News
Patchouli: Rehabilitation of an Olfactory Pariah
Ask someone who does not work in perfumery to name the single smell they associate with the 1960s counterculture, and they will say patchouli.
Civet: Chronicle of an Ingredient That Became Indefensible
Civet: Chronicle of an Ingredient That Became Indefensible
Castoreum: The Beaver Secretion That Smelled of Leather
Begin with the anatomy, because the anatomy is the point.
Benzoin: The Incense of Churches That Became a Base Note
Benzoin: The Incense of Churches That Became a Base Note
Labdanum: The Resin That Goats Harvest Without Knowing
Labdanum: The Resin That Goats Harvest Without Knowing
Frankincense: 5,000 Years of Sacred Commerce
Before silk, before spices, before tea, before opium, there was resin.
The Concentration Lie: Why an Eau de Toilette Can Outperform an Extrait
A lie repeated so often in perfumery that it has calcified into received wisdom.