Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Did you know? To create a 50ml bottle of perfume with 5% floral absolute at 20% concentration, it takes just 25 to 33 seconds to pick the 20 to 28 jasmine sambac buds required. Neroli takes a bit longer—about 1.5 to 2 minutes for 500 blossoms. Tuberose needs 6 to 7.5 minutes to gather 215 to 240 flowers, while rose tops the list, requiring 6 to 9 minutes for a staggering 7,500 to 10,000 petals 🤯.

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: Cocktail Scents, C de la Niche, and OSMO News 🍸️👨‍🔬 

2. Ask Me Anything: DIVA Fragrances 🥸 

3. Scent MythBusters: Let’s speak Olfaction 💐 

4. QUIZ: Aphrodisiac Flower 🔍️ 

5. Molecule Spotlight: All You Need to Know about Immortelle 🌼 

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

• Cocktail-inspired perfumes are the next big trend for autumn, turning favourite drinks into signature scents. From warm, spicy notes of whisky and rum to fresh, citrusy mimosa and champagne blends, these fragrances capture the cosy, moody vibe of a bar. This trend is part of a larger movement towards fantasy fragrances that evoke specific moods or moments, making perfume a reflection of personality and experience.

• Chris Maurice, often hailed as the godfather of niche perfumery, comes from a family with over 100 years in fine fragrance, with his father known as the "king of oriental perfumery." In 2019, Chris launched C De La Niche, offering full-service support for emerging niche fragrance brands, backed by the expertise of Carbonnel SA. Their client list features top names in niche perfumery. Chris recently gave his first-ever interview to Le Parfum Haute Magazin.

• AI is helping decode the mysteries of scent, as seen with Osmo's creation of molecule 533, a compound evoking watermelon rind. This highlights a core challenge in olfactory science: the structure of molecules often reveals little about their scent. By leveraging AI, researchers are now mapping scents to molecular structures, paving the way for innovations in odour prediction. This could revolutionise industries from fragrance to health diagnostics, unlocking new potential in understanding and harnessing the power of scent.

ASK ME ANYTHING 🗣️ 👃 

Marie-Pierre: "As an indie perfumer, I handle many roles in my business, most of which have nothing to do with actually creating perfumes. If I had to choose just one thing to delegate, it would be accounting. I would love a team to manage everything that isn’t directly related to my creative work."

Chester Gibs: "Since I am a chaotic person, perfumery confronts me with my shortcomings as it requires precision. If I could delegate any part of the process, it would be making dilutions and organising my ingredients. Those tasks demand a level of focus that I find challenging to maintain.”

Claudia Camacho: "Definitely dilutions. I like to explore the aromatic nuances at different dilutions, but if I had to delegate, this would be the task. It stresses me out because of the precision needed to get it right every time."

Marie-Pierre: "Some high-strength materials, like Ribes Mercaptan, Geosmin, or Cucumber Aldehyde, need to be handled with extreme caution, even diluted in a separate space. These materials can easily overpower everything else, especially in the wrong doses. Also, personal sensitivities come into play—Geosmin is particularly challenging for me, and some people, even perfumers, are anosmic to certain musks, which adds another layer of complexity."

Claudia Camacho: "Fenugreek is a nightmare! I once diluted it to 10%, and the smell was so overwhelming that I couldn’t work in my studio for a week. It’s an incredibly potent material that takes over everything if not handled carefully."

Curious about the art of perfumery or have a burning question you've always wanted to ask a perfumer?

Share your questions with us, and we answer them in our next feature ⬇️ !

Scent MythBusters 🎭️ 

➡️ Short answer: Not quite❓️

TL;DR

While perfumery education provides a common vocabulary for describing fragrance elements, this terminology is far from universal. Cultural differences shape how scents are experienced, and outdated terms like "Oriental" are being re-examined. Cultural perceptions and evolving terminology show that the language of fragrance is fluid, not fixed.

Olfactory Training: The Foundation

In institutions like GIP/ISIPCA, students are taught to describe fragrances using structured terminology. They learn to break down scents into top, heart, and base notes and study both natural and synthetic materials like jasmine, sandalwood, and Ambroxan. This common vocabulary allows perfumers to communicate with one another and build a shared understanding.

However, while this training provides a baseline, it’s not truly universal. Cultural differences mean that fragrances are interpreted in vastly different ways. For example, what’s considered a fresh scent in one culture might be viewed as bland or unappealing in another.

Cultural Subjectivity in Olfaction

Fragrance perception is deeply influenced by culture. For instance, jasmine is often associated with romance and purity in some cultures, while in others, it signifies mourning. In Mali, vetiver, commonly used in Western perfumery for its earthy qualities, plays a significant role in ‘wusulan’, a traditional method of scenting clothes and bodies through fragrant smoke. This practice intertwines the scent with personal and ritualistic identity, very different from its use in European perfumes.

Similarly, patchouli is seen as earthy and bohemian in the West, but in Eastern cultures, it has a long history in religious and ceremonial contexts. These examples highlight how deeply scent associations are shaped by cultural experiences.

Evolving Terminology and Colonial Legacy

Another important factor is the changing language of perfumery. Terms like "Oriental," once used to describe warm, spicy scents, are now being reconsidered for their colonialist undertones. This term, rooted in a Eurocentric view of the "East," simplified and exoticised diverse cultures. Today, many perfume brands are moving toward more neutral terms like “ambery” to avoid reinforcing these outdated stereotypes.

The Evolving “Universal” Language of Perfume

Despite efforts to standardise fragrance descriptions, the subjective experience of scent defies a single, universal language. The categories of chypre or fougère, while useful in a European context, may not resonate the same way globally. Philosophers like Roger Scruton argue that olfaction lacks formal complexity, but others contend that scent carries cultural symbolism and memory, making it impossible to create a fixed olfactory language.

QUIZ 🎲

All you need to know about Immortelle 🌼 

What is Immortelle?

Immortelle, scientifically known as Helichrysum italicum, is a golden-yellow flower that never wilts, even after being picked. Native to the Mediterranean, it is widely valued for its use in both perfumery and aromatherapy. The flower’s resilient nature and its ability to thrive in poor, rocky soils make it ideal for cultivation in hot, dry climates. Extracted through distillation and solvent processes, immortelle provides both essential oil and absolute, which are key ingredients in fine fragrances and skincare.

Origin 📍

Immortelle grows naturally along the Mediterranean coasts, notably in Corsica, the Balkans, and southern France. Its cultivation has expanded to regions like Serbia, where the unique microclimate enhances its quality. Other significant producers include Algeria, Croatia, and Sicily. The Helichrysum italicum from Corsica and the Balkans are the most sought-after varieties for their potent aromatic qualities.

Key Facts 📔

• Primary Producers: Corsica and the Balkans, with Serbia becoming a notable contributor.

• Annual Production: Thousands of kilos of immortelle are harvested annually. A hectare of immortelle fields can yield up to 5 tonnes of flowers, with daily harvests reaching up to 10 tonnes in peak season.

Cultivation 🧑‍🌾

Immortelle thrives in arid, sunny environments with poor soil, needing minimal water and care. Once planted, the bushes reach peak bloom after about three to four years, continuing to produce flowers for up to a decade. Farmers usually plant 16,000 shrubs per hectare, and from the second year, the plants yield flowers ready for harvesting.

Harvesting occurs in the summer, usually starting in late June. The flowers are either dried or immediately processed to extract their essence. In organic farming, manual weeding is required, which is labor-intensive but maintains soil health.

From Harvest to Absolute: The Extraction Process 🌿

• Harvesting: Once picked, immortelle flowers must be processed quickly to preserve their aromatic compounds. A typical harvest might yield several tonnes of fresh flowers from a hectare.

• Concrete Extraction: The flowers are first treated with a solvent (often hexane) in large extractors. About 1 tonne of dried immortelle flowers is required to produce 20 kg of immortelle concrete, which contains the raw aromatic materials and waxes.

• Absolute Extraction: The concrete is further processed with alcohol to remove waxes, leaving behind the absolute, the purest form of the scent. From 50 kg of concrete, around 40 kg of absolute is obtained, a viscous, greenish-brown liquid with a highly concentrated fragrance.

In comparison, to produce just 1 kg of immortelle absolute, it can take up to 1 tonne of fresh flowers. This highlights its rarity and value, especially in high-end perfumery.

Use 🛢️

Immortelle absolute is known for its warm, honeyed, and spicy scent, with notes that evoke hay, maple syrup, and a hint of tobacco. It is often used sparingly in fragrance compositions because of its intensity and long-lasting nature.

Beyond its role in perfume, immortelle essential oil is highly valued in skincare and aromatherapy for its healing properties. It is used to promote skin regeneration, soothe inflammation, and as an anti-aging treatment.

Most notable Immortelle Fragrances 💫 

• Salbes by Goutal (1985)

• The Afternoon of a Faun by Etat Libre d'Orange (2012)

• Immortelle by Manos Gerakinis (2017)