine side, such as Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit, Les Parfums  de Rosine Rose d’Homme and L’Artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Roses.

Created by Michel Almairac in 1993, Voleur de Roses speaks of rose blossoms covered with wet soil. Patchouli creates a heavy feeling that pervades the atmosphere after the rainstorm as the humid vapors rise over the drenched vegetation….

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