Perfume: The Art and Science of Scent

As a fragrance hound whose obsession extends to smelling every bottle of conditioner in the drugstore, I loved reading this book. It comes across as exactly what it is: an extended National Geographic piece, with all the clarity, detail, and beautiful photography one would expect from such a thing. Those who are already perfumers, or want to learn the actual nitty-gritty chemistry of fragrance, may not find much use in this book; but for scent-fans like me who want an introduction to the history and business of perfumery, this is a fantastic book.

anyone here happen to know if the jasmine fields in France are still around? I gave this book 5 stars because it enabled me to appreciate and savor its subject. Learning about a fragrance's conception, development, marketing, packaging, launch, and product life was absolutely facinating. The cast of characters involved in this process were just as interesting too. All this with its history, sumptuous illustrations...bravo!

This book gave a fascinating history and overview of the use and creation of perfumes. It all seemed to have started when Romans wore perfume-soaked garments and shoes while Egyptians placed perfumed unguents in their hair to produce a slowly diffused scent that surrounded them. From Catherine de Medici in the 16th century to Coty to Coco Chanel, there has been a connection between fashion and fragrance. During this time, the perfume bottle has evolved from a simple container to sculpture, often giving identity to a scent.I learned that to be called "perfume", there must be an oil concentration of 22% or more. Eau de parfum has a 15-22% oil concentration while eau de toilette has 8-15% concentration of oil. Cologne has less than 5%. The average fragrance has 60-100 ingredients and complex ones can have 300. Estee Lauder's "Beautiful" has 700 ingredients, which is a record.....and its formula is 12 pages long!The perfumer must have a vast knowledge of raw materials and also of chemistry. There are only about 400 perfumers in the world and their training can take 10-15 years.One reason why perfume can be so expensive is the amount of an ingredient needed to yield what the perfumers use. For example, two tons of rose petals are needed to yield just one pound of rose oil! Petals must also be quickly picked as the amount of oil that they yield diminishes as the day goes on.I found the explanation of "headspace technology" very interesting. There are machines that vacuum up the molecules of a scent and then run them through machines that separate the fragrance into chemical components and identify them. This is particularly valuable when collecting the scent of a rare plant or when it is desirable to leave the plant in its natural environment.A very informative and beautiful book. The accompanying photos are lovely and give the reader an added level of understanding.

This bewitching, lavishly illustrated book does really explore every aspect of the fascinating yet little know art and science of scent. This book is very detailed from the beginning to the end. The photography is stunning and spectaclar! It captures all the elegance and romance of an art where image is truly everything.The book is very well written. It takes you through a very vivid journey into the fascinating world of fragrance. Sophisticated and irresistible as the classic it celebrates.I have read this glamous, enthralling book twice and plan to place it on my coffee table as a conversational piece. It is well worth the money, every cents and then some.TRULY THE ESSENCE OF ILLUSION!

This book follows the story of the business of perfume. It traces the scent from harvesting the raw materials and the art of the perfumer, to the packaging and marketing of the finished product. It is a story of the perfume business, not a guide to making perfume.I read this entire book within two days of receiving it. The text is light but fascinating. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs by Robb Kendrick. The photos are a sumptuous addition to the story and bring the text to life.This book is beautiful and enthralling. Highly recommended.