New Yves Rocher re-editions

I found with quite a pleasure and surprise, two other new (old) fragrances at Yves Rocher. After Vie privée and En avril un soir, they put again on the market other two famous releases from the past, in a very nice and precious bottle.
One is Ispahan (a spicy oriental aldehydic in the direction of Opium) and the other is Venise (a sweet oriental in the direction of Must de Cartier and Obssesion).

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

Houbigant Quelques Fleurs

Quelques fleurs created by Robert Bienaimé was not only a masterpiece of the beggining of modern perfumery but also one of the most beautiful floral bouquet ever created. It dissapeared long time ago from the market and what is to be found now in stores, "Quelques Fleurs l'Original", has nothing to do with the true perfume. It's not only a cheap re-edition but also it has no true ressemblance with the original. The closest in modern times to this perfume is maybe Chanel No22. The original can still be smelled at the Osmotheque, or with some luck through vintage bottles.

As the name says in the perfume… you have almost all flowers of the perfumery balanced in a remarquable way:
- lilac with two famous bases, one beeing Lilas VII (Givaudan) in a very important amount;
- rose, a red type with bulgarian rose oil, rhodinol, phenylethyl alcohol
- lilly of the valley, with hydroxicitronellal, used in an importan amount
- ylang-ylang (quite a lot!)
- violet, with ionones, violet leaf absolute, orris concrete
- hyacinth, with phenylethylacetaldehyde
- orchid, with amyl salycilate
- jasmin, absolute but also benzylacetate and indol
- carnation (isoeugenol, benzyl salycilate)
Though all the flowers create a unique bouquet, the most evident on the top is the ylang idea, that will be found later in Chanel No5, but also the drydown powdery orris-sandalwood.

A new and important note inside is the aldehyde C12 MNA, which later will inspire Ernest Beaux.
The floral bouquet is underlined by a strong musky note which made this a vivid perfume. Smell the perfume and you will have the image of a living 3 D bouquet sensual like a human presence. It is musk ketone but mainly natural musk and also civet. There is nothing that could be compared with a fragrance containing natural musk inside!
The fragrance is constructed with bases and it's rather difficult to reconstruct the smell with the individual raw materials because the equilibrum is quite delicate. In one reconstitution I did, I didn't pay attention to the rose… and I came with a Quelque Fleurs type that was quite close to the Paris (YSL) idea, though ingredients and squeleton are different. Not to say that I think that there is something also in White linen, in the woody floral part.
What is amazing with Quelque fleurs, once you split the original Houbigant formula with bases, is that you can rewrite it in so many ways, putting the accent on other flowers. You can start a Quelque fleurs idea from a hyacinth, from a light carnation, from an orchid…It's amazingly versatile.
I am quite sure that the original formula (with the musk and no other restrictions!) might still find some lovers in the niche brands.

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Gucci's legacy

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Who long could last a success?

Forecasting fashion/fragrance trends focuses mainly on the "next big hit" or what people will like tomorrow on a statistical base. But another interesting subject is … when a "trend" or an idea is out, dying or ageing. Looking at today's launches and fragrances of the past, still on the market the first belief is "we lack creativity, there are so many copies, how original were fragrances in the past"… Well, looking in my archives and smelling vintage fragrances is funny to see that even in the so called glorious past fragrance world was not so different from today. There was a period when every house had their own Origan by Coty version, their own Chanel No5, Miss Dior or Madame Rochas.
I would say that a fragrance starts to lose its appeal to the public when nobody (fine fragrance, mass market or personal care products) does its own version. The fragrance continues to live more on the legend and name than on the smell. Not to say about the consumer tests that are a disaster. It has nothing to do with the fragrance itself and its value, its just the public who doesn't like it as in the past.
If you smell on the market you'll see easily that there are no more fragrances inspired by Chanel No5, Arpege, Tresor, Poison, Opium, Obsession, widely "copied" in their days from fine fragrance to deodorants or creams.
Another sign of decline is the change in the population who buy/wear a certain fragrance. The worst compliment (and not intended to underline something vintage chic) is "you smell like my grandma", "did you use the same cologne as my father?". It's the case in France for Opium or Eau Sauvage. It doesn't mean that they are bad or that the young generation has no culture in fragrance. It's just the evolution of the world. Would you wear today the padded jackets from the 80's or Dinasty style without beeing excentric?

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New Dior Exclusive Fragrances

To celebrate 10 years of John Galliano and 60 years of Dior, 3 new exclusive fragrances have been created. As Dior himself was inspired by 3 muses (France, Lucky et Victoire), John Galliano proposed 3 fragrances called Passage. He was inspired by 3 modern fashion icons and so the fragrances evoke one personality, one flower, one haute couture dress from the latest show.
Passage No4 - Stella Tennant - a rosy fragrance
Passage No8 - Kate Moss - an orris fragrance
Passage No9 - Gisele Bündchen - a tuberose fragrance
Collection particulière par John Galliano is edited in 2000 ex. at 350 EUR and is available only in 30 Dior boutiques from mid november.
The bottle is inspired by the original amphora used for the first Dior fragrances.
As the fragrances are not yet on the market I haven't smelled them yet…so I'm very curious. At least, just reading from the press release what I liked and admired is the very simple way they talked about the fragrances. No intelectual or too sophisticated pretentions, not all the complicated poetry. A dress, a woman, a flower.

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Fragrance history in a book

"Une histoire mondiale du parfum : Des origines à nos jours"
Another book on fragrance history is available in France and in French. This time, the author Marie-Christine Grasse, director of the Fragrance Museum in Grasse has succeeded in gathering "la crème de la crème" of French perfume writers in a book that covers the past and present of the fragrance. Authors like Annick Le Guérer, Jean Claude Ellena, Carlos Benaim, Jean Kerleo, etc.
The book with marvellous illustrations is not an approach but a deep insight to the fragrance history s seen by different actors of the industry.
The book is available in french on Amazon - Une histoire mondiale du parfum : Des origines à nos jours

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New fragrance book from Chandler Burr

I've just found, both on his website and Amazon that Chandler Burr's book will be soon available to the public.
The book presents the story behind the scenes of the creation of 2 fragrances, one for Hermès, one for Sarah Jessica Parker.
" Burr attended corporate strategic meetings, sat in on confidential creative sessions, listened to financial briefings, and here he presents word-for-word conversations with the players in Paris and Manhattan, at every step of the process. The result is a remarkable work of reporting on both art and business, a journey through a secretive and astonishing industry, and a nuanced portrait of two people, Ellena and Parker, who both were setting out to createthe perfect scent."
The book will be available in 2008.

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Effect Molecules

I came across the new NZZ article by Luca Turin and I remembered I read an article from the 50´s about the research on new molecules: it was said there that the molecules with little smell but big effect were an interesting subject. A small list was also provided with such "strange" molecules.
One of the first things I was taught when I began perfumery was that... you use a raw material either for its own smell or for its effect within a context (formula). Sometime in a formula you can see amounts like Galaxolide 40% or Galaxolide 0,1%.... not to speak about Hedione that can bring all kind of "effects" at different concentration levels.
Other type of ingredients are called "boosters" - they would boost some notes like a "firework" and a flat fragrance will become 3D.
There is little known about how this things work, or at least I have no "logical" clue... other than experience and empyrical knowledge.
Luca Turin said: "The perfumer Guy Robert once explained to me that he could not smell benzyl salicylate at all, but could instantly recognize its presence in a perfumery composition"
Benzyl Salicylate and some musks have quite a strange behaviour (for me): some days I smell them weak some days very very strong. Other materials who seemed rather weak when I first met them (and in the first months) ... I perceive them "more accurate" now. Civettone, Muscone, musk ketone I had "difficulties" to smell them in the very beggining... now it´s the contrary, I feel how strong they can be.

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Chanel "strange perfumes"

The article from P&F revealed some facts of the not so known story of Chanel fragrance house.

One of the perfumes analysed was Mademoiselle No1 and its formula was found to be very close to the structure of Rallet No1...and No5 but like an orris (methylionone) variation with no aldehydes.

I found today this fragrance on ebay. It belong to the same group of fragrances produced by Coco Chanel when she was "fighting" against the Wertheimers.

In the bottle it seems there is some liquid left that could be analysed. I´m very curious to know how Mademoiselle 31 smelled like.

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Jacques Helleu and Chanel no5

Chanel No 5 was one of the most advertised fragrances in the world during the past decades. Not only as a print ad (it started long time ago, before WWII in USA) but also in the new media that became so popular... TV. Jacques Helleu was the master who brought famous directors and actors to tell the amazing story of the fragrance who defied time.
I found on youtube some interesting old videos from 80´s and a documentary on the shooting of a Chanel 5 commercial with French actress Carole Bouquet and director Ridley Scott.

Documentary part I



Documentary part II



Chanel No5 by Ridley Scott

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art

Acesulfame

Acesulfame is a widely sweetener used in the food industry mainly as a potassium salt (Acesulfame K). It is a white odorless powder and not very soluble in water. I was very surprised to learn that though odorless when acesulfame is included in a fragrance it enhances the fragrance perceived by the user. IFF came up with a patent about that fact (the use of acesulfame in fragrances) - EP1312664A2.

Olfaction is still a mistery and...there are not only musks to "enhance" fragrances.

I still not know if this invention is already used on a commercial level or it´s still only a patent hold by IFF.

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Again on Rallet and Chanel

I´ve just read the post of ezhinka (in russian!!!) about Guy Robert´s opinion on the article from Perfumer&Flavorist. As I am not in Paris you'll still have to wait another 2 weeks for the promised review of the "remade" fragrances according to the article. Some remarks till than:
- the "formulas" were done after the analysis of very old fragrances and they are supposed to "replicate" their smell
- there are some "modern" materials that surprised me in the beggining but I understood that the goal was not to "reconstruct" a formula, but the "smell" with available materials.
What´s the difference between reconstructed formula and reconstructed fragrance?
Well if in the second case the process is like "copying" anyother fragrance on the market (sorry for the comparaison) in the first there is also some "archeology" of fragrance. For example you should know how fragrances were built in the 20´s: tinctures (vanilla, amber, civet, Tonkin musk), bases available from suppliers in that period (Chuit Naef, Givaudan...) or "special" treatement for raw materials (like jasmin lavage, pommade, extrait, PNSC - absolute...etc). A very complex work!
In the end the formulas published in PF reminded me a proces that took place in the industry some decades ago. In the past formulas were locked, they were full of bases within bases and with the age of computer/regulation...everything was split into very clear formulas that looked nothing on the paper like the formulas written by their creator.
I was not surprised when Guy Robert talked about Arpege. I suppose he reffered to Rallet EDT because of the Ambrarome... but when mixed, it´s not so Arpege. :)

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Artist's Kiss - Le Baiser de l'Artiste

Orlan, the international artist, presented this summer at the Museum of Modern Art at Saint Etienne a fragrance called "Le baiser de l'artiste" done by Christophe Laudamiel (IFF) and a 3 bottle coffret conceived by Philippe Martinez: Sainte-Orlan, Orlan-corps et le Baiser de l’Artiste.
I missed that perfume.... any idea how it smelled?

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Another Arden treasures from 1931

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Forgotten Arden perfumes

Though Elizabeth Arden is still a big name in the industry, there are still mysteries of its past. For instance.... the perfumes. Except for Blue Grass, they never talk of anything else from the past and it's impossible to get some information about their old perfumes. Thinking to resmell them is more than an utopic dream. I have quite a list of Arden perfumes made before 1950 but I was unable to know their perfumer or details about the fragrance. Most of them are totally lost in my opinion. Here you have a photo from an ad published in the french fashion magazine Femina (1931).

The fragrances were: L'Amour (love), Le Rêve (dream), La Joie (joy), L'Elan and they were inspired by the "feminine" emotions.

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Rallet Ad

The story of Ernest Beaux and Rallet perfumes can be read in the article of Philip Kraft in the latest P&F number.

This ad is from and 1930 number of the fashion magazine Femina.

If for Chypre, Rallet No1 and Gardenia it's quite clear what fragrances they could have been, I wonder ... what about Rallet No3?

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Taymir from Brocard

The new post on Brocard blog inspired me to find this ad from Femina, I had on my computer.

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New Comme des Garcons

Today they arrived at Colette and I was happy to discover them: Patchouli and Champacca. Very good, very well done with a luxury feeling, quite unusual for the brand spirit. I would even say that I quite loved them ....thing that is quite rare for me theese days.
Patchouli.... is very woody ambery with materials like Cedramber, Kephalis, Karanal, Trimofix... etc. (I should smell again to be sure wich of them is inside).
Champacca is quite unusual. It doesn't smell exactly like the absolute but is.... gorgeous. There is a magnolia leaf effect on top and the most funny part is.... after a while it reminds me an discontinued perfume... Magnolia from Yves Rocher (quite nice, based on an Anais-Anais pattern). The champacca absolute is an unusual spicy flower note with a cinnamon touch and mushroom-gardenia effect (tiglates maybe). Champacca perfume is a must smell for this fall!

Aditional information is to be found on ScentedSalamander.

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Fiancée (1932) - Bourjois

I was not able to find any picture of that old and rare fragrance done by Ernest Beaux. The only thing I know is, from one notebook that belonged to one of Beaux's assistant. It was a cheap version of No5, mass market in our days, sweeter and more vannilic like Le Dandy (d'Orsay, another No5 inspired perfume but done by Henry Robert).
Any fotos of that bottle?

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