Aquarelle Scents: When Perfume Behaves as Art

If perusing the shelves of perfume collections is akin to galivanting nonchalantly through the portico of a gallery then one would attribute characteristics of the painting media to perfumery without hesitation.

Some fragrances are vividly opaque like Baroque masters' thinned on turpentine; some have the eerily matte luminosity and luxurious old-world austerity that comes from gold leaf and egg tempera on Byzantine basilicas and Fayum mummy portraits. Others seem primed with Gesso primer, an indeterminate ambience that alludes to an undercoat for the development of other ideas on top; while some are thick pastels, waxy and brightly-coloured like Edgar Degas dancers. Some have modernist touches of rough, prickly spots (sand, clay and paper scraps), others still explore the darker side in genuine Soulages manner. But a few of the most enjoyable ones evoke the beguiling transparency and ethereal silkiness of watercolours. The following selection consists of my personal picks of fragrances ~regadless of gender~ which embody the spirit of clarity and light evidenced in an aquarelle, yet do not give in to being overtly delicate to the point of nothingness.

Eau d'Italie Magnolia Romana
If "clean" and crisp florals are a natural contestant amongst diaphanous studies of airy luminosity, then Magnolia Romana composed by Bertrand Duchaufour for niche line Eau d'Italie (of Hotel Le Sirenuse) is among the most pleasant. The scent is atypical of Duchaufour's heteroglossia of smoky woods (expressed in wistful Sienne L'Hiver for the same brand). The unisex and crisp blend of basil leaves, lotus blossom, and magnolia, with its lemony facet, is here especially well-matched to the delicately smoky nutmeg and the starchy linens feel of the hay and white musks drydown that wraps you like a high-thread cotton sheet during a languid summer siesta.

Annick Goutal Musc Nomade
Musk fragrances fall into two major categories: the laundry clean and the animalistically hippie, with all each entails. The extemes of the spectrum project interesting images which might be explored in detail at a later day, but it is intriguing to witness a musk fragrance that balances itself on such middle ground without seeming average. Musk Nomade, composed by resident nose for Goutal brand Isabelle Doyen is the latest addition to their Orientalistes line-up. The vegetal character of ambrette seeds and the salty skin tonality of muscone ally with more standard white musks to give a slightly "dirty" feel that is removed from the laundry or powdery musks of mainstream brands, yet doesn't growl animalistically to the direction of raunchier, warmer and more intimate candidates. Since musk anosmia is often at play with musk fragrances, one would be advised to test this one on their own. To me it seems quite lasting and plenty perceivable.

Rochas Eau de Rochas
The 1970 classic is a study in how to add panache into a classic unisex Eau de Cologne accord: just add a touch of subversive and warmly sweet patchouli! The scintillating verbena opening is akin to the bright tones of Evelyn Dunphy's "Reflections". The addition of sandalwood and oakmoss in the base extends the welcome of what is essentially a light composition by its very nature (an "eau") into something sophisticated that can stay put for a while.

Aqua di Parma Iris Nobile
Iris has a chalky undertone that often contibutes to its somber stiking one rooty note after another, making fragrances that highlight it seem more like gouache than watercolours. Yet it can be also coaxed into rendering a delicate violet-like gauze of softness, such as in Iris Nobile by perfumers Françoise Caron and Francis Kurkdjian. Here iris is married to piquant hesperidic notes that lift it into a study of light, rather than shadow. Sparkling and vivacious thanks to its uplifting anise and orange blossom accents, it's in marked contrast to my usual more brooding favourites of the genre, yet it never fails to capture my heart at the first warm rays of spring and the long hot days of summer when it sings most melodiously.

Antonia's Flowers Tiempe Passate
Orientals are not customarily associated with diaphanous attributes. Their heritage of the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent garlands their curves with an irrepresible voluptuousness. And yet there are a handfull which distance themselves in their windswept elegance. Polished, seamless and constructed on beautiful materials, Tiempe Passate (which means Time Passes, taken from an old Sicilian song that was sentimentally tied to Antonia Bellanca's family) has an individual slightly salty, slightly asteure character of Montauk rose, orris and cedar that belies the expected ornamentation and opulence of classic orientals, as well as the dowdy image of several rose scents, to emerge triumphant into a fluent interplay between the androgynous and the traditionally feminine.

Guerlain Sous le Vent
Like orientals are not considered watercolour material, neither are chypres traditionally ~their powdery or perfumey ambiance denoting sophistication and manière is a notion antithetical to the quick setting of watercolours which makes them such a difficult medium in the first place. In the re-edition of the 1930s classic by Guerlain the air space between each note is ample into letting us differentiate among the scents of bitter green galbanum, sensual oakmoss, exotic ylang ylang and dry woods, resulting in a chypre that can be "read" like the gouaches découpées Blue Nudes by Henri Matisse.

L'Artisan Parfumeur Passage d'Enfer
Frankincense naturally possesses an ornate quality of sonorous incantation, which usually shifts fragrances prominently featuring it into the realm of somber, age-darkened woods, peeling resinous varnish and smoke rings ascending like supplications to the skies. But its grey voice can add just the right background to the lighter notes of white lily and soapy white musk accords, like grainy paper showing through at spots when watercolours run over it, as showcased in the quiet, serene Passage d'Enfer by Olivia Giacobetti.

Hermessence Vanille Galante
One would be hard pressed to attribute the qualities of gauzy clarity to the calorific load of vanilla with its allusions to thick orientals and mouthwatering gourmands, yet the feat has been accomplished most admirably in Vanille Galante by Jean Claude Ellena for Hermès. The use of natural vanilla essence instead of the vastly more common extract vanillin renders this essentially aqueous floral with lily a specimen of true luxury.

Editions des Parfums Frédéric Malle Angeliques sous la Pluie
If the most transparent of bracing liquors embody the emotive effect watercolours have on the psyche (ie. the sudden lucidity of the inerbiated), then a good, dry gin and tonic echoes the aromatic components of this Jean Claude Ellena fragrance. Inspired by the fleeting whiff of an Angelica bouquet gathered just after a shower, the scent tranverses cool, spicy and tonic notes that cede to violet leaf, musks and cedar. From the exhilarating juniper berries aroma of the drink it retains the briskness and the delicate brackishness which conspire into making it the perfect brainy equivalent of a cocktail order with no ornamental umbrellas in sight whatsoever.

The Different Company Sel de Vetiver
When vetiver is attenuated to its core characteristics of hickory smoke and damp swamp then we enter the realm of the Vetiver Series. If it is treated with clear thinner like pigments are, then it takes on a fresh and radiant vivacity like that explored in the classic Guerlain masculine Vétiver and Vétiver pour Elle. Sel de Vetiver by Céline Ellena (Jean Claude's daughter) resembles the coase salt sprinkled into moist paint, producing small imperfections or a bunch of dried roots submerged into a tall, refreshing glass of water as seen from the outside: the refraction of light making it seem fascinatingly disproportionate, like the coloured straws we stared at as kids while drinking our sour cherry drinks.

Paintings: View to Acropolis, Propylaia and Herodion in Athens (painted between 1817-1820),by achitect W.Purserin(via neo-classicism blog), Pont des Arts, Paris by deneux_jacques/flickr (Some Rights Reserved)

Montale fragrances in Milan: old and new

Montale Parfums, the prolific brand by Pierre Montale, presented their fragrances and new issues at Esxence, the Scent of Excellence in Milan. The tradition of the house for sensuous, opulent, exotic fragrances wasn't betrayed. Vanilla Extasy (ylang-ylang from Comoro Islands, Egyptian jasmine, apricot, sandalwood, mahogany, benzoin, vanilla), Golden Aoud (Bulgarian rose, geranium bourbon and patchouli leaves, leather and Jamaican capsicum) and Aoud Ambre are centered around the traditional triad of mystical perfumes of the orient: rose, oud and incense. They form part of the Gold collection. Pure Gold, Louban, Aoud Leather, Amber & Spices are warm and enveloping, with a rich undertone. Deep Roses, Wild Aoud and Boisé-Fruité (woody fruity) belong to the Bronze collection, dedicated to men: a little more rigorous and somber but always exotic.

"Parfums Montale came into being in 2001, when perfumer Pierre Montale relocated to Saudi Arabia and began to create perfumes for Arabian kings, queens, sultans and princesses. In 2003, he opened his first showroom in Paris and unveiled his masterful creations to the West, combining Eastern essences with precious woods, resins, florals, sweet confections and spices from around the world."

The Arabian Nights escaped from the pages into an exposition of perfumes...

Photo by Thomas Liu, Milan

Why Crusading Against Perfumery Restictions is an Exercise in Omphaloscepis

In regards to my previous post Perfume Restrictions and Why Everything We Say in Public Matters, Tania Sanchez, the co-author of Perfumes the Guide and a logical mind to be reckoned with, had the good manners and grace to honour me with a direct response. She brought many interesting points to the discussion and although I replied to her in the comments section I do feel that some of my points deserve some air-time for the benefit of those who do not customarily read the comments section. So, bear with me and we might disentangle some finer points.

Tania told me:

"The *future* of perfumery is not the issue. Perfumers have a massive palette and their creativity is proven every time we sit down with new perfumes full of ideas we've never smelled before. It's the obliteration of the past that is the wretched shame. As someone who has suffered all my life from a lot of allergic contact dermatitis (oddly, not to fragrance but mostly to skincare and cosmetics) I understand from my own study and experience that it is impossible to create a product that causes no allergies. The word "hypoallergenic" has no regulated meaning and something that causes rash in one person of "sensitive skin" will be the perfect product for another such self-confessed. We understand, when it comes to all other cosmetics, that when we try something and it gives us a rash, the sensible thing is to abandon it. Not ban it. The question is why these grand works of perfumery art, about which some of us care very deeply and which give us such happiness, must be vandalized solely to prevent some people's rashes, when those people can simply avoid the product by choice. Toxins, carcinogens, and other things that cause irreversible injury absolutely should be eliminated from the perfumer's palette, no question. But skin allergens? Why, when there is a very simple alternative: (1) a full list of ingredients and (2) advising a 24-hour patch test?"

Certainly this is the level-headed approach it is a pleasure conducting dialogue with. So let's take the points one by one, so my ~perhaps nebulous before~ stance becomes clearer.

Since perfumery as an art form has been proclaimed dead, there is of course the rush of panic in an average person's mind of "Hell, what now?? Shall I abandon my pefume hobby? And will everything produced from now on be soul-less?" The focus of my article therefore was to dispel a little of that panic. I think it managed it in some degree, if I say so myself. Then, there is the greater issue of the massacre of classics. There is no dispute on that as I am as much a collector of classics myself, several of them vintage or rare. I collect them, dust them, look at them with dreamy eyes and wear them with a nostalgic pang of someone who was born long after the Summer of Love. A nostalgic pang which is unexplicably shared by many. It is the nature of man (and woman!) to "gloss over" the past and idolise it as better times. Ah, the Golden Age of Cronus...and the continuous decline of man... subject of mythological themes in as far back as 1000BC. Nothing new. We idolise that which we have not experienced first hand. But even if we have, psychology tells us we like to forget the bad, hold on to the good and reminiscence life in idyllic terms. The more we age, the more we do that and it is a sign of our vanity and coming to terms with mortality. We want to be able to say "I had it good, I saw the beauty, reaped its core!". It's understandable.

So what does all this have to do with perfume? It does, in relation to our collecting classics and insisting on their unaltered state of eternal beauty, their own immortality being a small indication of the belief that we, too, can be immortal if only in a small, miniscule piece: that of the beauty ideal we hold. But here is the catch: When wearing a vintage classic I do not claim to re-live an experience of a woman who wore the same juice in the 1930s. It doesn't matter if my juice is authentic, if it is well-preserved, if I am in the right frame of mind or even if I am holding a bakelite cigarette case and wearing a Lelong gown! In essence (no pun intended) I cannot replicate the experience of wearing a classic of that time the way the people who wore it in that age did. Like we discussed with Jean Claude Ellena in our interview, it's not possible to make this "true" to either the maker's intention or the spitit of the era, as numerous factors conspire to make the experience different. How's that? One cannot have read Satre or Genet and go back to seeing things the way people saw them before WWII. The bleak and the existentialist gloom has changed our souls, even if though the memory of written, not lived, word. One cannot have lived through women's movement or reaped the benefits of it in their personal and professional lives and graft themselves back to the time of La Belle Epoque when women didn't always think for themselves. One cannot see the vintage classics (and for our purposes here I mean the ones which are bought in this almost contraband business of ebaying and antiques scouring) as anything else as a glimpse of history. Are they accurate? They are only in the degree which we allow them to be; which we are able to allow them to be. Seeing (even carefully touching, if you're on the inside frame of the business) the Cloisters Apocalypse manuscript at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC is not the same as being a monk fixing the gold-leaf in a musty, wooden bank-seat at Cloisters wearing the monk's cloak. The experience is vastly different! Imagine therefore how much more different the experience is when a classic pefume's formula has been already adjusted numerous times through its history ~sometimes even right after its official launch!~ and not only in the last 10-15 years!! Those reformulations, which ALL the classics have endured at some point or another, are due to other factors than the latest IFRA regulations: lack of "bases" for the perfumers ("bases" are ready-made and commercially available "accords" that give a specific "note" or effect, so that the perfumer doesn't have to sit down and start from scratch each and every time); loss of materials due to suppliers' changes; arid or wet seasons influencing the naturals' quality, yield or vibance, much like in wines; adjustments that have to do with economizing or tastes when the brand changes hands.... The hunt for the perfect photocopy of a 1919 Mitsouko (or any such) is therefore impossible! Unless we were transpoted back to 1919 à la H.G Wells ~while being at an age with our full capacities intact~ sniffed some, taken a little with us and then being transported back to the present to analyse, see how to replicate 100% and manage to actually do it, everything else is basically an exercise in futility. We can regard the classics not as the classics that were, but as the classics we loved. The one version which we have liked, which we have come to love ~whatever that might be and however time-specific it might be. (You all realize that it is getting more and more difficult, now I broke this down in those terms, huh?) Man and woman loves what they are familiar with. They love that which has first touched their heartstrings and even if it was not perfect it will always hold a dear place in their memories. It's almost impossible to pin down what version each of us loves however, so perfume companies adjust to the widest denominator. And plus, not even L'Osmotheque has the 1921 Ernest Beaux Chanel No.5 and that's a fact!

So, what do I propose? Eradicate the classics? Of course not! But insisting on our part, our perfume enthusiasts' part, our perfume connoisseurs' part (call it whatever you like) that we want the real Joy, the real No.5 etc is a populist stance that reminds me of a kind of "free fragrance!" activism. Is this viable and what's more is it effective? I think on the whole pefume companies want to please the consumers, if only because they rely on them for sales -yes, even the discerning ones sometimes!- and if they see an interest they will adjust to the best of their margins from a business point of view (I realize miracles cannot happen). Therefore it's good to provide some actual means of voicing that concern, which is what I did by providing some data on how to reach some people. I'm sure more people will chime in and offer theirs as well.

I don't know if the authors of the Guide are already lobbying in a "free fragrance" campaign and therefore are preparing us for something on which they will need our support in whatever form. I only recall the now defunct blog of Luca in which he had said something along the lines of there being an hierarchy of worries: First you worry about the really big things: war, death, famine, etc. Once those are out-of-mind, we start to worry about smaller things: cars, safety seats, allergens. In a turmoiled world in which the economic crisis is having several people sacked and jobless with families to raise and when earthquakes destroy whole blocks of flats collapsing in L'Aquila, Italy while the Baths of Carakalla in Rome suffer damages, the matter of IFRA and reformulating is becoming small potatoes. But even if there is a crusade going on concerning the irrationality of the spirit of the restrictions, the latest Spring Supplement to the Guide which is full of mentions of reformulations is proof positive that the previous pleas by the authors, in the first edition of Pefumes the Guide and before, have met with deaf ears.

Concerning allergens there is some confusion among the public. Let me straighten it out to the best of my non-medically trained ability. Allergen is something that causes an allergy. Allergy is according to Medicine Net:"A misguided reaction to foreign substances by the immune system, the body system of defense against foreign invaders, particularly pathogens (the agents of infection). The allergic reaction is misguided in that these foreign substances are usually harmless. The substances that trigger allergy are called allergen. Examples include pollens, dust mite, molds, danders, and certain foods. People prone to allergies are said to be allergic or atopic". Allergies are largely hereditary and usually manifest themselves fairly early on in life. Sensitizers on the other hand is a completely different issue and this is what IFRA is trying to regulate. Let's see the definition according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration: "A sensitizer is defined by OSHA as "a chemical that causes a substantial proportion of exposed people or animals to develop an allergic reaction in normal tissue after repeated exposure to the chemical." The condition of being sensitized to a chemical is also called chemical hypersensitivity. Therefore here is the interesting part which a perfumer highlighted in the comments yesterday: "Sensitization is the term used to describe a sudden allergenic reaction to something that you previously tolerated well. The chemical substance builds up in your system, and then, on day 563 of use, perhaps 10 years in (days and years chosen randomly, of course) you get a bad response. It may even occur with a new perfume that you've never worn before, but it contains the lavender oil that you've been using for 10 years, and bingo - now you're sensitized to lavender. You're not allergic to it, you're sensitized."

Potential allergens therefore do not perform in the either/or way suggested. One thing could be perfectly all right for yeas and through repeated exposure it can escalate into becoming a sensitiser. So a patch-test is not enough. Even in hair-dyes where a patch-test is de rigeur, one can accumulate a sensitivity and it might burst at any second (this is why they advise doing a patch test EACH AND EVERY TIME! Even for products which you have been using all the time) Can you imagine that for perfume use? I can imagine the labels "Spray the product on a dot on your elbow or behind the ear each time you want to wear the perfume and if you feel no redness, prickling or burning sensation within the next 24 hours, you can wear your perfume ~THIS TIME!" Yeah, great bunch of help that would be!! So, although theoretically I am agreeing that labelling is allowing an informed choice (and I'm all for informed choices!), the matter is more complex than that. Simplistic "easing it up" along the terms of "just slap on a label, for Pete's sake!" is not very helpful.

Listing the full ingredients list isn't very helpful either. First because of the obvious, as explained above: one can be perfectly fine with something and yet get a reaction out of the blue. Life is scary and then we die. We all take our risks and I don't advocate not to. But perfume companies already list the most common allergens and therefore if one knows about something specific not agreeing with them, they can avoid it. The rest they have to risk. Yet the full ingredients list is not something companies want to do for another two reasons: Even in food-stuff (which is scarier to use compared with perfume) you cannot find out the exact formula down to percentages or origin of any ingredient. And sometimes there are cryptic labellings such as "natural aroma of fruit" (what exactly? how was it derived? how much?) or even misleading "no added salt" (yeah, but the sodium percentage is huge anyway!). Fragrances are not going to list everything because the mystique is a great part of the whole business. And also because the consumer is not at ease or has sufficient knowledge to know what anisaldehyde or Iso-E Super is etc. Several people ~on perfume boards even~ protest "I don't want my pretties converted into a chemistry lesson!". And just think what the listing of a full list of ingredients would do to consumers and a few perfume critics as well: No more smart-ass stuff!!

Basically the outcry for the latest regulations is justified because they stand to close some of the little guys (always a bad thing in a democracy), and they are threatening to have several raw materials suppliers out of business ~and therefore even if the little guys want to construct a perfume that bypasses the regulations they will not have the materials to do so!

But it also opens up two interesting arenae, which to me sound full of job potential for specific people: legislative consultants (people who will deal with all the paperwork necessary for the implementations in big companies and with prior experience in law, insurance, that sort of thing) and an ultimate atbitrer of taste who is equipped in chemistry, has a connoisseurship of perfume and a couple of publications on the subject under their belt.


We will continue with posts on the oakmoss and other ingredients problem and offer some clarification and altenatives.

Perfumery Restrictions and Why Everything We Say in Public Matters

There is a show on Greek TV called “Proof” in which famous journalist Nikos Evaggelatos reveals the scandals of various industries by having reporters infiltrate and report back in audio and video every gory detail to the shock, repulsion and wrath of the audience. Actual names are not revealed, no one is brought to task in practice and although there is an expert’s panel and a participating audience at the studio, no specific solution is proposed at the end of the show and the issues are left hanging there.

In more ways than I would be comfortable with, the latest NZZ Folio article by Dr.Luca Turin, proclaiming “Perfumery, a hundred-year-old art, has taken a long time dying, but on January 1, 2010 it will be officially dead”, reminded me of that sensationalist approach. The issue has been already addressed and the restrictions had been warned of, premonitored and fought against by several writers and activists. It’s not really news, especially to Turin-reading perfume enthusiasts, since he has been writing about it at every opportunity for years. My dissenting voice is not disputing the seriousness of the latest reformulations in the industy (yes, they’re dire and largely irrational) but an attempt to bring logic to what is apparently an impassioned subject that makes us momentarily lose our powers of reasoning.

A brief recap: Regulatory body IFRA (International Fragance Association) regularly issues a catalogue of perfumery ingredients’ guidelines with which major manufacturing companies (ie.the companies who make the juice, such as IFF, Givaudan, Takasago etc. as opposed to those who commision it ~the Lauder Group, LVMH Group who owns Guerlain and Dior among others, the Gucci Group etc.) comply with, so as to minimise potential consumers’ complaints & lawsuits; a stance that has been sanctioned as law by the EU Commission at Brussels, which is the real “news”. Now let’s go back a few years: In Nov.2004 a NZZ Folio Duftnote by Luca warns about the reformulation of one of Guerlain’s masterpieces (Mitsouko). His newly-published blog "Perfume Notes" debuts in 2005, pronouncing "The End of Civilization as We Know it” concerning the changes at Guerlain: the perfume community sounds its barbaric yawp through the rooftops of the world and Guerlain PR Isabelle Rousseau's mail gets spammed. For many this was a first; oblivious to the inner workings of the industry, whatever doubt they had on the altered smell of their favourites was not directly attibuted to reformulation. But the approach created an unprecedented turmoil within the perfume community and it indirectly acted as a test of power. Although in mid-2007 the pneuma of the original Mitsouko was pronounced living on in the reformulated juice (by Edouard Fléchier) by Luca, it seems brought back to task just now in April 2009, along with other perfumes.

What changed in the interim? The perfume community came together tight as a fist (commendable), perfume blogging in general became a springboard for careers (predictable), Luca Turin close a book contract (desirable) and perfume companies have continued –or, should I say, escalated- reformulating their juices regardless on their merry way to the bank (lamentable). If anything the historical scope proves that forceful articles and community outcries do not hold the power to inflict changes in the industry!

All written word in the public domain and transmitted through a network of interested parties should have a purpose. If the purpose is not informational journalism (the issue is well known and addressed in the latest supplement of Pefumes the Guide, while the IFRA amendments are downloadable for all to see) or activism manifestation (to which we have already seen that the corporate world pays little attention to), I am at a loss on what purpose that latest article serves!
A couple of issues obscure the justified plea for change and the criticism on Dr.Rastogi: Demonization (environmentalist chemist Suresh Chandra Rastogi, Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, IFRA itself, the perfume companies), argumenting ad hominem (“I am not disputing the veracity of Dr Rastogi’s research, though it makes mind-numbingly dull reading”), argumenting ad populum ( “fragrance has no demonstrable benefit other than beauty” and “beauty cannot be measured” with which readers en masse agree), and of course first and foremost argumentum ad verecundiam, aka appeal to authority ~ that of the author himself! Is the biblical simile of The Man Who Cried Doom lost on everyone but me?

In talking about Dr.Rastogi’s work, Luca says “you discover some real but minor problem in a fragrance ingredient. Nice work and you can tell your family when you get home”. That’s the main difference between Rastogi and Turin: reach! Dr.Turin has been given a public podium read by a specific niche of readership who cares very much for those issues and who accepts any such news with fear, panic and wrath (“In another scientific paper titled “The Composition of fragrances is changing” Dr Rastogi analyses old and new perfumes and notes that his work is having an effect”). Dr.Rastogi has not. For what is worth I can see that he is Senior Reseach Scientist at the National Environmental Research Institute of the Ministry of the Environment at Roskilde, Denmark and he has a solid body of publications on allergens research, so I deduce he is serious. In all probability nevertheless his self-defence will be conducted through closed doors of university laboratories and scientific publications which, as a fellow scientist of another field, I know are only read by a specific niche: namely, scientists in the field ~ergo not the perfume enthusiasts’ community. The fight is thus unequal and it feels like a test of power. I would hate to see it as a Philippic interpreted à la Jacqueline de Romilly (ie. a raison d 'être) and thus I am giving both Luca and Rastogi every benefit of a doubt till further notice.

The 43rd IFRA amendment includes several “threatening” essences: jasmine absolute (both sambac and grandiflorum), ylang ylang, heliotropin, frankincense, eugenol and isoeugenol (spicy notes)…. . Please note nevertheless that Restricted is not the same as Prohibited. Restricted means allowed to be used up to certain levels and under certain circumstances. Costus had no chance in any form (oil, absolute or concrete), nor does masoia bark for flavours; but neither does the very new Majantol (a quite new lily of the valley synthetic). Oakmoss/mousse de chêne however somehow might and we will talk about it and other ingredients in some length in the following post.
IFRA was imposing recommendations for a variety of compounds such as oakmoss for a while, the industry following them resulting in numerous reformulations across the brands for at least 10 years now. Thus, for most modern fragrances these standards are not a big issue.

The dream of bypassing the EU by making perfumes on non-EU soil however is futile: the EU cosmetics legislation would only move to the American FDA. It's all about economics and the location of the target market of any specific house. In the words of independent pefumer Andy Tauer:

“Who are the members of IFRA? You will see that the big industry is in there, as members, like IFF*. Thus, all regulations are basically influenced by the big industry, too. There seems to be a mutual interest (commission/big industry) and the entire process is driven by industry, too. I feel that the EU Commission is just proving once more that it does not really care about economic growth, about the citizens it's representing, or small and medium -sized enterprises ( SMEs) but rather plays its game with the big ones, meeting with the who is who; thus the smaller enterprises have to either accept what comes out of these dances or perish.” *{quote from IFRA page: Since the GA of October 17, 2007, companies may also become Direct Ordinary Members of IFRA"}.

It has to do with papework as well, because several cosmetics and toiletries are produced locally for tax reasons, so not all products of one brand are produced at one place.
IlseM points out on the Perfume of Life board which is ruffled:

“IFF is being sued by hundreds of microwave popcorn factory workers because the diacetyl in their butter flavorings caused those workers to contract the irreversible lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans. I remember when Consumer Reports tested fragrances for phthalates after they were supposedly removed from all fragrances. CR found them in many of those fragrances and even in ones where
the companies claimed never to have used pthalates. In a few cases the level was even higher than when testing was done before their removal! It's hard to believe that the fragrance industry is motivated by product safety concerns.”

But the perfume community itself has responsibilities too! When perfume writing broke into the Internet and Press scene in 2005 ~an epoch seemingly as far back as the Pleistocene for most people’s memories~ there was heated discussion concerning the use or not of aromachemicals (ie.materials synthesized in the lab for use in perfumery) as opposed to natural ingredients. Authors breaking into the scene championed synthetics ~deeming them no less important or more important than naturals. I distinctly remember people saying that it didn’t matter what their perfumes were composed of, “as long as they smelled good”. Those words are now coming to kick them in the butt in a not-as-nice way. Why the delayed outcry on the axing of several natural essences? We’re catered for with what we asked!
“Smelling good” is a relative term and perfumers can create new compositions tapping as yet unknown resources and new frontiers -which might produce the classics of tomorrow; it would be both hypocritical and rushed on our part to en masse condemn everything that comes out of the labs of companies as an original composition complying to the newest regulations. After all, some fragrances which have been deliberately constructed to bypass restrictions have already gained critical acclaim. Some, like Futur by Piguet, have even been reworked with the help of Luca Turin himself! As mentioned by the president of Piguet, Joe Garces, on Sniffapalooza magazine March 19th 2009:

"With the help and guidance of the most diverse fragrance critic from across the pond who loved “Futur” from its original launch, I have been fortunate to find the final road map with his guidance to the glamorous fragrance that once was. Because of the genius and passion of Luca Turin we will present the perfect “Futur”.)

Although restrictions have really gone over the edge and this is shared as a concern by all the perfumers with whom I have been in discussion, not everything is doom and gloom. In a previous interview with Sandrine Videault, when asked about it, she told me new perfumers have no great difficulty working with the palette proposed, as they do not feel restraint in not being able to use what they have not worked with before. The creativity will change. On top of that, small niche firms can continue to use questionable ingredients in higher ratios than those complied with by the bigger firms (provided they can still source the supplies, which is the main issue. To quote Tauer again: “The restrictions imposed by EU will kill many suppliers or essential oils and absolutes, as the longer the regulations remain, the more a burden. Thus, I am faced with a narrowing market for high quality essential oils”. Outlaw is like outlaw does! So the real problem is classics coming from big brands. But those have been already seriously altered, which is something we have been witnessing for decades now and reporting. Classics will remain a museum piece by their very evanescent nature; it’s inevitable, alas. In the words of Jean Claude Ellena who is taking the modernist approach (and who makes interesting perfumes with the questionable ingredients, such as Iso-E Super, at well-below recommended ratio, bless his heart) “we can’t build the future only on history”.
If you need to do something about it you can mail Société Française des Parfumeurs: 36, rue du Parc de Clagny 78000 Versailles, France. Tél: (+33) 01 39 55 84 34 Fax : (+33) 01 39 55 73 64. Or the Commission for Cosmetics and Legal devices, mail to: staffdir@ec.europa.eu

Bottom line, obituaries might be a little premature and indignation with no suggestions offered is akin to pissing in the wind.


©Elena Vosnaki for the Perfume Shrine.

Back with news...

Tired but stimulated and with several suprises to share with you during the course of the following days. For the moment however I have to let you know that the derisive Miel de Bois by Serge Lutens, after rumours and speculation to its potential demise which we discussed on this venue, is formally taking the road into the Exclusives line, that is the bell jars at Les Salons du Palais Royal which can be purchased only in Paris. Fans of its phenylacetic acid derived honey/urine note with no access to those are therefore advised to stock up!
L'Artisan Pafumeur on the other hand is issuing a second 100% natural and Ecofert approved organic fragrance after Eau de Jatamansi. Céline Ellena created Côte d'Amour which debuts in May. This time the inspiration has been the Breton coastline with its nostalgic Breton-top evocations (so Chanel, huh?) and the seascape smell with the iodine ambience of the sea air. Notes include: salty, hesperidic and woody accord, mandarin, pink grapefruit, rosemary, immortelle/everlasting flower, cypress, broom, rose, heather, gorse flowers, maritime pine.

The next post will be really meaty and provide a little controversy. Stay tuned!