Sniffed this wonderful narcissus on my walk the other night - swoon! ... when I started on my aroma journey I couldn't identify most flowers apart and would have never thought to sniff so many flowers that were for me only visual (until then!).

when I went to Grasse I was desperate to smell oakmoss. I'd heard of it but never smelled. So literally an hour into my arrival at the museum I was like "can I smell oakmoss" and they took me to it. this is the shelf with a great big hunk of dried vetiver.

I think I will make a lilac base because lilac cheers me up and that is what I need.

Or maybe hyacinth ... I smelled some the other day at the supermarket and it immediately improved my mood.

Pictured: Ellena's lovely micro accord from his great 'Diary of a Perfumer'

sniffing while I work...

linalool oxide, Humus Ether (Takasago), geosmin (neat!), and fenchone alpha.

I've had these for a while but just felt like comparing them.

there is method to this madness. I don't have a better system other than organizing by fragrance family/cluster (i.e., white florals/white floralizers, rosy materials, ionones/violety/irone, fruits (back of fridge), green, musks etc. I don't think I have the stamina for an alphabetical system....

since I recently did an Iris (a very earthy orrisy one I might add) for a project I was curious to revisit this Fragonard soliflore to get a sense of how they interpreted it. it's very nice actually: sweet, berried-fruity, but also watery-green/melon and slightly powdery. not especially violety

thinking about doing a lilac accord/base for the spring because the smell is so cheerful... and I really need something cheerful right now to make me feel better. I also want to try making a couple of floral bases from the Appell book (bouvardian and one of the roses) for learning and for pleasure.

first ingredientat 10% is...? something cresol? not para cresol...
[ image via @voldenuit.bsky.social ]

I can make out all but the top one of these .. the first is?

the focus on marketing end products is great at the point of sale/consumer 'theatre' but it also erases the realities of a practice. it's not as cute or poetic or pretty as people might imagine...

my little workbench and corner of the lab is a combination aroma library, educational archive, and work area. Special fridge (no freezer) with lock, lab-only dishwasher, locking cabinets, full-body safety wash & desktop eyewash, ventilation, and portable barriers.

Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir est le quatrième prélude du premier livre des Préludes de Claude Debussy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sCc...

Alain Planès collections:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCgZ...