Perfume 101: 517 posts

Bois is pronounced as “bwah” in French–imagine that you are planting a tender kiss on someone’s cheek. However, my blog sometimes gets introduced as “Boyz de Jazmine,” which sounds suspiciously like a boy’s band. So I thought that it would be good to share the correct pronunciation of the phrase that means “jasmine wood” or “jasmine forest” in French. I turned to Bela, the founder of Frag Name of the Day. Bela used to read the news on the BBC French Service, and I could not think of a better French expert to ask for help. Moreover, her voice is beautiful, so it is a double pleasure to listen to her impressive collection of 782 podcasts featuring French fragrance names.  And here is how one pronounces Bois de Jasmin!

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library,” wrote Argentinian poet Jorge Luis Borges. Ever since I moved out of my parents’ house, I decided that I will make my own version of an earthly paradise by investing efforts into my library. For years I have lived in apartments where the only pieces of furniture were the overspilling bookshelves. These days we have added a table and a bed to our Spartan living arrangements. An interior designer friend once drew up a plan that would maximize the use of space in our apartment. Her sketch was full of light, cream colored cushions and purple window dressings. She suggested that I move half of my books to storage. Her sketch is languishing behind one of the bookshelves. The books are still with me.

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The question of quality is a complex one, especially with something as intangible as perfume. All of us have our own definitions of quality, and as such, I see this post as a place to share my reflections and hear your thoughts as well. As I mentioned in the previous post, I do not want to conflate the price of raw materials with quality. I do not believe that beer is inferior to wine, and in the same vein, I do not think that Tommy Girl is inferior to Shalimar. I simply do not want to pay the price of a great vintage for a bottle of Budweiser. Perfume is a luxury, and given the current economic climate, I want to make sure my pleasures are never guilty and that my dollar is spent wisely. When looking for a perfume that offers good value for my money, my personal take is as follows:

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Last year the weekly French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur published an interesting article about perfume creation called La Guerre des Nez (The War of the Nose). It featured a candid interview with perfumers Dominique Ropion and Anne Flipo and provided a table outlining the price breakdown for an average prestige brand perfume. The revelation is that in a bottle of perfume that costs 100 euros, the value of the fragrance concentrate is only 1-1.50 euros, or about 2-3 dollars. The rest is for marketing and distribution: 19.6 euros for value added taxes, 36 euros for distribution, 25 euros for ads and so on. I know all too well the economics of making a perfume, but seeing this table was still a shock.

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Watching the dance of snowflakes outside my window, I wrap myself in Vero Profumo Rubj. I did not know that this heady blend of orange blossom, tuberose, moss and passion fruit would conjure hot tropical nights and salty kisses, but it is a perfect escapist fantasy on this cold day.