Fragrant Readings Archives

The Untouchables, 1959 via dga.orgMichelin hotel-and-restaurant guides are arguably the Rolls Royce of gastronomy reviews guides. Or rather one could propose, The Untouchables of the food reviewing world.In what looks like a scoop, The New Yorker was able to investigate...

 In an interview given to an Italian publication, perfumer Maurice Roucel of Symrise compares the art of perfume composition to the art of writing. He underlines the differences between the technical aspect of perfumery and the more intuitive, creative one....

For those who can read French (you can also try using Babelfish or Google Translate to get the gist of the online articles) there is an informative report on the state of the perfume industry in Grasse in L'Express.fr. There...

There is an article well-worth reading in the December issue of Perfumer & Flavorist. Written by Stephen Douthwaite of PerfumersWorld, it makes the point that even professionals in the industry do not necessarily possess the right techniques or work in...

A new book aiming to shed further light on the contribution of French luxury brands to the national patrimony and economy was released in October 2009. The work features 135 brands. The study is entitled Marques de luxes françaises (French...

Well, apparently, Versailles is not dead. I just read an article in the Times Online about an advice book entitled Le carnet du savoir-vivre au bureau by author Laurence Caracalla and it appears to be replete with self-punishing advice on...

There are not many perfumes in the world that can pretend to having a monograph dedicated to their sole trajectory but Chanel No. 5 is preeminently it. Author François Ternon has written Histoire du No.5 de Chanel: un numéro intemporel...

Pamela Anderson and David La Chapelle at the 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards -- Doesn't this dress look a little complicated yet almost made as if in desperation at the last minute? Is this a conceptual dress meant to express...

The founder of perfume brand By Kilian, Kilian Hennessy, is heading to Boston next week and answers a Q & A on the Boston Herald blog, The Edge, in the days leading up to the local launch of his line.What...

There have been already several books written about the life of perfume industry giant and genius François Coty but author Alain Duménil who is visibly fascinated by the trajectories of men that climb up very high in the social sphere...

Author Annick Le Guerer has published a new book on the therapeutic tradition of perfume entitled Quand le parfum portait remède: jardins des cloîtres, jardins des princes, Garde-Temps Editions, 95 p, Septembre 2009. (When perfume used to cure: cloister gardens...

For those who can get hold of Paris Capitale, the magazine about Paris (which includes a bilingual address guide section handy for visitors) there are two articles on perfumes this month.  Serge Lutens is interviewed (p.60) about his tastes in...

A small enterprise named His Witness Scents in Athens, Tennessee is attempting to put some virtue back into perfume naming and fragrance appreciation. After noticing that too many fragrances seem to advertise inappropriate conduct and bad-mouth their wearers, two women...

Australian sandalwood by RubyGoesAn article in Special Chem explains the ins and outs of Givaudan's action in the field of sustainable sourcing of naturals as the global demand for eco-conscious, natural perfumes and flavors augment. "The growing demand for natural...