From L’Occitane, two short videos about efforts to preserve the lavender fields of Provence, which are threatened by issues related to climate change. First, L’Occitane founder Olivier Baussan talks about the importance of lavender to the culture of Provence, then below the jump, Eric Chaisse of the French plant research institute CRIEPPAM talks about some of the specific problems faced by lavender growers in the region. Note that many of the fragrance & flavor companies also support CRIEPPAM (see reports from Symrise and Givaudan).
Lavender capable of fostering interpersonal trust
A new study published in the journal Frontiers Psychology suggests that the calming scent of lavender—as opposed to more stimulating smells like peppermint—is capable of fostering interpersonal trust. Scientists have long known that certain aromatic compounds can have an effect on a person’s cognitive or psychological well-being, but this is the first time they’ve found a direct link between a particular smell and the phenomenon of trust.
— Read more at Want to Gain Others’ Trust? Wear the Scent of Lavender at NOVA.
Diptyque Eau de Lavande & Geranium Odorata ~ fragrance reviews
Have you ever met people who give in to middle age a little TOO easily? They relish gray hair, embrace flab, “simplify” their wardrobes by banishing all colors except navy, white, black, gray and beige. They repeat the phrase “age appropriate”: when getting a haircut, choosing a perfume, or buying jeans (“Should I even be WEARING jeans at my age?” they ask). Tiresome. If I could accept aging in such a way, my life would be (might be?) easier. But I can’t! I’ll fight the creaks and leaks and cracks of time every step of the way.
Diptyque has reached middle age and settled into a slower and lazier rhythm with ease. The lively, fun-loving, unusual, quirky perfume company I used to love…is now resting in a La-Z-Boy recliner (those dull new Diptyque bottles!) and seems to have banished all “color” “pattern” and style from its new perfume offerings. A blandness has settled over Diptyque; two new examples of middle-aged Diptyque are Geranium Odorata and Eau de Lavande…
Burberry Brit Rhythm for Her ~ perfume review
So, Burberry as a fragrance house, yay or meh or nay? I’ve been mostly in the meh camp. The original Burberry Brit was a fun, pear-based fruity floral before pear became so annoyingly ubiquitous, and although it wasn’t my thing, I thought a couple of the flankers (particularly Brit Red and Brit Gold) were pretty good. The Beat was ok, although I thought the limited edition Beat Elixir version was so much better that I didn’t see why it wasn’t released as the “main” fragrance (it’s the only Burberry fragrance I own, and I still wear it from time to time). I did not much care for Burberry London, and ditto for Burberry Body.
All of which might explain why I did not have especially high hopes for Burberry Brit Rhythm for Her. It didn’t help that Kevin was not enthralled with the men’s version (I didn’t get around to smelling it, but we agree more often than not). And the rock music inspiration / backstory, hey, that’s getting a little old, isn’t it?1 The Beat hardly lived up to its ‘edgy, carnal, slightly wild’ musical inspirations, and I rather doubted Brit Rhythm for Her would live up to this number…
Chanel Jersey ~ fragrance review and a lavender poll
I was not excited when I heard Chanel’s latest addition to the Les Exclusifs collection, Jersey, featured lavender. It is not a favorite note of mine, although I love Guerlain Jicky, and oddly enough, also the first fragrance I thought of when I smelled Jersey, Brin de Réglisse. Like Jersey, Brin de Réglisse is a niche-from-a-mainstream-house sort of thing, in this case from Hermès, and the reason I thought of Brin de Réglisse right away is not because they smell alike, although I suppose perhaps they are the distant-est of distant cousins. No, I thought of it because of the lavender note in Brin de Réglisse, which as you may remember, was a molecular fraction (is that the term? I don’t know the term, and admit I am not very concerned about it either way). I’ll repeat a quote I used then:
[Perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena] asked them to slice natural lavender into 50 distinct groups of molecules, sniffed them all, discarded five and reassembled it. “My lavender had a much purer, cleaner smell,” he says, comparing it with the natural scent. “Then I had to find something to dress it up that would be a little unusual. I chose a touch of licorice.” (via Los Angeles Times, 10/28/2007)
As near as I can tell, they do something similar (presumably using cheaper methods) with many fragrances notes, which is why notes you used to hate — patchouli! — don’t bother you anymore, and why smelling materials in their natural state is no longer necessarily helpful to the budding perfumista…