News: 582 posts

L’Occitane spring launches are all about flowers. Pivoine Flora, which is set to be launched in May, explores a sheer rose-peony note accented with citrus. Notes include: grapefruit, bergamot, green notes, peony, violet, magnolia, cedarwood, vanilla and musk. It will be available as both Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette and will have a whole range of matching bath and body products.

There is also a limited edition fragrance called Fleurs de Brignoles (Plum Blossoms). L’Occitane describes it as: “In the Provencal village of Brignoles, the plum blossom season is always a time for celebration. The Plum Blossom EDT is a tribute to the white blossoms of the plum trees, which fill the air with a liqueur-like scent, with hints of bitter almonds.” Notes include pear, berries, plum, rose, sandalwood, musk. Fleurs de Brignoles/Plum Blossom is available as Eau de Toilette and includes a wide range of scented bath and body products.

Pivoine Flora news via Cosmoty and Fleurs de Brignoles via L’Occitane.

Following the classical trends of the spring, some of which I described in my Trend Watch yesterday, Clinique has released a limited edition version of their 1972 iconic fragrance Aromatics Elixir called Aromatics Elixir Perfumer’s Reserve. It has a stronger white floral accent of jasmine sambac and tuberose set against the mossy-woody structure of the fragrance.

It includes notes of bergamot, orange blossom, verbena, clary sage, jasmine sambac, rose, tuberose, patchouli, myrrh, vetiver, dark woods, labdanum, resins.

The original Aromatics Elixir includes notes of geranium, orange blossom, verbena, chamomile, clary sage, jasmine, rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, patchouli, vetiver, oakmoss, amber, civet. It was created in 1971 by perfumer Bernard Chant.

Chloé Rosebud is only one of several rose embellished perfumes that launch this spring. Another one is Prada Infusion de Rose. Created by perfumer Daniela Andrier, who is also responsible for Infusion d’Iris, Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger, Infusion de Tubéreuse and Infusion de Vétiver, the composition is reported to include notes of Turkish and Bulgarian rose, mandarin, peppermint, yerbamaté, and beeswax. Priced at $105, it is going to be available from Bergdorf Goodman this spring. via Vogue.com.

Chloé is releasing a new fragrance called Chloé Rosebud, a limited edition variation on the original Chloe Eau de Parfum. In contrast to the original, Chloé Rosebud is a fresher floral, with the stronger rose accents. It was created by Robertet perfumers Amandine Marie and Michel Almairac.
Notes: pink peony, freesia, lychee, magnolia, lily of the valley, rose, cedarwood, amber, and honey.

“The Chloé vision is not about one singular woman, but rather about the rich and varied personalities of all Chloé women. This fresh, smooth, and floral fragrance evokes a sublime powdery-rose scent. The effect is chic, comfortable, and entirely addictive.”

1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray, $85. Available from Sephora.

“How does a nose generate the signals that the brain registers as smell? The conventional theory says it’s down to the different shapes of smelly molecules. But fruit flies have now distinguished between two molecules with identical shapes, providing the first experimental evidence to support a controversial theory that the sense of smell can operate by detecting molecular vibrations.” from New Scientist, “Fly sniffs molecule’s quantum vibrations.”

Those who followed the developments of the vibration theory of olfactory since the publication of Luca Turin’s work will be interested to know that there has been more work on the topic. The results and the discussions are worth reading.

More reading on the topic:
Do Vibrating Molecules Give Us Our Sense of Smell?

Flies Sniff Out Heavy Hydrogen

Nose Works Like a Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Thanks to Tania and Jake for the links!