Posted by in Aspects of perfume, How people perceive perfume, Perfume notes, The Maxiamo Blog To each person, a perfume smells different. Anyone who smells a perfume unlocks memories that are uniquely theirs and associate what they smell with those memories. Some smells, of course, are guaranteed to unlock pleasant memories that we find attractive – flowers, rain, fresh bread, freshly cut lawn or hay, incense, chocolate, fruit, the sea, etc.
Posted by in Aspects of perfume, How people perceive perfume, Marketing of perfume, The Maxiamo Blog Have you ever wondered why glamorous, eye-candy advertisements for perfume are the norm? Today, perfume advertisements and commercials proliferate all media, and companies try to outdo each other with their storytelling. Yet, perfumes are still produced the slow, laborious, scientific way they have always been. And each perfume tells its own story, which is different for…Read more »
Posted by in Aspects of perfume, Marketing of perfume, The Maxiamo Blog It is interesting how particular people are associated with specific cosmetics and fashion houses and perfumes. Often, regardless of how unusual the pairing is, the association is instantaneous in the minds of consumers:
Posted by in Aspects of perfume, How people perceive perfume, Marketing of perfume, Perfume notes, The Maxiamo Blog There are highly exotic-looking flowers in the world, and some look fantastic but smell of nothing, and some smell fabulous but look weird. Here are two extremes: the “Black Rose” of Halfeti, Turkey, and the extremely vivid “Fringed Tulips” which are prolific this time of the year. Strange looks but great fragrance Halfeti, in the southeastern…Read more »
“When we reflect on the origin of creativity, in whatever field of endeavour, our thoughts turn first to the imagination…And the imaginative person, gifted with taste, will naturally be drawn in the direction of artistic creation.” – Edmond Roudnitska
The creation of perfume is both an art and a science; the ancient art of composing and creating a substance that will evoke specific memories and emotions in the person who uses it, combined with the science of organic chemistry.
A perfume that has been specially created is like an abstract painting. Its meaning for the wearer lies in the personal associations they experience when they smell it – a hot summer’s day, their mother’s scent, the skin of a loved one, walking through damp cedar woods, or standing on a beach, breathing in the sea scent. Each person will interpret a perfume differently, and for each, a perfume will reveal its top, middle and bottom notes as subtly different as each person’s own chemical makeup. Magically (though it is actually mainly science!) the perfume creator combines different extracts of carbon-based compounds, found in plants, in a systematic and intentional way to layer different smells to recreate memories for the user. One sniff – and you are somewhere else.
The word perfume is used today to describe scented mixtures and is derived from the Latin word, “per fumus,” meaning “through smoke”. And that is exactly what wearing perfume is like – the fragrance reveals itself like fragrant, invisible wisps of smoke – first the top notes, then, after a while, the middle notes, and lastly, lingeringly, the base notes. The words we use to describe these notes in a perfume are generally understood, but like describing a piece of art, or a wine, or a piece of music, the words and imagery are merely approximations. To truly experience a perfume, you have to smell it.
For most people, a perfume is the closest they will ever come to owning a piece of art, or a poem or piece of music dedicated to them. But today, owning your own piece of perfume art is more attainable than ever before.
