5th Experimental Scent Summit: Olfactory culture under the Lisbon sky

On 6 June 2024, the 5th Experimental Scent Summit, organised by the Los Angeles-based Institute for Art and Olfaction, took place in Lisbon. A day teeming with encounters between researchers, artists and perfumers from all over the world who shared research and ideas about olfactory culture.

Scent, money, and ethics

Several scandals have hit the fragrance industry recently – while the word ethics is repeated over and over by the perfume brands. Maybe one of the keys lay in the fair remuneration of the first links in the chain? What seems obvious is yet far from being the rule. We offer an analysis of this burning issue, published in the last issue of Nez magazine.

Nez x GDR O3 – Smelling of roses

Did you know that a better understanding of the origin of the rose’s fragrance would pave the way for innovations both in cosmetics and pharmacy? This is, among other things, what the CNRS research engineer and member of the GDR O3 Benoît Boachon explained to us.

Nez x GDR O3 – The structure of olfactory receptors laid bare

Olfactory receptors are mysterious, but they are gradually unveiling their secrets to researchers. Biochemist Claire de March, a member of the GDR O3, and her colleagues were recently able to observe this secretive protein, in order to understand it better.

Monique Rémy, natural products in all their splendour

Founder of the natural ingredients company that carries her name in 1983, Monique Rémy passed away on Thursday 4 January 2024. Let’s take a look back at the career of a grande dame to whom the industry owes a great deal.

Nez x GDR O3 – Cracking the combinatorial odour code

Let’s take a geek’s journey to the heart of olfactory receptors, sources of unexpected hope, with Jérémie Topin, Assistant professor at Université Côte d’Azur, and Matej Hladis, PhD student, both members of GDR 03.

“The human adventure”, by Jean-Claude Ellena

Our day-to-day lives are being increasingly infiltrated by what is given the catchall name of artificial intelligence. Perfumers are no exception. So how does AI change our relationship with the creative process? Drawing on an historical analysis of his profession, Jean-Claude Ellena offers a review of these new technologies, often championed by the perfumery industry.

Grasse, home-away-from-home for dsm-firmenich

Although dsm-firmenich is best known for its expertise in synthetic molecules, the composition house has been present in Grasse since 2007. It has gradually put down roots in the town, culminating in 2020 with the acquisition of Villa Botanica, a nature-rich haven open to perfumers and clients the following year. It is now releasing a book that tells the story of this journey and reveals the four-season symphony at the heart of the world’s perfume capital.

Bagatelle international contest: discovering the roses of tomorrow

The Bagatelle international new roses contest has been highlighting and honouring outstandingly beautiful and fragrant roses since 1907. Nez was one of the judges for the 116th edition alongside, among other jury members, Jeanne Bichet, an evaluator at Luzi. Let’s plunge our noses into the petals of tomorrow’s roses.

Helen Keller and Julia Brace: Aesthetics for the hand and nose

On June 27, we celebrate the birthday of Helen Keller, an American author and activist who lost her sight and hearing at the age of 2. The development of her sense of smell, as well as her perception of the world in general, are analyzed here by scent historian Caro Verbeek. It’s also an opportunity to discuss the lesser-known case of Julia Brace, also deaf and blind.

Leather and perfume: skin to skin

In many ways, leather and perfumery have a similar history, always closely linked. Leather gloves have been perfumed since ancient times, although the profession of master glover-perfumer was not given formal status until much later. At the heart of the great perfumery classics, the leather accord is now making a strong comeback. Christine Nagel, in-house perfumer at Hermès, and Céline Perdriel, perfumer at Cosmo, take a closer look.

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Thierry Duclos: “Holding SIMPPAR in Grasse made perfect sense”

The mayor of Grasse, Jérôme Viaud, made an important announcement at the traditional cocktail party held at the International Exhibition of Raw Materials for Perfumery (SIMPPAR) on 31st May: next year the show will take place in the world’s perfume capital after sixteen years in Paris. Thierry Duclos, who has been running the event for over twenty years, talks about its journey so far and the choice to hold it in Grasse.

Tuberose, by LMR Naturals

On the occasion of the International Exhibition of Raw Materials for Perfumery (SIMPPAR) which will take place on May 31 and June 1 in Paris, we invite you to discover a series of articles originally published in the book From Plant to Essence – A World Tour of Fragrant Raw Materials. For the last leg of our journey, let’s embark for India, where LMR Naturals, IFF’s subsidiary for natural ingredients, has partnered with Nesso, a tuberose producer.

Vanilla, by Mane

On the occasion of the International Exhibition of Raw Materials
for Perfumery (SIMPPAR) which will take place in Paris, we
invite you to discover a series of articles originally published in the book From Plant to Essence – A World Tour of Fragrant Raw Materials.
Let’s find out more about the Malagasy vanilla bean grown by Floribis, with whom Mane has established a partnership since 2000.

Ginger, by Symrise

On the occasion of the International Exhibition of Raw Materials for Perfumery (SIMPPAR) which will take place on May 31 and June 1 in Paris, we invite you to discover a series of articles originally published in the book From Plant to Essence – A World Tour of Fragrant Raw Materials. Today, let’s talk about ginger, grown and distilled in Madagascar by Symrise.

Natural extraction over the next decade by Firmenich

On the occasion of the International Exhibition of Raw Materials for Perfumery (SIMPPAR) which will take place on May 31 and June 1 in Paris, we invite you to discover a series of articles originally published in the book From Plant to Essence – A World Tour of Fragrant Raw Materials. Let’s start with Firgood extraction method, unveiled by Firmenich at the exhibition two years ago.

With the support of our principal partners

IFRA