News: 582 posts

For the past few months I’ve been hearing rumors that Parfums de Nicolaï’s Sacrebleu, Vanille Tonka and Le Temps d’une Fête are to be discontinued. Since they happen to be some of my favorites from the collection, I decided to contact Nicolai directly to find out what’s happening.

Although there will be some changes, the good news is that these perfumes won’t be disappearing. For instance, Le Temps d’une Fête will be available on demand. Vanille Tonka will remain in the collection. Sacrebleu Eau de Toilette will be removed from the catalog, but the plush Intense version will remain.

P.S. I’ve received several emails with people worrying that the discontinuation will take place nevertheless.  I verified the information above with Patricia de Nicolaï, the owner of Parfums de Nicolaï. For now, the plan is to keep the perfumes.

The venerable house of Atkinsons is back in business after many decades of oblivion. In presenting its new range of perfumes, it draws upon its heritage and “200 years of English eccentricity, style and impeccable manners.”  The current collection includes five perfumes (24 Old Bond Street, The British Bouquet, The Odd Fellow’s Bouquet, The Nuptial Bouquet, Fashion Decree), bath and shower products, and scented candles.

24 Old Bond Street

“The emblematic fragrance of the house, 24 Old Bond Street is an extremely English cologne of tremendous personality. Its devastatingly aromatic cocktail of juniper, rose and black tea is deepened with a gorgeously eccentric note of smoky, oak casked whisky. Bracingly fresh yet warmly embracing, it is the definitive last word in English elegance.” Created by perfumers Christine Nagel and Violaine Collas.

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Industry professionals and anyone interested in fragrance chemistry should take note of the Leipzig flavors & fragrances conference, which is to take place from September 11^th to 13^th, 2013. Organized by Philip Kraft and Johannes Panten, the event will cover a broad range of topics, including natural product chemistry, foods and flavors, perfumery and olfaction. Besides many prominent names in fragrance research and development (you can see the full list by downloading the program details), the conference will include lectures from perfumer Maurice Roucel of Symrise, artist Sissel Tolaas, and Etienne de Swardt of Etat Libre d’Orange.

The conference registration is currently open, but spaces are limited. For more information, please visit www.gdch.de.

September 11th to 13th, 2013
University of Leipzig
Lecture Hall Building (Hörsaalgebäude), Lecture Hall 9, 2nd floor
Augustusplatz
04109 Leipzig

Épice Marine is the 11th fragrance in the Hermessence collection from Hermès. Inspired by a meeting in Cancale, Brittany with chef and spice master Olivier Roellinger, it captures the scents of Brittany’s coast and  spices. Roellinger is renowned for his intricate spice blends, which are as complex as perfumes, and the interaction between the two creators inspired them both. Ellena went on to compose Épice Marine, while Roellinger–La Poudre des Bulgares, a blend of cardamom, vanilla, saffron and sesame to perfume yogurt.

The chef gave Ellena a taste of toasted cumin seeds, which sparked the idea for Épice Marine. Unlike fresh grains, toasted cumin doesn’t have the sweaty, animalic brashness, but it smells woody, caramelized and sweet. Other notes of Épice Marine include bergamot, cardamon, cinnamon, watery and smoky accents. Available starting October 2013 at Hermès boutiques.

Roellinger’s La Poudre des Bulgares is currently available at his store in Paris and at epices-roellinger.com.

Adding on: if you read French, I recommend taking a look at the Vanity Fair article Le Mariage d’un Chef et d’un Nez. It describes how Ellena and Roellinger met and how Épice Marine was born.

Via press release

If you can read in French, I highly recommend the new book about perfumer Laurent Bruyère. Titled Laurent Bruyère : Formules Secrètes d’ un Parfumeur, it’s written by Soraya Bouvier Feder and features a preface by perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez. Bruyère’s story is as inspiring as it is tragic, since he passed away in 2008 at the age of 43.

In her book, Felder interviews Laurent’s close friends and colleagues, including Jean Paul Guerlain, Jean Michel Duriez, Daniel Harlant, Anne-Marie Saget, and Thierry Trotobas, and gives us a glimpse into his world. Bruyère worked for many years at International Flavors & Fragrances before leaving for Mane, and IFF’s perfumer Dominique Ropion was one of his mentors.

Bruyère was a self-taught perfumer with an incredible passion for older fragrances, especially Guerlain (he had a Mitsouko label tattooed on his arm). You only need to take a look at his portfolio to see the range of his talent: Cacharel Amor Amor, Thierry Mugler Alien, Costume National Scent and Scent Intense, Escada Sexy Graffiti (easily one of the best from Escada), to name a few.  I hope this tribute to his art will be available in English too.

Available at arbrealettres.com, chapitre.com. 27-29.00 € (in French)