Perfume 101: 517 posts

I don’t know about you, but I love shopping at Sephora. There was a time when Sephora only existed in big cities and as a veritable vault of perfume comprising both the ordinary and the extra-; the hard-to-find and the very popular; Etro and Caron alongside Dior and Guerlain.

Then things changed.  Perfume was downsized to make room for ever more cosmetic lines or for expansion of existing lines.  The Etros and the Carons disappeared along with Chamade and Miss Dior.  Soon, what was left was a display touting a “Top Ten” of fragrances, which for a while was led by Light Blue.  More shelf space disappeared.  Only top performers were left.  That’s what you find today in most Sephora shops, especially in small towns like mine where a “mistake” can be costly.  This is why precious space has been given over to Dot, Marc Jacobs’ latest, based on the performances of Lola and Daisy.

Nevertheless, it is still possible to build a fantastic perfume  wardrobe based on the available selection, and I browse the perfume section at Sephora on a regular basis, if not for revelation, then for fun. That is where I discovered, much to my delight, the trio of Hermès colognes Eau d’Orange Verte (green orange), Eau de Pamplemousse Rose (pink grapefruit) and the stunningly weird Eau de Gentiane Blanche (white gentian) that smells the way Chartreuse tastes.

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Whenever I mention to a new acquaintance that I work in fragrance and we plunge into a discussion of perfume, most people remark that they never thought that scents could be so fascinating. We take our nose for granted. In various surveys asking people what sense they would most likely give up, most select their sense of smell. But it only takes a moment of reflection to realize how hard this loss would be. As many studies show, without the sense of smell, our food tastes bland, our libido suffers, our world loses color and even our memories becomes so much poorer. The message is simple: take care of your nose and use it to its full capacity.

Enjoying perfume is only one facet of being scent obsessed–cooking, gardening, and even something as simple as taking a walk in the park counts too. But perfume is such a great adventure. It cheers me up when I feel down. It makes me feel elegant. It indulges my fantasies and wanderlust. Exploring scents for their rich history and fascinating craftsmanship gives me as much satisfaction as art and music, and it is just as rewarding.

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Perfumer and Flavorist Magazine published an interesting overview of the autumn-winter  fragrance trends. Analyzed by  Seven Scent Ltd, a trend agency based in Manchester, United Kingdom), this biannual fine fragrance forecast looks at what might influence the launches a year ahead–the 2013/14 autumn-winter collections.

• “Tea accords: a move away from the classic or traditional green tea accords, towards a more unusual, sophisticated and rich fragrance
• Wood accords: the rich spice of oud is softened in a partnership with rose; a classic marriage of materials from middle eastern perfumery
• Leathers and suede: evoking a timeless elegance and quality in masculine scents
• Spices: such as cardamom, cumin and saffron inspired by the Middle East
• Amber: versatile and popular, it adds warmth and blends with oriental spices as well as soft musky notes
• Red berries: rich and dark notes will deliver an autumnal feel”

Nevertheless, it’s easy enough to find new perfumes that fit many of these categories: Tom Ford Jardin Noir series, Diptyque Volutes, Serge Lutens Une Voix Noire, Chanel Coco Noir, to name a few.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

My friends who know about my fragrance hobby always ask me which perfumes might be appropriate for office/work situations and which might be overkill.  In today’s cramped spaces, the question is more important than ever.  Joy might be a joy for you, but not for your office mate!

I don’t wear perfume to work, but I don’t feel cheated. I only wear it socially. This break from perfume also means that I am not competing with the strong smells occasioned by my job—I’m an events photographer and I attend a lot of catered functions where the air is often thick with garlic, cheese, coffee, chocolate, and wine. Phew! I do my part not to contribute to the overload.  Believe me, a ripe Brie duking it out with Frédéric Malle Noir Epices is not entirely pleasant.

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You walk into Sephora, pass the shelves piled with makeup and find yourself in front of a wall covered with perfume bottles. You pick up the one that catches your eye, spray a blotter, put the tester back on the shelf and continue moving past the display of shiny glass vials. Perhaps you fall in love with the perfume and buy it. You bring it home, put it on your dresser and if the choice was right, the scent will now accompany you everywhere, serving as a fragrant soundtrack for your day. Perfume is such an intimate thing and its effects on us are complex, but equally fascinating is the process by which the aroma ends up in the bottle.

The overwhelming increase of new fragrance launches has robbed perfume both of its luxury status and of its mystery. The story of creators spending years crafting their masterpieces is difficult to believe when most big brands come out with a new fragrance every couple of months. The perfume houses have always been reluctant to disclose the process by which they create fragrances. In some cases, it is because the process contains some precious know-how, in others because it is simply too corporate and not mysterious enough to capture the consumer’s imagination. So how many hands touch your bottle of perfume after all?

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