Perfume Book Review: Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez The Little Book of Perfumes/The 100 Classics

Utter the names Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez and a combination of their polarising "Guide's", irrepresible wit and -equally irrepresible- snark, all rolled into one, flash into one's mind like LED-lamps that flicker between a P anode and a N cathode throughout eternity. The reason to read their newest venture isn't quite all of the above, nevertheless: Dropping the snark for a programmatically positive outlook ~The Little Book of Perfumes is all about 5-star perfumes reviews, aka "masterpieces" according to the authors~ they're not simply fawning reviews as met with in other guides, not being short on addressing serious fragrance industry issues either. (After all, if you don't know Luca is rather fond of the smell of Napalm in the morning, you don't know anything yet.)

Although the material is largely taken from the previous Perfumes,The Guide (review here and a small practical note on all the different editions here), serving as a petite compendium or a Xmas gift to spark fun discussion over the course of wine & cheese among people who raise their eyebrows up to their  paretial bone upon hearing you possess a "fragrance collection" ("say what, more than 5???? Why????"), there is a difference: For several of those 96 reviews (more of which below) there is a small 2011 addendum, mostly by Sanchez, that chronicles the evolution that time and IFRA allergens & raw materials regulations have administered to these fragrances. And this is mainly the interest for those who already own a copy of the 2008 book: Staunchy perfume enthusiasts already know most of what's to know about reformulations and search the Net for info regularly. But those who're budding in the aficion will get a kick out of getting their sentiments that "something's not quite right in the frag they loved any more" validated.

All is not bad news, though, in those addenda mentioned, even if heads at Dior almost collectively (and a couple of the PR contigency plan at Guerlain) must be cussing right & left most probably right about now (Well, not really, for the most part the authors proclaim the work rendered "as best as could be under the circumstances"). Some fragrances have in fact upgraded, if that's possible! I specifically mention 96 perfume reviews because 4 out of the 100 are hors catégorie, being reconstructions specifically for L'Osmothèque (thus making them unavailable for purchase). A couple of them featured in the "little book" are still resolutely discontinued (Yohji pour Homme and Le Feu d'Issey for instance or more recently L'Artisan's Vanilia) but hope dies last, in the Turin & Sanchez universe (And why not, I ask you? Fougère Royale 2010 AD I'm not looking at you, don't get any ideas in your silly head!).
So what's left is 90+ reviews of things every perfume enthusiast (and not only) should note down to smell sometime.

The new material includes a foreword by Tania Sanchez (written in good pace perfumista-style and ringing very true) and an essay on the Osmothèque by Luca Turin (in his trademark eloquent polemic, mixing music metaphors and similes which caress the cerebral cortex); there are four reviews of long-lost, beautiful Osmothèque perfumes the authors tested during a presentation on perfume by the brilliant Patricia de Nicolaï, curator of the Osmothèque, at the French Embassy in Washington, DC, organized by Smithsonian Associates. "We give you L’Origan, described by me by LT’s request, and Chypre de Coty, Emeraude and Iris Gris, described by LT at my request" clarifies Tania Sanchez.
The top ten lists (exacted by all publishers worth their print salt, per Tania) have been updated and there is a new "Desert Island" top list for each respective author. I found the added resources & shopping short essay at the end rather meagre, personally (lots of other helpful resource guides are available online), though the Perfumed Court is hailed as a decanting service for when you can't get hold of something any other way and The Perfumer's Apprentice gets a nod for those eager to smell the raw materials themselves.(With which I would urge you should familiarise yourselves, if you're serious about this whole perfume thing)

To make things practical, I have noted down which fragrances are considered to have gotten BETTER/STAYED THE SAME in 2011 than the 2007 sample bottles the writing duo had received (in alphabetical order):

Calandre Paco Rabanne
Cristalle Chanel
Dior Homme
Fracas Piguet
Habit Rouge Guerlain
Jicky Guerlain
Knize Ten
Mitsouko Guerlain
Nahéma Guerlain
Poison Dior
Shalimar Guerlain

And these are the fragrances which are considered to have gotten (somewhat!) WORSE/CHANGED in 2011 than the 2007 sample bottles the writing duo had received (in alphabetical order). Please note, the fragrances below are still considered worthy of inclusion in the compendium of 5-stars:

1740 Histoires de Parfums
Amouage Gold
Après l'Ondée Guerlain
Bois des Iles Chanel
Bois de Violette Serge Lutens
Boucheron Femme
Chamade Guerlain
Cuir de Russie Chanel
Diorella Dior
Dune Dior
Eau de Guerlain
Eau Sauvage Dior
Givenchy III
L'Heure Bleue Guerlain
Iris Silver Mist Serge Lutens
Joy parfum Jean Patou
New York Patricia de Nicolai
No.5 eau de toilette Chanel
No.5 parfum Chanel
Opium Yves Saint Laurent
Pour Monsieur Chanel
Promesse de l'Aube MCDI (attributed to just a faulty batch, though)
The Third Man (Le 3eme Homme) Caron
Vol de Nuit Guerlain

You might have noticed that that makes it roughly 35 "updates" (I excluded a couple, because of simply announcing news of "discontinuation" such as Theo Fennel's Scent or due to ambivalence) and I expect that might get book buyers pondificating the issue. Yet interestingly, there are some surprising results, especially for some perfume lovers who have been disappointed in certain notable classics lately (Shalimar, Cristalle) and can now be enthused anew. But I won't elaborate further; you have to check it out for yourselves!
I will only add that I'm glad Tania added that necessary deterrent on Sécrétions Magnifiques for anyone who couldn't really fathom how such a brave (read: disgusting) scent entered the masterpieces collection, or anyone who might go ahead and spray some on their lapels before going out on a date or job interview, God forbid; "masterpiece" and "pleasant" are not mutually inclusive terms! (And if you disagree, what the hell are you doing reading Turin & Sanchez or this blog?)

The book circulates under two editions: One American by Penguin US, another British by Profile UK. They are exactly the same, as far as I know, but they feature a different cover, as shown on the photo (taken from Tania Sanchez with many thanks)
The US edition is on pre-order on this link. The UK edition is on pre-order on this link. Official date of release is October 31st 2011.

Frequent Questions: Perfumes, the Guide ~which book edition contains what?

People often pick up Perfumes, the Guide as a starter into getting more seriously involved on perfume. There are also those who are already into the aficion and check to see whether the snark or the praise corresponds with their own established views. For all practical purposes there are a few editions of the exact same entertaininh and informative book with minimal differences depending on when they came out which makes for some confusion, at least going by the questions appearing on perfume discussion boards. Let's see the various editions according to continent and chronological order of coming out.




First edition of Perfumes, the Guide (2008): Hardcover, blue Dawamesk/Coque d'Or bottle by Guerlain on the white book jacket.

Second edition of Perfumes, the Guide, also called Perfumes, the A-Z Guide: Paperback, contains the exact same content of the first edition, with added reviews that had previously appeared on the three Supplements that had been available through subscription at the authors' site (the first one of those was free for download) and an extention of the essays, with some updates on the "best of" lists at the end of the book.
There are two versions of the 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide: One for the US market, another for the European one, but they share the same content as described above.



the US 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide with many little bottles in colour on the cover



the European 2nd edition of Perfumes, the Guide, in black & white stripes on the cover


The above are NOT to be confused with the newest upcoming edition, reprising some material from the other book, called "The Little Book of Perfumes: the 100 Classics", which basically takes Luca and Tania on a hunt to re-smell the 100 classic fragrances they had reviewed to see (and wittily comment, of course) whether they stand up to closer scrutiny after the lapsed 3 years and perfumery changes since.

Perfumes the Guide gets supplemented!

It was with much interest that I just received news from Luca Turin that his ~co-authored with Tania Sanchez~ book Perfumes, the Guide, which Perfume Shrine had reviewed here, is getting supplemented. Apparently the questions of dr.Turin on what the fans would like to see had been aiming at providing reviews of more scents: which is good!

Not only there is a new site, with the beautiful Coques d'Or blue bottle by Guerlain magnified to its full resplendor, but there is also the prospect of a Newsletter, free for download from the site, issued quaterly: in September, December, March and June.
On the heels of that, we learn that the new edition of Perfumes, the Guide including the supplemented reviews from the newsletters is due in autumn 2009 for the US.
Therefore I do appreciate the fact that the supplemented reviews are free for download: I'd propose that it remains so for all four newsletters if possible.

Additionally, many readers felt that lots of energy had been spent on reviewing things that got off with a snarky (in many cases deserved) one-liner when there were significant fragrances that had escaped criticism or praise ~a weak point in the previous edition. So each newsletter is aiming to provide 100 new fragrance reviews, so that's 400 more in total till next autumn.
Some brows will get raised ("Aqua di Gio for men and Giorgio get 4 stars while Dolce Vita gets 2???" I can hear the echoes) and some heads will nod with appreciation (Del Rae Debut and Lutens latest exclusive El Attarine deservedly in my opinion getting 4 stars). And guess which controversial fragrance gets "explained" rationally.

Printers, you're on fire!! And might I also add: beatific enthusiasm and board dramas might also ensue soon enough.

And secretly, I have my own little reason for inward smiling.

Pic via Perfumes the Guide site. Commentary entirely my own (not via press release).

Smell you later

Another day, another interview with Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez because of Perfumes the Guide. Kurt from studio360.org brought them to a nearby Duane Reed to unlock the mysteries of body spray, handiwipes, and crayons.
The tone is again playful, maybe a little ironic.
Here it is, via studio360.org

Click "play" to hear:



There are several references to popular scents and products, even Carmex (which I am not partial to), Old Spice (which personally I love) and crayolas. Also the usual pep-talk about how chemistry revolutionized the fragrance industry in the 1880s.
Please note that Luca proclaims that he likes several things that might seem like a joke when worn, but he appreciates as odors artistically. The reason why many of his choices might seem unwearable to perfume wearers.

Link brought to my attention by Rivercat00388 on MUA

Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez TV and Radio Interviews

Thanks to the amazing skills and generosity of IrisLA, a truly lovely, generous lady and a reader of this venue, Perfume Shrine is in the position to offer you the clip of the interview by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez on occassion of issuing their new book Perfumes The Guide on Good Morning America.
Here is the TV interview clip then. Enjoy and kudos to Iris LA!



I do have to say that Luca comes across as quite shy! Watch those clasped hands, that downcast gaze. And that Tania is animated and good fun. Of course this is merely my impression, but nice to know that the snark coming off the pages is for entertainment purposes.
The questions are mostly basic and there are no surprises for perfumephiles, but it's interesting to see some myth debunking on a big mainstream channel. The one about personal chemistry is especially relevant and it was good that the authors segue on to give us their differing opinions (Luca doesn't believe in it, Tania says she experimented with friends to that effect), but finally they converge into what seems like an approximation of what really happens: namely that perfumes have an initial difference on different people only to drydown to a similar result. Makes some degree of sense, otherwise how on earth would be able to recognise them when we smelled them on strangers?
Nice trivia that the interviewer is referencing on two occassions Diane Sawyer who is by all accounts a perfume lover with her own collection and whose favourite scent is Sabi.

On the other hand, there was also a radio interview with Luca and Tania on On Point, WBUR 90,9 Boston's NPR station. The segment was called "Perfume Appreciation" with guest host Jane Clayson on which there was supposedly a part devoted to Patty Geissler of Perfume Posse. An esteemed blogger, someone who does have an extensive collection and a reputable seller of fragrance decants, it would make all the sense in the world if they had let her speak her mind instead of cutting her off to let a Creed representative go on about the line in what seemed like promo copy, refuting the Love in White review. Of course this was a particularly vitriolic review in the book (basically -and I am paraphrasing for copyright reasons- implying that if you had been confined to sleeping for two months in the rough like a homeless person and you had been presented with Love in White as your shampoo for your first bath thereafter you'd prefer to keep the lice instead). And it's understandable that they wanted to give both sides of the argument.
Nevertheless, it would have helped a whole lot more if there was some discussion with an impartial perfume lover who has actually tested the scent and read the review as well. Still, you can listen to the interview through your computer even if you're a continent away, clicking this link. (Choose Windows Media or Realserver on top of article and click)

Who is questioning the Guide?

No fragrance company has taken an official stance on "Perfumes The Guide" yet. Nevertheless, at least a handful have personally contacted me with questions on what was mentioned about their products following my review of the new guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. Therefore I am deducing that it's still early and developments will follow. Hopefully those will be for the greater good of the dedicated perfume lover and not to the detriment of free expression and critique.

However upon perusing perfume boards and especially those who are not as simpatico to Luca as Perfume of Life is, such as the huge fragrance board of Makeupalley and the populous forum of Basenotes, I came across this scathing questioning which provided pause for thought.

Upon discussing the authors' opinions on current Caron perfumes, someone asked just what exactly happened to Caron to which this is the reply.

"They don't go into many details {about reformulations}. They just say that everything has been given a "soapy rose drydown" and is now thin and wan.
Both assertions are untrue.
And last week I tested four new Carons on my skin and let them dry down for hours. Not a trace of "soapy rose"!
Yep, and they claim that it's happened very recently (within the last year). Well, last week I went to the boutique in New York myself and compared the current perfumes with some older (1-3 years old) samples and decants that I have.
There was no difference. They haven't been "ruined" at all. It's a lie".

~posted by MizLiz211 (an avid Caron collector) on 4/15/2008 12:02PM on MUA

The criticism of Richard Fraysse's work on the Carons is worth pondering on, especially in light of Turin's raves on the recent reformulation of Mitsouko by Edouard Flechier for Guerlain; a reformulation which had most of the perfume lovers up at arms about it ruining the iconic chypre by seriously reducing the oakmoss base due to restrictions on the material's use by IFRA and the EU.

Hot on the heels of the above quote, comes this one, which I think applies to much more on the Net than the issue at hand (but let's not digress):

"An opportunity to rant: Have you noticed how often in LT's writing it turns out that something you will never be able to sniff (Nombre Noir, original Whatever) is the VERY BEST, transcendent, fabulous, and what you can buy now is SWILL?
Perhaps this is in fact true. Perhaps everything gets ruined.

But also perhaps:

1. Memory is faulty, even LT's memory.
2. Some things do get improved.

And isn't it convenient that I, the reader, cannot sniff LT's comparison for myself and therefore judge whether he has rocks in his head or not?
I think LT is a very very gifted writer -- I wish I could write as well. I'm thrilled that perfumes are being given the attention they deserve - if people are going to make money assessing wines, why not perfumes?

But the only sort of guide I'm interested in right now is something that would tell me what to buy now that Violette Precieuse has been changed. (Worsened? Depends on what you like. It happens to not have been changed in a direction I want to wear. But is it worse? Dunno.)"

~posted by Sarasotagirl (herself a book critic and journalist) on 4/15/2008 11:44AM on MUA

These are some serious doubts and they are stated by respected members of the fragrance board on Makeupalley, a place which Tania Sanchez credits as an infinite source of fragrance education.
It would be really enlightening and useful if the authors chimed in to clarify and reply to them and I am giving them the opportunity here, if they wish to pursuit it.

To be fair and striving for impartiality, as is customary to Perfume Shrine, I have to point out that in this truly Titan task they undertook, they reviewed almost 1500fragrances. Doing the math and supposing it would suffice if they didn't try them all out on both their skins, that's 700 each in less than 1.5 year! Some relative haste had to be in action if only to be professionally on time for the deadlines of the editor.
Furthermore, someone could question the memory of any individual ~and certainly in some cases it transpires through the writing that not all different concentrations of certain perfumes had been put to the test, such as was the case with Chanel No.5 till very recently per Luca's admission, or still remains so with certain others). But, and this is a big but, I wouldn't doubt the gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer on Luca's side. An objective and definitive test to be sure! Then again, it wouldn't be easy to run all classics in different batches through it to ascertain differences with the current versions.
The matter is terribly complicated.

Perhaps after all is said nothing sinister is at play and simply expectations are set very high because Luca Turin has earned the position of authority in fragrant matters and members on perfume boards act in proviso to that.

Now that Turin is leaving Flexitral after patenting several molecules to pursue a different path we wish him to go ahead and sell the innovations to the fragrance industry, if that means that a sufficient quality level would be attained to please us all. Because that is the crux of the matter which unites us all.

One silly question remains: what will they do with all those bottles they have accumulated (almost 2000 bottles per Tania's words)? Do they have a contingency plan?

Pic courtesy of Athinorama

Perfumes the Guide by Turin and Sanchez: sneak preview and review

The perfume guide being written by odor guru Luca Turin with co-author and his newlywed Tania Sanchez was shrouded in mystery for some time. It has been 15 years since Turin had penned the original, now out-of-print Parfums, Le Guide in French. Since then the eruption of the Internet made English-reading audiences thirsty for his erudition, sporadically catered for through his NZZ Folio column and defunct blog. Finally this new guide is fast approaching. I received my copy in advance and I am in the position to tell you that it is a good read! Perfume Shrine is in fact the first perfume blog to post an actual review of the new Guide.

Although it claims to be “the definitive guide to the world of perfume”, I find that such a task is so monumental in its scope that it might as well be awarded the Everest-climbing seal of effort. It’s simply a Titan feat to accomplish! However, Perfumes the Guide impressed me as being a very pleasurable guide through the opacity of perfume shopping, low on the purple-o-Meter and more importantly one that does not require a former education on the subject while being scientifically elucidating.

How does the book "flow"?
Luca continues to write in his familiar vernacular (references to classical music and sports cars abound) that manages to be witty and caustic most of the time, even if one disagrees, with the admirable trait of laconic delivery. The latter should serve as a lesson to my anal-retentive habit of elaborating on any possible historical minutiae when writing myself.
Tania seems to have also benefited from her stint as editor-cum-muse, not having forgotten her Makeup Alley roots which she credits. Her writing is removed from previous exaggerations and is to the point, sometimes rivaling her prototype in acerbity and realism. They alternatively (identified by initials) take on almost 1500 fragrances -per the book jacket- circulating in department stores, drugstores and niche boutiques today. Something at every price point. The system is easy and relies on a 5 star point scale (from 1 for awful to 5 for masterpiece) ~which is to be expected in any product qualitatively measured these days. Wine appreciation guides as well as cinephile sites have contributed to this system becoming increasingly common. It will do.

The structure of the book is divided into uneven parts:

1. The brief introduction by TS focuses on how perfume is part of culture and criticism is inherent in any art form ~ergo in perfume as well, and everyone should get used to it
2. Essay on how to choose fragrances for oneself and for the occassion
3. Essay on why would men want to wear scent and categories of masculine fragrances with impromptu, fun names like "Lawrence of Arabia" for orientals
4. A brief introduction to the history of modern perfumes' emergence, which to LT is inextricably tied to the rise in synthetics. Somehow like a brick off his previous book but informative.
5. Some answers to frequently asked elementary questions, one of which is the perennial “skin chemistry” affecting fragrances (the short answer is "not really")
6. The reviews, which take the huge bulk of the book in easy to follow alphabetical order
7. A very brief glossary of terms
8. Top ten lists in the categories of: best feminines, best masculines, best cross-gender choices, best picks from floral, chypre and oriental families and the innovatively intelligent best quiet and best loud fragrances; as an epilogue an index by star-rating of all the fragrances reviewed.

What I enjoyed:

~The to-the-point monikers beside the perfumes, instead of general classifications which usually prove so pointless to the reader. Instead the two-word descriptors are uncunningly accurate most of the time. Those range from the merely descriptive (“rasberry vanilla” for Armani Diamonds) to the outright dismissive (“nasty floral” for Bright Crystal by Versace or “fruity death” for Nanette Lepore), through the poetically inclined (“angry rose” for Malle’s Une Rose or “snowy floral” for Pleasures) and the iconically untouchables (“reference vetiver” for Guerlain’s).
I had much fun with the “not X” and “not Y” descriptors besides perfumes which are actually named X or Y something. It is so true, it’s hilarious! It’s refreshing to see that Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia gets the “true gardenia” descriptor, because hey, it does smell like it and making it into the best florals category.

~That no perfume is spared based on its former laurels. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, I admit, when reading perfume criticism online; especially on perfume blogs and fora. Too often the illustrious reputation and history of a fragrance earn it a state of grace that is completely undeserved in its present formulation. To their credit, LT and TS dismember each and every one of those old beauties and see just how successful the facelift was: Are there any visible scars? Forehead immovable? Eyes not going beyond the perpetually surprised? Oh, it’s breathing and smiling again, there’s a dear! Or is it terminally confined to Joan-Rivers-land? It’s a great misfortune that the majority belongs to the latter category. Caron fans are in for a bumby landing!

~That two indie perfumers (and people who are trully sweet) received accolades for their work in this tome: Andy Tauer, mainly for his superb L’air du desert marocain (which earned the masterpiece 5-star award, with honorable mentions for Le Maroc, Rêverie and Lonestar Memories). And Vero Kern whose Onda, Kiki and Rubj received each 4 stars. For someone who is mentioned as coming initially from aromatherapy (a no-no obviously in LT’s books), this is not just high praise, it’s being toured round Zeus for the first time ever. Bravo Vero!

~That Luca Turin has relaxed his stance against perfumes that use only natural essences and included creations by Dominique Dubrana, who will be featured on these pages soon. A small step for one man; a huge step for a whole artistic movement.

What I did not like as much:

~The impression that fragrances created by friend perfumers are seemingly described in more raptured tones. The fact that some of those perfumers are actually mentioned as friends leaves a little bit of hesitancy to the reader in ingesting the opinion proferred. Not that I doubt the best possible intentions, mind you.

~The idolatry surrounding most of Sophia Grojsman’s scents down to 100% Love (formely known as the artwork named S-Love). Do I read her referred to as trismegista? I can’t explain why. I trust it does not fall under the previous category. The comparable disparagement of Jean Claude Ellena’s and Olivia Giacobetti's aesthetic with sporadic exceptions.
Celebrity deathmatch indeed of two diametrically antithetical worlds.

~In fact there is a tendency of formed opinion regarding brands more than individual perfumes (By Killian is "good" while Le Labo is "bad", although to me they seem to be equally poseurs). I might attribute that to opinion on the concept of a line, however.

~The glossary provided is very poor in a guide that purpots to be “the definitive” one. Perhaps they meant it as a help through the lingo used throughout the reviews. For the perfume enthusiast it is formulaic and not offering anything new.


In essence (pun intended), Perfumes The Guide is not going the exposé route that Chandler Burr did with his The Perfect Scent and therefore perfume lovers will not find out as many revelations either, but it is an absorbing, very entertaining read that will be referenced from now on on every possible online venue. Rookies especially will have a field day with the latter activity (bound to grate on the nerves of the rest of us). More seasoned perfumephiles can disagree from time to time... Oh and Luca, please drop the Keen fishing sandals over socks.

Perfumes the Guide is officially coming out on April 10. You can preorder it clicking Perfumes: The Guide

Pic of book jacket courtesy of Amazon, pic of LT and TS courtesy of the perfume pilgrim. Pic from the Terry Gilliam 1985 film Brazil courtesy of filmforum.org