Perfume: The Art And Science of Scent [Hardcover]

Cathy Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0756781507 | ISBN-13: 978-0756781507

Perfume takes the reader behind the scenes to watch how the elements of perfume are harvested and processed. This book with oversize pages contains stunning colour photographs.'

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Newman's investigation of perfume and the perfume industry began as an article for National Geographic, but as she delved deeper into the topic, she found herself writing a book. There are many, many books published each year that should never have been promoted beyond magazine articles. Fortunately, this is not one of them. Whether Newman is describing the science of extracting scent from the natural world, the technology of manufacturing perfume, the business of producing it, or the craft of selling it, she never fails to capture the reader's imagination, both with the indelible detail (a concentrate made from French jasmine sells for $12,000 a pound) and the fascinating historical aside (the fragrance industry in England was launched in 1573, when the earl of Oxford gave Queen Elizabeth I a pair of scented gloves). Perhaps most memorable is the chapter in which Newman describes her participation in a journey to the Costa Rican rain forest in search of new scents. A terrific mix of popular science and culture. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

Scores of glorious Full-Color photographs make this one-of-a-kind book as lavish a treat for the eye as for the imagination--and as unforgettably, irresistibly evocative as a classic perfume. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 157 pages
• Publisher: Diane Pub Co (July 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756781507
• ISBN-13: 978-0756781507
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,543,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Informative, January 21, 2002

By 

BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfume: The Art and Science of Scent (Hardcover)

This book gave a fascinating history and overview of the use and creation of perfumes. It all seemed to have started when Romans wore perfume-soaked garments and shoes while Egyptians placed perfumed unguents in their hair to produce a slowly diffused scent that surrounded them.

From Catherine de Medici in the 16th century to Coty to Coco Chanel, there has been a connection between fashion and fragrance. During this time, the perfume bottle has evolved from a simple container to sculpture, often giving identity to a scent.

I learned that to be called "perfume", there must be an oil concentration of 22% or more. Eau de parfum has a 15-22% oil concentration while eau de toilette has 8-15% concentration of oil. Cologne has less than 5%.

The average fragrance has 60-100 ingredients and complex ones can have 300. Estee Lauder's "Beautiful" has 700 ingredients, which is a record.....and its formula is 12 pages long!

The perfumer must have a vast knowledge of raw materials and also of chemistry. There are only about 400 perfumers in the world and their training can take 10-15 years.

One reason why perfume can be so expensive is the amount of an ingredient needed to yield what the perfumers use. For example, two tons of rose petals are needed to yield just one pound of rose oil! Petals must also be quickly picked as the amount of oil that they yield diminishes as the day goes on.

I found the explanation of "headspace technology" very interesting. There are machines that vacuum up the molecules of a scent and then run them through machines that separate the fragrance into chemical components and identify them. This is particularly valuable when collecting the scent of a rare plant or when it is desirable to leave the plant in its natural environment.

A very informative and beautiful book. The accompanying photos are lovely and give the reader an added level of understanding.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Pictures, September 19, 2001

By 

Kevin Saunders (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfume: The Art and Science of Scent (Hardcover)

This is a better-than-average coffee table book that gives a very personal account of the author's introduction to the history of the art of perfumery. Good inside information on advertising and perfume promotion. Who knew that CoCo Chanel was such a...freak? If you're looking for specific information about how perfumes are made, as I was, look elsewhere. You can zip through this book in about an hour.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luscious both in text and layout, January 25, 2005

By 

M. J. Winter (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfume: The Art and Science of Scent (Hardcover)

As a fragrance hound whose obsession extends to smelling every bottle of conditioner in the drugstore, I loved reading this book. It comes across as exactly what it is: an extended National Geographic piece, with all the clarity, detail, and beautiful photography one would expect from such a thing. Those who are already perfumers, or want to learn the actual nitty-gritty chemistry of fragrance, may not find much use in this book; but for scent-fans like me who want an introduction to the history and business of perfumery, this is a fantastic book.