Musk(3)

Tom Ford White Musk Collection

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely, a daring sweet musk perfume

Cream Perfume - Maui Musk

One of the main characteristics of exotic countries is the heat. If today this is no more a problem for alcoholic vapos, hermetically closed, it was not the same 30 or 50 years ago. While luxury perfumes had sometime a special closure (but also many vintages evaporated though closed) this was not always the case with very cheap perfumes and their standard bottles. For many it was safer to sell "fragrance oils" when an oil formulation could be done. But not everything can be put in an "oil" or in a "without alcohol" formula! During the late 30's and during WWII Germans were able to produce fragrances without alcohol, a new type of formulation and it was of course intended for economic perfumes. It is not a mystery today that after WWII many German scientists went in all countries around the world (from India to South Africa, South America and mainly America) and many of them worked in the chemical American industry.Fragrance exports in the far countries was not something new. Since late 19th century many fragrances were sold in India, China, South America, end so on. Not only expensive perfumes (like Caron, Houbigant, Guerlain but also Rallet) but mostly very economic perfumes for the local market. They were called "export versions" and many aromachemical catalogues had versions of their bases for export. Back in those days (but even today) you have to have a good nose and chance to buy a local product and not one done in Paris (I found jasmine oil from India that turned to be Jasmophore base from Firmenich and other funny examples).Most fragrance manufactures (IFF, Givaudan, Firmenich, Dragoco, H&R) had in their old catalogues, ready made perfumes with fashionable notes that waited only to be bottled. Hippies found in India (and other places) not only the results of international perfumery trade but also the results of the booming chemical industry.Industrial production went on a large scale since the 50's and very soon large scale manufacture started in other countries like India. The production of nitromusks (and some other very polluting industrial processes) moved step by step from Europe. The start of the new perfumery in India can be seen in the magazine Indian Perfumer.As an anecdote the Galaxolide (IFF) is also known as Abbalide - from BBA (Bush Boake Allen - the British chemical factory in those days, before it was bought).What hippies bought as a musk oil in India was in fact one of the products of the very new chemical industry (nitromusks, free from any patent but maybe also British products produced on a large scale). Nitromusks difficult to be put in alcohol, alcohol difficult to sell in muslim areas but also difficult to preserve in cheap bottles and heat.



via 1000 fragrances, Octavian Coifan

Musk(2)

"It's sensual, it's mystique, it goes back to the roots of perfumery, it's Arabian, it's skinscent…." I've heard many symbolic discussions around musk oils (from Kiehl's to Narciso Rodriguez, from the cheap drugstore to the exclusive ones). They are false in my opinion or at least they show the gap between marketing / history / science, between facts / fiction / fantasy.The question of musk oils is more technical that symbolic. Most raw materials used in those (cheap) compositions are solid (crystals): vanillin, coumarine, heliotropine (for the sweet notes) then the nitromusks, which are almost insoluble in alcohol. If you wanted to do a cheap musk fragrance 50 years ago it was not very easy to make it as an alcoholic dilution.Musk keton, Musk ambrette and Musk xylene, the most used musks when oils appeared on the market are diluted in DEP (diethylphtalate) or DPG (dipropyleneglycol), solvents with an oily touch and a nightmare today for the cosmetic industry.The problem with crystals is different. While most of them are soluble in alcohol, when you have a big amount of them, though the solution is perfect, it will tend to crystallize on the bottle neck, the stopper, even on skin. Imagine you have a formula with very big amounts of musk ketone and vanillin. It's almost impossible in alcohol (unless very diluted, but that's not the point).When singular musk notes appeared on the market the relation between their price and their form (oil) was very tight. It was impossible back to 30's and early 50's to produce an alcoholic mass market perfume with a musk note. The natural musk was expensive even for famous luxury brands, the macrocyclic musks (exaltolide, muscone) still had astronomic prices. The only alternative for a drugstore perfume were the nitromusks and their only way to be sold as a product was not alcoholic.If the story of Kiehl's Original Musk Oil is true (if there was a formula dating back in the 20's) the original bottle was something I described - nitromusks + sweet notes. The product that was so famous and popular in USA back to 60's had nothing to do with the 20's. It contained (and it still contain) molecules that did not exist before 50's and not even in chemist's dreams before WWII.Something happened right after the war in USA with a profound impact on the industry (and maybe also on the culture). The polycyclic musks - a new class of molecules, less expensive, advertised in all fragrance/cosmetics/essential oils magazines. They were: Traseolide, Phantolide (PFW), Celestolide (IFF), Tonalide (PFW) and later Galaxolide from IFF. Musks were the subject of the day in American magazines and in this context we should see the birth of Kiehl's musk oil. Later the problem of solubility that existed in the first days of musk oils did not exist anymore. The musks used today are soluble in alcohol and are no more so expensive.A technical (and economic) problem gave birth to a certain type of formulation (oil not alcohol) that became a type a cult product which later gave birth to other fragrance products (Narciso Rodriguez or SJP) that allow us any cultural/symbolic speculation.(here there would be an entire discussion on how myths are born, the pattern is the same, but that's rather a cultural subject, not fragrance)Another social phenomenon happened in the late 60' early 70's. The musk oils brought by hippies from India. Very few of them bought authentic products. picture: Musk ketoneNote: the structure and synthesis of natural polycyclic musks like muscone and exaltolide happened between 1926 and 1933 at Chuit Naef (Firmenich) and when they were put on the market their price was extremely high. Very few perfumers used them and in minute quantities.



via 1000fragrances, Octavian Coifan

Musk (1)

What is Musk?
Musk is one of the animal’s products which is considered as the best odor in the world. It has a magical effect of soothing the soul and strengthening the inner organs as well as the outer body if applied whether thru sniffing, eating or drinking. The good musk is a dry and black substance, sometimes purple, smooth and tastes bitter.

Musk in History
Throughout history, the good musk used to be stored in special vessels made of gold, silver or brass and placed in corridors and lobbies in the palace so kings can smell the fragrance all over the place. Musk is produced in a gland between the stomach and the genitals in a form of a hairy sac in the male deer. Its scientific name is Moschus moschiferus (Musk deer). The name Musk is derived from Sanskrit name muska meaning testicle. The musk deer is1 meter long and half meter of height, with grey, long and fragile hair. It’s a nocturnal animal and very shy which makes it hard to find. Hunters usually resort to entrapments to capture it because of its evasive nature. Its natural habitat is the Himalaya heights and forests, Tibet, Siberia, and Northwest of China generally. The musk deer female is considered the most precious producer of black musk which is a high quality perfume additive. Hunters watch the female for extended period of time to make sure of its health condition. Then they attempt to capture it in a certain season of the year, extracting after all a small, congealed, black clot below the stomach.

How to extract the musk from the Musk Deer?
Firstly, hunters do kill (unfortunately) the deer then secondly take off the musk sac and dry it under direct sun, or dip it in a very hot oil. The good news is we can get the musk without killing the poor deer as people used to do before but we just only need to be patient. The musk deer gets uncomfortable when the musk sac is full where it feels itchy and irritated. So, the musk deer attempts to scratch that sac on a rough rock to peel it off, where eventually that sac gets stuck on the rocks in a good condition without spilling any of the musk. Here, musk experts collect those sacs which are called at this stage: Musk Mouse which is extremely rare and expensive nowadays. Musk comes from several countries but the quality is different of course: China and Tibet are the best producers of musk then come Nepal and Siberia in a second place. Several governments strictly banned the killing of the Musk Deer as it is on the verge of extinction like other species due to man’s greed.



via hubpages

LG생활건강, 더페이스샵 인수계약 체결

LG생활건강 (300,000원 17000 6.0%)이 더페이스샵 인수에 성공하면서 국내 화장품 업계에 일대 지각변동이 예고되고 있다. 이번 인수로 국내 화장품 시장은 아모레퍼시픽 대 LG생활건강의 '양강체제'로 재편될 전망이다.LG생활건강이 더페이스샵을 인수하면 전체 매출에서 아모레퍼시픽 (888,000원 0 0.0%)을 능가하게 된다. 지난해 아모레퍼시픽의 전체 매출은 1조5313억 원으로 이중 화장품이 1조2695억 원, 생활용품 등이 2617억 원이다. LG생활건강은 생활용품이 8197억원, 화장품이 5348억원으로 전체 매출은 1조3545억 원이다. 양사간 매출 차이는 1768억 원으로 LG생활건강이 매출 2300억 원 대의 더페이스샵 인수함에 따라 아모레퍼시픽을 외형에서 앞서게 됐다.매출규모는 LG생활건강과 더페이스샵의 연합이 더 크지만 LG생활건강은 화장품보다 생활용품 비중이 더 커 단순 비교할 수는 없다. 보다 정확한 것은 화장품 시장 점유율이다. 업계 부동의 1위인 아모레퍼시픽의 시장 점유율은 35.5%이다. LG생활건강은 더페이스샵(5.1%) 인수로 시장점유율을 17.5%까지 끌어 올릴 전망이다. 부동의 1위를 추격할 수 있는 발판을 마련한 셈이다.이뿐 아니라 화장품 전문점 수도 아모레퍼시픽을 앞서게 됐다. LG생활건강은 기존 뷰티플렉스 970개 매장에 더페이스샵의 700여 개 매장이 추가되면서 총 1670개를 확보했다. 아모레퍼시픽은 아리따움 매장 1040개와 이니스프리 매장 240개로 총 1280개 매장을 운영 중이다.더욱이 LG생활건강은 더페이스샵 인수로 소비 양극화 현상으로 화장품시장 내에서 상대적으로 고성장이 예상되는 중저가 시장에 효율적으로 진입할 수 있는 발판을 마련하게 됐다. LG생활건강 관계자는 "이번 인수로 10대~50대 전 연령층에 걸친 브랜드 포트폴리오를 갖추게 됐다"며 "기존 더페이스샵이 외부에 의존하던 R&D, 생산, 물류를 효율적으로 재구성해 시너지 창출이 예상된다"고 밝혔다. 또 LG생활건강의 연구기술력을 접목, 제품력을 획기적으로 개선시켜 소비자들의 충성도를 높여나가는 동시에 기능성 제품을 추가해 마진율을 높여나갈 계획이다. 이밖에 초기 상태인 더페이스샵의 해외사업에 LG생활건강의 기존 중국, 베트남, 미국 등의 해외사업 인프라가 더해지면서 해외사업이 더욱 체계화될 전망이다.한편 LG생활건강은 24일 더페이스샵 인수 계약을 체결했다고 밝혔다. LG생활건강이 확보한 지분은 더페이스샵의 최대주주인 어피니티측의 지분 70.2%와 창업주인 정운호 회장의 지분 29.8% 중 19.8%를 합친 90%이다. 총 인수대금은 4200억 원이지만 이는 현금보유액 700억 원을 포함한 액수로 실질적인 최종 인수 대금은 쉐퍼드 2785억원, 정운호 회장 715억원 등 총 3500억 원이다.

via 머니투데이

Katie Puckrik Smells Avery Gilbert

cool interview!

Ineke Perfumes

Perfume that smells like a Paris cafe. In the '90s, Gap released Grass, a fragrance that smelled like a freshly mowed field. Then came CB I Hate Perfume, the Brooklyn scent factory whose greatest hits included "Gathering Apples" and "Russian Caravan Tea." And several years ago, NYLON profiled the new company Etat Libre et Oranges, which made a bottle of "Jasmine and Cigarettes" that smelled... well, exactly like its name.Now the field of literal perfume reigns again, as Ineke releases "Paris Fieldnotes." They've taken extracts of coriander and tobacco, and concocted a fragrance evoking coffee, leaves, smoke, and sugar - in other words, everything you'd smell at the back of a Paris cafe.Available for $88, the perfume comes with its own map of Paris on the bottle - just in case you want to test its unique but comforting scent against the real thing.--FARAN KRENTCIL

via NYLON

Ineke Ruhland is a classically-trained perfumer creating original, modern and artisan fragrances in her independent studio in San Francisco. Born and educated in Canada, she moved to Europe in 1988 for a career in the fragrance industry. After working in the Netherlands, England and France, she found herself passionately drawn to the creative role of the professional "nose". So in 1996, she began her formal perfumery studies at ISIPCA in Versailles. After her apprenticeship at a fragrance house in Paris, Ineke moved to San Francisco to blend her skills and passions in perfumery, design, literature and the arts - and bring you her perfume "stories".

memorial of Daul Kim

We were very saddened today in the office to hear about the tragic death of Daul Kim. Apart from being stunned at the news there’s also a devastating sense that a bright, vivid and intriguing young girl has left us. I’m not even thinking about issues of her being a model or a chic young fashionista who might have grown up to be a great editor or stylist or actress. I’m thinking about the specialness of this girl as a human being…the inspiring quality of her mind…her ambition…her joy when she went to work. I’m saddened that her world as a human being became so despairing for her even as we assumed that life must had been magical and glamorous. I’ve only really had two extended conversations with Daul but I remember very vividly the life-force and passion in her eyes when she talked about clothes and travel and art and the irony of her being famous. Our deepest sympathy to her family and friends. And I truly wish that her spirit will find peace.

via model.com

I’ve heard the tragedy this morning.

My friend in NY texted me and I was shocked for a while...

Still can't believe this. Daul.. you were the best model ever!!

RIP. I will miss you so much:(

고인의 명복을 빕니다...

Six Scents : Series One Perfume Set

The Six Scents Fragrance Initiative is a new, ongoing collaboration between Symrise, Metaproject and Seven New York. The group plans to launch six new fragrances every year with a percentage of the proceeds going to charity.
Each of the six fragrances was developed by a celebrated designer working in conjunction with a Symrise perfumer.

Fragrance 1: Urban Tropicalia ~ by Alexandre Herchcovitch. According to perfumer Joachim Correll, “The inspiration for this fragrance was driven by the way that Alexandre creates fashion: The creative liberty he uses to design fashion which can be used equally by men or women. This fragrance can be worn at any time, for any occasion, as a form of self e-pression, to be daring, or simply for the pure pleasure of wearing a fragrance. The Alexandre Herchcovitch scent evokes freedom and sensuality, and similar to his fashion, the perfume is striking, emblematic and transcends categories”. Featuring notes of cedar, amber fond, lemon, cassis de bourgeons, lime, green apple, apricot, jasmine, tagete, freesia, cinnamon and musk.

Fragrance 2: Wicken 3000 ~ by Bernhard Willhelm. According to perfumer Lucas Sieuzac, “A light, fresh, clean scent that embodies a fusion of the elements. The idea was to create a perfume close to the elements of water and air, but with a futuristic approach. Express ‘the Back to nature’ side of Bernhard with a pure & essential fragrance.” The notes include sea breeze accord, bergamot, water jasmine and sheer musk.

Fragrance 3: The Spirit of Wood by Cosmic Wonder Light Source. According to perfumer Philippe Paparella-Paris, “The inspiration for this fragrance comes from Cosmic Wonder Light Source’s nature oriented fashion collection. Inspired by the designers memory of a scent experienced during a walk through an eucalyptus forest, a selection of fresh green top notes were combined with fig leaves and enlightened by green grass playing with fresh cut cypress. The idea was to create a rough and natural fragrance, using a lot of essential oils with a focus on the woody notes such as vetiver and hinoki.” The notes include green grass, fig leaves, cypress, elemi, coriander, cedar, vetiver, hinoki and white amber.

Fragrance 4: Diagonal by Gareth Pugh. According to perfumer Emilie Coppermann, “Contrast, ambiguity, duality. Gareth Pugh said about his style: “it’s a struggle between lightness and darkness;” this is what I tried to translate in this perfume. The contrast between different raw materials, masculine and feminine, rough and smooth, dark and light, fresh and sensual.” With notes of dill, black pepper, nutmeg, palissander, black tea, amyris, white amber and musk.

Fragrance 5: Illicit Sex ~ by Jeremy Scott. According to perfumer Philippe Roques, “Illicit Sex is an essay on Love : the encounter of fragility and strength.” The notes feature bergamot, aldehydes, pepper, nutmeg, rose, benzoin, olibanum, cedar and musk.

Fragrance 6: Teen Spirit by Preen. According to perfumer Mark Buxton, “The idea we had with Preen, was to capture an English summer garden after the rain – light, natural, floral, fresh, but not sweet. Its sparkling top note, made of calabrain bergamot and a unique seashore accord is wrapped with magnolia and Turkish rose. The tingling spicy scent of red pepper sustained by hazelnut leaf and rhubarb give the fragrance its natural depth. Finally, a touch of violet wood for the long-lastingness and pleasurable feeling.” With hazelnut leaf, rhubarb, bergamot, seashore accord, red pepper berry, rose, magnolia, violet wood, sandalwood and musk.

Personally, I loved Frangrance 4 :)

The Six Scents: Series Two is avaiable at 10 Corso Como Seoul .

http://www.six-scents.com/

THE INSIDER: SUE PHILLIPS
A master perfumer spills her sweet-smelling beauty secrets.

Take a deep whiff of your favorite fragrance—now thank Sue Phillips, since she probably had something to do with it. The South African is a perfume pro, someone who has dedicated her life to helping people make sense of scents. After developing fragrances for Burberrys, Lancôme, Tiffany, Chopard, Davidoff, and Trish McEvoy, among others, Phillips launched The Perfume Studio in the United States. Focusing on bespoke scents, Phillips helps those who don’t know their nose from their face to mix a customized fragrance.

Were you always obsessed with perfumes?
I’ve been fascinated with perfumes since I was a little girl. My first foray with fragrances was at a summer job at a store when I was 12 or 13-years-old. They put me in the fragrance department and one day I was reaching for a bottle of perfume—it was called Femme by Rochas, and it was very expensive—and it fell to the floor and cracked. I was so mortified, I went to the department manager and said, “I’m so sorry, I’d like to pay for it.” But that day there was so much fabulous fragrance in the air, he said, “Don’t worry, we sold more perfume than ever before.” So I’ve had a love affair with fragrances for many years.

What was it about perfume that interested you?
Sense of smell is actually our second strongest scent, after sight. You can walk down the street and smell something that can remind you of anything—your first love, grandma’s kitchen—because memories are so tied in to scent. But it’s the most ignored. We live in such a visual world; we’re watching TV, texting, IM’ing, talking on the cell phone, working on the computer, and the sense of smell is really becoming lost.

Is there something all beautiful fragrances have in common?
Yes, it’s just like cooking with food. You can be a vegetarian, you can be an omnivore, you can be into fish, but if you don’t have the real, fresh ingredients, no matter how much you like to cook it won’t work out well. You can make a fabulous omelet, but if the eggs or herbs aren’t fresh, you can make a lousy omelet. It’s the same with fragrances.

What’s the next big fragrance trend?
One of the things I see in the industry is that people are really looking to express themselves more and more. I think that there are wonderful designer and celebrity fragrances, but there are so many—there are over 1,000 fragrances launched every year. People want something that reflects themselves, especially if they can be involved in making their own fragrances. If you’re going to spend a lot of money, why spend it on something that everybody else has? Why not customize it and make it special? I’m very excited by this whole idea of custom perfumery.

Who would you say is the ultimate beauty icon?
Diane Von Furstenberg is a pretty cool lady. I worked with her when she was working with Avon for a fragrance, and she was so interesting. She knew different ingredients, she knew different notes, and she knew what she wanted. She was just amazing.

What’s the biggest mistake women make with their fragrances?
This is funny—in all my experiences, I’ve met a lot of French women, and the truth is that they really do know how to wear fragrance. They know where their pressure points are, so they apply it on their ankles, behind their knees, on the inside of their thighs, in their cleavage, and at the nape of their neck. And you know what happens? The fragrance rises as the pulse points warm up. A lot of American women don't wear fragrances well. You don’t have to pour it on, but apply it on the right places and the scent will last and stay with you.

Are people surprised when they find out you’re a professional nose?
When it comes to fragrances, so many people don’t know about them. So when they see that you do, they’re in awe. They’re like, “Tell me more!” It’s such a lost art. It’s really a combination of art and science, and it’s so extraordinary to have these people create fragrances. What I want to do is bring back the beauty and the magic and the aura of perfumer fragrances, rather than just, oh another launch. I want to make it more enjoyable for people.
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

via NYLON

Visit http://www.scenterprises.com/ for more info on Sue Phillips and her bespoke perfume workshops.

I Hate Perfume collection

There is something appealing about the slightly inconsistent typographic elements on the labels of the CB I Hate Perfume collection. These perfumes are the creations of scentologist, Christopher Brosius. The scents are mostly specific fragrances like The Fir Tree or Gathering Apples. These look almost like they came out of the perfumer's lab - in stark contrast to the laborate bottled things you'll find in a department store.
what a genius!!

NYT - Perfuming 'Perfume'

Chandler Burr talks with perfumer Christophe Laudamiel about creating the scents inspired by the book and upcoming movie "Perfume."

I watched this video in 2006. Aren't they amazing? And IFF is a dream place ever!!

Chandler Burr New York Times Perfume Critic

A brief interview on AP TV with New York Times perfume critic Chandler Burr.

love his critique!

intro

I always have been very sensitive to smell. While attending university, I became interested in flavor and fragrance when I studied food analysis and food chemistry. I was aware of my growing passion for scents, and as a food science student, I was dreaming about developing new flavors and fragrances. Then, I found out that LG Household & Health Care has a specialized scent research center called “Scentberry Perfume House.” Without any hesitation, I began asking questions about the student internship program at this research center. Eventually, I interned there during winter vacation in 2007, and the experience impressed me very much. Now I am majoring in Flavor Chemistry at Ewha. My dream is to become a flavorist or perfumer:)

I hope that you will find some info about perfumes and other scented products reviews through this blog. I will also add many more interesting stuff! Enjoy :D