07/04/2023
ESXENCE 2023
IridESXENCE!
“Bigger than ever!“, “Hectic, as always, and a little bit more…”, “Better organized than the last, also with the better program.” – that sums up the impressions on Esxence 2023, which I agree with.
And, Esxence 2023 was the IrideSCENT.
In love with patchouli – history and trends of an iconic raw material
A Givaudan’s presentation held by Eugenie Briot and Arnaud Guggenbuhl
The “All things patchouli” presentation was informative and enriching. Still, I wish Givaudan had opened the door to its patchouli materials a bit more and enriched our olfactive experience with a slightly wider palette of patchouli materials.
Leading by the nose – perfumers speak out on education, diversity & creativity
A panel with Alexandre Helwani, Hiram Green, Veronique Nyberg and Alex Lie. Moderator: Karen Marin.
“Leading by the nose” enabled some precious insights into the compromises and personal struggles of perfumers working in the industry or as independent and self-taught perfumers. It scratched the surface of many issues we rarely witness exposed to the public.
L’Osmotheque’s exhibition – “Tribute to Italy, land of perfumes”
15 perfumes from L’Osmotheque’s conservatory
The exhibition about Italian olfactive heritage included perfumes made in Italy and/or created by Italians, or connected to Italy by the recognisable Italian spirit or emotion, such as “dolce vita”.
Read the informative catalogue, published thanks to L’Osmotheque.
IX. AOL Awards 2023
THE FINALISTS
Meet the finalists of 9th AOL Awards 2023 finalists in juried categories. The winners are to be announced in May in Los Angeles.
Esxence 2023 comming back to Milano
The announcement
Esxence 2023, the largest European perfume fair, will be held from March 30 to April 2 in Milan. The theme of Esxence 2023 is the term IRIDESCENT. The countdown has begun, check out the list of brands and the program.
NEZ – Secrets and lies in perfumery
Author: Clement Paradis / original text published by NEZ on 6.1.2023.
“Abandon all hope of hearing the truth, ye who enter here”: words we might well be tempted to say to the novice taking an interest in perfumery. There is no denying that inventions, secrets and lies are legion in the fragrance universe.
From open secrets to copycat lies, lies of omission to workshop secrets, here is a brief overview of the deceptive discourse employed. Because, on the one hand, we have to laugh. And, on the other hand, the cult of mystery occasionally has its reasons, and it can be interesting to explore them.
NEZ – Woody ambers: the nasal invaders
Authors: Jeanne Doré, Jessica Mignot / original content by NEZ published on 17.11.2022.
While rose and jasmine are media darlings, there is an entire family of aroma compounds whose inclusion in perfume messaging is inversely proportional to its presence in bottles and sillages. You smell them everywhere without knowing it, these mystery compounds. When, how and why did woody ambers invade perfumery? Here is our attempt at an answer for you: some facts, some history, and a healthy dose of subjectivity!
22/09/2022
Pitti Fragranze 2022
Sensing Authenticity, Change and the Rose
Pitti Fragranze 2022, a jubilee 20th edition, made me rethink the concepts of authenticity in the light of change. Maybe more than in previous years, I see Pitti Fragranze as the fortress of artistic perfumery, absolutely relevant and irreplaceable, especially in times of big changes.
The Rose: Reinventing Iconics / RAW by Mane
Three different roses, 10 materials, 5 rose accords and the perfume!
One by one, I got to smell essences, absolutes and the biotech derivations coming from very different, but well-known roses: rose centifolia, grown in Southern France/Grasse and rose Damascena, grown in Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Middle East. Mane exclusively presented brand-new materials derived from the Crimean rose, a different sort, from the fields of Moldova.
01/08/2022
NEZ – Perfumery disoriented – Ambery or Oriental?
Part 1 and 2. Author: Clement Paradis / The original articles published in NEZ, 28.7.2022.
“What’s to be done with Oriental fragrances? For a few months now, the perfume world has been reflecting and taking a stand on the use of the adjective “Oriental,” perceived as potentially offensive to certain populations. It is therefore time to take stock of what we smell and what we dream through this disputed term, first by studying its birth and its olfactory meaning, then by digging into its anchoring in a colonial context.”
PITTI FRAGRANZE back in Stazione Leopolda from 16 to 18 September 2022!
See you at Pitti! The special guest of Pitti Fragranze 2022 is Alessandro Gualtieri, The Nose, and the list of exhibiting brands is getting longer with each update, so stay tuned!
25/06/2022
ESXENCE 2022
The bubbled reality and the long-waited heat
Esxence 2022 in a hot summery Milano was themed “Through the Mirror” – about brands and perfumes, but also multi-bubbled reality and the reverse logic, once I crossed through the mirror.
VIII. AOL Awards 2022
The winners and the finalists
Take a look at AOL Awards 2022 winners and finalists: the finalists were announced in an online event on April 22, 2022, and the final ceremony took place at the World Perfumery Congress in Miami on July 1, 2022.
The Plum Girl – Interview with Gabe Oppenheim, the author of “The Ghost Perfumer”
Author: Elena Cvjetković / the original content by THE PLUM GIRL, published on 20.2.2022.
“The Ghost Perfumer” is the true story of a seductive clothing empire heir – Olivier Creed – who brainwashed perhaps the world’s best perfumer into becoming his secret scent-creator for decades, nicking his byline for nothing but a few custom suits and turning that fragrant output into a company sold 2020 for about $ 1 billion to the world’s lagrest asset manager – all of it amounting perhaps to the greatest con in luxury retail history” – Gabe Oppenheim.
Gabe wrote a fascinating and breathtaking true story about the people of the perfume and art, relationships in the perfume industry, profit, fame, love, deceit….
05/10/2021
Not. From. Me.
A word or two on writing reports and copyright infringement
A word or two on how to write reports, plus some more on copyright infringement and how to fight it.
23/09/2021
PITTI FRAGRANZE 2021.
XIX. edition
In the very core of Pittti Fragranze 2021 are the people of perfumes and the magic blend of the known, the expected, and a surprise.
Ralf Schwieger – the Retrospective (1999-2021) and the Talk
The heart of Pitti Fragranze event, at least for me, is Chandler Burr’s Retrospective and Conversation with Ralf Schwieger, a perfumer whose art of creation has changed the face of today’s perfumery.
See you at Pitti Fragranze, 17 – 19 September 2021!
From 17 to 19 September Stazione Leopolda in Florence will host the return of Pitti Fragranze. After last year’s exibition was skipped due to epidemic, Florence will again host the world of the artistic perfumery and offer the excitement of smelling new fragrances and exploring new fragrance houses, learning new…
The Perfumery Code of Ethics
2nd round of pledges (May 2021.) and Mirisna is in, too!
The list of perfumers and owners, brands and houses, publishing houses and writers who committed to Christophe Laudamiel’s The Perfumery Code of Ethics is getting longer!