The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York - Softcover

Burr, Chandler

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312425775 ISBN 13: 9780312425777

Publisher: Picador USA, 2009

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Product Description:

The New York Times perfume critic, yes, you read that right follows the creation of two industry-defining perfumes. While Burr (The Emperor of Scent, 2003, etc.) approaches his beat with healthy skepticism, he?s also capable of flowery language, describing a perfume as smelling like early evening on an island where it is always summer.

Review:

"Filled with fascinating revelations about an industry built on illusions . . . entices you to marvel all the more at the power of fragrance." --The Dallas Morning News

"The Perfect Scent has drama, unforgettable characters, history, and location." --Los Angeles Times

"An inside, Hollywoodesque account." --The New York Times Book Review

"Burr winds his way deep into the secretive, dark, high-stakes world of perfumery, where following the scent can be hazardous to your career. . . . He smells the story in each bottle." --Associated Press

"Passionate and captivating." --The Toronto Star

"An appealing writer and an acute observer, [who] tells his two stories well." --The Wall Street Journal

"Filled with fascinating revelations about an industry built on illusions." --The Kansas City Star

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador USA
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0312425775
• ISBN 13: 9780312425777
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336