And the Oscar of Perfumery goes to ...

Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Amsterdam, here we come! We’ve already received a dozen sign-ups for our first Community Meetup on July 25, 2025 — registration open until June 15. We’re also thrilled to welcome designer Cansu Dagbagli Ferreira to lead our visual journey, and for our debut scent Reflection, Chester had full creative liberty, with our friend and artist Ivana Rubelj interpreting the fragrance through a painting that becomes part of the final product.

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: Perfume Oscars, Space Smells, and Basenote trouble
2. Niche Newcomers: YLEM, D.S. & Durga, and PIGMENTARIUM
3. Quiz: Why is CO₂ extraction especially popular among niche perfumers?
4. Scent MythBusters: Perfumers always know when a fragrance is finished

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

#OSCAROFPERFUMERY: The 11th Art and Olfaction Awards crowned multiple winners — Thailand’s MEKHA ARANYA by SIAM1928 and Taiwan’s MINT ROSE by OrDioLab took artisan honours, while Michael Nordstrand’s BAD LILY for TALE Parfum secured independent recognition alongside China’s NORTHERN by Soulvent.

#SPACESMELLS: From cosmic aromas to stink birds, the rarest scents span galaxies and species. British astronaut Helen Sharman describes space as having “just one smell” — a metallic odour later replicated as “Eau De Space” perfume. Meanwhile the hoatzin earns its “stink bird” nickname through a fermentation process producing an aroma likened to fresh manure.

#FRAGRANCEDINOSAURINPERIL: Basenotes, the internet’s oldest independent fragrance community at 25 years, faces extinction after Google algorithm changes slashed their traffic by 60% overnight. If you rely on them, consider supporting their Patreon.

Niche Newcomers 🎨 🌟

Eye of God by YLEM — Celestial Mysticism. Inspired by the Helix Nebula: radiant spice opens, a complex heart of woods, oud and sweet nuances shimmers like starlight, and a metallic coolness adds an otherworldly aura. Perfumer: Andreas Wilhelm.

Rum Bay Rum by D.S. & Durga — Grandfather’s Embrace. A rediscovered 2008 archive treasure: West Indian bay’s spicy warmth, linden’s floral sweetness and creamy sandalwood — “a soft, spicy bay rum that lasts.” Perfumer: David Seth Moltz.

Brutal by PIGMENTARIUM — Concrete Poetry. Brutalist architecture meets unexpected sensuality: a dark Negroni accord, black coffee and orange blossom, a tuberose heart against ylang-ylang and May rose, with tobacco bourbon, amber and sandalwood. “Architecture distilled into scent — stark, unapologetic, magnetic.”

Quiz 🎲

Why is CO₂ extraction especially popular among niche perfumers?
• It extends shelf life • It captures a broader, more natural scent profile • It targets specific aroma molecules selectively • It works without heat, preserving delicate notes

Scent MythBusters 🎭️

“Perfumers always know when a fragrance is finished.”
Myth of the week

TL;DR

The notion that master perfumers can definitively declare “this fragrance is complete” is one of perfumery’s most persistent myths. Christophe Laudamiel compared designing a fragrance to painting a picture — there’s no standard rule to say it’s finished.

The reality check

Christophe Laudamiel speaks not of endpoints but precarious balance: “It’s like constructing a house of cards. You change one thing and your whole fragrance collapses.” Jean-Claude Ellena describes perpetual reduction: “I started with 1,200 ingredients… today I work with one hundred and ten.” Dominique Ropion: “When I start building something, I don’t know what the final result will be — perfumery is a world of infinite possibilities.”

Commercial completion

In reality, most fragrances are declared “finished” when they meet commercial deadlines, regulatory requirements and budget constraints rather than when the perfumer feels artistically satisfied. Completion is often negotiated among marketing teams, brand managers and focus groups.

So, is the myth busted?

Absolutely. Perfumers don’t possess mystical knowledge about completion — they navigate uncertainty with skill, embrace constraints with creativity, and find beauty in the arbitrary stopping points that commercial realities impose.