In Search of Perfumes
This month sees the debut book by one of the world’s most accomplished fragrance executives. Mr. Dominique Roques, a former head of sourcing for perfume developer Firmenich, explains the often mysterious art of developing and producing fine fragrances. He gives the reader a rare glimpse into the fascinating world of perfumery in a personal and intelligent style that will surprise you with every turn of the page. This is information that has been kept from consumers for generations in the secretive fragrance industry and will give you a new appreciation for the scents in your personal collection.
Do vou know how many flowers it takes to produce a kilo of rose oil? One million roses. each handpicked.
When it comes to nature, Dominique Roques is a unique authority. He has spent the last thirty years working closely with local communities around the globe to establish a sustainable supply of natural ingredients crucial to perfume making. From resin cultivated by traditional methods in El Salvador to rose oil distilleries in India as old as the Taj Mahal, his network reveals an elusive trade built on the fault lines of tradition and modernity.
With ‘In Search of Perfumes’, Roques tells the story of seventeen of the industry’s most precious ingredients-where they come from. their cultural and historic significance. and why we love them – from Indonesian patchouli to the “Damask Rose ” interweaving his own recollections and reflections on his life and work.
From Andalusia to Somaliland, Rogues takes us on an exclusive tour of a vast but delicate ecosystem wholly sustained by the artisans who are its caretakers. Isolated and rural, the tropical jungles of northern Laos remain to this day the only source of benzoin that centuries earlier wafted through the air of Louis XIV’s court. In Madagascar, where every transaction is made in cash, a caravan of porters carry pallets bearing $500,000 dollars to exchange for vanilla beans. The Venezuelan tonka bean, as fickle as the weather, may refuse to flower for years but is so esteemed by perfumers that patience becomes its truest virtue.
Everywhere Roques takes us, his infectious curiosity and amiability illuminate an immersive world of the uncharted. It is both entertaining and eye-opening.
Angela Citrigno
May 17, 2023 at 5:23 pmThis books sounds so interesting. I think book needs to be a hard paper copy and it would make a lovely coffee table book.
Brenda Cremer
May 15, 2023 at 9:55 pmA must read for me, can’t wait to get my hands on it.
September Dee
May 15, 2023 at 11:09 amOh wow! This sounds great!