Ultra-rare florals & perfume communities

Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Did you know? Guerlain, one of the world's most iconic houses, started as a vinegar company — Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain opened a Paris shop in 1828 combining perfumes and vinegars.

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: Communities, BR 540 and mood scents
2. Ask Me Anything: Fragrance-related art
3. Scent MythBusters: A perfumer rules it all?
4. Quiz: Ultra rare fragrant flowers
5. Molecule Spotlight: Narcissus

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

Online perfume communities, often likened to a “cult,” are reshaping the industry — creators like Funmi Monet and Emma Vernon turn niche perfumes into viral sensations and push for transparency. The New Yorker detailed Kurkdjian's Baccarat Rouge 540, a “rich-girl” icon whose viral TikTok rise cemented its status. And Estée Lauder is partnering with Dresden University of Technology to explore the link between perfume and emotion.

Ask Me Anything 🗣️ 👃

Could AI replace perfumery? Bart Puzio: “Maybe, but like painting — what counts is the thought, vision and intention, which only a human can provide.” Claudia Camacho: “People come to me because they want it authored by me.” Chester Gibs: “AI doesn't threaten the creative part — it could assist with mapping new molecules.” Riyal Noor: “The human element is key; AI is a tool to enhance the process.”

What non-perfumery skill helped your creation? Bart: music education. Claudia: art history, violin, floristry and the study of wine. Marie-Pierre: design. Chester: studying art at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. Riyal: music — balancing raw materials like a final composition.

Scent MythBusters 🎭️

“It needs a perfumer to make a great scent.”
Myth of the week

TL;DR

For independent, perfumer-led brands, a single perfumer often shapes the entire fragrance from concept to completion. But for global brands, it takes a team of experts — each with specialised skills — to ensure the scent is creative, safe, marketable and scalable.

The roles

Perfumer-creator, perfumer-analyst, ingredients specialist, technical perfumer, regulatory department, marketing team, laboratory, production department and packaging-compatibility experts. The perfumer's vision is only part of the process as projects scale.

Molecule Spotlight: Narcissus 🌷

Narcissus (poeticus, tazetta, jonquilla) yields intense, heady florals blending green, animalic and spicy notes. France's Aubrac region is a key growing area; the name comes from Greek narkē (numbness). It takes ~1,000 kg of flowers to produce just 750 g of absolute. Notable: Amouage Myths, Tom Ford Vert Bohème, Lancôme Magie Noire, L'Artisan Mont de Narcisse.