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 Alexandre Menais Director of eBay Europe is reported to have said today that the French court ruling against his company, ordering them to pay over 60 million dollars in fine is "indecent". In consequence and while waiting for a ruling on their appeal, the often-dubbed "biggest garage sale on earth" will for now continue to carry perfumes from the Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Dior brands all owned by LVMH. The latter through their spokesperson M. Malka have declared feeling "shocked" by eBay's decision to disregard the ruling and the law. eBay is insisting that LVMH is attempting to control distribution networks in an abusive fashion. (Via Fashionmag.fr)
See previous posts: eBay Risks Paying 80 Million Dollars In Damages; Landmark Ruling In Favor of Luxury BrandsPhoto © rmfphoto.net
 As a follow-up to yesterday's announcement, eBay has been sentenced to pay a 61.3 million dollars or 38.6 million Euros fine to luxury group LVMH by a French court today. This is a clear signal that the pressure put on the popular auction site has increased. Last month eBay had been asked to pay Louis Vuitton a much more modest indemnity of 20 000 Euros. According to WWD, this time, "Louis Vuitton received the lion's share and was awarded 19.3 million
euros, or $30.5 million; Christian Dior Couture received 17.4 million
euros, or $27.5 million, and Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Kenzo,
Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy, were awarded around 3 million euros, or
$4.7 million.
eBay was ordered to stop selling fragrances and
cosmetics from those brands immediately, or face a fine of 50,000
euros, or $79,000, a day."....
Continue reading "Landmark Ruling In Favor of Luxury Brands {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Photo © LVMH
It is no mystery that attempting to buy luxury items such as a Chanel perfume on eBay sold at heavily discounted prices is risky business. More often than not, they turn out to be fakes. Ebay has been plagued with accusations of laissez-faire and brought to court or nearly brought to court a few times already. Tomorrow is the big test; a French court will decide whether or not the auction site will need to be severely sanctioned for alleged damages caused to several French luxury groups,....
Continue reading "eBay Risks Paying 80 Million Dollars In Damages {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Prada men's show spring 2009 © Fashion Wire Daily In a rare case of non-favorable or it could even be said non-complacent reporting on a perfume launch party, columnist Godfrey Deeny from the Fashion Wire Daily critiques both the organization of the launch for the upcoming Prada Infusion d'Homme which took place in Milan on June 22, 2008 and the lack of innovation seen in the fashion show that was presented instead of the anticipated collective sniffing. "Few things are more painful than watching a major luxury label get things badly wrong, which was very much the dismaying case Sunday night in Milan when Prada decided to launch its latest men's cologne and made it tricky for most guests to actually smell the very product......
Continue reading "•• Critique of Prada Infusion d'Homme Launch Party •• Too Avant-Garde & Cultural? {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
 Fake, so-called "reality TV shows" which should be renamed "voyeuristic" or "peeping TV shows" to be closer to the truth can be counted on for offering carefully edited sound-bites; the dumber the better, the most outrageous, the better too. In the UK, the British version of The Apprentice saw a tug of war over perfume designing last night. Who won hardly matters, it's all about giving some good low-brow time to an audience which feels reassured by the carefully orchestrated and cultivated exhibition of human flaws. Our society is so competitive, we all need a rest.
So how do reality actors make perfume designing sound compelling and dramatic? A good dose of emotion (panic), none too bright ideas mixed with a really accessible dialog. You will not need to know what "sillage" means to follow the conversation......
Continue reading "Brainstorming About Perfume Design On The Apprentice {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
The Times online looks at a new sensational twist on traditional communal bathing in Japan. What could feel better than marinating in a hot pool? To have red wine, green tea, coffee, rice alcohol and dark chocolate enhance the experience. It is not only about aromas (it is verboten to drink the concoctions), but also about deriving benefits from the anti-aging properties of green tea and coffee or get a major warming "friction" from sake.....
Continue reading "In Japan, Hot Springs Smell of Chocolate, Wine, Sake, Tea & Coffee {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
© David Gilkey/NPR Trying to break the cycle of financially rewarding poppies crops in Afghanistan, in demand in the heroin trade, proves a challenging task. A local entrepreneur and distiller Shafiq Azizi attempts to replace poppies with roses cultivated for their perfume and fails, for the moment being......
Continue reading "Afghans Try To Cultivate Perfume Crops Instead of Poppies {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Fire Rescue reports that some of their own had to be hospitalized after responding to a fire alarm at a perfume factory. Apparently the cause of their malaise is due to the overwhelming smell of fragrances to untrained and unprepared noses. "Three city firefighters were taken to North Broward Medical Center this morning for evaluation after they began suffering from headaches and lightheadedness while investigating a fire alarm at a perfume company. [...]
Other firefighters have determined this afternoon that the trio taken to the hospital likely were not exposed to any hazardous chemicals and instead likely were affected by the perfumes in the building in the 600 block of Fairway Drive, Fernaays said."
Read more....
The Sunday Times has a funny pamphlet against over-glamorous ads for men's fragrances. Call it a problem of the clash of egos and upsurge of competitive Testosterone. Looking at said ideal ads for the everyman - there is a big plug for Lynx/Axe ads in the article - featuring the so-called "civilian loser type" one has to realize that if the guys look like your average Joe, the girls are more the babe type. Unfair? Typical? The columnist (whose name I don't see) only grumbles about men's body image.....
Continue reading "A Rant About Men's Perfume Ads {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Subha Patel is an olfactory scientist working for IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances). She specializes in finding new scents recorded and reconstituted from nature thanks to Living Flower Technology also called Head Space Technology. Among other things, she is one of the developers of the space rose note found in Shiseido Zen (the white bottle) dubbed "Overnight Scentsation"......
Continue reading "Portrait of a Scientist & Smeller: Subha Patel {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Etienne de Swardt tells it like it is in an interview with The Australian. The article is interesting, in particular, in that it clarifies the relationship between the Parisian niche perfume house Etat Libre d'Orange founded by de Swardt and the much more behemoth-like Geneva-based fragrance company Givaudan. This David-and-Goliath privileged partnership allows the house to maintain its competitive edge in their access to cutting-edge raw materials and technology.....
Continue reading "On The Workings Of A Niche Perfume House: Etat Libre d'Orange {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez who is the in-house nose for Jean Patou has created an anniversary fragrance for Procter & Gamble Prestige Products' 15th anniversary. P & G acquired Jean Patou in 2001. It is called Coming Up Roses and showcases a central note of Bulgarian Rose. Duriez based his inspiration on the fragrance name borrowed from Stephen Sondheim's song Everything's Coming Up Roses: "Things look swell, things look great, Gonna have the whole world on a plate. Starting here, starting now Honey, everything's coming up roses.". Other notes include Ambrette oil, pear, white flowers, lily, white musk. Says Duriez "I think of P&G Prestige Products as the rose and the fragrance ‘Coming Up Roses' as the dew on the petals." Read more......
A corner in Serge Lutens' garden in Marrakech The Guerlains, Edmond Roudnitska are famous for having drawn constant inspiration from private gardens they cultivated and spent time in daily. To follow the development of the scents of flowers at different times of the day and over the days of a season is simply fascinating as this permits to better grasp the complexity of their ever-evolving olfactory personalities. The Telegraph offers readers the possibility to step into these universes by catching glimpses of the gardens of several perfumers including Serge Lutens, Antonia Bellanca, Roudnitska and more.....
Continue reading "Perfumers' Gardens {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Poulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare, the Burren by elsa 11 The Irish Independent has a paper on small independent perfumer Sadie Chowen-Doyle owner of the Burren Perfumery in County Clare, in the Burren. Happenstance made her fall in love with the place and later be employed in a local perfumery headed by an ex-priest. She stayed on and became a perfumer,
"Perfumers, ‘noses’ or ‘aromancers’ are akin to modern-day alchemists, combining equal parts science and magic to craft new aromas. They work surrounded by rows of bottles, sampling smells on a strip and attempting to combine them to create their desired effect. Chowen-Doyle travelled to France to train with Sylvie Jourdain, a well-known nose for Dior......
Continue reading "A Perfumery in the Burren {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
Kerala Monsoon Holidays: "Showers of passion" and "Sometimes it takes water to kindle a fire" in the Sunday supplement of Times of India (Bangalore Edition) via Tamizhan There is a piece in the New York Times about perfumer Jean Claude Ellena travelling in Kerala to find inspiration for his new scent Un Jardin Après La Mousson (A Garden After the Monsoon), a genre of detailed biographical perfume reporting inaugurated by journalist Chandler Burr, of the NYT too, with the same perfumer and for the same Jardin series of fragrances by Hermès. In this latest installment, this time by Phoebe Eaton,.....
Continue reading "Travelogue on Kerala & Un Jardin Après La Mousson {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
 There is an interview with perfumer Annick Menardo in the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times around the Diesel duo of fragrances. We thought in particular that it was interesting to learn that Diesel for Men was inspired by an anise and lavender balm that brand owner Renzo Rosso had Menardo smell. Interesting because it explicitly states that fine fragrances can derive inspiration from toiletry products and their scents.....
Continue reading "Interview with Annick Menardo in the New Straits Times {The 5th Sense in the News} - The Vague Toiletry Scent Trend? {Scented Thoughts} {Trend Alert}" »
There is an article in The Guardian reporting about a University of Virginia study sounding an alarm bell regarding the gradual loss of aromas in flowers due to pollution. Reportedly, scent molecules bond with pollutants and get destroyed in the process,
"This month researchers in Virginia announced that changes we've made to the atmosphere have begun to counteract the scent of flowers. It works like this: a flower exudes fragrance, each species with its own cocktail of aromatic chemicals evolved over millions of years to attract pollinating animals. Those aromatic chemicals encounter the Earth's new post-industrial atmosphere. Ozone breaks them down by
oxidation. Other pollutants bond with the chemicals, changing their scent. Pollinaters have trouble finding the plants they're looking for, and both animals and plants suffer."
Read more.....
 In the Times, Hilary Rose offers a refreshing perspective on the allure of fragrance. Not everyone is meant to be die-hard fan of perfumes and fragrance can be boring. However, if Ms. Rose feels no need to contemplate the infinite nuances found in scents she does love, instead, to think about the infinite shades of a good foundation, "The truth of the matter, if I look into the dark recesses of my soul, the bit where Serious Opinions should be, is that perfume bores me. I can think about all the nuances of tinted moisturiser for ages. It’s how I know that Chantecaille’s raved-about Real Skin is too barely-there for me, but its Future Skin is genius and, once I’ve got over how much it costs, I’m excited about trying its new Just Skin. It’s why I’ve had lengthy disputes with a friend who insists I should get over my dislike of Clarins’ packaging and embrace the products within. But perfume? Perfume shouldn’t be a problem. Perfume should just be. So for the time being I’m sticking with the Chanel."
Finding the Perfect Perfume..... Image: {Fiat Lux}
There is an article in Подробности asking the question: After the fall of the USSR, where have all the Latvian Dzintars perfumes that scented the whole Union, perfuming our grandmothers and mothers gone?.......
Continue reading "Dzintars: Long Lost Soviet Scents {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
 When news reached us that leather goods company Coach were going to release their first fragrance, in September of 2006, we remember making the comment that it would be interesting and unexpected at the same time to see them propose a leather perfume, as the fragrance market seemed not to be very welcoming to those. A logical enough thought, but the brand did not take this route.......
Continue reading "Virgin Le Cuir (2008): Smelling Like You Travel Premium {New Fragrance}" »
Smells funny
For people who follow the fragranced world news, it has become more and more apparent that public-display-of-perfume-affection has become a commonplace issue these days, especially so it seems in North America. This is an interesting paradox as one would expect more epidemic reports from places endowed with a hot and humid climate in which scents can expand even more. As it is, the action appears to take place mostly in countries known for their cold climates.
And here is a particular case that you may have experienced: your manager's fragrance habits make you feel ill, but you do not know how to make your point get across to her or him. Here is a detailed piece of practical advice from Peter Post, of etiquette-book fame,.....
Continue reading "How To Tell Your Boss She/He Wears Too Much Perfume? {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
For those who follow perfumer or rather perfumier Lyn Harris of Miller Harris there is an article about her inner sanctum in The Independent. You get to catch a glimpse of her everyday surroundings as well as daily work schedule,.....
Continue reading "Lyn Harris Chez Elle {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
There is a terrific article on odor artist or professional in-betweener as she calls herself Sissel Tolaas known among other things for her recordings of the sweats of men suffering from extreme phobias. Her itinerary appears quite unique along with her will to go back to a stage of cognitive openness regarding smells that we are all supposed to have experienced in early infancy. Importantly also, and as anthropologists have shown, feelings of olfactive repulsion often are an expression of an in-group vs. out-group dynamic...
Continue reading "Opening New Smell Frontiers {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
There is an interesting article in The Earth Times on "sweet fruit and flowers are basis of summer fragrance trends" in terms mostly of interpretive discourse about perfume about how recently fragrances have become distinctive. If we are to follow them, the whole industry has decided to take risks, mainly by overdosing fruity and floral notes in recent compositions and lest this might be considered to be too daring, adding woody notes to counterbalance the audacity of the thought, in some cases like Burberry The Beat. "The new fragrances are not to everyone's taste. That's because the trend is going in the direction of distinct fragrances that don't necessarily appeal to the masses."
The fruity-floral category is probably the most commercial one in the women's market nowadays. One could decide that such fragrances are now de facto the least distinctive category if you just focus on the group itself as a perfume family.....
Continue reading "Power Gourmand Fruity- Florals Are In & What Do They Mean? {The 5th Sense in the News} {Scented Thoughts}" »
The experts gather and tell you what and what not to do when you're planning on wearing fragrance in the evening. See what Frederic Malle, Ann Gottlieb, and Alan Hirsch have to say on the topic, The New Rules of After-Dark Fragrance .....
Continue reading "Advice on Wearing an Evening Perfume, Rose Scent is Great for Memorization {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
 There is an interesting reportage in the New York Times by Chandler Burr about a visit he made to the Versailles-based conservatory of perfumes, L'Osmothèque in L'Heir du Temps (some perfume lovers assuredly would prefer to insert the term "pilgrimage" here). We learn that Jean Kerléo its director was motivated to found it because as a young perfumer he experienced constant frustration over the fact that more senior perfumers would repeatedly tell him that so-and-so accord he had created had been done better or more beautifully in a previous, disappeared perfume (great perfumers are humble).....
Continue reading "Article on L'Osmothèque in the NYT {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
There is an article in the New York Times that attempts to interpret the drop in sales and perfume-wearing in the US which was reported recently by the NPD Group. Article is The Sweet Smell of Nothing Some comments: Interestingly, this exacerbation of invisible social tensions between people who are wearing and smelling perfume in the public space seems to be more characteristic of North America and Canada and has been frequently covered in the press in that region (this specificity was not expounded upon in the article). Taking a step back, one could think that it may be linked to over-sensitization and change of sensibilities as a result of anti-smoking policies in public spaces. Some people have noted that while they did not use to notice cigarette smoking so much twenty or thirty years ago, they have been made to be hyper conscious of the smell today. New social boundaries have been defined where volatiles are concerned and perfume may be logically following suit....
Continue reading "Perfume Tolerance & Consumption Is Down A Notch or Two in the US {The 5th Sense in the News} {Scented Thoughts}" »
 There is an interview with Richard Stamelman author of Perfume: Joy, Obsession, Scandal, Sin, on the Vermont Public Radio on "All Things Considered". You can click here to access the talk. Two quick comments - 1) I don't think that he can generalize and say that before the 1880s there were only single-note floral fragrances....
Continue reading "Radio Interview with Richard Stamelman {The 5th Sense in the News}" »
New-Jersey based historic company Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co., makers of Florida Water have chosen the day of their 200th anniversary to announce that they will release two new perfumes this year meant to position them in a new segment of the market, the luxury one. One of the two planned releases is a men's cologne called 1808 named after the date of their establishment coinciding also with the introduction of Florida Water. The other is a feminine jus called Restless. Both will be priced around $50, sold in department stores, and "compete with name brands such as Intuition for men by Estée Lauder and Calvin Klein's Obsession."....
Continue reading "Lenman & Kemp 1808, Restless (2008) Makers of Florida Water To Venture Into The Luxury Perfume Business {New Perfumes} {The 5th Sense in the News} " »
Here is an article that will make you appreciate the efforts that go into marketing a luxury fragrance, the new Chloé in this case. In the best tradition inaugurated by François Coty, the container is seen to be as crucial as the contents of the perfume bottle. Every detail counts in order to convey the right message about a particular perfume and more importantly, the brand behind it that sends it out as an ambassador of its image. Guess how long it took to find the perfect ribbon?....
Continue reading "It's All In The Grain Of The Ribbon {The Fifth Sense in the News}" »
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Alexandre Menais Director of eBay Europe is reported to have said today that the French court ruling against his company, ordering them to pay over 60 million dollars in fine is "indecent". In consequence and while waiting for a ruling on their appeal, the often-dubbed "biggest garage sale on earth" will for now continue to carry perfumes from the Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Dior brands all owned by LVMH. The latter through their spokesperson M. Malka have declared feeling "shocked" by eBay's decision to disregard the ruling and the law. eBay is insisting that LVMH is attempting to control distribution networks in an abusive fashion. (Via Fashionmag.fr)
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