Grasse-hoppers part2: tour highlights & raw materials draw!

Reflecting upon Grasse and the Côte d'Azur I find myself in an embarrassment of riches: Is it the Notre-Dame-de-Puy cathedral with its paintings by Rubens that I retain most dearly in my heart or the sweeping hill-top view to La Plaine des Roses where hundreds of roses are attentively cultivated for their precious nectar? Or is the afternoon sunshine that poored through the windows of our dilapidated old building, one among the many in the old town, making the ochre and Venetian-sienna-shaded walls come alive four hundred years after the original stones had been lain? The quaint, small region of Grasse, awash with both aromata of fine perfumery and diesel fumes of the traffic of the greater area, as well as the larger town of Cannes, are like two faded princesses retaining their past memories hidden into the corners of dusty rooms where old, yellowed letters of paramours were carefully tucked away in secret drawers.

Semi-rural but devoid of a matching atmosphere, Grasse especially is less romantic than anticipated, yet for the eternal student of both perfumery and culture it poses its own special challenges that seem none the less rewarding. Delving into the perfumery firms and factories through trusted connections is the best lesson of them all and I am glad I am able to offer an unprecedented gift for our readers: A Sampler of Raw Materials procured in the Grasse area for one lucky reader who will state their interest in the comments. Thus, we’re giving everyone a chance for pedagogical familiarization with the inner workings of fine perfumery. I trust you will appreciate the novelty of the offer!

photo by Elena Vosnaki

But to revert to mapping out the rich experiences that the Riviera holds, one is at a loss on what to enumerate. Grasse holds a privileged spot, a few kilometers north of Pégomas, past Aurbeau-sur-Siagne and only a 20-minute ride from Cannes. The production of leather goods during the Renaissance took place principally in Montpellier, a town famous for its tanneries, which was closely rivaling Grasse. However it was only the later that rose to perfumery through the habit of scenting gloves and leather goods with floral essences from the abundant-producing area so as to dissipate the strong, pungent smells of the hides. Although initially Catherine de Medici, proud of her hands and a fan of leather gloves to protect them, ordered products from local artisans, it was Marie de Médicis (1575-1642), queen consort, who ~lured by perfumes from Cyprus, the famous chyprés~ sent for her Florentine perfumer Tombarelli to come to Grasse, where the flowers were renowned, instructing him to capture their ambience in perfumed essences. It was thus that Grasse knew a rebirth in economical terms and became The Perfume Capital ever since the 18th century thanks to the mild climate and the protected, sheltered embrace of the hills around.

The mimosa which garlands the area in late winter and early spring is perhaps the most famous of the local flora, imported originally by Captain James Cook from Australia and soon a favourite with the British aristocracy for their villas at Cannes. Queen Victoria herself used to sojourn at the Grande Hotel Grasse, a beautiful white building that is now referred to as Palais Provençal. Jasmine, a key ingredient of many perfumes and famously the culprit in the conception of Chanel No.5 by Ernest Beaux, was brought to the South of France by the Moors in the 16th century. Even though reputation has it that several tons of jasmine are harvested in the area still, the vines were not in bloom yet and even so the notorious Grasse jasmine is used in minute quantities in only the extraits of some prestigious perfumes. The 1860 construction of the Siagne canal for irrigation purposes is aiding the preservation of both these and (the very sparse) tuberoses fields. Wild lavender, as well as tamer varieties, grow around the area; hand-harvested selectively and distilled producing an exceptional aromatic oil. The town is awash with local aromata of various origins: In the lively market at La Place aux Herbes, Provençal herbs (rosemary, thyme, estragon), carrots and lettuces are sold by the kilo, tempting you into buying a little of each. Even the very area code of Grasse, 06130, has found its way into the name of a niche perfume brand, parfums Zero Six Cent Trente by local enterpreuneur Nicolas Chabert.

photo by Elena Vosnaki

Nevertheless, today oils and essences for both fragrancing & flavouring come from around the world finding their way into Grasse and not one but four establishments dedicated to perfume touring grace its streets: The International Museum of Perfume and the parfumeries de Fragonard (with its own small museum), Molinard and Galimard. Besides those, there are factories of Mane, Robertet and Firmenich which operate producing their own products.

VISIT HIGHLIGHTS & GUIDE

Musée International de la Parfumerie

(International Museum of Perfumery) is located at 2 Boulevard du Jeu de Ballon, 06130 Grasse. Tel: +33 4 9336 8020
info@museesdegrasse.com (Visiting hours: Jun-Sep: 10a-7p M-Su, Oct-May: 10a-12:30p, 2p-5:30p W-M.)
Reopened in 2008 (it was originally inaugaurated in 1989), with a futuristic interior designer by Frédéric Jung, the Museum encompasses a large area that is best savoured slowly. The “scented” video screening is the most tourist-attracting but it is the presentation of plants used in the perfume industry which presents the most interest. Roaming amidst the exhibits that included thousands of pieces of scented memorabilia and beautiful bottles in every material imaginable, we’re struck by the travelling grooming essentials of fated Marie-Antoinette or the Japanese Koh-Do ritual utensils (Koh-Do is an ancient Eastern game involving smoking incense being passed to the participants)

Fragonard Parfumeur

BP 22060 1er Etage de l'Usine Historique
20 boulevard Fragonard 06132 Grasse
Phone : +33 (0)4 92 42 34 34
Email : fragonard@fragonard.com
Visiting hours: 9a-noon, 2p-5:30p M-Sa, Summer: 9a-6p

Molinard perfumery

60, boulevard Victor Hugo, 06130 Grasse
Tel: +33 4 9336 0162
Email: tourisme@molinard.com,france@molinard.com
Visiting hours: Oct-May: 9a-12:30p, 2p-6p M-Su, Jun-Sep: 9a-6:30p M-Su.

Parfumerie Galimard

73 route de Cannes - 06131 Grasse
Tél : 04.93.09.20.00 Fax : 04.93.70.36.22
International: Tél : +33.4.93.09.20.00 Fax : +33.4.93.70.36.22
Visiting hours: 9a-noon, 2p-5:30p M-Sa, Summer: 9a-6p

The Fragonard, Galimard and Molinard perfume factories offer free guided tours with multi-lingual options (including Russian and Japanese) while lush, floral scents fill the atmosphere with their delicious aroma. One is invited to watch part of the production and packaging process of the eaux de toilette, perfumes and surprisingly refined soaps first-hand, while the old perfumery equipment and several collectible bottles are also on display. The gift shops are awash with products at advantageous prices, if only a little pushy sales assistants, as is customary into tourist places. The Fragonard perfumery was founded by Eugene Fuchs paying tribute to local artists family, the Fragonards. Today the remains of the old factory are visited, while the production area has been transplated outside the city.
Molinard worked with Baccarat and René Lalique who widely contributed to the House's reputation with sober and elegant scent bottles for their first "soliflores" perfumes (jasmine, rose, violet). But in 1930 René Lalique created exclusive flacon designs for the House of Molinard and this saw the conception of the prestigious bottles such as "Iles d’Or", "Madrigal", or "Le baiser du Faune". Yet say Molinard and everyone recalls their exceptional tobacco oriental "Habanita", meaning "little girl of Havana".
Parfumerie Galimard on the other hand was founded by Jean de Galimard, Lord of Seranon, (a relation of Count de Thorenc and friend of Goethe), in 1747. Founder of the corporation of "Maitres Parfumeurs et Gantiers” (Glovemakers and Perfumers), he supplied the court of Louis " the well-beloved ", King of France, with olive oil, pomades, and perfumes of which he invented the first formulae. Their products still retain a charming rural air.

photo by Fragonard

La Villa-Musée Jean-Honoré Fragonard

23 boulevard Fragonard 06130 Grasse. Tel: +33 4 9336 0161/+33 4 9705 5800
Email: info@museesdegrasse.com
Visiting hours: Jun-Sep: 10a-7p M-Su, Oct & Dec-May: 10a -12.30p, 2p-5.30p W-M

A villa turned into a museum, not to be confused with the Fragonard perfumery, this charming place buried amidst tall palm trees pays homage to three generations of Fragonards: Jean-Honoré, the father; his sister-in-law Marguerite Gérard; his son Alexandre-Évarisre; and grandson Théophile. The most famous, painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) ~whom you surely know through The Swing and Young Girl Reading~ is omnipresent through a copy of his work The Progress of Love originally rejected by the Duchess du Barry and now residing in New York City. The style of his paintings, French, elegant and erotic, is well transported into the Fragonard perfumes and scented goods as well, all lively and bursting with joie de vivre!

Robertet essences producing company

Established in 1850, Robertet counts itself among the oldest perfumeries in Grasse, but their creations are thoroughly modern as well, having created scents for Gucci, Bond No.9 and L’Oreal. Still, it is their high-quality raw materials which made them the stuff of legend among perfume cognoscenti. Earthy treemoss, iris rootlets, animalic beeswax, vanilla from Madagascar orchids, Amazonian tonka beans, champaca from India, and maté from Brazil produce an intoxicating blend of earthly delights enough to make the head spin. The refining process which happens repeatedly until the finest grade of raw material is attainable (especially when rendering absolute oils out of waxy concretes off precious flowers such as jasmine) can be customized to the client. It is here that the fractionizing of certain oils happens, such as patchouli where some of the headier more hippie-like facets are subtracted; thus the perfumer can custom the essence to their needs (For instance they might want more of the naturally chocolate-reminiscent facets emphasized or the more camphoraceous ones and so on). Among the loveliest of the raw materials here is the iris absolute: Initially herbaceous and almost medicinal, heavy and full of the earthy accent of the soil, it soon attains a woody and powdery prolonged skin-like effect. Roots can be left unpeeled to produce “iris noir” or they can be peeled to make a pale-shaded concrete (waxy substance) which is then refined through solvents into the absolute oil.
I was surprised to learn that iris is currently customarily paired with red berries; not only in perfumery such as in Insolence by Guerlain but also in the flavouring business, as it enhances and prolongs the tang of the berries! Even though originally perfumery iris best grade came from Florence, Italy, a variety known as Iris pallida, today different species come from Morocco and China (much like jasmine does) with shorter maturation periods lowering down the production cost. The original Italian iris needed a long careful harvesting of the rootlets, a drying out phase of a fortnight followed by three year period of maturation resulting in stratosperic prices.

photo by Elena Vosnaki

The Firmenich perfumery branch in Grasse

Firmenich technicians and perfumers seem to favour the CO2 extraction process, also referred to as "supercritical fluid extraction" process; technologically speaking the most advanced method of oil production of them all, resulting in stunningly realistic essences such as pepper, heady tuberose or earthy carrot seeds. Carbon dioxide usually behaves as a gas or as a solid called "dry ice" when frozen. When the temperature and pressure are both increased, the material takes new properties behaving as a "supercritical fluid" ~above its critical temperature (31.1 °C) and critical pressure (72.9 atm/7.39 MPa)~ expanding to fill its container like a gas but with a density like that of a liquid. Supercritical CO2 is used as a perfect solvent due to its role in chemical extraction in addition to its low toxicity and environmental impact, but in what concerns perfumery it's the relatively low temperature of the process and the stability of CO2 which allows most compounds to be extracted with little damage or denaturing.
The white-coat lab technicians work silently for an array of products including detergents and cosmetics scents, while on the second floor where the fine perfumery is located people write up formulae up in their computer for the printed data to be given to laboratory assistants for the blending, before perfumers step in to evaluate and adjust. It’s a fascinating process, not to be missed if you have any sort of access!

For our readers, a sampler set of precious raw materials of fine perfumery is offered for a draw! Please leave a comment if you wish to enter. Submissions are open till Monday 3rd May 9pm.

Related reading: Read the rest of the Perfume Pilgrimage to the Riviera in part 1.

Does Lily of the Valley Act as a Sex Attractant?

The first molecule to challenge the notion that women smell more efficiently than men is revealed, having the dubious ~but fascinating too~ privilige of being the one which also activates OR1D2; that's the human olfactory receptor which, besides being found in the human nose, is also expressed in human sperm cells! Yes, sperm cells actually "smell" all right! The molecule is the aldehyde Bourgeonal and it smells of lily of the valley, also known and referenced as muguet. (Makes you rethink that green Ajax Fête des fleurs you've been using to mop your floor, doesn't it?)
So, do the little swimmers go straight for the dip into your lily of the valley lathered and scented, ahem, private parts? (Lily of the valley substitutes have been for long used in soap making). But before you go out of your way to also clear the shelves of your closest perfumery hall off their stock of Diorissimo and Envy, take a moment to think and appreciate the facts:

It's Bourgeonal alone which activates testicular odor receptors [Science, 2003] and not another lily of the valley aromachemical and it was one among 100 ingredients screened for receptor activation abilities. Bourgeonal just happened to be one of them, which doesn't exclude that there may be others, even more capable of the job. German scientist Hanns Hatt is nevertheless so convinced that he wrote a book (in German) touching upon it with the title: "The lily of the valley phenomenon: All about smell and how it affects our lives". (There could be hundreds of applications in either fertility or contraception products in the future, I guess, not to mention a distinct stirring of the market off the pheromones and into muguet territory! Think about that for a moment...).
The beginning of the research on sperm odour receptors predates this: "Dr. Parmentier, working with researchers in Holland and France, accidentally discovered the sperm receptors while looking for genes that help control thyroid hormones. Using a technique called polymerase chain reaction to scare out even shadows of gene activity from tissue samples, they stumbled on a family of receptor genes active in male germ cells, the precursor tissue that matures into sperm". [source]

To revert to bourgeonal, according to the snippet which I found at First Nerve, where the news was posted, "Peter Olsson and Matthias Laska at Linkőping University in Sweden have finally found a molecule that men detect at reliably lower concentrations than women. It’s an aromatic aldehyde called bourgeonal and as we shall see it’s an interesting molecule for other reasons. [...] Bourgeonal is a potent molecular signal that is critical to sperm chemotaxis, In other words, it’s what sperm use to find their way to the egg. So it makes more than a little evolutionary sense that bourgeonal detection is ramped up in men and their gametic representatives". Of course, Dr.Avery Gilbert has the right humorous tone of telling the facts, so go over and take a read.
But where does the attracting ingredient come from, biologically speaking? "Is it the egg itself, or some other part of the female reproductive tract? 'It could be that the egg is releasing an attractant that helps guide the sperm to the egg, but the problem is that we don't yet know whether, in fact, the egg is the source of that attractant,' Donner Babcock says". [source]

Searching around the Internez I found a post from Jenny van Veenen in Perfume Making back from August 2007, in which she tackles exactly bourgeonal for it sperm kinetics capabilities. The VERY interesting fact and with an especially related connection to perfumes is that "the aroma chemical 'Undecanal' (Aldehyde C-11 undecylenic, waxy/fatty/rose/citrus odor) appears to block the effect of Bourgeonal and inhibits the chemo sensory response in sperm cells. " So watch out those aldehydes if you're trying to get pregnant, you might check out the products you use or if you're trying to avoid getting pregnant you might embrace undecanal etc. A brave new world indeed.

More reading: NY Times , Health 24 and 3Sat (in German)

pic from Perfume Making

Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne: "I'll never reformulate or discontinue" (the 2nd part)

Continuing on our chat with Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne (if you missed Part 1 you can read it here), I am again reminded of how the fragrance industry is in many ways both shaped and detached from the complaints of consumers. It's all very well when we (the blogosphere, the perfume aficionados, the forum participants, the fragrance writers among us) say that companies should pay attention to what we say because we're the ones who buy a LOT of product and we're repeat customers, but what happens in the specific and intricate interaction between manufacturer and consumer on a practical level? For this second part of our interview with the founder of niche British brand Ormonde Jayne, this was our objective.

Elena Vosnaki: Linda, we talked a lot about the new service you provide in your stores, the Perfume Portraits profiling, but what happens with your "market", so to speak? I know you're a small company and was wondering if the profiling has given you more insights into the kind of customers you attract, about their statistical data which might be used in your marketing schedules further on.

Linda Pilkington: Actually this is more difficult to answer than it seems. It's true that tastes and patterns emerge during the profiling service, yet I notice big differences in the segmentation of our own market depending on where the customers come to. Let me explain: We have both our boutique at the Royal Arcade and a space at Harrod's. It's fascinating to me that the clientele that shops at those two spots is completely different.

EV: Different, in what regard?

LP: Different in that they have different shopping habits and go for different scents out of our catalogue. To give an example, Sampaquita is our lowest seller in our boutique (ranking at #12), while it's the 2nd best-selling Ormonde Jayne fragrance at Harrods! A similar phenomenon is witnessed with our masculine Isfarkand.

EV: Very interesting from a luxury business point of view! What accounts for that chasm in your opinion?

LP: Let's see...I think the clients who know us from the Royal Arcade boutique have been with us for years and we have created a bond, so they trust our guidance. The area [Ed. note: It's in Mayfair, W1] is well to do, quite old-fashioned and therefore there's a good service tradition. The customers are treated with the utmost respect, we listen and we gently guide. For instance, I would never allow my staff to say "oh but you're wrong" to a customer like it's sometimes heard at department stores. It's not the same thing as "mistaken", not at all! Some sales people elsewhere don't get it, but it's downright rude! At Harrods on the other hand, although I insist on customer service, it's a different demographic. The crowd hanging there are often tourists and less "dedicated" perfume shoppers, therefore there is a wider margin for more easily acceptable compositions.

EV: Speaking of Harrods, how was that market move conceived and planned? Let us into your market scheduling a bit. Upon first being told you'd be carried at Harrods I had a light-bulb popping in my head "hey, they're going to be at the Haute Parfumerie at the Urban Retreat!" [ed.note: That's the Roja Dove parfumery hall full of classics and niche]. But it turns out you're in the heavy-duty perfume department of Harrods instead.

LP: It's not an either or situation. It evolved through a need on the part of Harrods themselves. I love Roja Dove's perfume hall, he's got an amazing collection there, but the offer was made by Harrods because they wanted to inject a couple of niche lines into their perfume sector on the ground floor. So there we are!

EV: Fab, should make perfume shopping at Harrods all the more fun! Now how about expanding into other markets. Is there any plan for the US? Our American readers are on pins and needles about this!

LP: I can certainly sympathise. You know, 60% of our sales are from American clients. That's a huge part, taking into account we're not located anywhere in the US. I attribute it to our standards and the word-of-mouth, along with our mailing system that allows customers from all over the world to order online. Even though we have a Dubai spot, an America-soil boutique is just not in the cards. But to give you an exclusive, I'm revealing we're looking into forging some bond ~if all goes well~ with US distributors at the end of 2010 or in 2011. We'll see...

EV: So what is Ormonde Jayne planning, apart from this new sitribution, for the future? Launching a new perfume next year? Tiare has been received with enthusiasm and almost inebriated panygerics (that's from me) so you're on a roll obviously! *laughing*

LP: Oh, no, no, I don't really plan to issue any new stuff for the next couple of years! I want to focus on how to smell, how to aid people to smell better, more productively and this is what we're doing with the Perfume Portraits right now.

EV: Which brings me to another issue I had been meaning to address: Do you believe that people have the necessary means to convey their scent impressions in tangible terms? I often sense during consulting and interviewing folks for projects that they seem a bit lost for words...

LP: "Lost for words". Indeed! Some people just have a natural talent in describing perfumes. But it's also a cultivated ability and this is what we're aiming at. Because there is no specific vocabulary conceived on smell, we often borrow from other senses or from other subjects, for instance from the sense of touch (a soft or rough fragrance), from vision (shiny, dark, light), from music (the notes, the high or low pitch of the perfume, whether it's deep or not) etc. It's difficult but worth it. In that regard there has been an amazing boom after 2000 thanks to the Internet, there have also been much more talk about scent and smell in the press (particularly in the English-speaking press); it's all been very positive about our business. \

EV: Is it only positive though? I am thinking that this new medium is also opening up Aeolus's flask! Can an internet writer or forum participant cause harm too?

LP: Oh, definitely! In fact the Internet can become a rather scary place too sometimes. The power of the quickly transmitted word is huge, especially now that Facebook and Twitter and social services platforms have become so popular, not to mention blogging. Let me illustrate with a peripheral example: There was an episode that was reported by India Knight, the Sunday Times columnist, about a woman who went to watch a live stand-up comedy performance by a Scottish comedian [ed.note: Frankie Boyle] . A mother [Sharon Smith] watched the show where he made jokes pertaining to people with Down's Syndrome and her being a mother of one, she became increasingly uncofortable, exchanging some hushed comments with her husband. But the comedian was annoyed by the talking and he approached her and asked why they were talking during his show, upon which she blurted out it wasn't a funny matter. He joked it was the most excruciating moment of his career, but then said they had paid to come and see him, they knew his harsh style so what should they expect? The mother clarified it was her own upset and she was discussing it privately with her husband, not him. The comedian quipped it was the last tour ever and that he didn’t give a f*ck! But that's not the end of it: The woman came home and actually blogged about it, she tweeted addressing India Knight and then it was all over the news and people were talking about it for days! It was scary in a way, how it spread so fast, all off a comment off the stage!
So, to revert to our fragrance world, companies are scared of the uncensored word online, of bloggers especially because they're so quick and opinionated and thus they're trying to exert or gain some sort of control back again.

EV: Upset because of what is being written: We'd come to that, wouldn't we. I'm grabbing the chance to correlate it to something that's being bothering me. There is a lot of talk about how IFRA and regulatory bodies are acting for the protection of the consumer, but in fact it's more out of fear of endless litigation resulting in time and money-costing law suits. Another restraining of one's free choice & free speech in the name of something else.

LP: There are LOTS of law suits apparently of people accusing products of causing allergies, triggering asthma attacks etc. I think there isn't much sense in regulating essences such as lime unless there is some fear of the law suits. Big companies have actually more to lose, as these law suits go on for years.

EV: Right! And I'm asking you, even though I shouldn't perhaps, out of tact, but since there is this scare going on and all major companies are reformulating right and left, how do you react to this? Have you had anything reformulated? Are you discontinuing something because of the new regulations? Or low sales, even?

LP: No, we haven't reformulated anything. I never will. Nor discontinue any in our fragrance rotation. We have 12 fragrances now and I absolutely love each and every one of them. I don't want to make any changes!

EV: So what happens if someone comes and asks about risk of allergies etc?

LP: I say "If you think madame that it might be give you any risk of an allergic reaction, it would be best if you didn't buy this perfume". We talk over some of the ingredients (if the customer knows about any specific trigger or if we think there might be some) and I say "just don't buy it". In the end, I don't give a f*ck if they buy or not, as long as we're stand our ground and do not mislead. *laughing*

EV: I'm sure there are lots of perfume enthusiasts who appreciate your stance a lot! Linda, it's been an utter pleasure talking to you once again and I thank you on behalf of myself and the readers of the Perfume Shrine.

LP: Thanks a lot as well, Elena.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Ormonde Jayne news & reviews

Paintings by Joël Rougié, Les Filles d'Automne, Le grenier aux souvenirs et Une Fille aux fleurs jaunes.

Dr.Turin on the Science of Smell

The MIT Tech, the online paper at the university Dr.Luca Turin is currently serving as a participant in DARPA’s RealNose project [it aims to simulate the mammalian olfactory system apllying the vibration theory], has an interesting short interview by Nina Sinantra with the man himself.
In it he explains how he first became interested in the research of smell, how he got inspiration for the vibrational theory from pioneers Malcom Dysonand and R.H. Wright and what he envisions/hopes for the future.
You can find the link of the interview here.

Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne: "People Should Stop Making More Perfumes!"

There are perfume lines which have a level of quality that is consistent, the hallmark of attentive planning and meticulous care to the last detail. In the case of Ormonde Jayne, it's a case of cherchez la femme, or in other words Linda Pilkington, its founder and soul. Personally I consider Linda a friend by now: Not only have we over the years gone over our children's respective routines, laughing at the little things, as well as our womanly preoccupation with meeting the many roles modern women are expected to fulfill, but there is also a special pleasure in exchanging news and chatting on developments in the fragrant industry which rises beyond the "saving face" methods of most perfumery owners. Linda, despite her ladylike manner and her pretty petite physique, doesn't mince her words and that's a refreshing quality to find amidst a world that is immersed into producing and selling a sanitized fantasy.
The stepping stone for our conversation I'm transcribing for you here has been a new service that is offered at her own brick & mortar boutique and the new corner at Harrods, called "Perfume Portraits", but it evolved into so much more... so I am breaking it up in two parts (Part 2 will be up next week).
I hope you will enjoy it as much as we both did!

Elena Vosnaki: Linda, it's with much interest that I learned you're offering a new service to your clients. How does Perfume Portraits work and why is it different than other consultations?

Linda Pilkington: Perfume Portraits is a quick profiling process offered at our stores by specially trained staff, aiming to guide the clients through not only the portfolio of Ormonde Jayne fragrances, but through the building blocks of the scents, the raw materials composing them. This is a lot different than asking the client their formed preferences, because it allows them to converse with the materials themselves rather than the finished products and encourages a gut response that aims at the subconscious rather than an intellectualised "fabricated" reaction. I have too often seen people coming into the shop thinking they'd go for some genre, only to discover they completely went against type. The most surprising case involved a gentleman (we have lots of male customers) who was very butch, the biker type with the helmet, the Perfecto jacket and the boots and all, he looked very masculine, very virile and acted the part and when we actually sat down to do his Perfume Portrait I found out he loved white flowers! Feminine, lush, delicious flowers, like orange blossom, jasmine, freesia, things like that. He caught me by complete surprise! In the end he went his merry way having bought Champaca, our rice-steam & flowers perfume, which to him was utter bliss.

EV: Haha!! Love this! More anecdotes to share?

LP: Another gentleman was very hard to "crack": He was so silent, the quiet type; not easy to pigeonhole at all. But you see, Perfume Portraits just requires to respond with a "yes", a "no" or "maybe" to the essences presented for sniffing so it's non dependent on a specific vocabulary, which can be intimidating to the non initiated. Not every one of our clients is a perfumista, but they're discerning and they do want to find something they will really love.
The most baffling case was a lady who came into the shop, sniffed all the seperate essences and didn't like any of them! Exasperated, we had to ask "what do you like to wear then?" She explained she used to get vanilla extract for cooking and put that behind her ears! But she wanted to find something more sophisticated. So we tried to introduce her to a sweet scent, with an element of what she liked, but considerably notched up; we offered Ta'if, our saffron and roses combination which includes sweet dates that would appeal. She liked it a lot and got a bottle, but the most extraordinary thing is how much her husband enjoyed it! He mailed us a while later to let us know he loved the smell and welcomed the change! That's a case of a successful turn-around we're proud of.

EV: It definitely is! Any "naughty" stories while doing the consultations?

LP: Ah Elena, I could tell you hundreds! Are your readers up to them?

EV: I think so!

LP: Well, then, there's one: There was someone who was going through the essences and the oils we offer; there's a cluster of 21 raw materials, three from each of 7 families (hesperidic, light floral, intense floral, balsamic, oriental, woody and atmospheric). So stumbling upon one, I was surprised to hear "it smells like when you touch yourself". But you know what, it was the right impression. It did smell like that! And I didn't perceive any aversion on their part in saying so, so I felt comfortable to proceed. So you see, there's a lot to the process of finding out preferred smells, it's not always just going for the pretty smells.

EV: So, do you think that there is some correlation between how attuned someone is to smells in general (pretty and non pretty, in perfumes or in everyday life) and how much they're into perfumes?

LP: Definitely! I'd go further and say that people who are into smells are more sensuous on the whole. They embrace the sensations brought on to their senses by stimuli from other activities, such as cooking, gardening, pampering themselves with beautiful frabrics or even sex, and they're therefore more receptive to perfumes.

EV: This is what we have been empirically commenting on, online on the perfume fora, comparing notes, so to speak, on how many of us are into cooking, appreciating fashions on a tactile level, the arts etc. Now, please let us know about the procedure itself. And please define what constitutes the "atmospheric" family of essences you mentioned!

LP: I made up the term "atmospheric" for oils that have an effervescence to them, an unusual sparkle, such as those entering Isfarkand and Zizan. It's a fantasy term!
Seated at a bespoke testing table, trained staff take notes about the client’s likes and dislikes, favourite perfumes and other aromas. The customer is then invited to smell three raw ingredients from 7 different families. At this stage the client is only asked to say if they like the aroma or not, and not to try to relate the scent to a perfume they might wear. This segment takes all but 6 minutes, because we don't want to overload the client, but to bring out gut responses, letting personal taste be guided by the mind’s limitless scope to decipher the aromas around. When that's done, two or three Ormonde Jayne perfumes that may suit by summarizing the favoured oils are recommended. Again, the favoured perfumes are presented on a second collection of black and gold ceramic stones. The client will then choose the perfume they like best. Sometimes this could be two or three perfumes and the chosen perfume is finally sprayed onto the wrists.
We also take notes on other preferences, if they prefer to take baths or showers, if they like oil of cream consistency best, their habits, who served them at the shop, what they bought if they bought anything, alongside a telephone number. This is all filed in a personalised card so that it's always available to the client for reference. You'd be surprised at how many husbands walk through the door meaning to get their wife a gift and don't know what her favourite fragrance is! But also how many clients bought something, they need to replenish, but in the interim have forgotten the name!

EV: I assume they throw out the bottles? But tell me, why are ingredients presented on ceramic and not on blotters or sprayed in the air (under some form of tincture or dilution, naturally, when technically feasible)?

LP: Well, another reason behind the Perfume Portraits consultation was that we wanted to eliminate the congested atmosphere in our shops. We have 12 fragrances in our line now. For a client to go through them all it would be asphyxiating, not to mention very confusing, to spray each and every one of them in rapid succession. Have you noticed how when you enter a perfume hall you're greeted by the scented air hanging over from previous customers testing? Even in the first hours after opening. There are just too many perfumes around! I think people should just stop making more perfumes. Give it a rest for a while!

EV: "People should stop making more perfumes": Now, there's a quote! Especially coming from someone in the business who has a lucrative brand. Linda, explain yourself, darling!

LP: There are just too many perfumes overall. Pressure to issue new things all the time, at least in the mainstream sector. At Ormonde Jayne, which is a thoughourly niche brand, we're free to operate at the beat of our own drum. Why rush to bring out a new one? There's no reason to!

EV: But aren't you interested in taking advantage of the new techniques and materials which as they emerge dictate trends? I'm thinking about the many magnolia-focused fragrances we've seen, or the resurgence of tuberose recently in so many niche releases, accountable to new supplies and methods of rendering.

LP: I'm not bound by trends! I'm simply not interested in trends! Of course it's natural that "trends" are formed through the options of new suppliers or new techniques of extraction of oils which de facto interests perfumers. But that doesn't mean one has to have a new fragrance out because of that. Magnolia, which incidentally is a favorite flower and note of mine, is already highlighted in our fragrances. I just don't see the need...

To be continued...
In Part 2 Linda Pilkington talks about the market and some intriguing little-known facts about luxury clients vs. mainstream clients, her plans for Ormonde Jayne for the future both in the UK and in the US, and the surprising & scary power of the Internet.


Paintings by Joël Rougié "Les Demoiselles aux Fleurs Jaunes" and "Les Ballerines"