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The Fragrance Industry

The Fragrance Industry Critiques and observations of the business of perfumery

Newer or "Modern" Chypres: Oakmoss Out, Beeswax In?

Posted 5th November 2009 at 08:39 AM by JaimeB (Jaime B's Blog)
Updated 5th November 2009 at 09:13 AM by JaimeB

The thread we were pursuing about Chanel Antaeus, and the interesting question of the use (or not) of oakmoss in its original formula (or subsequent possible reformulations) seems to have shifted focus. The question seems to have come around to what the future of chypres will be with no (or much less) oakmoss. Also, another matter has come up: the use of beeswax absolute in chypres.

The effect of the 1991 IFRA recommendation on restricting levels of oakmoss in fragrances seems to have...

JaimeB

I just want to smell good

Posted in The Fragrance Industry, The Art of Perfumery

Views 232 Comments 2 JaimeB is offline

A Chat with DelRae Roth of Parfums DelRae

Posted 18th October 2009 at 07:50 AM by JaimeB (Jaime B's Blog)
Updated 19th October 2009 at 12:54 AM by JaimeB

I was extremely fortunate today to spend a half-hour or more chatting with DelRae Roth, the motive force behind Parfums DelRae. She was spending the afternoon at Barneys, San Francisco, showing and discussing her six meticulously planned and sparklingly sophisticated perfumes, and dropping intriguingly vague hints about another to be introduced in the spring of 2010. The perfect name, she confided, has already been found, but at this point, even that is a tantalizing secret!

DelRae...

JaimeB

I just want to smell good

Posted in Scent Reviews, The Fragrance Industry, The Art of Perfumery

Views 265 Comments 2 JaimeB is offline

Roja Dove on Orris Root

Posted 22nd August 2009 at 12:52 AM by JaimeB (Jaime B's Blog)
Updated 22nd August 2009 at 06:52 AM by JaimeB

Roja Dove published a book called The Essence of Perfume (London: Black Dog Publishing, 2008). In it, he gives wonderful descriptions and evaluations about all things perfume-related; but especially enlightening are his descriptions of some of the natural raw materials that go into making scents. In all, he details 94 separate natural raw materials. He deals with 24 synthetic materials also; in my opinion he deals with synthetics much better and much more fully than almost any non-technical book...

JaimeB

I just want to smell good

Posted in The Fragrance Industry, The Art of Perfumery

Views 302 Comments 1 JaimeB is offline

Niche Houses and Jean-François Laporte

Posted 10th February 2009 at 02:04 AM by JaimeB (Jaime B's Blog)
Updated 11th February 2009 at 06:31 AM by JaimeB (Corrections to matters of fact. Thanks to Roberto!)

In the recent history of perfumes, one of the most significant developments has been the rise of niche perfumery. Let me define this term a little more precisely for the sake of clarity: When I speak of niche houses, I mean perfume companies that do not distribute their products (at least initially) through department stores; that seek to find a different creative inspiration and marketing method from the large designer and mass-market scent houses; and that introduce themselves to the world by...

JaimeB

I just want to smell good

Posted in The Fragrance Industry

Views 842 Comments 5 JaimeB is offline

The Economy and the Perfume Industry: The Future?

Posted 29th January 2009 at 01:22 AM by JaimeB (Jaime B's Blog)
Updated 29th January 2009 at 05:56 AM by JaimeB

The news is full of reports about where the economy is going, but the question of how this will affect the perfume industry is definitely below the radar. This could be because "luxury goods" are stereotypically imagined to behave in one of two ways in economic slowdowns:

Theory #1: Unnecessary items are the first to go from the budget; therefore, perfumes drastically lose sales volume in an economic slowdown.

Theory #2: Luxury goods are overwhelming purchased

...

JaimeB

I just want to smell good

Posted in The Fragrance Industry

Views 897 Comments 3 JaimeB is offline