From all the human activities, the fragrance industry is the most obsessed with secrecy and that's why its own culture and history are under threat. Can you imagine that until the late 60's the name of the suppliers was not mentioned when a new product was introduced and presented in trade journals? Today it seems absurd to present a product intended for sale without giving all the details. This image is from an article about new raw materials from a German trade magazine. I have hundreds examples like this since 1900's. Guessing the names 30 years after and establishing a list with raw materials and specialties is a never-ending research work for me. I do not add that for many important products nobody knows the creator and many of them are lost for olfaction. The only thing we know is the name of several chemists when they published their works. But the number of unpublished reports is greater than the patents. H&R and Dragoco produced hundreds of molecules and specialties in the 50's and 60's but did not patent them. Many products are not in catalogues but appear in formulae. Molecules, their history and their first applications in bases or perfumes are lost today unless a miracle happens. I often say that Egyptology is easier than the history of perfumes in the XXth century.
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
