Cathy Newman's Perfume is a coffee table book, complete with lots of glossy photographs by Robb Kendrick. It is also a wonderful introduction to the world of fragrance development and marketing. Up until a few years ago, I never gave a minute's thought to how perfumes were created. I probably suspected that Calvin Klein didn't throw on a lab coat and mix up the formula for Eternity himself, but if you had told me that "noses" at a few companies produced the majority of the world's fragrances, I would have been quite surprised.
In Perfume, Newman takes us behind the scenes as she undertakes the process of commissioning a new perfume. She starts by creating a brief, or description of what kind of scent she wants, then issues it to several perfumers at Firmenich, including Thierry Wasser, Annie Buzantian, and Harry Fremont. We then follow along as she tests their submissions, asks for modifications, and makes her selections.
Along the way, we are given a brief history of perfume, including a side trip to the Osmotheque in Versailles. Newman also covers topics such as the art of the perfumer; raw materials, both natural and synthetic; and perfume marketing.
Perfume is an illuminating introduction to the subject for a beginner, and even old hands will probably learn a thing or two. It was published by The National Geographic Society in 1998; I suspect that it is now out of print, but used copies are easily found.
This book is fun and informative. The photos are gorgeous, and beautifully illustrate the subject. NG was kind enough to allow me to extract a perfumer's glossary from the book and post it on my yahoo group – it's the first place I learned about the industry terms juice, aspirational, brief and such.
I often pick up copies on ebay or amazon for a few dollars to hand out as gifts.
A, The glossary is great. Don't know why but the term aspirational cracks me up!
I know why. Aspirational is a favorite word of Kimora Lee Simmons!
K — LOL — in my defense, I'd never heard of her before she released a perfume!
This is one of the first things I bought on ebay when I first started collecting books on perfume. Its a great introductory book for the perfume fanatic as well as 'normal' people LOL. I like the overview of the production/marketing stuff, but it also has good info on the flowers and other ingredients. A bit about the economic issues behind the perfume business. I liked the pictures too. They were great!
L, I am beginning to suspect that you have quite a fragrance library! I am still working on mine
Anya, what is the name of your Yahoo perfume group? Several months ago I went looking for such a group on Yahoo and got tired of wading through erotica groups! Perhaps I just didn't use precise enough search terms.
PBI, You can find it at:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalPerfumery/?tab=s
I just checked this one out from the library again a couple days ago! I love that she writes in such a personal manner about her custom fragrance – it makes you feel like she's sitting right there talking to you. And I, too, love looking at all those glossy pictures: they're swoon-worthy.
I just checked this one out from the library again a couple days ago! I love that she writes in such a personal manner about her custom fragrance – it makes you feel like she's sitting right there talking to you. And I, too, love looking at all those glossy pictures: they're swoon-worthy.
Sorry for the double comment – I am having computer troubles today!
I have this book, too…and many others that I have totally neglected. Thanks for the little nudge to drag some of them out and review them again. Oh, how I loved working in fine fragrance! I loved how the perfumers always used my skin for testing…imagine some very handsome men sniffing your arms! LOL Just one of many perks!
erotica, Fab? Ha, we should be so lucky! Just 570 natural perfumers helping each other out with this new art, revived from antiquity. Thanks, R, for the link.
R, the library system of the big city you live near might have Arctanders book on perfume ingredients to loan. I urge you to check it out. Otherwise, it's $700 bucks. Lucky me snagged it on ebay for $117, but that's like a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
PattyG, here's a tip: spray the 'fume on your neck and they have to lean in to sniff — much better than the arm. Leave the arm for women to sniff, lol!
Yes, that whole section is my favorite part of the book. The first time I read it, I had no idea who those noses were…I really enjoyed re-reading it recently knowing what other fragrances they had created.
P, That sounds like just the job I need! It beats sitting in boring meetings watching the clock, LOL
I will check inter-library loan, but it sounds like another one to add to my ebay search list, thanks A!