Perfumers' Relief Aid

Perfumer Anya McCoy and president of the Natural Perfumers' Guild brought to my attention a charitable cause that targets the victims of Superstorm Sandy involved in the perfumery and aromatherapy craft. The inspiration for organizing this came to her after reading a New York perfumer's account of her studio being destroyed by the storm. As a repeat hurricane 'victim' living in Miami, Anya identified and empathized with those whose lives are disrupted by Sandy.

You can find the full details on how to participate in Perfumers' Relief Aid on this link.

Guerlain L'Heure de Nuit (Les Parisiennes): new fragrance

As appearing in the Blogdorf Goodman catalogue, priced at 270$, the new Les Parisiennes addition is called L'heure de Nuit and it is a Thierry Wasser re-interpretation of Guerlain classic L'Heure Bleue (composed by perfumer Jacques Guerlain) . The classic L'Heure Bleue celebrates its 100th year anniversary this year and the team at Guerlain chose to celebrate with both a limited edition bottle (as shown on this link) and an Eau de Parfum re-orchestration as shown above. The new edition will be available in January 2013 and like all Les Parisiennes editions to be sold in Guerlain boutiques and wherever there are "espaces Guerlain", i.e. Blogdorf Goodman in NYC, the Epcot in Florida, in Las Vegas at the Bellagio, in Harrods in London etc.

Regarding the composition of L'Heure de Nuit, as mentioned on these pages, Thierry Wasser offers a new version: The powdery base notes are irresistibly endearing, as the L'Heure Bleue lovers like them so much. Under his leadership, the scent is sweet, illuminated with new freshness and modernity. The white musk mingles with iris. Heliotrope is combined with orange blossom accents to make it more marshmallow-like, powdery but with a gourmand note like a veil. The old version will be still available alongside the centenary editions in all concentrations for the fans.

Laduree Villes Porte-Bonheur: Scented Candles Inspired by the Metropolis

The four new limited edition candles by patisserie brand Ladurée, Villes Porte-Bonheur, are the stuff of dreams celebrating 150 years of the house; not only delicious smelling themselves, but also jet-setting you into four major international destinations: London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.

London candle 
The atmosphere of an English club where leather and wax scents reign. The evocation of an early twilight, nestling in a majestic Chesterfield sofa! The masculine chic with inimitable and unshakeable English spirit..."

New York candle
A strong and vivacious scent, an apple bite, the signature of a city, an homage to New Yorkers and their insatiable appetite for life.

Paris candle
A bewitching scent of tuberose, that of a femme fatale, as disturbing and unforgettable just like this beautiful and eternal city.

Tokyo candle
The subtle fragrance of tea, an indefinable delicate flavor, blending refinement and preciosity , the mysterious Japanese touch.
"Cities as a good luck charm"then, as the name denotes. A limited edition and priced at 48 euros each. Four scented candles enclosed in jars of black, pink, green and blue, each accompanied by a beautiful jewel box with drawings emblematic of the house.

Perfume-Makers Fear EU Legal Blow to the Industry Due to New Restrictions

"(These ingredients are) the spine of about 90 percent of fine fragrances," said Pierre Sivac, Chairman of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), whose members include America's International Flavors & Fragrances and Switzerland's Givaudan. [source thanks to T.Sanchez]

Perfume-makers fear EU legal blow to the industry and the fear of restrictions is increasing:“All citizens are entitled to the same protection,” SCCS Working Group chairman Ian White, said. It recommended restricting the concentration of 12 substances – including citral, found in lemon and tangerine oils; coumarin, found in tropical tonka beans; and eugenol, found in rose oil – to 0.01 per cent of the finished product. And it proposed an outright ban on tree moss and oak moss, which provides distinctive woody base notes in Chanel’s No.5 and Dior’s Miss Dior."

“It is essential to preserve Europe’s olfactory cultural heritage,” LVMH said in an e-mailed statement, stressing nonetheless the well-being of consumers was a “major concern”.

What's more important is this: Any new laws curtailing the use of natural scents would also impact fragrance-producers such as Givaudan and Firmenich as well as Germany’s Symrise, Japan’s Takasago and Robertet in France’s scents-producing town of Grasse. Basically all the bulk buyers of raw materials, making the growers and developers of the banned essences obsolete and irrelevant in the market game.

Industry sources say they expected regulatory proposals by January 2014. However, the Commission declined to comment on a time frame for possible legislation. Trade associations including IFRA and Cosmetics Europe, whose members are perfume and cosmetics companies such as LVMH, are aiming to submit a joint industry proposal to the Commission by the end of 2012.

Of course it needs to be pointed out that the classic Miss Dior is nowhere to be found (at least on the mainstream circuit, it's still visible on the official site under Miss Dior L'Originale tag) in favor of the re-named Miss Dior Cherie (which circulates as simply Miss Dior now, so a marketing decision sounded the death knoll rather than the formula itself) and Chanel No.5 has been changed as well through the years.

Fragrant Combinations for Fall: From the Rustic to the Spiritual

The art of scent combining is a fine and precarious one at once. A delicate blend can be completely overtaken by a more forceful presence, while a rich, hefty aroma can become overwhelming when mixed with another scent, creating more of a stuffy atmosphere than a delicious, inviting one. When dealing within these parameters it's probably an art best left to the professionals or to indulge with simple/single-note scents, but some gentle guidance can end up prompting you to experiment with good results. After all, it's nothing inescapable, right?

via self.com

Diptyque offers a small guide of scent combinations of its famous candles for scenting your space -a sort of olfactory landscaping- reminiscent of the autumnal season, all burnished gold and rust. The combinations are calculated to bring on a third presence, often vaguely familiar or reminiscent of specific fine fragrances which I will quote below and urge you to sniff to try and catch their nuances anew. Actually Diptyque have championed the art of scent layering since their very beginning.

For instance, their recommended combination of Feu de Bois and Pomander brings to mind the Christmas festivities with their smoky, log-fire note coupled with the orange & cloves spice of the classic pomander. It's a layering of notes that reminds me of Noir Epices by Frederic Malle with its intense clove and darkness, of Coup de Fouet and Poivre by Caron as well as of the classic, pre-reformulation Opium by Yves Saint Laurent.
Opoponax and Maquis brings on the softness of the resinous note of opoponax (that hazy flou so compelling in Guerlain's Shalimar and Habit Rouge and indeed in Diptyque's own home spray Opopanax) alongside the rustic tonality of the countryside with its woody aroma full of everlasting flowers, rich like maple syrup oozing off a hungry spoon. The combination echoes the newest fragrance issued by Diptyque, Volutes, inspired by a memorable voyage the founder took from Marseilles to Saigon.
Roses and Patchouli of course is a time trusted combination, almost a classic, the two smelled together creating the impression of dark, leafy roses unfurling to eternity...The melange is explored in the pre-empting Voleur de Roses by L'Artisan Parfumeur as well as many other modern fragrances, from Lady Vengeance (Juliette has a Gun), Portrait of a Lady (F.Malle) and Hippie Rose (Heeley) to Idylle Duet Rose Patchouli (Guerlain).
Cyprès and Myrrhe are evocative of a Mediterranean spot darkened by the bitterish tinge of the resinous, Middle-Eastern myrrh. The common resinous quality of the cypress wood and the -prized since antiquity- "tears" combine into an ambery-woody scentscape that is introspective, grounding and spiritual. Molton Brown makes a hand wash combining these two notes with musk, making for a little Persian exoticism in your bathroom.

The season is full of opportunities for scented adventures and a little playfulness goes a long way. On a subsequent post I will reveal what the staff at the Diptyque boutique suggest as scent combinations for creating quite another mood... ;-)