Flawless incorporates a blend of cucumber, pear and citrus along with magnolia and verbena, and is finished with rich saffron and cocoa.

Ben Bridge assembled a dynamic team to create Flawless, including renowned perfumer Raymond Matts, who helped create Clinique’s “Happy” and Elizabeth Taylor’s “White Diamonds,” and Prolitec Inc., whose  system enables a scent experience without  spritzing.

More at diamonds.net

Lithuania is pioneering a new type of national symbol to convey the character of the ex-Soviet Baltic state in a fragrant way with a bottle of perfume.

Lithuania’s foreign ministry has already sent bottles of the new fragrance to all ambassadors accredited to Vilnius.

The project with olfactory appeal is “a good example of how to communicate Lithuania to the public in an innovative way,” according to a foreign ministry statement.

“We wanted to create something special, representing Lithuania and the Lithuanian character, ” Mindaugas Stongvilas, an expert in emotional communication behind the project told the Lithuanian daily Vilniaus diena.

The perfume “Lithuania” is a blend of sandalwood, cedar and musk intended to connote the Indo-European origins of the Lithuanian language as well as Lithuanian strength of character, its designer says.

“For Lithuanians to identify themselves with this perfume, we’ve added the smell of wood fires that can be associated with pagan rituals, as well as moss and wildflowers,” Stongvilas said.

The creation of the perfume has been entrusted to France’s Galimard perfume from Grasse on the Riviera which has been in business since 1747. The first thousand bottles were produced for more than a 100,000 litas (28,900 euros, 38,792 dollars).

Lithuanian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan have also received samples. Soon it will be the turn of Lithuanian embassies, hotels and airports.

Buy a bottle for yourself at www.lietuvoskvapas.lt

• Research in France indicates scent may have a powerful role to play in helping people who are suffering from severe trauma.
• Scent is an integral part of a new transdisciplinary master’s program at the Parsons New School for Design in New York.
• Bloom grocery stores recently implemented the first scented billboard in North Carolina, using giant fans to blow a charbroiled scent over a highway.

Check it out over at Bloomberg Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_26/b4184085987358.htm

More info: IFRA

I don’t normally report about wearable perfumes here in Air Sense News, but occasionally I hear about something that’s just too good not to mention. These items generally fall under the category of “brilliant marketing ploys.” Here’s the latest, which my perfume-wearing friends tell me is old news. Perhaps, like me, it will be new to you.

New York company Demeter Fragrance has a series of wearable scents with names of some truly unusual things. A glance at Demeter’s online Fragrance Library will entertain you for hours. Here’s just a tiny fraction of what’s there:

• Bonfire
• Bubblegum
• Cannabis Flower
• Clean Windows
• Condensed Milk
• Dandelion
• Dirt
• Dregs
• Funeral Home
• Gift Certificates
• Gin & Tonic
• Lobster
• Mildew
• Popcorn
• Pruning Shears
• Sawdust
• Turpentine
• Waffles

Links:

Sunday Herald article

Demeter Fragrance Library

Read more in the Times Online

JPMorgan analyst Jeffrey J. Zekauskas downgraded shares of International Flavors & Fragrances in a note to investors last week. Citing slower sales in its fragrance segment during the fourth quarter of 2007, as well as rising food costs, IFF’s status was changed from “Underweight” to “Neutral.” First quarter results from IFF are scheduled to be reported May 1. Read more at CNN Money

Related link: IFF

Related links:

• Arylessence
• IFRA

Scent and sensationalism

Here’s one juicy headline: A financial consultant in Manhattan claims hypersensitivity to fragrances, caused by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center (MSNBC, March 31, 2008). “On occasion, I’ve made people wear a garbage bag over their clothes because the detergent smell was so fierce I couldn’t endure it,” she continues.

Invoking the worst terrorist attack on American soil and by humiliating those – in her opinion – “over scented” clients of hers, Karen Kraig (the consultant) goes to extremes in addressing an old phenomenon not limited to our industry: whatever works for most (scent marketers and consumers, in this case) also works against a few of us.

Those kinds of reports – especially when wrapped in a crowd-pleasing context – provoke a response which is difficult to craft and almost certainly will draw fire from the advocates of a scent-free world who may call it a lack of compassion and profiteering on account of those who suffer. At the Scent Marketing Institute we know that just a few of those reports can do serious damage to an industry that for almost a decade aims at providing marketers and advertisers with services and products that are safe for the consumer and effective for the advertiser. Nevertheless we would not be doing our job if we wouldn’t try…

First, let’s look at some facts:

There is scent all around us. Garbage in the street on a hot summer day, fruit and produce in the supermarket, sun tan lotion on the beach, the whiff we get of a lady’s perfume passing by on Fifth Avenue. There are ways of controlling any of those scents; applying them prudently should be a matter of common sense.

In 2007, US consumers spent $5.1 billion on home fragrances and candles.

More than 40 million Americans have some kind of disability. “Difficulty smelling”, however, is not a category in the US Bureau of the Census’ reports.

Next, which are the most common health threats caused by scent:

Contact dermatitis, the ailment quoted by MSNBC, only occurs upon contact of a fragrance with the skin and therefore is a bit out of place in the context of the story about Mrs. Kraig’s interaction with her clients.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; in broad terms it means an unusually severe sensitivity or allergy-like reaction to many different kinds of pollutants including solvents, VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), perfumes, petrol, diesel, smoke, “chemicals” in general and often encompasses problems with regard to pollen, house dust mites, pet fur and dander.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction describes a problem with processing information and can affect all senses, not only the sense of smell. It often falls in the larger context of autism.

Hyperosmia, oversensitivity to smell is much less common than loss of smell. Pregnant women commonly become oversensitive to smell. Hyperosmia can also be psychosomatic. Psychosomatic hyperosmia is more likely to develop in people who have a histrionic personality (characterized by conspicuous seeking of attention with dramatic behavior). Asthma attacks or allergies in the respiratory tract can be caused by “foreign substances in the environment” such as fragrances.

Panic attacks, depression or any other medical problem may result from an aspect called “conditioning”, which happens when two unrelated events occur at the same time and one event becomes associated with the other. When the first event is later repeated, the second event also manifests itself for the sufferer. The first event may involve exposure to a scent and the second an unpleasant or devastating experience.

Obviously, when it comes to scent, individuals have different perceptions of “pleasantness,” and suffer from different medical conditions or have none at all due to an inability to smell. While the numbers tell us that most of us love to be surrounded by what we consider pleasant smells, we need to be sensitive towards those who may be offended or whose health may be threatened. And since there are no exact figures available how many people actually would suffer from an olfactory approach … who would want to be the judge?

Eliminating scent altogether cannot be the ultimate solution. We could go as far as invoking our constitutional rights of free expression. On the bright side, we have the unique opportunity to self-regulate our industry by abiding to a few simple rules:

Rule #1: Providing for a mechanism that puts the consumer in control over having an olfactory experience or not – depending on her personal preferences and potential medical condition. This also means to keep public spaces clear of scents.

Rule #2: Deliver an appropriate quality and quantity of scent. Let’s not be tempted to buy scents from dubious sources and/or countries that do not have institutions overseeing ingredients and manufacturing processes only because a lower price better serves our financial models.

Rule #3: Make it easier for the consumer to relate to the scent we deliver to avoid confusion and minimize negative reactions. Coconut smell does not belong into a supermarket around Christmas – but it works year round in a travel agency selling tropical vacations.

Rule #4: More is not always better. Do not overpower the customer or your store personnel with scent. Anosmia, the absence of the ability to smell, may occur when a person is exposed to scent regularly and may tempt the store manager to crank up the system to unacceptable levels.

Eliminating all artificial scent and demanding a 100% scent-free environment would probably quickly disillusion even the fiercest proponent of such measures. Just speak with the pub operators in England about their new olfactory experience after introduction of the smoking ban. All the beer and alcohol spills that so far went unnoticed have them scramble for technologies and substances that eliminate such malodors. And while they exist, the best way still is to cover them up by something even stronger. Just not tobacco.

“Moderation” is the key word. “Tolerance” and “respect” can’t hurt either. Let’s not descend to a one-sided view and to discussions where a few are accused of causing harm to many. Not all marketers and advertisers are out there manipulating consumers on the subliminal level. While they get paid to sell products, some also want to entertain and inform via a multi-sensory experience. Meanwhile we express our compassion for those less fortunate that cannot enjoy the full range of sensory stimulation.

Quality of life to a large degree is defined by us having a choice of which sensual experience to enjoy. In designing such experiences, creativity should not be limited. Neither should be our choice to opt in or opt out.

Related Link: Scent Marketing Institute

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