| Perhaps it is
because of my partially French heritage that I have always
enjoyed and regularly used perfume. I would no more think
of leaving the house without a dab of a favorite perfume
at my neck and wrists, than I would think of venturing out
without first applying lipstick.
According to recent sales figures for men’s colognes
and scented aftershaves, smelling good is becoming more
and more important for the male species, as well.
To help all of us find our best scents from more than 30,000
designer perfumes on the market, an interesting new book
by Luca Turin, a scholar in the field of olfactory science,
and Tania Sanchez, an avid perfume collector and expert,
called “Perfumes: The Guide” reviews almost
1,500 fragrances in what must be the ultimate reference
guide to the art of perfume.
Perfume was first used by the Egyptians as part of their
religious rituals, and perfumed oils were applied to the
skin for either cosmetic or medicinal purposes.
The use of perfume then spread to Greece, Rome and the Islamic
world. Perfume became extensively used in the 17th century;
and in 1656, the guild of glove and perfume makers was established
in France.
Bottling became important and Francois Coty hired Rene
Lalique who then also produced bottles for Guerlain, D’Orsay,
and Molinard. The glassmaker, Baccarat, produced bottles
for Guerlain’s Mitsouko and Shalimar. Many of these
vintage bottles are collector’s items today.
The still-famous Chanel No. 5 scent was created by Ernest
Beaux for Coco Chanel, and the bottle for that perfume as
well as the one for Arpege was created by Brosse. Changing
tastes and the development of modern chemistry have made
many changes in the foundations of perfumery as we know
it today.
I was surprised to learn, for instance, that many perfumes
have been “re-formulated” so that what you purchase
today is not quite the same as what you may have purchased
10 or more years ago. Additionally, different concentrations
of perfume are sold under different names.
Pure perfume is dissolved in a solution of 98 percent alcohol
and 2 percent water. Eau de toilette is around 10 percent
perfume oil and eau de parfum about 15 percent to 18 percent,
while parfum (also known as extract) is 25 percent or higher.
According to the authors, perfume is best kept sealed in
a dark place until it is ready to be used.
Some women like to change scents with the season or with
their mood while others prefer to have a “signature
scent.” Vivien Leigh is reported to have always worn
Joy and Givenchy originally created L’Interdit exclusively
for Audrey Hepburn.
While what we prefer is very personal and subjective, there
are general categories of scents, such as woods and leathers,
orientals, citrus, aromatic fougere, etc. The book lists
about 100 top perfumes, but mentions there are many inexpensive
fragrances for men that are excellent because when a product
works for a man, he buys it until it dies or he does.
In contrast, a woman tends to buy a fragrance until she
gets bored so new fragrances, introduced with costly advertising,
must constantly be promoted.
The authors give low marks to most of the “celebrity”
fragrances and say you should believe only your nose in
deciding what is right for you. For anyone about to make
the considerable investment a good perfume can command,
“Perfumes: The Guide” is an entertaining and
enlightening read.
Jean Cherni is founder of Senior
Living Solutions, a retirement advisory service. Contact
her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds, Branford
06405.
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