Coming this summer: a new book from Jean-Claude Ellena, well-known perfumer and author of Le Parfum (in French only). Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent is from Arcade Publishing and will be in English:
In this international bestseller, the most esteemed perfumer in the world reveals the art and business of creating precious scents, sharing his secrets for the first time…
Flankers make me cranky*. When a flanker is bad, it debases the coinage of the original. I recently spoke with a perfume sales assistant who refused to believe I smelled so lovely because I was wearing Boucheron Jaïpur Saphir. This is because I was not wearing Boucheron Jaïpur Saphir. I was wearing plain ol’ Jaïpur and said so — only to be told: “There is no Just Jaïpur.” With the dizzying rate of flankerizing and discontinuation as well as misinformation from friendly and seemingly authoritative sources, what hope has the average person of keeping this stuff straight?
Almost as irritating to me as a flanker that fails to live up to its predecessor is the sequel that succeeds on completely different terms. Dior Poison’s second flanker, Hypnotic Poison, for example, is a creamy, girlish dream of a fragrance, reminiscent of such wholesome smells as suntan lotion and root beer floats. I’m sure it would have sold at least equally well under another name. Why force a family resemblance where there is none? The only reason I can think of that is consistent with my experience of the perfume industry and buying public is that flankers must be cheaper to make. Presumably Dior saves on the bottle design and less thinking was required all around from the marketing team…
It has been a very long time since I actually swooned over the first sniff of any perfume, but the latest from the Hermessence collection at Hermès, Vanille Galante, was a rare case of love-at-first-sniff. Happily for me, so far it appears to be a lasting relationship — just as well, since I bought it unsniffed.*
I will start by mentioning that Vanille Galante is likely to be a disappointment to vanilla freaks (there have already been a few disgruntled customers on the fragrance boards). The early scents in the Hermessence series (Ambre Narguile, Rose Ikebana, Vetiver Tonka, Poivre Samarcande, Osmanthe Yunnan) were mostly “about” the material they were named after. Paprika Brasil and Brin de Reglisse were less directly so, and Vanille Galante, while presumably a reflection of some sorts on vanilla…
Hermès will introduce a trio of colognes in May. The first is a repackaging of the long time house favorite Eau d’Orange Verte. In addition…
House perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena has conjured Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, a sparkling grapefruit scented juice tinted with rose, and Eau de Gentiane Blanche, which features notes of white musk and gentian…
In the south of France, the city of Grasse has been the center of the French perfume industry since the 16th century. After four years of renovations, a museum dedicated to explaining and celebrating perfumery has reopened in this historic city of scent.
— A short piece on NPR talks about the recent reopening of the International Perfume Museum in Grasse. About 4 minutes long; near the end, they talk to perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. Listen at French Perfume Museum A Bouquet Of Scents.