News: 582 posts

Michael Edwards’s annual guide, Fragrances of the World 2007, has been released this month. According to Fragrances of the World, “the new guide sorts by family more than 5,000 selective, niche, masstige, mass, direct retail, limited edition and travel retail fragrances.” 2006 has seen the addition of 693 new fragrances (compared to 545 in 2005 and 205 in 1996). The new launches have been fueled by niche and celebrity fragrance releases, according to the data used in the 2007 guide. By way of example, there were 121 niche fragrances in 2006 (as compared to 87 in 2005 and 36 in 1996) and 37 celebrity launches (as compared to 26 in 2005 and 15 in 1996). This year’s Fragrances of the World guide is the 23rd edition, proving that it remains the most reliable and valuable resource for retailers. Michael Edwards’s classification system is used by Fragrance Foundation Directory, Sephora, Nordstrom as well as World Duty Free.

More information is available at Fragrances of the World website.

The Perfumer & Flavorist Magazine is one of the leading trade publications for the fragrance and flavor industry. It starts 2007 with the publication of its free newsletter P&Fnow, which is circulated twice a month via email. It will highlight the news, feature interviews with perfumers, flavorist and industry professionals as well as offer new product reviews and reports on the latest developments in the industry. You can sign up for it here.

The January issue of the magazine is already available. It is an issue devoted to trends and forecasting, and it features a few interesting articles. One of them is Fragrance outlook: Noir to Niche (page 22). It features interviews with perfumers Pierre-Constantin Gueros and Agnes Mazin, who discuss the latest developments in perfumery and especially in niche. The chemist in me also enjoyed Perfumer’s notes: Javanol, which focuses on Givaudan’s sandalwood aroma-material (page 32). My article Scent outlook: The 7 Best Things About Fine Fragrance Now appears on page 24. You can see the overview of the articles on the Perfumer & Flavorist January issue page.

One of the newest issues of Cosmetic World has landed on my desk. It makes an announcement of the new limited edition Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, Young Sexy Lovely. I thought that it was a marketing tactic to encompass everything, but the name apparently incorporates the monogram for YSL. Well, it is not as if the two are mutually exclusive… The fragrance contains notes of nashi pear, mandarin, blackcurrant, cherry blossom, magnolia, wine yard peach, crystalline musk, amber and cedarwood. The addition of the cherry blossom note should clue us in that Young Sexy Lovely is meant to appeal to Japanese consumers in the US market.

Yet, the most interesting feature of the issue is a piece by John Ledes called Perfume Burials. It discusses the unprecedented growth of fragrances and the difficulties the brands and the stores have in sustaining the numerous releases. If sell-through fails, then the unsold stock is destined to end up on the shelves of the discounters. His observations on the future of the celebrity fragrances are illuminating. “The ‘celebrity’ fragrance wave of the 2005-2006 fragrance flood will have its survivors. However, it will be the scent that survives and not the ‘charm’ of these ‘ladies.'”

Just as I have been pondering on what events might combine the flavor and fragrance (even if not directly), I receive a newsletter from Culinary Historians of New York announcing The Dark History of Absinthe event. It is taking place on Tuesday, January 9, 2007. As the CHNY explains, “Absinthe, the potent, emerald-green liqueur, was said to drive people mad and is the only individual alcoholic beverage to be banned in countries around the world. It is still illegal in the United States today. Professor David Weir of Cooper Union will join us to discuss the dark, stormy, and fascinating history of absinthe.”

Time: 6:30 Reception 7:00 Program
Location: International Wine Center
350 Seventh Avenue, #1201
between 29th and 30th Streets
$25 CHNY Members $22 Student/Senior Members $40 Guests

Please send checks payable to Culinary Historians of New York to
Carolyn Vaughan, 150 E. 93rd St. #10B, New York, NY 10128
for more information go to www.culinaryhistoriansny.org or email [email protected]

Painting: Edgar Degas, Absinthe Drinkers, 1876.

“The Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild has named December Natural Perfume Month in recognition of the growing interest in natural fragrances. The first naturally-perfumed gifts associated with the month of December were those given in Bethlehem of frankincense and myrrh.” For more information please check the Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild website. (from press release.)