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Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian is well-known to fragrance aficionados worldwide for his work that encompasses both mainstream and niche perfumery. He is the author, among other things, of Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, Fragile, Le Mâle, Narciso Rodriguez for Her, Narciso Rodriguez for Him, Fleur du Mâle, Guerlain Rose Barbare, Ferragamo F, Ungaro U, Indult perfumes, M.A. Sillage de la Reine and more. He won the prestigious François Coty prize in 2001. He also owns a private company of bespoke perfumes about which you can find more details on www.franciskurkdjian.com We are pleased to bring you some information, a glimpse into the perfumer's world, by showing the custom-made briefcase Kurkdjian carries along with him when he visits his customers to create a unique perfume for them.......
Continue reading "Bespoke Fragrances by Francis Kurkdjian & A Historical Artifact: La Malle du Parfumeur {Perfume History & Facts} " »
Silver Coke Bottles, Andy Warhol, 1967 Joan Kron, contributing editor at large for Allure, wrote to WWD to inform readers that she was the first person to produce an Andy Warhol scent together with the artist in 1967. You can also still spot some Andy Warhol fragrances that were released in the 1990s, bottled with his art on them (see pic after the jump). According to her testimonial, "I personally produced the first Andy Warhol fragrance with Andy himself for a Pop Art Store called "The Museum of Merchandise," held by the Arts Council of the YMHA in Philadelphia (now the Gershman Y). The show opened on May 10, 1967. At the time I was the chairman of the Arts Council and a creative director (along with Audrey Sabol) of the Museum of Merchandise, which featured useful objects designed by artists......
Continue reading "Andy Warhol Perfumes Before Bond No.9 {Perfume History & Facts}" »
On March 14 2006, the Committee on Competition condemned 13 fragrance and luxury brands (Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, L'Oréal, Yves Saint Laurent etc.) and three national distributors (Marionnaud, Sephora, and Nocibé) to an indemnity of 46, 2 millions of Euros for having agreed between 1997 and 2000 on recommended minimum retail prices in order to protect their luxury image. Smaller distributors were apparently forced to comply too. Both the commercial code and European legislation prohibit this type of practice. The magazine Challenges published a diagram that shows the average costs of launching a 100 ml eau de toilette in the mainstream market.......
Continue reading "Diagram: The Costs of Launching A New Perfume {Perfume History & Facts} {Scented Image}" »
The Historical Background The story that is told regarding the creation of this seemingly eccentric perfume is that of a Californian millionaire who ordered it so that it would be used as a substitute for the real champagne that he liked to pour in his bath. The custom-order for the boozy champagne perfume was motivated by the strictures imposed by the Prohibition (1920-1933) but seems also to have been well in tune with the spirit of excess of the Roaring Twenties. So, if you would like to relive a Fitzgeraldean moment, pour some in your bath! One source mentions that William Randolph Hearst is the millionaire in question and that it was meant to be used by "his wife"whatever that might mean concretely (Millicent Hearst or Marion Davies?). I said "seemingly eccentric" because apart from the fact that there was a pragmatic motivation for the creation of the perfume, the association of perfume and champagne was seen as a fairly logical one by perfumers as both offer an image of bottled luxury, exhibit similar colors, smell or can smell fizzy, and are festive gifts. Guerlain designed the bottles of L'Heure Bleue and Mitsouko for example with a cap whose shape is inspired by a champagne cork to reinforce the unconscious associations. Yves Saint Laurent did the same for Champagne/Yvresse. More recently, Mona di Orio has picked again on this tradition by designing her bottle tops with an explicit wired champagne cork design. Félicie Wanpouille who designed the Caron perfume bottle is the one who took the analogy to its maximum conclusion ....
Continue reading "Royal Bain de Caron by Caron {Perfume Review & Musings} {Perfume History & Facts}" »
 We got an interesting comment by perfumer William Andrews regarding Rock 'N Rose by Valentino. He turns out to be one of the creators of the fragrance and not its sole conceiver. In this case also we had initially quoted our information from Cosmetic News. Here is the correction that he added:
Continue reading "A Comment by Will Andrews On TSS About Rock 'N Rose By Valentino, Some Thoughts on Authorship in Perfumery {Perfume History & Facts} {Scented Thoughts}" »
I just wanted to share with you the image of the greeting card that was sent to the employees of the Château de Versailles to express good wishes for 2007. It was perfumed by Quest International with M.A. Sillage de la Reine. It is a very large card folded in the middle. The base notes like sandalwood and musk were not surprisingly, particularly apparent. Photo of the original ©The Scented Salamander
After announcing that Christina Aguilera was preparing to launch her signature fragrance, I realized that she had already participated in a fragrance creation previously. Her perfume, Xpose, was launched in 2004 and exclusively distributed in the European market. Interestingly enough, this fact was not mentioned in the recent press releases.
Have you tried it?
Perfume designer Azzi Glasser recently left a comment on The Scented Salamander regarding details of the creation process of Maîtresse by Agent Provocateur. I wanted to call your attention to it. Her note is a response to a previous comment, also left on TSS, by nose Christian Provenzano which we already posted about. Christian Provenzano explained that he was the author of Agent Provocateur Maîtresse, not Azzi Glasser as reported by Cosmetic News and Cosmetics International, and Azzi Glasser the Marketing Director for the fragrance....
Continue reading "A Comment by Azzi Glasser on TSS Regarding The Creation of Maîtresse by Agent Provocateur {Perfume History & Facts}" »
We are writing this post to clarify the authorship of Maîtresse by Agent Provocateur. Christian Provenzano is the one and only author of the perfume. We're very glad that perfumer Christian Provenzano took the time to let us know that contrary to the information we quoted directly from both Cosmetic News and Cosmetics International and which we therefore reproduced at two different times on the blog, Maîtresse by Agent Provocateur is solely his creation. Azzi Glasser is actually the marketing director for the fragrance, not the nose behind it. Our many thanks for this clarification. Source: Christian Provenzano
 Patriotism on holidays which celebrate national independence is expressed through many semiotic activities and foci of symbolic activities worldwide. In America, manifestations of patriotism vary from region to region of the American motherland (or is it a fatherland we should be speaking of?) -- in Boston for example, people feel Bostonian by going to listen to the Boston Pops -- but we can rest assured of two things: there will be national barbeque-partying and fireworks illuminating the many corners of the sky all over the 50 United States tomorrow. From an olfactory standpoint, we can muse on and say that the 4th of July smells in the base notes of gourmand smoky burgers, burning hot coal, gunpowder, tangy, sweet and sticky tomato ketchup, rich boozy beer and maybe sweet cotton candy and apple pie with spicy cinnamon and let's not forget, musky sweat. In the heart notes there are green grass, tangy-green citronnella, soft wheat, aqueous cucumber, sweet corn, iceberg lettuce notes, and a dash of car interior and car polish. In the top notes you might find fresh mint, tart pink lemonade, coca-cola, frosted ice cubes, and light, cool, and fresh baby powder notes. This olfactory rêverie may smell hellish a priori to some but since each year the same note combinations reappear and people still throng the 4th of July events, you might have a formula of success here.
Napoleon once haughtily remarked, "Impossible n'est pas français" (something like, "the word 'impossible' is not to be found in the French language.") This seems to be the motto of many a perfumer today and since many of them are French you might get a phenomenon of double-whammy hubris due to the fact that they are French and due to the fact that they are perfumers.  In any case, since no one has yet dared to combine these multifarious aromas of the Fourth in a single bottle, let's turn to alternative, ready-made solutions to express patriotism and love of the motherland through perfumes. How shall we convey that patriotic message? It is often said that olfaction is the neglected sense and hence, in our case, a clearly neglected source of rich patriotic symbols. As of today, it is not consciously tapped into by the vast majority of the population to express patriotism alongside with wearing star spangled sartorial signs. So if you contemplate wearing something more celebratory of Americaness than just deodorant, please read on and see what my practical suggestions are.
Continue reading "Scented Thoughts: Patriotic (American) Perfumes to Wear on the 4th of July, Some Modest Suggestions" »
  This is a review of the French edition of A Scented Palace by Elisabeth de Feydeau. In French, it bears the title, Jean-Louis Fargeon, parfumeur de Marie-Antoinette, éditions Perrin & Le Château de Versailles, 2004, 230 pages. It is published in the collection "Les Métiers de Versailles" which showcases such personalities as the gardener of Louis XV and the wet-nurse of Louis XV. The English edition will be available in the United States on June 22. It can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.
The book retraces the biographical intinerary of Jean-Louis Fargeon, the scion of a dynasty of perfumers, from the time of his birth until his final escape from the guillotine. Elisabeth de Feydeau follows his career and professional relationship with Marie-Antoinette and leaves him on the day of his release from a revolutionary prison on 27 July 1794 (9 Thermidor an II), the day that marked the end of the reign of Terror with the arrest of Robespierre. He dies twelve years later, in 1806, still a successful perfumer and a fragrance supplier, amongst others, of Joséphine de Bauharnais, the wife of Napoleon...
Continue reading "Fragrant Reading: Book Review of A Scented Palace by Elisabeth de Feydeau: The Intertwined Destinies of Marie-Antoinette & Her Perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon" »
Following its success as well as repeated requests from the public, a recreation of Marie Antoinette's fragrance by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian from Quest International called M.A. Sillage de la Reine (Marie-Antoinette The Queen's Silage) will be more widely available in June and July 2006. It was first created in January 2005 and offered to a select group of people at a party at Versailles on the occasion of the publication of a book on the original 18th century author of the perfume. It was also sold to some patrons in 2005 but at a very high price, around $2500. This perfume was originally composed by one of the perfumers of Marie Antoinette (Houbigant was one of them) called Jean-Louis Fargeon. It was originally named Trianon. Elisabeth de Feydeau, a French perfume historian, has written this book focusing on the details of the relationship developed between Marie-Antoinette and Jean-Louis Fargeon. Her book has recently been translated into English in Great-Britain under the title, A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie-Antoinette's Perfumer and is available here. It will also be available on Amazon, here in the US, starting June 22; you can place pre-orders now.
One day, Marie-Antoinette asked Fargeon to come meet her at Trianon and showing him around she requested from him a perfume that would capture the charm of her beloved retreat. Later, Fargeon was to see her just before she attempted to escape from France through Varenne. He tells us that on the day of his last visit to her and as a sort of premonitory sign of her impending demise, the queen seemed to smell more strongly and almost sickeningly so of the tuberose found in her perfume Trianon Elisabeth de Feydeau says that the perfume unleashes unknown emotions in people, something qualitatively different from what you experience with contemporary perfumes.
 Le Sillage de la Reine has been recreated using 18th century techniques and 100% natural essences. Its notes include orris, rose, jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom, cedar wood, sandalwood, Tonkin musc and ambergris. 10 prestige copies of it, bottled in Baccarat crystal bottles will be available in June; the price has not been divulged. In July, 1000 limited editions copies will be released in crystal bottles made at the crystal manufacturies of Portieux (founded by Marie-Antoinette's grand-father) and will be available for between 300-400 Euros for a bottle of 25 ml. You can reserve a bottle of M.A. Sillage de la Reine here. Proceeds will go towards the remodeling of parts of the palace that were historically linked with Marie-Antoinette.
Visitors to Versailles can currently smell the queen's perfume in Marie-Antoinette's bathroom through June 2006. Photos are from the Château de Versailles and Osmoz.
This year, in April 2006, the Guerlain perfume house released an extremely limited edition of a new fragrance called "Muguet" (Lily of the Valley) created solely for the purpose of marking the celebration of the 1st of May 2006. It is a reinterpretation of the original "Muguet" by the same house which was introduced 100 years ago, in 1906. Only 190 bottles were released for just one day, on April 29, and were exclusively sold in the Guerlain stores in Paris. The price was 130 Euros for a 30 ml bottle. Muguet was composed by Jean-Paul Guerlain. The bottle was made in a Louis the XVI style.
Notes include lily of the valley, jasmin, Turkish rose, lemon, and sandalwood. You can still be part of its history; a bottle is available on eBay for $299-350. The new version of Muguet
The old version of Muguet
Philippe Di Méo is a French designer, the founder of the RESO Multidesign agency and R'Aliment. In 2005, Di Méo undertook an innovative project in association with Quest International which aimed at creating three different perfumes based on three different excretions of the body. This line was called "(My) Liquid" in reference to those particular bodily fluids we excrete such as, in this case, sweat, tears, and saliva. These very intimate liquids were selected as they were viewed as being the most emotional of our bodily fluids. Philippe Di Méo has said that he had grown progressively tired of the tabooization of body odors and liquids that he felt one was subjected to in contemporary society and that he wanted to counteract that mainstream orientation with his creations. He is therefore inviting us to think differently about these physiological regulative events that are the natural expressions of human emotions and that we usually try to tone down or hide in public. As stated by RESO, "(My) LIQUID, reveals an intense olfactory state, a biological juice related to an experienced emotion. Mixed with one's skin, it becomes a unique emulsion, a human and intimate perfume, of one's true nature." The three perfumes called Larmes, Salive, and Sueur were conceived as three different types of "water", each having a different emotional attribution. Tears represented "eye water" and constituted the perfume of Being Moved, saliva was "mouth water" and was the perfume of Lust, sweat was seen as the "body water" and constituted the perfume of Excitement. The perfumers for Salive are Christel Bergoin and Jean-Pascal Osmont; the perfume was evaluated by Caroline Dulon. For Larmes the team was composed of Frédérique Lecoeur and Alexandra Kosinski and Karine Dupas evaluated the scent. Sueur was created by perfumers HeeSoon Oh and Sébastien Lienhart and evaluated by Bibiana Lim. Notes for the Sweat perfume are, among others, cumin, spices, and smoke... Philippe Di Méo was also considering producing perfume patches of these scents. They are sold in spas in France.
 Jicky was created in 1889 by Aimé Guerlain. It is not only considered to be the first modern fragrance through its invention of the now classic 3-tiered structure comprising the head, heart, and base notes, as well as the introduction of the combined use of synthetics and natural essences, it is also a perfume that attempted to reverse a trend that rested on the rigid codification of gender categories. This conservative trend emerged in France after 1820, during the Second Restoration, when the bourgeois mentality imposed its mark more decisively upon society, moralizing the use of perfumes and deriving its ideas about the propriety of certain scents from the triumphant hygienist movement. In this context, Aimé Guerlain is reported to have said that he wanted to create,
"an audacious, vigorous, and quasi revolutionary perfume: the perfume of an amazon, difficult to decipher, of which you wouldn't be really able to tell whether it was meant to be for a man or a woman."
And so it was; disconcerted by the novelty of the concept, women started adopting it en masse only after 1910 while men, meanwhile, decided it would be theirs. Today, despite Aimé Guerlain's efforts at creating a unisex fragrance, Jicky is still not considered to be gender-free and in a new historical twist, has mostly come to be considered a feminine fragrance and marketed as such.
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