Start Up Sets to Make Your Vagina Smell Like Peaches: A Feminism Issue & Then Some

There's too much brandishing around about how feminism is obsolete (apparently by women -and men- reaping the benefits of a good 3 decades of women's rights advocates fighting the cause) but some piece of news crops up and makes you rethink things. Yes, if you haven't guessed by this introduction, I'm irate. A start up is asking for funding on Tilt (their Kickstarter campaign was denied because the fund raising platform doesn't accept biotechnology projects) to market their product "Sweet Peach" which is a probiotic meant to change your vagina's natural smell into that of a ripe...peach.

A probiotic making your lady parts smelling of peach like a Bath & Body Works shower gel. OK, get me the barf bag now!

Gustave Courbet, L'Origine du Monde (1866) at Musee d'Orsay 

The project is undertaken by scientists Austen Heinz and Gilad Gome, of the biotech startups Cambrian Genomics and Personalised Probiotics respectively. Sweet Peach will use Genomic's DNA printing technology into manipulating the odor made by micro-organisms that live in the vagina of a woman. They state the practical benefit of avoiding yeast infections but they also state this controversial claim: "The idea is personal empowerment" as "all your smells are not human. They're produced by the creatures that live on you. We think it's a fundamental human right to not only know your code of the things that live on you but also to write your own code and personalize it." And they continue by stating that "The pleasant scent is there to connect you to yourself in a better way" (but it also serves as a sort of function indicator). 

Which makes me so very surprised to see that they're also partnering on Petomics, a probiotic for dogs and cats that would make their feces smell like....bananas! 

Right, because pet's feces's odor and the odor of a healthy woman's vagina are on the same plane of values. 

The fact that the two scientists are male did raise a feminist antenna or two. Why not focus on something more universal, dudes? Like feces? Everyone poops, after all. The explanation was that the gut micro-biome is more complex, whereas the vaginal one is stabler, being upset via the period's "interference" only once a month (Hmm, hey guys, I have news for you!). 

But apparently the story is even more fucked up!  

The founder of the company, a 20 year old woman (and a "ultrafeminist" as per own her claim), Audrey Hutchinson, says that the vision of the product was totally different: aiding women to manage their reproductive health without the need of doctors or clinics (or even help the microflora fight HIV, as one company envisions this whole new frontier!). The male dudes, Heinz and Gome, collaborate on Petomics, while Heinz is only a 10% share holder in the Sweet peach project, which he unveiled in a public forum at the San Jose DEMO conference without quoting Hutchinson and even without notifying her beforehand!

But the thing isn't whether the dudes made a publicity blunder and a PR screwup which had the Internet up in arms about  it. They unquestionably have. 

But Gome has been put into record talking about hacking the micro-biome to "make her vagina smell like roses and taste like Diet cola". And Heinz had also explained his general logic by saying "We think on an airplane you're breathing 90 percent farts, right? So it'd be good if they were good-smelling." Talk about "la negation de la mort par le fast food". 

The thing is that there still are straight men out there who believe a healthy, average woman's vagina smells bad. Makes one nostalgic about the 1970s when American Cosmopolitan advised its sexually uninhibited readers to put a drop of vaginal juice behind their ears to attract a mate...

And there's this small little detail too: Nazi-odor-selection. Peach...bananas...coke. Who decided only fruity or edible scents are good smelling?

Long time readers remember our articles on Perfume Shrine which focused on how the industry shaped the market by hitting them on the head with fruity scents for at least a decade, mainly through the abomination of Bath & Body Works synth flavors incorporated into body products such as deodorants, shower gels, body lotions etc. 

If perfumery has long tried to emulated the odor di femina, with all its loaded innuendo perpetuated in literature, the arts and philosophy, such as in Shocking perfume by Elsa Schiaparelli or Ambre Sultan (Lutens) technology is reversing the tables by subtracting it and adding something totally inhuman. I'd say, get these start-ups some odor specialist and call it a day. 

Et tu, Frederic Malle? Estee Lauder Buys Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

It's not enough that performer-perfumers of the niche market with their own eponymous brand under their belt shun perfumistas, considering them irrelevant audience that needn't be cajoled because they don't really matter. It's not enough that indie niche perfumers have the guts to spell out the truth and state that perfumistas account for less than 1/4 of the total sales they make. Now Big Companies buy out the smaller players, at least the ones with the highest profit margins... First Le Labo was bought by the Estee Lauder Group, the fusion effective this November 2014. Now Editions des Parfums Frederic Malle is being bought by the conglomerate., according to an article by Julie Naughton on the Financial side of WWD. [Read the rationale on Vogue UK online, very quick to pick up the news]

via

I've been saying it a lot during the last couple of years (and initially articulated the thought back in 2010) but I have been accused of being cynical: Niche is (now) dead. Marketing is not a dirty word. Presenting an "updated" segmentation within a luxury brand is a plan to have your cake and eat too. When you hear too much art talk, you know something is fishy. Fragrance costs little to produce. Above all, think of what gives you pleasure, what is beautiful, and choose to support the ideas that matter to you and additionally not be swayed by fear-mongering. I suppose what I'm saying is "use your head". And we all know that the head is very purposefully elbowed out of the equation by the fragrance industry for decades, all that fluff talk about emotions, dreams, sentiments blah blah blah....

Let's re-iterate: Perfume aficionados form a very small, insignificant segment of the actual buying audience of perfume niche market. Expect the winners to be bought off by big brands, the struggling unoriginal ones to wither and die via survival of the fittest and the dedicated artisanal indies to continue to cater to a small, cottage-size industry. Consider where your buck flows carefully.

Bottom line, what bugs me most: The perfume aficionados have been USED as a stepping stone in order to build covetable brands that would bring back the investment by being sold off later on.
You call it business acumen. I call it exploitation. Let's agree to disagree.

NB. I was alerted to this news snippet originally via Basenotes. 

The Scent of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: Not What You Think

Dear reader, you who are about to grab your credit card and order that fabulous new bottle of Tom Ford Velvet Orchid to go with your new velvet berry lip and your black suede ankle boots, or you shopping for a Christmas gift of Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt for your spouse. Stop and think a little about the greater picture; outer space, to be exact!

via

Yup, you heard that right, scent is a universal thing. A comet in space smells of rotten eggs, horse urine, formaldehyde, bitter almonds, alcohol, vinegar and a hint of sweet ether. Incredibly eh? Apparently researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland deciphered how the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet smells by analyzing the chemicals in its coma, the fuzzy head surrounding the nucleus, using one of the instruments aboard the European spacecraft Rosetta which is preparing to drop a lander onto the comet's icy surface on November 12. What's even cooler (if you're so inclined) is that the closer the comet comes to the Sun, the more intense the odor will become as per project leader Kathrin Altwegg from the University of Bern.

News according to Times of India reproducing metro.co.uk reportage.

"Dior and I": the Documentary Soon Hitting US Screens

Film & TV distributor The Orchard has acquired all rights in the U.S. and Canada to director Frédéric Tcheng’s fashion documentary Dior and I, which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival to outstanding praise. This marks the third fashion film for Tcheng, who previously co-wrote and co-directed Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel and co-produced Valentino: The Last Emperor. The documentary captures the entire process behind Raf Simons debut couture collection in his new position as Creative Director of Christian Dior Couture. 

"I am extremely excited to be working with the Orchard on bringing the film to its North American audience," said director Frédéric Tcheng. “They clearly have a passion for and understanding of the film that will translate to a successful roll-out.”

In 2012, legendary French fashion house, Christian Dior Couture, announced designer Raf Simons as its head Creative Director.  Dior and I pays homage to the work of the talented Dior atelier and takes a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the makings of Simons’ debut haute couture collection and how it returned to the origins of the house of Dior.  

The film takes an intimate, vérité-style glimpse at the inner workings of the Dior atelier, capturing the entire eight-week process up until the premiere of Simons’ collection. This includes the little-seen atelier workers – the heart and soul of the fashion industry – some of whom have sewed for Dior for decades and do so with an unbridled passion. Together, they form a support system for Simons and help to create his masterpiece collection, with every line they sketch and bead they sew.

A whirlwind of creativity, stress, determination and triumph, the movie boasts mass and niche appeal. 

“Dior and I is a visually and emotionally stunning film about an oft unseen part of the process in the world of high fashion,” said The Orchard’s SVP of Film & TV, Paul Davidson. “Frédéric Tcheng has crafted a documentary that, much like the elegant creations in the world of Dior, deserves to be seen."

The film is slated for a 2015 theatrical release in the US and Canada. The deal was negotiated by Danielle DiGiacomo of The Orchard and Josh Braun of Submarine.

Watch the clip here. 

L'Artisan Parfumeur Re-Launches Two Long Lost Fragrances

The cult status of some perfumes, alongside the demand from a vocal audience online, has resulted in several companies re-releasing fragrances that we thought gone for ever. This the case with Venezia by Laura Biagotti, Yohji fragrances, the Patou Ma Collection line of vintage perfumes, or the 2014 relaunch of the three Helmut Lang fragrances (Helmut Lang eau de parfum, Helmut Lang eau de toilette and Cuiron).

via

Usually it doesn't help that either the newest launch differs somewhat from the older one for reasons of conforming to current perfumery allergens regulations (the case of Venezia), or that the price is significantly elevated (i.e. the Helmut Lang trio).  But it's small consolation in the heart of the dedicated fan all the same. L'Artisan Parfumeur has already re-issued one beloved fragrance from the discarded pile, Jour de Fete (review of 2014 version & comparison with vintage on this link). 

Now they're re-issuing another cult favorite, Tea for Two, much lamented and fetching high prices on auction sites, as well as an oldie from the 1980s, Eau de Caporal. Both are going to be part of the permanent collection with retail availability later this year.

L'Artisan Parfumeur L'Eau du Caporal was originally composed by the founder of the brand, Jean Laporte in 1985, and was an aromatic fougere laying mint over lavender and oakmoss adhering scentwise to an outdoorsy rough image of a military man.
L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two is the original smoky tea, an aromatic spicy from 2000 composed by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, reminiscent of Lapsang Souchong brews and something of a reference; a witty blend of black tea and gourmand delights, gingerbread and honey.

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle The Night: new fragrance

The new fragrance by Editions de Parfums, ‘The Night’, is aiming for the rich in scented heritage market of the Middle East. Master perfumer Dominique Ropion’s first composition for Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle that speaks the language of Middle Eastern per­fume, The Night is a rarity for more reasons than one.
Unlike classic "oriental" perfumes which have been composed to correspond to a French perfumery tradition interpreting, rather than replicating, the ways and tastes of the Middle East, the newest launch by Malle is set to be a true oriental, yet, given the expansion of the tastes of the western customer thanks to niche offerings, a welcome addition to a aficionado's collection as well.

Malle opens up on the composition of "The Night" in the following terms: "Unlike perfumes called Oud which contain at best a trace of this precious raw material, if any, ‘The Night’ is built on an unprecedented proportion of Oud from India which Domi­nique has mixed with a generous amount of Turkish Rose and Amber." The perfume is purported by Malle to be the one with the richest percentage of natural Oud in the market, with a price to correspond, naturally.

The counter and fragrance will be launching in store by the end of October and Frederic Malle The Night by Dominique Ropion is exclusive to Bloomingdale’s – Dubai in the Middle East. {NB.The info comes from the official store source}

Price is reportedly 850$US for the 100ml bottle and 755$ for the 50ml bottle.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine:
Oud fragrances reviews, 
Oud/Aoudh/Aloewswood: What is this Perfume Raw Material?

Thierry Mugler Les Exceptions: new fragrance collection

Launching October 2014, the release of the new haute parfumerie collection celebrates the new modern direction of the MUGLER fashion house under Artistic Director, David Koma, and Director Of Development, Marketing and Communications, Virginie Courtin-Clarins.

Les Exceptions symbolizes the dynamic revamping of MUGLER fashion and fragrances. Blends of original alchemies and inventive, unique ingredients come alive in five exceptional fragrances that characterize the essence of MUGLER: Chyprissime, Supra Floral, Fougere Furieuse, Oeintal  express and Over the Musk.  Created in France by renowned noses Olivier Polge and Jean-Christophe Herault, MUGLER Les Exceptions reinterpret and magnify the great blends of traditional fine perfumery.

Each Art Deco-inspired bottle with its streamlined, faceted design - decorated with a playful metal stirrup clip - showcases the distinctive luxury and provocative architectural design that is the House of MUGLER.

The 80 ml (refillable) EDP sprays will be available nationwide starting October 2014 on www.mugler.com ($225)

L'Incendiaire by Serge Lutens: the enigmatic commercial

Serge Lutens films a lonesome trip to the desert with a voiceover for his Paris Palais Royal release of L'Incendiaire fragrance. The masked loner looks like he's going to set fire to himself, but doesn't in the end. The otherworldly feel is compelling to watch.

L'Incendiaire is part of the Palais Royal line of fragrances in the bell jars, formerly under the auspices of Shiseido, alongside the fabulous cosmetics (lipsticks, foundation, makeup tools etc.)

For a full review of L'Incendiaire, you might want to check my review on Fragrantica. I'm going to post a more "personal" one on these pages too, soon. Price for the new L'Incendiaire by Serge Lutens is 600$US.

Guerlain Santal Royal: new fragrance

The upcoming launch by the historic house of Guerlain is called Santal Royal and comes in a bottle in the style of their "Eau de lit" and "Eau de lingerie" scents, but dressed in pitch dark black, with a gold filigree label and a cap and adorned with a tassel in black & gold hanging from the neck.

borrowed via Jaroslav's blog

Guerlain Santal Royal is an oriental woody perfume with spicy overtones that heralds the coming of the cooler season, in the manner of "cashmere scents" we perfumistas here on PerfumeShrine like to annotate to autumn and winter. Jan Masters describes it as "an evening scent, although I could imagine it cheering up grey days as if cosying up in a cashmere wrap."
Of course pair Guerlain and sandalwood in the same phrase and everyone thinks of Guerlain Samsara (with the lone historian reminiscing about Guerlain Santal parfum from the first years of the 20th century), but we're told this is a very different perfume.

Santal Royal is a Harrods exclusive launch for the opening of their Salon de Parfums, retailing at £125 for 125ml of fragrance and the scent is composed by resident perfumer for Guerlain Thierry Wasser. Harrods are plugging the Salon des Parfums, a new abode for perfume enthusiasts on the 6th floor, which opens on October 16th at 8pm, attendance by invitation only. The fragrance will eventually arrive on boutique counters as well.

The fragrance notes for Guerlain Santal Royal include the eponymous mystical note of sandalwood, coupled with cinnamon and fresh neroli on the top, while the deeper, denser notes of warm amber, musk and leather rise from the base. Preliminary reportage suggests also a note of rose and oud in the formula that isn't mentioned in the official breakdown.

My own addition is that now that the sustainable Australian sandalwood plantations of Santalum alba have been fruitful we're set for a new wave of sandalwood fragrances that will reprise that most prized of woody notes. Assuming of course that Santal Royal contains said ingredient.

The Jewels of Mumtaz Mahal: a Guerlain Exhibition

A meeting between Laurent Baillot (President & General Director at Guerlain) and Vinita Jain (an aficionado and collector of Mughal jewelry, an entrepreneur and part of the family possessing the Darjeeling plantations at the slopes of the Himalaya) during the shooting of the Shalimar perfume commercial in India resulted in an exhibition that is currently being shown at the flagship boutique of Guerlain between 3rd September and 14th November 2014.
Their common passion for the Taj Mahal is the trigger that brings us The Jewels of Mumtaz Mahal, the love story of whom is enshrined in the famous Guerlain parfum phare, Shalimar, commemorating the gardens in which she took promenades with her husband Shah Jahan.

But the image of the great beauty, Mumtaz Mahal, doesn't correspond to the favorite wife of the most mighty ruler of Asia, the contemporary of Louis XIII. She accompanied her husband during his travels and visits to the utmost posts of his empire and even to his military campaigns! And it's during one of the latter that she died, giving birth to her 14th child.

The three spectacular jewels of Mumtaz Mahal that Vinita possesses (a necklace torque, a "secret" ring and a headpiece jewel)  became the focus of the exhibition that Guerlain's president is all too proud to present today. Three months worth to admire the jewels worn 400 years ago, worthy of A 1001 Nights.

Guerlain Unveils Shalimar Souffle de Parfum Commercial

Somehow I'm not entirely convinced: why keep producing fragrances that bear no resemblance to the classic Shalimar perfume and keep naming them Shalimar this or that? The lovely Shalimar Parfum Initial edition is a loss in market terms (and a loss to us perfume lovers of great juice), for this very reason.
On the other hand, I recognize the need to ride on the coat-tails of an established brand and to keep reviving this brand by introducing junior customers to it, even by name.
This is the case with CK One, L'Eau d'Issey (Miyake), Dior J'Adore (preparing another commercial for fall 2014 themselves), Davidoff Cool water  and their million "flankers". This is the raison d'être of flankers, come to think of it. It just looks a tad weird from such a historic house as Guerlain, but it isn't really.

Guerlain French Kiss: new fragrance

Guerlain is busy recalibrating their fragrance line, chopping and adding things (see Mademoiselle Guerlain), while at the same time celebrating 20 years of successful presence on makeup counters with their "Kiss Kiss" lipsticks, the outer packaging of which is being updated upping the glam for autumn/winter 2014, as you can see in my collage below!

If you have followed the launch of Guerlain Terracotta Le Parfum (celebrating 30 years of the fabulous Terracotta range of makeup and sun products), you know what's coming: a brand new fragrance, commemorating this milestone of the French house of perfume and cosmetics.

The novel fragrance in question is called French Kiss and is part of the Carnal Elixir (Elixirs Charnels) boutique line [source Mr.Guerlain] that previously included Chypre Fatal, Oriental Brûlant, Gourmand Coquin, Boisé Torride and Floral Romantique. 

My take.
The theme of "lipstick scents" is a popular one, usually utilizing the allied forces of rose & violet which bring to mind the retro feel of glamorous silver screen sirens putting on lipstick in front of gilded vanity tables or ~maybe a bit more prosaically but all the more powerfully~ of our own mothers indulging in the exact same ritual. Guerlain, despite having an excellent scent criterion for their makeup line, (famously inspiring the Meteorites fragrance that copied the ethereal scent of their makeup powder beads by the same name) choose to step into a rather more fruity-berry path. Carnal Elixir French Kiss is comprised by the time-honored chord of rose & violet, but with a dominant inclusion of litchi and raspberry (yes, the perfume is pink in color). The raspberry note is further enhanced by the fruity nuances of the chosen white musk, while vanilla, orris and heliotrope, all three characteristic Guerlain perfume trademarks, contribute a comforting feel.
The name, apart from being so very English, despite it being a "French" kiss, is reminiscent of the witty rom com by the same name (French Kiss) starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, parodying the penchant of Anglosaxons for French romance. Tongue-in-cheek? Cute move, Guerlain!

French Kiss by Guerlain, a "sprakling floral fragrance" in the Elixirs Charnels line, is to be launched in autumn 2014 (October)

Guerlain's Mademoiselle Guerlain: fragrance commentary with photos

It may have come as no surprise that the latest addition to the Les Parisiennes boutique perfume collection by the historic house of Guerlain is called Mademoiselle Guerlain. Shades of Chanel (who was called Mademoiselle by everyone who knew her and whose Coco Mademoiselle fragrance is a huge best-seller) not withstanding, Guerlain injects a certain playfulness to the more "savvy" requiring boutique collection, clearly aimed at a consumer not burdened with the heritage of the vintage Guerlain perfume classics.

One has to wonder about who exactly is the regular customer of Les Parisiennes limited distribution line. Just look at the bright colors of the bottle juice in the latest additions. If I'm to pronounce a quick assessment on that score, I'd guess the Meteorites makeup customer would be especially attuned to the following color scheme...It's girly and upbeat and very "feminine" in the most traditional sense possible.

Mademoiselle Guerlain, a green floral fragrance composed by perfumer Thierry Wasser plays with the sweetness of marshmallow, the freshness of orange blossom and the softness of white musk. It also includes notes of orris, galbanum and a leather "accord", none of which are especially pronounced though they give a certain depth beyond the average teeny-bopper fruity scent out there.

Actually as reported earlier on these pages, Mademoiselle Guerlain is a re-edition of La Petite Robe Noire model 2, packaged in a more haute de gamme presentation, fetching the requisite higher price in its wake (a practice not unheard of at Guerlain in late years).  As you can see in the pics Mademoiselle Guerlain is encased in the familiar bee bottles of la maison Guerlain, containing 75ml, side by side with Nuit d'Amour, Mon Precieux Nectar or L'Heure de Nuit. Now available at escapes Guerlain.

Hermes Hermessence Cuir d'Ange: new fragrance

In Jean le Bleu, Jean Giono, perfumer Jean Claude Ellena's favorite author, describes the father of the narrator as "a cobbler who makes soles in angel leather". Angel leather, cuir d'ange…how's that for poetic? It's my privilege to break the good news to you then. The newest in the Hermessences, (those are boutique exclusive fragrances by Hermès) is recalling the passage which served for the inspiration for another perfume by Hermes back in 2007, Kelly Calèche.

Indeed "cuir d'ange" was the VERY expression Ellena used when promoting Kelly Calèche. And Giono had a prominent position anyway in the presentation of Cuir d'Ange to our world of journalism as pretty young men and women actors read passages from his opus in le jardin de Paraïs at Giono's house at Manosque…

But to revert to Kelly Calèche. This sleeper classic seemed to me at the time (and continues to do so) as the perfect gateway into "proper fragrance" for young ladies who were hesitant to borrοw their mothers "big" florientals and fruity chypres (like the brand's own 24 Faubourg) and their grand-mothers' prim aldehydics (like the original Calèche).

The idea of a floral leather perfume in non sweet tonalities was brought out in a chic and reserved way in 2007, maybe too reserved for its own sales, but it was such a good idea that the newly changed guard at Balenciaga copied the concept for their very own Florabotanica fragrance recently, this time fronted by trashy-chic Kristen Stewart to ensure 20-something commercial appeal. But no matter. It seems like Hermès is revisiting the idea and introducing a "material-focused" version ~as Ellena puts it when describing the process of creating the line~ (and if the previous installments are enough indication a trompe l'oeil on said materials!) Treating the idea anew is also a good transitioning for the succeeding perfumer at the helm, Christine Nagel, Ellena's protégée, who will be asked to continue and advance an impressive body of olfactory opus in a little while.

So, after the unusual Epice Marine, an angelic leather, a take without regard of intended sex this time, (as the Hermessences are created unisex) but which brings forth images of softness, vegetal and airy qualities and the familiar touch of this master perfumer. And never before has the soft leather "fold" in which the Hermessences bottles are put into seemed more appropriate: a buttery cream as smooth and inviting to the touch as feathers off the back of an angel…
Bring it forth; Hermessence Cuir d'Ange gets officially launched in September 2014!

My Name is Wasser, Thierry Wasser, perfumer at Guerlain.

The newest presentation for L'Homme Ideal, the newest masculine fragrance by Guerlain, currently available only in select countries, employs Thierry Wasser, head perfumer at Guerlain.
The video is aimed at the Arab market in the Middle East, but it's fun that Wasser sorta does a British-type Bond. Some things are universal it seems.

Serge Lutens L'incendiaire and L'Orpheline: new fragrances

"I use the word section [d'or =golden section] to describe a breakaway, a separation. This departure from a black world brings forth a bright new division.

This divided version of me awakens a forgotten yet timeless image from the very first moments of my life. To the right of me, touching the edge of my shadow, in another light, it illuminates a crown, one that could belong to my other.

I am the protagonist in this story, turning my anger into passion. My aggressiveness hides my fear and mends my courage. L’incendiaire provides me with the spark I need, and by declaring my flame I ignite what burns within me, and consumes me. My heroine surges from deep within my cowardice and my flaws reveal the golden brilliance of her virtues. It is the love which sustains me in my darkest hour, even as I grieve for its loss.

Your crimes are mine, and I take them with me to the guillotine, where the executioner is waiting to cut the ruffian’s – my – story short.
But my destiny is entirely in your hands!"

~Serge Lutens (the translation from the French comes from official PR material)

This is the (familiarly cryptic) text accompanying the upcoming release of the new Serge Lutens fragrance in a separate new "line" with gold label, L'Incediaire (the arsonist, the pyromaniac), coming up soon. If you notice Lutens explains the introduction of the new line in gold labels with a few words suggesting they make a break with the black labels, bringing forth a new idea, like his "Eau" line was separate in concept than the rest.

The name L'Incediaire suggests (but isn't conclusive) of an incense-y resinous or sulfurous composition, but the actual fragrance notes include geranium, carnation, woods and incense featured prominently.

Brace yourselves for another wild ride! Priced at 600$US no less (that's the retail price of Serge Lutens L'Incendiaire)

photo taken by MaryseFelix on ink361.com, borrowed for display purposes only

For those who keep an eye on such things, another Serge Lutens fragrance is coming up, just released in Paris for the summer launch, this time in the oblong bottles of the more widely available "export" line, called L'Orpheline (the Orphan Girl). It is an haute concentration fragrance, meaning more concentrated than the beige label ones, belonging in the "black line". {Edited to add: I have just written a fragrance review of L'Orpheline on this link}

" Friable mais entière.
A demi-mot, son nom se fêle. Avant la brisure, les deux premières syllabes portent le nom du poète qui même pouvait charmer les pierres. "

Lutens of course refers to Orpheus, the legendary Greek poet and prophet who charmed every being with his music and tried to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from the dead by way of his skills, only to meet with his own death from those who could not hear his divine music…

The poetic concept of the "orphan", "fragile but whole", (shown in the video watchable above) is of course inspired by Lutens's own childhood, "of ashes" and rage, his painful memories of being raised sans mother, though the change of sex in the fragrance name suggests a Freudian transposition regarding the significance of the Father (as suggested by Lutens himself). He conflates the male with pain ("le Mâle : le mal").

The new Lutens fragrance L'Orpheline features top notes of aldehydes, with a heart and base composed of woods (cedar prominently), a fougere accord, coumarin, "clouds of ambergris", patchouli, incense and Cashmeran ("blonde woods").
The fragrance of L'Orpheline will retail at 99 euros for 50ml, is already at the Palais Royal and eboutique and will be widely launched internationally on September 1st.
The limited edition bottle for L'Orpheline, a series of numbered bottles for collectors at a much more elevated price, is a beautiful, familiarly Lutensian design of few evocative lines, as you can see in the photo above.

Dior Les Extraits: Miss Dior, Miss Dior Original, Diorissimo, J'Adore, Poison parfum editions

This isn't exactly new news, but I shamelessly borrowed the photo from Fragrantica because the bottles are so perfect in their extrait de parfum form that they needed to show off a bit for flacon fanatics who hide in the confines of the Perfume Shrine.

via fragrantica.com

The five fragrances available as perfume extract are housed in extraordinary flacons created in Saint-Jean-de-Braye, France, retaining the characteristic shape that made them famous and gaining additional decoration. All five editions (Miss Dior Le Parfum, Miss Dior extrait de parfum Original, Diorissimo parfum, Poison parfum and J'Adore parfum) are available as 0.5 oz (15 ml) priced at $175.

The composition is re-arranged and overseen by in-house perfumer Francois Demachy, which means that fans of Miss Dior Le Parfum in particular should give a side by side comparison between the recent (which won many fans) with the all too recent and let us know what they think. It could means good news for both Diorissimo and Miss Dior Original which were attenuated in their last iteration in extrait de parfum. We'll see.

Guerlain Shalimar Souffle de Parfum: New Fragrance

Souffle de Parfum, the breath of a fragrance, is the new declination of Shalimar, developed by the house of Guerlain. More than a new concentration (as the poetic name might let you think) it is a flanker fragrance, coat-tailing on a best-selling perfume and offering a new interpretation that smells different; in this case a light floriental.

The latest addition to the classic Shalimar perfume stable is composed by in house perfumer Thierry Wasser and features the following fragrance notes:

Guerlain Shalimar Souffle de Parfum
Top notes: bergamot, lemon, mandarin
Heart: jasmine, orange blossom
Base: vanilla, white musk

The fragrance is available as 30, 50 and 100 ml of Eau de Parfum concentration.

The rumour of Shalimar Souffle de Parfum replacing Shalimar Parfum Initial (eau de parfum) and Shalimar Parfum Initial L'Eau (eau de toilette) are persistent, while Guerlain hasn't confirmed officially as of time of writing.

For a comprehensive summary of the previous versions and limited editions of Guerlain Shalimar, see below and please consult the links for reviews.

Flankers/derivative versions of Shalimar by Guerlain (with linked reviews & comparison with original):
Shalimar Eau Legere/Shalimar Light
Eau de Shalimar
Shalimar Ode a la Vanille
Shalimar Ode a la Vanille sur la Route de Madagascar
Shalimar Ode a la Vanille sur la Route de Mexique
Shalimar Parfum Initial
Shalimar Parfum Initial L'Eau
Shalimar Parfum Initial L'Eau Si Sensuelle
Limited editions of Shalimar (without change in the perfume formula itself):
Eau de Shalimar Flower
Shalimar Charms edition & Eau de Shalimar Charms edition
Shalimar Fourreau du Soir
Shalimar extrait de parfum in Bacarrat quadrilobe flacon 2011 edition

FiFi awards for 2014

The Fragrance Foundation Awards honored the industry’s creative achievements of 2014 on Monday evening at Lincoln Center in New York City. Emmy-Award winning comedian Dana Carvey hosted the event in an irreverent and humorous fashion, and Carine Roitfeld, Editor in Chief of CR Fashion Book, and model Coco Rocha served as co-chairs.

THE FRAGRANCE FOUNDATION 2014 AWARD WINNERS

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR:

MEN’S POPULAR
VICTORIA’S SECRET VERY SEXY PLATINUM FOR HIM - Victoria’s Secret

WOMEN’S POPULAR
VICTORIA BY VICTORIA’S SECRET - Victoria’s Secret

MEN’S PRESTIGE
POLO RED - L’Oréal/Ralph Lauren Fragrances

WOMEN’S PRESTIGE
MODERN MUSE EAU DE PARFUM - Estée Lauder

MEN’S LUXURY
TOM FORD RIVE D’AMBRE - Tom Ford Beauty

WOMEN’S LUXURY
PRIVE ROSE D’ARABIE - Giorgio Armani

PERFUME EXTRAORDINAIRE OF THE YEAR 
MANE – AEDES DE VENUSTAS, IRIS NAZARENA by Perfumer Ralf Schwieger

FRAGRANCE HALL OF FAME
CLINIQUE HAPPY - Clinique

HALL OF FAME
MICHAEL GOULD, Former Chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s 

PERFUMER OF THE YEAR, LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
CARLOS BENAIM, Master Perfumer of IFF

PACKAGING OF THE YEAR:

MEN’S
BOTTEGA VENETA POUR HOMME - COTY


PACKAGING OF THE YEAR:

WOMEN’S
HONEY MARC JACOBS - COTY

INTERIOR SCENT COLLECTION OF THE YEAR
PASSION COLLECTION FOR THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION - NEST Fragrances

MEDIA CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR:

MEN’S
POLO RED - L’Oréal/Ralph Lauren Fragrances

WOMEN’S (TIED)
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER CLASSIQUE – Beauté Prestige International
N°5 - Chanel

CONSUMER CHOICE AWARDS 
CELEBRITY
OUR MOMENT ONE DIRECTION – Elizabeth Arden

WOMEN’S
VICTORIA BY VICTORIA’S SECRET – Victoria’s Secret

MEN’S
POLO RED - L’Oréal/Ralph Lauren Fragrances

Mary Celestia Wreckage and Piesse & Lubin : Resurrecting a 19th century Perfume

In February 2011, a strong winter storm exposed and removed a stable sediment layer deep within the intact bow section of the shipwreck Mary Celestia, a Civil War Blockade Runner sunk in 1864 off the south shore of Bermuda in 55 feet of water.

Four months later, over a seven-day excavation, a local and international team of marine archaeologists, co-led by Philippe Max Rouja, (Bermuda’s Custodian of historic shipwrecks), James Delgado (NOAA) and Dominique Rissollo (Waitt Institute) uncovered and rescued a small cache of hidden artifacts from the Mary Celestia, including perfume bottles embossed Piesse & Lubin, London.

Piesse & Lubin was a prominent perfume house on Bond Street in London, England at the time the Mary Celestia sank. G.W. Piesse was a chemist, perfumer and a prolific writer who wrote, among other scientific books, The Art of Perfumery, the first modern book about perfumery in 1857. Piesse was one of the first to openly describe and publish many of his highly influential techniques and formulas. It is not known if any of his perfumes have survived to the present day, meaning that the specimens in the sealed bottles from the Mary Celestia might represent the only known and testable samples of a Piesse perfume available to perfume historians and chemists.

Bermuda is fortunate to have a long and distinguished history in the development, manufacture and marketing of fragrances and that history is embodied in the 86 year-old Bermuda Perfumery. In April 2013, the Perfumery’s director Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone hand-carried two of the Piesse & Lubin perfume bottles to the laboratories of drom Fragrances in New Jersey, where they were opened and their contents analyzed via a gas chromatograph under the watchful eyes of Jean-Claude Delville and Lionel Nesbitt.

The results of the analysis showed that both bottles contained the same fragrance and miraculously after 150 years underwater were uncontaminated with salt water . The smell of the fragrance was overwhelming of rotten citrus with some notes of hydrogen sulfide (commonly know as rotten eggs). The perfumers characterized the smell as unpleasant however to the amateur nose of the
archaeological researchers the smell was characterized as surprisingly citrus, grapefruity, and inoffensive. Some impressions of orange flower, geranium, orris, bois de rose, opoponax, sandlewood and benzoin were also recognized with a dry-down of civet and ambergris tincture. Although the liquids contained in the bottles were intact and had not been contaminated by salt water, many of the essential oils contained in the fragrance had broken down through the many years under the sea.
At this time, the analysis of the fragrance found did not allow the researchers to determine the identity of the fragrance with certainty, as the earliest reference of the collection of Piesse & Lubin dates back to 1873. However, it appears that the time Mary Celestia wrecked, “Bouquet Opoponax”, launched in 1859, was the most popular fragrance of Piesse & Lubin. Although the perfume house never received the prestigious “Royal Warrant Seal” from the British government, it is clear that Piesse’s fragrances were admired and coveted even in the American South at the height of the
American Civil War.

The successful transport of luxury goods through the Blockade assured a premium on the black market once in the Confederate South. The trade in such items had been considered a viable activity for the crew risking their liberty and lives running the blockade. However at the time of the Mary Celestia’s sinking the transport of luxury goods on Runners had been banned by the Confederate Government leading to speculation by the research team that these goods, found in the very tip of the bow of the ship away from general cargo, had been carefully hidden by one of the crew. The small, tight area
in the strong forepeak hid the goods from salvors and protected them from hurricane damage for the next 150 years. This providential discovery carves a literal window into the world of British built and Southern backed Blockade Runners, their pivotal role in the US Civil War and the complex lives of the people and goods – including perfume – they transported that will be the subject of a feature length documentary currently in production between producers LookBermuda and PBS member station, South Carolina Educational Television.

Authors
Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone, The Bermuda Perfumery; Philippe Rouja, Bermuda Department of Conservation Services; Jean-Claude Delville & Lionel Nesbitt, drom; James Delgado National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration; Dominique Rissolo, Waitt Institute