Perfume
Gowé, the scent of Africa
Gowé, a very popular plant in West Africa where it is valued for its healing properties as well as being burned like incense, has now joined the perfumer’s palette.
Natural raw materials
News
Thierry Duclos, Simppar: “Placing every exhibitor, whether a small producer or a multinational company, on equal footing”
For 35 years, Simppar has maintained a unique format dedicated to the discovery of raw materials. Following the success of its first edition in Grasse in 2024, the trade fair is now confirming its establishment in the perfume capital.
Fairs & Events
Notes Shanghai: China’s fragrance moment
Everything moves fast in China, and the world of fragrance is no exception. Every six months in Shanghai, the Notes exhibition sees Chinese, Asian, and European brands set up shop to present their creations, welcoming very young houses alongside more established names. Here is a brief overview of this year’s early edition that ran from April 2 to 5, 2026, and is redrawing the market’s contours.
Wadi Dawkah
Boswellia sacra in images and the imagination
Tracing the history of the frankincense tree through images allows us to follow how humans have perceived, utilized, and imagined it over millennia. From ancient reliefs to botanical plates, these representations tell a story that is as much cultural as it is natural.
Wadi Dawkah
In Wadi Dawkah, the “Omani Grasse”
In a corner of Arabia Felix – “Happy Arabia,” the Latin name used by geographers to refer to South Arabia – lies the cradle of frankincense: Wadi Dawkah, 3,500 acres at the heart of the Dhofar region, a rocky land in the south of the Sultanate of Oman, where thousands of frankincense trees grow.
News
Ayn Dawkah: the cornerstone of Omani frankincense
At the heart of Wadi Dawkah, the UNESCO-listed site and birthplace of Omani frankincense, Amouage has just laid the cornerstone of an ambitious project for a cultural center dedicated to the desert’s white gold.
Wadi Dawkah
Olibanum resin: a panacea?
In 2022, researchers at the center of natural and medical sciences at the University of Nizwa, 150 km from Muscat, managed to decipher the Boswellia sacra genome using DNA from fresh frankincense leaves. An achievement that owes much to the perseverance of the Omani scientific teams.
Perfume
Oakmoss: an exemplary case of IFRA’s role
Certain iconic ingredients had to receive use restrictions – by IFRA Standards, government regulations or both – such as oakmoss. What problems do this ingredients poses? How has it been regulated? Matthias Vey, IFRA Vice President of Scientific Affairs, looks at the history of their IFRA Standards.
Wadi Dawkah
The quintessential scents of Oman
The hospitality of Oman is felt upon arrival at Muscat airport with a subtle, diffused scent of frankincense as Omani people know that if they want to create a tranquil atmosphere, they can turn to olibanum.
History
The Incense Trade Route, by Sterenn Le Maguer-Gillon
What is the history of incense and its trade? That’s the question answered in this article, which traces the history of the “Incense Route” over several centuries, from its earliest beginnings to the inscription of the Dhofar region in the Sultanate of Oman as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Perfume
Naturals take centre stage with DSM-Firmenich
A year after the release of its book Grasse, de la fleur au parfum published by Gallimard, innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty DSM-Firmenich continues to ramp up its approach to naturals. An approach that aims to “use science to harness nature and enhance its riches.” Xavier Brochet, Global Head of Natural Product Innovation, tells us more.
Olfactory Culture
Perfume as a way of life in the Middle East
Frankincense, bakhoor, attars: perfume is deeply rooted in Omani culture, starting with the Latin roots of the word, per fumum, meaning through smoke. The love of fragrances can be found throughout the Middle East, inextricably linked to how people see themselves and others, to their personal values, to the social rituals that unfold in daily life or at special occasions.
Olfactory Culture
Laboratoire Monique Rémy: In the beginning, there was a woman
Monique Rémy was a pioneer and an iconoclast. She founded LMR in 1983, driven by her passion for the natural world. On the occasion of the company’s 40th anniversary, all those who crossed her path pay homage to her unique impact on the fragrance industry in the book Art of Natural. Here is its introduction.
Podcasts by Nez
Smell Talks : Cultural heritage and fragrance
Fragrance is important in our everyday life, but it has also played an essential role in global history, resonating with cultures and societies worldwide.
Olfactory Culture
Oman, strategically positioned in the Gulf
The partnership between Amouage and Oman, which aims to relaunch the local incense industry, takes place in the historical and geopolitical context of the sultanate. The brand’s intention is to contribute to the social and economic development of the country, while promoting Omani culture.
Interviews
Renaud Salmon: “Wadi Dawkah is serving as a pilot project for the Omani frankincense industry”
In 2022, Amouage signed a partnership with Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to relaunch the frankincense industry in the sultanate. This initiative follows on from the inscription of the Land of Frankincense on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. Renaud Salmon, Chief Creative Officer of the Omani fragrance house, takes up the story.
Interviews
Dominique Roques: “Working on a multifaceted project focusing on frankincense trees is a wonderful opportunity”
After 30 years of experience in sourcing natural products, Dominique Roques has been given a three-year mission by Amouage. He is tasked with plotting the renaissance of the frankincense industry in the Wadi Dawkah natural park in the Sultanate of Oman, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
News
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.
News
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.
News
“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.
