From the New York Times perfume critic, a stylish, fascinating,
unprecedented insider's view of the global perfume industry, told
through two creators working on two very different scents.
No journalist has ever been allowed into the ultrasecretive, highly
pressured process of originating a perfume. But Chandler Burr, the New
York Times perfume critic, spent a year behind the scenes observing the
creation of two major fragrances. Now, writing with wit and elegance, he
juxtaposes the stories of the perfumes -- one created by a Frenchman in
Paris for an exclusive luxury-goods house, the other made in New York by
actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Coty, Inc., a giant international
corporation.
We follow Coty's mating of star power to the marketing of perfume,
watching Sex and the City's Parker heading a hugely expensive campaign
to launch a scent into the overcrowded celebrity market. Will she match
the success of Jennifer Lopez? Does she have the international fan base
to drive worldwide sales?
In Paris at the elegant Hermès, we see Jean Claude Ellena, his company's
new head perfumer, given a challenge: he must create a scent to
resuscitate Hermès's perfume business and challenge le monstre of the
industry, bestselling Chanel No. 5. Will his pilgrimage to a garden on
the Nile supply the inspiration he needs?
The Perfect Scent is the story of two daring creators, two very
different scents, and a billion-dollar industry that runs on the
invisible magic of perfume.
