feed: 35 posts

For the past twenty years, Bois de Jasmin has been my home. It has grown with me on countless journeys through perfumery, cultural curiosities, writing, and life’s unexpected turns. Many of you have been reading since the early 2000s; others joined along the way. All of you made this space what it is: a place shaped by scent, curiosity, beauty, and thoughtful conversation.

As I prepare for my upcoming trip to Ukraine and work on a new project, I feel the pull toward a different kind of writing, deeper, more personal, more expansive than a traditional blog format easily allows. Which is why, after much deliberation, I finally created a Substack, Bois de Jasmin Circle.

So what is my Substack about?

In short:

It’s a space where creativity, scent, and culture help us survive chaos, told through my journeys in Ukraine and around the world. As a journalist, I’ve worked in and written from conflict zones, and those experiences changed how I understand beauty, ritual, and the role of creativity in dark times.

Continue reading →

In the fall of 2024, I traveled east to the frontlines. As the city faded behind me and the bombed-out villages receded, all that remained were the bare fields of sunflowers. The headless stems stood tilted in different directions, reminiscent of a vast cemetery. And yet, this desolate landscape was illuminated by the occasional blooming flower that sprouted after the reaper had taken its harvest.

I keep thinking about flowers on the battlefields as I think about Ukraine. Ukraine has forged its identity through centuries of attempts by larger powers to erase it. And yet, it has always regenerated itself in one form or another. Borderland places have deep roots, nourished by multiple histories, strengthening their sense of self and enriching their culture.

My Ukraine Fundraiser

Still, it’s hard to avoid feeling despair and anger given the current situation. I’m channeling my energy into preparing for my trip to Ukraine and my fundraiser for Kyiv’s Children Art School. The school works with children traumatized by war and provides them with free art classes and a safe space. The money donated is converted into art supplies that children can use right away to learn new skills and heal.

If you’re interested in helping, your donation will be much appreciated. To Donate in USD. To Donate in EUR. If you’re interested to participate in my seminar on Ukrainian perfumery broadcast from Ukraine on March 14th, via Zoom, 12pm EST, the proceeds will go to the art school. To Join Seminar.

You can follow updates about my Ukrainian trip and fundraiser via my Instagram: @boisdejasmin

In the meantime, there are other ways in which you can help Ukraine.

Continue reading →

Happy 2024 to my readers and friends! I wish you many wonderful experiences, health and success. Above all, I wish that 2024 will be a more peaceful year than the previous one.

What was the first thing you smelled this year? One of the exercises I gave to my ISIPCA students to develop them ability to notice and describe aromas is to track the scents they smell over the course of five consecutive days. It was a training method I learned as a perfumery students and I always found it effective. Even these days when I make a point of keeping a scent diary for several days and noting what odors I observe around me, my perception of aromas becomes heightened.

So with the goal of starting the year well, here is my list:
Jasmine tea–white grape, apricot jam, suede, green buds.
White hyacinths–I made an arrangement with white hyacinths and pine branches and I smelled the vivid wet almond and earthy rose scent as soon as I walked into the living this morning.
Panettone–my homemade panettone was scented with orange and lemon peel, vanilla and rum-raisins.
Kefir–my morning, holiday or not, starts with feeding my army of pets–sourdough starters, nukadon, and kefir. Kefir smells wonderfully of green apple and lemon.
Hermès Cuir d’Ange–my perfume today, soft leather and tender musk, with a whisper of violets and faded roses.

I would love to read your lists.

Scent Diary is a place to write your observations about the scents around you. Whether you write down 1 recollection or 10 matters less than simply reminding yourself to smell. You can add as many comments as you wish. You can comment today or over the course of the week; this thread will always be open. Of course, do share what perfume you’re wearing or what particularly good scented products you’ve discovered.

While looking through my articles, I found this article that I wrote a few years ago but that still remains popular and often-read: A to Z Tips for Enjoyable, Affordable and Rewarding Perfume Hobby. If you have any tips to add, I’d love to hear them.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

Happy Women’s Day! Happy birthday to my mentor, my teacher, my adopted mother (her words, not mine)–Sophia Grojsman. She’s the reason I write about fragrance and not politics. She gave the ’80s and ’90s their scent–and even dared to perfume Paris. Generous, passionate, courageous. She’s a legend.

I first met Sophia in 2006 when I was still a political science student and Bois de Jasmin was a mere sapling. She met me at her Manhattan office at IFF. She had a fan of blotters in one hand and a cigarette in another. She told me that I’m too boring for wearing all black. I swooned. Mostly because of the smoke, but I was also captivated by her. Sophia took me under her wing and taught me everything she knew. She was the same way with everyone around her. I don’t know of another person with a bigger heart.

Continue reading →

If a person with children and living in an extended family were to write my article How to Handle Self-Isolation and Not Lose One’s Mind, they would instead title it How to Survive Quarantine and Not Kill One’s Family. Then again, they probably wouldn’t even write it, because they would be too busy being a career professional, cook, cleaner, and school teacher. All of this in addition to the general anxiety. Since most of the household responsibilities fall on the shoulders of women, many of my female friends are finding this period of confinement stressful. Whether they live in New York, Tehran or Kyiv, the problems are the same–they are under pressure from their employers, schools and their families.

Far more qualified people than me can give advice on how to manage home schooling, household responsibilities and children. On these pages I can only provide comfort, distraction, and a reminder that taking a moment out of a day for oneself is crucial. And that such moments shouldn’t be tainted by guilt.

Continue reading →