05 | Natural vs. Synthetic
Chemistry is Our Nature
We tell ourselves over and over again that only the finest and most exotic natural essences are worthy of a place in the best perfumes. Conversely, the word ‘synthetic’ is enough to make us shudder. But synthesis is the sole reason perfumery exists as we know it today, and the perfumer is able to compose formulae that are balanced but also diffusive, tenacious and, above all, unprecedented. We delve into the issue, taking in perspectives from science, botany, history, law, industry and marketing.
This fifth edition of Nez looks at the issues surrounding the use of natural and synthetic ingredients in perfume. What role has chemistry had in building the perfume business of today? Why are natural products so favored, and are they always preferable to synthetic fragrances?
THE NOSE OF ARCHITECTS
Does architecture offer space to a sense of smell?
ICONS
Making good use of their noses, each in their own manner contribute to the world of olfaction.
ODORAMA
Everything you always wanted to know about smell but were afraid to ask.
- The story of Calone
- The sense of smell of insects
- All about cardamom
- Analysing the smells of a holiday home
CONNECTIONS
Invisible yet undeniable, smells feature in all creative fields.
- Extract: Musk by Percy Kemp
- Huysmans: a spiritual voyage, nostrils wide open
- A smell-binding tour of Camden Town
- Creative spirits: Marlène Staiger and Nicolas Julhès
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Flower Dance by Goldie Poblador
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A Table of Desserts by Jan Davidsz. de Heem
- Olfactory column: Céline Ellena
MAGAZINE
Exploring the world of perfume through its origins, its trade secrets, its history and its professionals.
- Bergamot, the prized scent of Calabria
- Interview: Michel Almairac
- Flashback: La Belle Époque
- The fantasy perfumery
NATURAL VS. SYNTHETIC
Nez examines and debates the use of natural and synthetic ingredients in perfumes, viewed from historical, scientific, legal, industrial and marketing perspectives.
- Nature is chemistry!: Mapping the fragrant molecules of the vegetal world
- The genesis of synthetics: How perfumery entered modernity in the 19th century
- How tomorrow’s scents are invented: The search for new molecules
- Who’s afraid of the big bad perfume?: An investigation into the real or supposed dangers hidden in perfumes
- The cult of the natural: When an ingredient becomes the selling point
- In the garden of lost scents: The forgotten plants of perfumery
- Making an odor more real than nature: The nose and palate can no longer tell the synthetic from the natural
PERFUME PAGES
From consumer products to works of art, Nez takes a look behind the scenes of the perfume industry, and also appraises the 30 new fragrances making the news.
INVESTIGATION
The era of computer-assisted perfumery
BEHIND THE BRAND
Parfum d’empire – Marc-Antoine Corticchiato
GENEALOGY
Tabac blond, by Coty
Published: May 2018
English only
144 pages
