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.
H. Pearce Company REALTORS® is a full-service real estate company with more than 100 agents and branch offices in greater New Haven and the Shoreline. Corporate and & Commercial offices are located in North Haven, where the company was founded in 1958. All listings can be found in color on the web at: www.hpearce.com.
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