A Brief History of Deodorization

Battling bad smells has been a millenia-long battle for humanity. Fighting body odor specifically has been a battle against our very own human make-up. With the exception of those carrying the gene ABCC11 (which makes for no armpit smell), common amongst the populations of the Far East,  the vast majority of us of European, African, Central Asian and Native American descent have the sort of apocrine glands in the armpit and groin which secrete a sort of sweaty liquid that when mixed with surface bacteria develops body odor.[...]

The very interesting thing is not the invention of deodorant (and anti-perspirant, which debuted in the early 20th century based on aluminum chloride first marketed under the suggestive name Everdry) but the power of marketing. Women, American women in particular, were especially targeted in typically sexist campaigns which implied that their natural odor was repulsive to heterosexual men, therefore they had to rely on a deodorant or anti-perspirant in order to land the man of their dreams.

An advertisement from the Walter Thomson Archives, at the Duke University, proclaims in the very title "Within the Curve of a Woman's Arm. A frank discussion of a subject too often avoided." Including lines asking "Would you be absolutely sure of your daintiness?" and "Does excessive perspiration ruin your prettiest dresses?"

The agressive campaigns by the Odorono Company, giving their address as Ruth Miller, The Odorono Co., 719 Blair Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, promised the "so simple, so easy, so sure" solution for that "problem", imaginary or real.

You can find the entire article on Fragrantica on this link.

How to deodorise the cat litter box & get decants for summer

"Recent record-breaking rains are dampening more than just New Yorkers' moods and shoes -- those of us who live with cats are experiencing litter overload.[...]Poof, a mint-scented oil spray designed to make a human's bathroom atmosphere more pleasant, has the same effect on a litter box (poofdrops.com). Poof also makes a Magical Deodorizing Spray for use on dogs, but it's a dogsend for kitty's box, too (available at PetSmart stores)".

This and other tips on how to combat the litter box aroma of your domestic feline are suggested in this article on the New York Post.

Online decanters on the other hand get a nod for their contribution on this article on
The Atlanta Journal Constitution by Nedra Rhone:

"With more than 500 new fragrance launches a year, it’s hard to know which of the magical potions is well-composed and which ones you should leave behind. Six years ago, Atlanta fragrance lover Diane Weissman began decanting perfumes into small vials or bottles that she would sell on eBay to customers who wanted to sample fragrances. “I love scents, but not in the way most people wear perfumes,” said Weissman, of East Cobb. “They have to spray it all over themselves… . I don’t want anyone to know what I’m wearing unless they are very close to me. It is my little mood lift.” Two years ago, Weissman and three other decanters joined forces to launch ThePerfumedCourt.com (a reference to Louis XV)".

Might as well mention one of them, Patty Geissler, is involved in the Perfume Posse blog, a fun read!