Valentino Perfumes Bought Out by Puig

Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Lowe, Massimo Dutti, and Prada perfume sectors will be joined by Valentino perfumes under the umbrella of Spanish Fashion & Beauty Group Puig starting 1st of February 2011. The news of the international fragrance licence obtained (which will span many years) has been just announced right when the Wall Street Journal publishes an article about Procter&Gamble putting an end to their collaboration with the Italian brand named after the famous designer.

According to the WSJ the reason has been underachievement. "P&G produces a number of fragrances for Valentino, which is owned by U.K. based private-equity fund Permira. But sales never reached the heights of P&G's other fragrance licenses, including those with Gucci Group and Dolce & Gabbana, which last year launched a makeup line.[..]P&G wants to weed out underperforming brands to focus on its more competitive products. The company has been moving into luxury beauty products, including the expansion of skin care line SK-II and its acquisition of high-end men's grooming lines such as The Art of Shaving".

Created in 1960 by Valentino Garavani, the firm operates in 70 countries through a network of 1250 points of sale, of which 66 are stand-alone boutiques. Puig is no stranger to an illustrious past either tracing their history to 1914 when they began their operations in Barcelona and currently employiong 3500 employees turning out an impressive 1000 millions of euros in 2009.

Although at the moment of the WSJ announcement there was no official statement from either the P&G or the Puig side, we have just heard from both this very morning: According to Stefano Sassi, general director at Valentino, the choice to work with Puig had to do with "their experience on the luxe sector and their attachment to quality". Mr.Sassi went on to emphasize how important he considers not only Puig's prospective aid to reach the house's goals commercially, but also to cement the notoriety of Valentino fragrances on the market's consciousness. The move aims to extend the potential of Valentino products for long-time objectives and to consolidate its brand name, while Marc Puig, CEO of the group Puig adds that the acquisition of Valentino will enrich their portfolio with "an image that communicates a fantastic potential".
The crux of the matter is that Puig is much better to Valentino than P&G, due to their more glamorous and more beauty-oriented approach. The fragrances produced are not bad either, while there have been some concerns from perfumephiles over the treatment that P&G has reserved for some of their own brands, such as Jean Patou and their diminishing line of fragrances.

This latest move can only be indicative of a greater shift happening at the luxury market right now, as we had tentatively mentioned about the commotion at LVMH the other day, what with their perfumers talking up about perfumery restrictions at last and Tony Blair posing as a strong candidate for business counseling services to them in order to open up new markets. Which those markets will be and how sustainable the luxury sector will be in them is matter for discourse.

pic of Stefano Sassi of Valentino via fashiontimes.it

Six Scents the Spa

It is between jardin des Tuileries and place Vendôme, on the rue Castiglione (Ier arr.), in Paris, that Six Scents, the niche brand of perfumes, is opening their first day spa. The move is ingrained to SLOW LIFE™ ~Sustainable - Local - Organic - Wholesome - Learning - Inspiring - Fun - Experiences~ a concept by Sonu et Eva Shivdasani, and has been introduced at the Maldives in 1995. The idea takes on the guise of an urban sanctuary for Paris with architecture Pierre David that takes into consideration the values which Six Scents stands for. Giant cocoons made of pliable wood resembling bamboo shots will host detoxifying and aromatic services meant to make the visitor unwind.

New Chanel Ad Filmed by Martin Scorcese

Apparently the film maverick is joining forces with the prestigious fashion and beauty firm for one of their upcoming commercials. Chanel has a great tradition to upkeep anyway and their latest commercials have been stellar one way or another, be it the operatically self-parodying of No.5 with Nicole Kidman by Baz Lurhman, the sophisticated Parisian burglar in Coco Mademoiselle with Keira Knightley or the romantic aboard-the-Orient-Express with Audrey Tautou filmed by Jean-Pierre Jenet for No.5 again. (No.5 being the test by fire for the brand).

Latest reportage states that "David Lynch is confirmed to have filmed an installment of Dior's string of commercials featuring ambassador Marion Cotillard in Shanghai, and now it's confirmed that as rumored, Martin Scorsese is working with Chanel. The director shut down a section of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York last Friday, and the owner of Moto, a restaurant in the area, confirmed Scorsese was filming a Chanel commercial" according to Fashionologie, who took the information from first-hand witness Jeni Avins who took some photos for Dossier (click to see the location shots). The über-hipster (and über-Chasid) Williamsburg is an unusual locale, but who knows New York better than Scorcese? (Woody Allen comes to mind, but I haven't heard of Chanel banging down on his door yet).
Chic Report adds that French actor Gaspard Ulliel (appearing at the Chanel Fall 2009 RTW show in Paris last March) and Canadian model Ingrid Schram are starring in the production as well. Scenes have also been shot underground in the midtown Manhattan subway (this theme reminds me of Berlin-set Prada's commercial to the lines of Thunder Perfect Mind by Jordan Scott, Ridley's daughter; her father incidentally has been the directot of some of the most imaginative Chanel commercials to date).

There is no indication which scent the commercial targets, although a source tells me it's about No.5 (in which case it would again involve Audrey Tautou, hot on the heels of her Mademoiselle impersonation in Coco Avant Chanel). Then again, isn't there some incosistency between the Jenet outlook and Scorcese's one? By the time it rolls out (around the end of the year, we will know).

EDIT TO ADD: As of Februrary 18th, according to WWD, the Scorcese advertisement is for the new Chanel fragrance for men! Will update with further info as it becomes available.
According to Magali Bertin from French Vogue, the fragrance is called Chanel Pour Homme. Here I'm a little stumped: Is it a new fragrance substituting the old, classic Chanel pour Homme (Chanel For Men, in the US) or does it mean it's a revamping of the classic through a new advertising? The former is rather more probable in view of perfumery restrictions. Andrea D'Avack, president of Parfum et Beauté at Chanel doesn't give any more info for now. And do bear in mind that the next Chanel according to the trademarks issued is -as we had predicted back in August 2008- called Bleu de Chanel (which might be marketed to men but is very improbable to have been budgeted for a big commercial by Scorcese).
We'll see in September when the commercial will hit our screens, I guess.

Frequent Questions: All about the Guerlain "Umbrella" Bottle

There is such a plethora of bottles designs at the historical house of Guerlain that the perfume bottle collector is spoilt for choice: With a history that can be traced back to 1828, when Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain opened his first shop on Rue de Rivoli in Paris and covering almost two centuries, Guerlain has produced over 300 fragrances and an equally impressive number of bottle designs. Out of them all some are more worthy of mention either due to their beauty or their proliferation. One of them which covers both grounds is the "umbrella bottle", thus referenced due to its elegant shape that resembles a closed umbrella pointing downwards.


The "umbrella" bottle (officially known as "flacon de sac", bottle for the purse) started its illustrious career while head perfumer was Jacques Guerlain, in 1952 and continued under his grandson's, Jean Paul Guerlain's tenure as well. Its span of production covers easily more than 2 decades, until the end of the 1970s. All the perfumes that were circulating during that time-frame in extrait de parfum (pure parfum) were encased in this famous design, with the single exception of Nahéma (1976).

Despite several sellers on auction sites and Ebay stating it as Baccarat crystal, this design is assuredly not. The official Guerlain archives state three verreries producing moulds for it:
Pochet et du Courval, Brosse and Saint-Goabin -Desjonquères, all in the quarter of an ounce size. Rarely however is there a mark of which verrerie produced the flacon style in question, contrary to some other bottle designs in the line. Early specimens of the "umbrella bottle" have been sporting the name-label directly on the flacon, while later ones have a string from which two ends unite under a hang tage with the name of the perfume. Each of the extrait presentations had a different box, reflecting the themes and colour-schemes that inspired the original fragrances as well, as depicted above. From left to right, we can see the pink and green case with the two G interwined for Chant d'd’Arômes (1962); the zebra-printed Vol de Nuit presentation, inspired by far away travels and corresponding to the Saint-Exypéry travel novella of the same name; the chequed ivory of the legendary Jicky (1889); in silver tones lies the Jean Paul Guerlain creation inspired by Chagan's novel Chamade (1969); next there is the classic lithography of L'Heure Bleue (1912) and Mitsouko (1919); the iconic Shalimar is encased
in regal purple velvet, while the aqua-toned sleek box is for Parure, a plummy chypre creation by Jean Paul from 1974.

Ebay prices for these flacons fluctuate between $75-125, depending on the condition of the bottle and label as well as the existence or not (and subsequent condition of course) of the presentation box.

Less usual versions are those including a leather-pouch such as the one depicted for Liù (1929): It was a special edition for the USA only. (The very concept of this flacon is carrying it in the purse, hence "flacon de sac" being its official name in archives, yet the ideal of luxurious travel via American airlines ~very en vogue during the 1950s and 1960s~ was the source of inspiration for several 'travelling" paraphernalia of which some specimens are truly beautiful).









Much rarer and thus highly collectible is a special edition of Vol de Nuit which is commemorating the nuptials of Prince Rainier of Monaco to Grace Kelly in 1956. The box has a lovely inscription on the inside silken panel, dedicated to the marriage of the prince and the Hollywood actress, bearing the date of the wedding as well (Monaco, 15 Avril 1956). Guerlain always knew how to romanticize their art, allowing us to dream a little...

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Guerlain series, Fragrance history, Frequent Questions

thanks to Dominique Chauvet/Milan for original photography.

Perfumers have the European Commision Irritating the Hell out of Them

Thus is -more or less*- titled the article by Nicole Vulser entitled: "Les créateurs de parfums ont la Commission européenne dans le nez" on Le Monde, which I was alerted to by erstwhile perfumer (and combatant) Sandrine Videault.
In it the matter of IFRA restrictions is rehashed with the emphasis on perfumers who are almost at the brink of a revolution (their words) because of them. IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, as you probably know if you've been following this blog, is a self-regulatory body which every June publishes a list of ingredients that have been deemed by a panel of doctors, allergiologists, specialists on envionmental matters and assorted experts as worthy of banning, restricting or heavily rationing. Based on these findings published the European Comission decides on what laws to implement for the cosmetics and perfume industry. To clarify matters on what this body is exactly I'm quoting: "The European Commission acts as an executive of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union. The Commission operates as a cabinet government, with 27 Commissioners. There is one Commissioner per member state, though Commissioners are bound to represent the interests of the EU as a whole rather than their home state. [...] The Commissioners and their immediate teams are based in the Berlaymont building of Brussels". Furthermore, there is the RIFM [Research Institute for Fragrance Materials] annual report which provides info and supplements. The interesting part is all major companies are part of RIFM and IFRA, as well as every aromachemical company (and therefore their subsidiaries and bought-out smaller aroma-producing firms from Grasse etc.)
This is no laughing matter, as it proves the matter is much more complex than the much brandied about opinion that it's all about money, substituting expensive naturals for synthetic substitutes. Several synthetic substitutes are also heavily rationed, you see, and the conglomerates also control companies who are living and breathing in naturals!

Several perfumery ingredients have been banned over the years: The animalics (castoreum, real deer musk and civet) certainly have for long. (Any niche perfumer using covertly using them must be relying on old stock bought at previous decades). Heavily restricted is oakmoss (see two articles on this), Peru balsam, coumarin derivatives, fig leaf absolute and benzyl alcohol (a very common ingredient in several perfumes, classic and modern). Also rationed are geranium essence, jasmine (to extreme limits under the upcoming IFRA 44th Amendment), lavender (gosh, lavender, the 1st aromatherapy oil proposed to just about any novice), cade oil (used to render natural leather notes) and the extract from tea leaves.

That leaves the majority of classic fragrances already mutilated, which brings us to the frantic hunting of vintage specimens as long as the reserves hold. But what will happen next? When these dry up will it mean that several of the perfumes with which generations grew up will have no possible footprint in history? This is a sad and foreboding proposition, much like thinking that Galleria Uffici is vacated in lieu of posters depicting the images that were once "real". The matter is complex, as François Demachy points out that "some perfumes were developed because there were no penalised constraints". More or less it meant that perfumers were mapping territories and were free to roam however they pleased on the world of naturals and synthetics. Guerlain's Thierry Wasser laments: "Among the perfumes we sell, the oldest is over 150 years old. If some day Brussels opposes the essence of rose, what am I to do? There is rose in almost all our perfumes… It is a heritage we need to defend" adding "Jean-Paul Guerlain composed Parure for his mother. We were obliged to discontinue it because we could no longer use the ingredients necessary to produce it. It’s heart-breaking.” The French are certainly very proud of their patrimonie olfactive (olfactory heritage) and that factor might come into play if some "preservation project" gets whipped up for the safe-keeping of historical perfumes. L'Osmotheque is a perfume museum but maybe something on a larger scale with other attributes that would allow more people of different walks of life to be able to partake in this rich tradition. Maybe have some recreations of historical fragrances on display (but not sale, since they won't meet with the criteria)? Maybe devote a line of recreated perfumes in some form that doesn't come in contact with skin or gets pulverised into air? I don't how this could be implemented, I'm just thinking aloud.

The matter of restrictions poses threats to modern perfumes as well (and not only those manufactured within the European Union, because very often the licenses and the sales directive involves Europe too, the most sophisticated luxury-consuming market of them all). Sylvie Polette, the marketing vice-president of Parfums Jean-Paul Gaultier, says: “Brussels will be killing off part of the profession: We aren’t able to rebuild everything in the same manner. This will instigate research, but it translates as a real constraint.” Frédéric Appaire, international marketing manager of Paco Rabanne states: "Our palette is diminishing. This is comparable to telling a painter he’s not allowed to use red, then blue or yellow".

Luckily for us these two prominent perfumers, under the aegis of LVMH no less who oversees classic fragrance houses, Thierry Wasser, in-house perfumer of Guerlain, and François Demachy, overseesing perfumer at Parfums Dior, are quoted in what is essentially a serious reference French newspaper, Le Monde. This means something, as it was often referenced that the industry "had been caught sleeping on the wheel" when these regulatory bodies were first founded, as per the words of a renowned perfumer.
It is also perhaps of some significance that there is a strong rumour that Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK, after having quit M6, will be counseling for the giant LVMH luxury house in 2010 with a monetary recompensation that will run "into the six figures" (according to British Telegraph magazine and reported across the media). His aim will be to open the luxury brands into new markets, which basically means Asia (and possibly South America), come to think of it. Blair is already a JP Morgan consultant for Chase and Zurich Financial. The move ~if to be materialized, as it is neither confirmed nor denied for now~ recalls the announcement of Claude Chirac in the direction of PPR and the more recent one of the return of Patrick Ouart, counselor to Nicolas Sarkozy, as right-hand to Bernard Arnault at LVMH.

Whatever the case might be, there is some commotion happening across the luxury industry (LVMH in particular) which might be translateable into changes that might be beneficient to us, the consumers. On the other hand, if there has been speaking up, it most certainly has been with the proviso that every single quote has been carefully monitored by headquarters, as is the usual practice. Which might defeat the purpose, indicating part of a strategy. Let's wait it out and see.

For a complete list of IFRA restricted materials click this IFRA link. And here are the materials in use as of 31 Dec.2009.

For French-reading readers, here is the Le Monde article, in its entirety.

*The idiomatic phrase, which is very a propos in French (as "nez" means nose and also perfumer) indicates a major annoyance.

pics of Belayrmont building via wikimedia commons, Ed.Munch painting The Shout via last.fm.

Digital Scents and Teleolfaction

"One day soon you may be able to capture a fragrance snapshot of your environment and send it attached to a text message or email". Thus begins the fantasy of digitalised scents, the elusive captured into pixels that can be stored and tranmitted, a concept that up till very recently seemed as wild as colonising Alpha Centaur with men.
Still, cell phone companies are on the act already. The winner of 2005 Nokia innovation competition submitted a Scentpohone: One which was able to transmit the scents of the environment of the caller to the receiver of the phone-call. Samsung and Motorola each hold a patent for similar projects. Motorola's 2007 patent is for a small fragrance cartridge which releases aromas into the air taking energy in the form of heat from the telephone's battery, while Samsung's 2006 patent is for a perfume spraying apparatus. The hidden stuff is that patents delay the commercialisation of technologies by antagonistic companies, even though it's generally accepted that this concept will be exploited in the near future such as in the case of smell chip cards (which may be able to encompass 100 scents!) comparable to SIM cards; an idea that would find practical uses for the visually and audibly impaired as well as the scent-enthusiasts.

Listen to this: "Sitting right at your desk, you’ll soon be able to smell the roses—or baking bagels or honey-roasted nuts or crowded subway platforms—using DigiScents’ new iSmell, "a personal scent synthesizer." Now in beta testing, iSmell is a peripheral device you plug into a computer the same way you plug in speakers and printers. If you visited a Web site offering a whiff of fresh chocolate cake, for example, iSmell could pull down the code it needs to mix chemicals in just the right way and then release the designer aroma while you work on the Net. Or you could invent your own scents and add them to e-mails or a short story".[source] This not all too recent: "In 2000, Aromajet developed Pinoke, a device able to recreate smells associated with computer games. Digital signals written into software code trigger the aroma generator to emit precise amounts of the appropriate aroma. The American company also created E-Commerce Kiosk that have fragrance generating devices mounted inside to install the perfumes and cosmetics aisle of department stores. One of the ideas under development is a mother's scent programmed into an aroma generating device placed near a crib to help comfort a baby". [source] Adobe released its Net sniffer, Odorshop in 2007 but it didn't receive coverage. RealAroma's Web site (Real Aroma") advertises a box which ises "Real Aroma Text Markup Language" (and is even functioning on slow modems). Macintosh CEO Steve Jobs has also announced that he aims for future MaC computers to be able to handle odours the same way they're now able to play CDs. Art is also exploiting the concept: Usman Haque designed Scents of Space in 2002, a smell system which allows for 3D placement of fragrances without dispersion (as pictured in the top pic).

Jenny Tillotson, a researcher and designer at the University of the Arts in London, England, is responsible for materialising the concept and she compares it to an olfactory i-Pod (which sounds utterly cool!) "Tillotson produced the world's first interactive scent outfit. She called her prototype dress 'Smart Second Skin'. (You can read about this here) Smart because it senses the wearer's mood, 'second skin' because it interacts with the wearer and their environment". Another gadget produced by Tillotson is the button-sized 'eScent', based on bio-sensors monitoring changes in physiological factors (blood pressure, respiration and skin's electric potential) and signaling the lab-on-a-chip devices when there is some change in the above to accordingly adjust the released scent. "Though currently crude at detecting more subtle mood changes, the idea is that eScent will eventually be able to detect stress or anxiety and then release appropriate scents to soothe the wearer", as three quearters of our emotions are affected by smells, as the research team indicates (Sounds awfully much, doesn't it?), as well as help in coping with certain ailments.
"Another application is eMos, a button-sized gadget which senses the frequency of sound made by an approaching mosquito and triggers the release of a small amount of repellent. Tillotson says that she hopes that eScent and eMos will be on the market within the next five years".

And if that doesn't sound promising enough, there are also at least two companies who use digitalised scents: Storing primary smell blocks in cardridges and then combining them into a special built-in chamber before emitting them in the atmosphere, ScentDome uses this technology for scent-enabled websites as such as ScentTv.tv (a multi-media portal only reachable from the US for the moment), while TriSenx is a software provider for websites, but for now the most popular product is an audio CD almbut with an accompanying scent-track.

Still the possibilities for TeleOlfaction are huge, gaming and entertainment included: Imagine watching a TV series or film or a video/computer game and being able to smell the environment alongside the heroes, a concept already embraced by Japanese advertising since 2008, to astonishingly positive effect.
It looks like the future holds many scented surprises still.

Related Reading (links taken from we-make-money-not-art.com): A special headset that lets holidaymaker experience surround vision, sounds and smells, the IQ clothes , Cyranose 320, an electronic nose device to diagnose pneumonia and sinusitis, SNIF a fragrance patch that release more or less perfume depending on what kind of space you�re in, Zen-sorial car, the Sensory Gateway, robotic Judas roach, 3D scents.

Quotes from an article named "Digital scents" by Mico Tatalovic for Cosmos Online.

pics via greenamerican.us , we make money not art, and scentcom.co.il

Martin Margiela Untitled: new fragrance

Martin Margiela has been in fashion for 20 years already and not even personally involved with his house (Maison Martin Margiela) anymore.

I am always reminded of how Pierre Cardin lost rights to his own name, and how Jil Sander isn't involved in her own line too, but I digress. Anyhow, Margiela is only now launching his first scent, under the aegis of L'Oréal and with the help of a talended perfumer to boot. Fittingly for the avant-garde line, there won't be any fancy names obscuring the concept: the fragrance is remaining simply Untitled!
According to The Independent (where there is a bottle picture as well): "Launched in Paris January 11, Untitled is a unisex fragrance - created by perfumer Daniela Andrier, the nose behind YSL's Rive Gauche, Gucci Rush for men, and several Prada scents - that is described as "floral, woody, and very green" (including notes of fern) as well as "ambery and oriental."
The unisex element as well as the typical 'blank canvas' packaging contribute to the notion of a non-stereotypical scent that, according to a press release, 'can be worn by anyone, anywhere'."

Tall order...

Untitled by Martin Margiela will be available at colette.fr in a world-exclusive 'preview' on January 25 while it will make its international debut through April 2010.
Pic of fashion spread featuring Martin Margiela fashions via lbosquejo.blogspot.com

RIP Eric Rohmer

French film director Éric Rohmer has died at the ripe age of 79. May he rest in peace in a place of the scents of an eternal summer.



Clip from Conte d'Été (1996)

Twin Peaks: Zino by Davidoff, Chanel Coromandel, Lutens Borneo 1834

Comparing an uncompromisingly masculine fragrance such as Zino by Davidoff with a unisex offering from Chanel, daintely named (Coromandel) after Chinese laquered panels which might sooner decorate the apartment of a woman or a gay male than the chick-trap of an abode of a bachelor might seem like a exercise in futulity. Heck, there's even a makeup line at Chanel's bearing the very same name! Yet the two fragrances, winking both at yet another patchouli-ladden beauty, Borneo 1834 by Lutens, bear the proud insignia of hard partying and bohemian airs which a rich, decadent patchouli heart knows how to provide so well.

And for those on a budget or searching for an easier alternative to savour the allure of Coromandel, Zino is a choice that can be found easily on discounters and online stores, being utterly underrated for absolutely no sane reason at all. I hope after this review a couple of people will summon the courage to search for it, as it's totally worth it. But perhaps the greatest recommedation would be that it has been gracing the oh-so-fine body of Captain Jack Sparrow, né Johnny Depp for quite some years now (Fittingly as it was first issued in 1986). Who can resist his charms, his chiseled face and bohemian attitude? Personally, I could see it on someone like Vincent d'Onofrio as well. If you're fond of aquatics and/or a fan of a girly Robert-Patterson-like allure (of Twilight fame), you can stop reading right now, it will only get painful.

I had written on my Chanel Coromandel perfume review, when I compared the scent to a cinnabar-hued brocade jacket, upper button undone with black camelia Chanel earrings: "The initial impression is that of a citrusy, orange-like pipe tobacco mix rolled in powder, much like the one encountered upon meeting that vixen little scent called Fifi by lingerie designer Fifi Chachnil or a slightly less milky Fumerie Turque. [..]Perhaps the orange impression derives from the inclusion of frankincense, a resin that sometimes gives off a sweet citric tang while burning. A sweet lush note throughout is echoing subtly like vanilla pods immersed in fruity liquor and it opens up and expands on the wings of aged patchouli, mellow, soft, sweet and inviting [...]with a touch of Borneo by Serge Lutens and Prada thrown in for good measure. [...] The pervading dryness along with just a touch of frankincense for a sense of mystery, not showcasing amber in any great degree all the while, provides a great balance to the sweeter vanilla elements and makes the whole not puff up in blue clouds of smoke, but stay the night on warm skin and well used sheets".

Zino starts on a classic masculine accord of lavender, clary sage and bergamot, bracing, nose-tingling like the top notes of Jicky, almost recalling a fougère, but immediately we're drawn into the maze of oriental woods, where the dark green of patchouli hypnotizes the senses with its sweet, beckoning and a little overwhelming scent and a trompe l'oeil hinting at tobacco (A Davidoff fragrance without some allusion to it? Unthinkable). Zino's big rosy heart worn on its sleeve is the perfect accompaniment to the green leaves with moth-repelling properties, and serves to smoothen the former, alongside the other subtle floral elements. Every ingredient bursts into life on the skin and despite the potent opening the scent manages to appear as rather subdued in later stages. Once upon a time touted as the "fragrance of desire", I admit that for this woman on this day, it still seems good enough to eat and amazingly sexy while we're at it too.

Sheldrake’s handwriting is all over 2007's Coromandel, which would make the comparison with his previous Borneo 1834 for Serge Lutens (2005) a natural fit. The two fragrances share a pronounced similarity at the drydown, a fuzzy, synthesized woody-amber drydown like ambroxan (much more pronounced though in -say- Lolita Lempicka au Masculin). Zino also shares in the traditional ambery fade-out after its scultural masculine top, its darkness an ink-like blob on thick matte paper, but lacks the distinct coffee note that runs through the heart of Borneo, instead opting for extending the note of patchouli to its chocolate-like extremes. Borneo on the other hand is an intensely camphoraceous patchouli laced with dark-roasted coffee and cocoa notes and much dryer, while Coromandel, perhaps due to its eau de toilette concentration and axiom of "application with abandon" alluded to by the big, honking bottle, seems airier and less saturated than both. Airier for an oriental woody, mind you! Its kinship with the original Prada should give you an idea of the ballpark we're talking about. The sillage of every scent is delicious; a mysterious wake that will have people swerve to catch a whiff and ask you what it is.
Ultimately, between the three, Coromandel is the daytime, easier and more powdery version, Borneo more suitable for evenings and trend-setters, while Zino is the one reserved for sexy men and for women not afraid of five-o-clock shadows on them. If you're among the latter, do try Zino for yourself too, you'll see it acts like a fedora over long hair.

Notes for Zino by Davidoff:
Top: lavender, palisander, clary sage, bergamot
Heart: geranium, rose, lily-of-the-valley, jasmine
Base: patchouli, cedar wood, sandalwood, vanilla
Notes for Coromandel by Chanel
Benzoin, patchouli, woodsy notes

Notes for Borneo 1834 by Lutens
Patchouli, Camphor, Cardamom, Cistus, Galbanum, Cacao

pic of actor Vincent d'Onofrio via fanpop.com, Sarah Ranes portrait via indiepublic.com

Perfume Preferences and How Body Chemistry Affects Fragrances

According to an article by Gad Saad, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Marketing at the John Molson School of Business (Concordia University) and author of The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption, some additional scientific info is now presented on the much discussed matter of body chemistry affecting our preferences and suitability for certain perfumes.
"In 2001, Manfred Milinski and Claus Wedekind published a very intriguing study on the links between self-preferences of perfumes and individuals' major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The MHC consists of a set of genes that capture a person's unique immunogenetic profile/signature. As such, the MHC is a disassortative mating trait. [...] Incredibly, Milinski and Wedekind found that people preferred perfumes that seemed best suited for their unique MHC profile. In this case, this means that preferred perfumes are those that are most likely to augment an individual's body fragrances as a means of advertising his/her MHC signature".
A fascinating observation that extends the basic principle of evolution (survival of the fittest), as expressed in biology terms, into the olfactory.
Read the rest of the article on Psychology Today.

Other links with some info/opinions on body chemistry and fragrances:
Fragrances and skin (an introductory beginner's article on the issue)
How To Choose The Right Perfume For Your Body Chemistry (a more in-depth list of the factors which affect scent performance)
I Have the Body Chemistry of a Man (a self-flagellating satirical article about the perils of having the wrong "body chemistry" for a coveted perfume)
Fragrance Tips (Amidst some "general tips" for perfume use we stumble upon this pearl: "The biggest factor in how a fragrance will smell on you is your body's PH balance. Ideal PH is alkaline - but stress and poor nutrition will turn your balance to acid, and that will affect fragrance." Correction, dear sirs: skin should be slightly acidic, it's how the skin mantle is supposed to self-regulate in order to protect against certain microorganisms)

And you, how do you feel about "body chemistry" and perfumes? Do you have specific aversions or preferences that you feel are tied to your specific psychosomatic make-up? Did you have perfumes change their performance? Discuss!

pic via cdn.picapp.com

A Sharp Sense for Scents: New Book

Assistant professor James McHugh, who teaches religion courses at USC College, is working on a book - one of the first of its kind - that will explain some of the mysteries behind scents and perfumes. [...]McHugh has been studying the role of scents in medieval Sanskrit texts since his undergraduate days, culminating in his 2008 doctoral dissertation at Harvard University on the subject.
“Once I started looking, there were loads of material, and no one had really touched it,” McHugh said. “People talk a lot about ritual and art, but not about incense recipes for temples. Nobody had written about how scents and our sense of smell worked in these texts.
“Perfume recipes turned out to be complicated, and recipes and text were actually poetic and words had double meanings. So I explored all different angles because no one had done it, and I was on my own.” Read more about the upcoming book on this interesting link.

Neil Morris discount

Neil Morris mailed me with some info on a special discount they're offering for ALL their full bottles scents (including the Vault ones!) as a thank you to customers which made 2009 the best year for the Neil Morris line so far. The discount is 15% off listed prices until 31st January 2010 and the code when checking out on the official site is THANKS.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Neil Morris scent reviews