The superpower all perfumers dream of

Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Did you know? One year ago, the Perfumer’s Garden at the Palace of Versailles opened to the public, under the patronage of Francis Kurkdjian.

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Story: The man with the ultimate perfumer superpower
2. Industry Insights: The solution to make blind-buying fun?
3. Fragrance picks: Ethyl Maltol and Lavender

Story: Matt Kaschel 🦸 💪

An interview with Matt Kaschel of Postmodern Perfumer. His fascination with smells began in childhood and reignited in 2015 when his favourite perfume, L’Occitane Pour Homme, was reformulated. He amassed a library of ~400 ingredients. Matt has phantosmia — an olfactory hallucination he calls a superpower: “I can dream in smells and wake up with a complete fragrance idea in my head.”

He sees a “French Revolution moment” in perfumery, with independents like Christophe Laudamiel pushing for recognition and rights — proper credit and better contracts, and the inability to copyright formulas leading to dupes and sameness. His first commercial scent, Broken Flowers, celebrates fragility and imperfection (like Japanese Kintsugi) — vegetal green notes and an opulent floral bouquet over a myrrh base with vanilla and sugar.

Industry Insights: Olfactive Diagnosis 🎯

The Parisian shop NOSE offers Olfactive Diagnosis — name 2–5 favourite fragrances and receive a kit with the five best matches (€12, redeemable against a full bottle). The tool was built with AI experts and perfumers who assessed more than 9,000 perfumes.

Fragrance Picks 🤌

Ethyl Maltol — synthetic, gourmand family, a sweet candy/cotton-candy aroma; pairs with vanilla, tonka and fruity notes (ref. Mugler Angel). Lavender — natural, aromatic family, clean and calming with green and woody undertones; pairs with citrus and woods (ref. L’Occitane Pour Homme).