The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York
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From the New York Times perfume critic, a stylish, fascinating, unprecedented insider's view of the global perfume industry, told through two creators working on two very different scents. No journalist has ever been allowed into the ultrasecretive, highly pressured process of originating a perfume. But Chandler Burr, the New York Times perfume critic, spent a year behind the scenes observing the creation of two major fragrances. Now, writing with wit and elegance, he juxtaposes the stories of the perfumes -- one created by a Frenchman in Paris for an exclusive luxury-goods house, the other made in New York by actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Coty, Inc., a giant international corporation. We follow Coty's mating of star power to the marketing of perfume, watching Sex and the City's Parker heading a hugely expensive campaign to launch a scent into the overcrowded celebrity market. Will she match the success of Jennifer Lopez? Does she have the international fan base to drive worldwide sales? In Paris at the elegant Hermès, we see Jean Claude Ellena, his company's new head perfumer, given a challenge: he must create a scent to resuscitate Hermès's perfume business and challenge le monstre of the industry, bestselling Chanel No. 5. Will his pilgrimage to a garden on the Nile supply the inspiration he needs? The Perfect Scent is the story of two daring creators, two very different scents, and a billion-dollar industry that runs on the invisible magic of perfume. Read more
Publisher : Henry Holt and Co.
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : January 22, 2008
Edition : First
Language : English
File size : 4.2 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Hardcover
Chandler Burr is the resident perfume critic for The New York Times. In this capacity he writes regular reviews ("Scent Notes"), which initially strike one as unbelievably precious, but are ultimately kind of engaging. His previous book, "The Emperor of Scent", about the science of smell, was one of the best examples of science writing I've ever read. This book, an account of the development and launch of two new perfumes, "Lovely" by Coty for Sarah Jessica Parker, and "Jardin sur le Nil" by Hermes, doesn't quite match the brilliance of "The Emperor of Scent", but it is engagingly written and was a very enjoyable read. To some extent, the science writing, which I think is Burr's particular strength, takes a back seat as he describes all of the other facets of product development. Which he does with the same intelligence and wit that characterized his earlier book: his take on the relationships among the various players at Hermes, as well as on SJP's unusual degree of personal involvement in the development of "Lovely" is nuanced and perceptive. Occasionally, Chandler's inner geek takes over, treating the reader to two pages of chemical details. Personally, I found this kind of charming, but other readers might not agree. A smart, highly readable, account of a subject to which you may not have given much thought. My only caveat would be that, given Chandler's exceptional talent for science writing, I'd love to see him take on something a little more weighty next time around. For example, biotechnology, genetic testing, or pharmaceutical drug development: anyone who can write so vividly about the world of fragrance chemistry could undoubtedly contribute significantly in making these topics more accessible to a general audience.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2008 by David M. Giltinan
Format: Hardcover
I enjoyed this book tremendously. It was definitely not a page-turner for me. Rather, I savored it steadily over several weeks. Still, rest assured that this will remain one of my favorite books. By the time I was done with it, I had a huge admiration for both the author and his subjects - both American and French. I attribute this to the skillful writing and crystal-clear honesty of the author. I thought it was wonderful to see discussions end with complete candor when things went "off-record", as well as full disclosure when sensitive topics and "hot" documents were discussed. I admire Burr's journalistic integrity, which is unfortunately an increasingly rare thing these days. Before reading this book, I was, I will admit, a bit of a Francophobe, with no particular desire to ever set foot there again. Not even finished with the book, my wife and I began planning a family trip there. This is purely a product of the author's sensitive but unforced treatment of his French subjects. As noted in other reviews, he takes pains to provide complete yet flowing translations of French dialogue, which actually makes for a wonderful, engaging read. Many authors would toss out the French with an air of linguistic superiority and force the reader to sink or swim. Instead, Burr clearly wants everybody to get on board the train before it leaves, and it works. Whether it was the author or the editor or both, my hat is off to them. The book teaches - almost unbeknownst to the reader - an enormous amount about fragrances. As a scientist, I can assure you that he does a marvelous job with the scientific aspects, and that he made even the "old hat" science interesting to me. The history, economics, marketing, and politics of fragrances - about which I know far less - was even more fascinating, and - I have no doubt - just as accurate. And the really neat thing is that he made it so damn interesting. I could almost feel the starched lab coats and smell the test strips, and I wanted to be there. To my fellow fragranauts (or "fragra-nuts"), I offer this. Before reading this book, I knew next to nothing about the Hermès line of fragrances ("Hermès? The scarf people? You mean, they do fragrances?"). By the time I was done, I was *positive* that I would take a liking to "Terre d'Hermès". Sure enough, when I tested about a dozen newer fragrances in Sephora, I walked out with Terre d'Hermès. If you're a fragrance fetishist like me, this book will talk to you.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2008 by Cologniac
Format: Kindle
'The Emperor of Scent' is my all-time favorite read, and Chandler delivers again with a more in depth look--not into the science of smell--but the art and business of perfume. Chandler's style may irk some, but I love the way his stories unfold. I appreciate the journalistic touches and I am amazed at the number of--and details in--quoted conversation (esp. considering many conversations were originally in French--not Chandler's native language). Luca Turin, the genius biology scientist from Chandler's first book is nowhere in this one...except...I find that Chandler's adopted Luca's metaphoric descriptions of perfume (Luca is GENIUS in this). However, his descriptions lack the startling and fascinatingly accurate descriptions that Luca concocts with sardonic humor and adroit language. The long narratives on the science of mixing molecules, the story behind natural and synthetic ingredients and the expensive bait and switch marketing in the perfume industry bogged the story down in the middle for me. Rather I enjoyed the interplay between the people, their thoughts and processes to bring all the magic together to a successful perfume. I'm not a Sex and the City fan, nor do I care about what Sarah Jessica Parker is doing, but I loved the chapters in NY and Chandler's fly on the wall (and one-on-one) interactions with Sarah Jessica through this long and meeting-filled process. Chandler gets us into the life and mind of Hermes' in-house perfumer, Jean-Claude in a way that felt genuine and real. Chandler is a master in weaving the two story lines together, and creating tension at the end of chapters as the stories alternated, leaving me eager to move ahead in the book to see what happens. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as I'd hoped, and look forward to more from Chandler Burr!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2010 by BumbleB
Format: Paperback
Chandler Burr has been a museum curator, newspaper scent correspondent, and writer of fiction and non-fiction. Lately he has moved from the New York Times to New York's Museum of Art and Design, which is not as MAD as it sounds. In this book, Burr documents two recent adventures in the fragrance industry. For the first story he received unprecedented access to the development of a celebrity perfume, here starring Sarah Jessica Parker, one of the war horses of Sex and the City on TV and film, and the perfumers and retailers of Paris, Grasse, and New York. SJP uniquely takes an active role in the creation, development, and marketing of her juice. She meets with technologists to learn the market and the molecules, and ultimately is persuaded to come up with something more commercial than her initial plan for a sex-laden masculine musk. The second caper features the development and ultimate commercialization of a new perfume, starting with an ideation trip to Egypt reminiscent of the Victorian era tales of Dame Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. For reasons only clear to Burr, these two generally unrelated non-fiction stories have been told chronologically, so we jump from Egypt to Greenwich Village to Grasse to Hollywood. Burr's writing is better suited to features and magazines than full-length books as he seems to want to fill up pages with long recipes, price lists, verbatim quotations from various discussions with starlets, photographers, and marketers, and descriptions of his childhood and alternative lifestyle wishes and adventures. While I don't like the writing style, construction, and weird detours, I find this to be an important book. I have no sense of scent or fashion but I have worked in the industry, implementing commercial agreements and negotiating with the Big Boys. As Burr points out the procurement people are considered the buzz-killers in the fragrance industry as we implement long term development agreements with selected strategic core suppliers, with a goal to limit the number of suppliers and reign in current and future costs. Burr focuses on the creative side but he brings out some points on the financial and practical issues with commercialization. A lot of retailers expect the fragrance houses to work on their product development briefs with no likelihood of commercial success. Burr's sections on the history of the industry, especially the development and proliferation of synthetic molecules, is the key to understanding the commercial relationships. Burr's other insight is that the perfume industry is suffering compared to movies, books, cars, fashion, and food for not inviting the public behind the scenes to see this fascinating creative process. There is no Universal Studios ride through the world of perfume, and no project runways or open auditions for perfumers.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2013 by john purcell
Format: Kindle
Although the author seems pompous and full of himself, I still enjoyed the story... I liked that we got to see behind the scenes of what really goes on in the fragrance world. In fact, I now feel sorry for the Fragrance and Flavor houses who must fend for their feast. The days of perfumers working on an artistic level, crafting the next masterpiece, is GONE. Insert briefs that demand trend fragrances that appeal to the mass market and, oh by the way, only $10 per Kilo for fragrance ingredients! WHAT? That's INSANE and UNHEARD of! No wonder every fragrance on the market smells the same... everyone has to use the SAME cheap ingredients to meet the demand... and the fragrance house must fit the bill in hopes to win the contract... they take all the risk. Which makes it even WORSE! I feel sooooooooooo sorry for the perfumers working in the Fragrance Houses of today. Before you know it, they, too, will be obsolete and replaced by machines that can do a million trials in a day. It's ridiculous. What happened to the art aspect of it? The masterpiece design? Argggggggggh... it's sickening! I've read this book TWICE in three days... I honestly keep telling myself this guy HAS to be joking... The amount of money spent on the marketing BLOWS me away! It's friggin INSANE! Makes me NEVER want to purchase another Commercialized HYPED UP brand of perfume again! I'm now on the prowl for some awesome Artisan Fragrances... from perfumers who are not chained to a desk... whose creativity is not stifled by briefs and bottom line figures. Give me quality! And let my dollars go toward the JUICE... NOT the advertising!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017 by Avid Reader
Format: Hardcover
I came to this as a fan of Chandler Burr's fragrance reviews already, some of which I've clipped out not because I wanted to try the fragrance, but because the language is both so gorgeous and precise at the same time. So I came to this book with a great deal of anticipation and was not disappointed. It reads like a novel, with great characters and plot, and the world of perfume making is so exotic and unlike anything I can ever imagine that there is something intriguing and interesting on every page. Fun to read, full of great facts (okay, you can use them to impress your friends, I'll admit that) and if you love perfume...or just stories of those who are passionate about what they do...it's a terrific read.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2008 by Elaine Walsh
Format: Paperback
Easy reading, humorish, behind the scenes look at the perfume industry. The author spent a year in Paris to watch the makings of perfumes from the big industry and marketing houses of today. The very fragrances you and I wear everyday. Perfumery has, sadly, has changed from the days when perfumers experimented with various scents to create that million dollar perfume. Now, such a large industry, the money spent to find the masterpiece fragrance is absurd! We're talking millions of dollars for one fragrance! WHAT? The author seems obnoxiously full of himself, but if you read through his ego to the crux of what he is saying, it is an informative, at times humous, book. If you are interested in the art of perfumery, this is a good book and, I would recommend it. There are many other books were you will learn more about real artisans, where they get their ingredients, and how they put it all together for that perfect aroma. Recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017 by Jane
Format: Hardcover
For me, this is the best book on perfumers and perfume making. Chris Burr's personal experience was unique and amazing and the way he told the story was brilliant. You will discover a world you never even imagined existed, a world of passion, of imagination, of creation and hard work, all repaid by great satisfaction in the final products and the glamor of the industry. A definite buy!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2024 by CS