Chanel has just announced that Brad will be their latest new face  – no shocker that a male A-lister has been chosen to front a fragrance campaign you may think, but this is Chanel No.5!  It is probably the world’s best known perfume and at its original launch, Coco Chanel described it as ‘a woman’s perfume, with the scent of a woman.’  Marilyn Monroe boosted its sales after provocatively answering an impertinent reporter that the only thing she wore to bed was indeed Chanel No.5

We know that ladies love their perfume and fragranced toiletries, but todays modern man has been catching up in leaps and bounds. Just take note of the groaning supermarket shelves the next time you nip in to do the weekly shop…you’ll find many a man loitering with intent, eyeing up the plethora of products on offer.

So, have Chanel read the marketplace correctly? Are we ready to have a male selling us a female scent….to be honest, i’m not sure i’m with them on this….maybe the bandwaggon heading toward a Jolie/Pitt wedding might have tipped the balance for them. Its a bold, if somewhat strange path to tread, and it will be interesting to see what happens.

Chanel No.5 is a plush elegant juice including extremely feminine accords of jasmine, rose and ylang, and has stood the test of time since it was first introduced in 1921, but with well over 1000 fragrances being launched every single year, maybe this is needed to lifts its head above its rivals.

Whatever happens, we’ll soon find out, as its been reported that Brad and his family have already encamped in Richmond as shooting the ad campaign begins this week. Part of the 7 figure deal has, apparently, been 4 tickets to see the Stone Roses in Heaton Park, much to Helens delight as she has tickets for the same day!….Just make sure you are wearing Chanel No.5 Helen and you’ll soon be in the VIP area

I’d be delighted to hear any thoughts you may have on this…….

Quick flight to Surabaya, only 40 mins but I gain an hour on UK time, so am now only 6 hours behind. So thats a whole day knocked off the jetlag recovery time when I get home – apparently it takes a full day for every hour of time difference to get your body clock back to normal.

Then its find a taxi, check it has seatbelts, get in, pay the fare and then as we set off we realise too late that the seatbelts are for show only and don’t actually work! So its a free white knuckle ride to the hotel, zipping from lane to lane, squeezing into impossibly tiny gaps with frequent braking participating in a couple of very close incidents along the way!

We arrive at the hotel at 9pm, so its a quick bite to eat in the hotel cafe and up to my room for 10pm. Oh good, free wifi – oh no – no signal at all!!!! Cant even get a strong enough mobile signal to ring home and check all is well….the joys of travelling.

Anyway its just a 1 night thing….I’m awake at 5.40am so I might as well get up as we are checking out at half 7…I feel like a proper business traveller!  No re-packing required….I only opened the suitcase lid!!

The mud flow is still going strong some 5 years after I last came to this area. It stems from an underground volcano that erupted in May 2006, and at its peak it was spewing mud out at a rate of 180,000 m³ of mud per day! The mud has a rotten egg aroma caused by the release of hydrogen sulphide, and as it continues to flow it is creating an unstable surrounding area as it begins to collapse in on itself. Geologists have predicted that Lusi as it is known in Indonesia, will probably flow for 25-30 years yet.

It has blocked one of the 2 main routes linking Surabaya and Malang (tonights destination), so the longer route will take almost 2 hours instead of an hour as it used to do (and in fact the journey was nearer 3 hours in the end!). The government keep building the retaining wall higher and higher to contain the liquid mudflow and the locals are very worried that the higher the wall, the weaker it gets and that at some point  the dam will burst free and swallow up more of the surrounding areas – villages and road links.

Our meetings in Surabaya included meeting up with an old friend and customer Mr Ah Lung….a lovely man and his wife who always lend us their driver and car when we are in town..he had recently visited the UK for the first time last month and so we spent an hour at lunch going through his photographs….many of them in my nearest city of Manchester, that I haven’t even visited myself!

Throughout Indonesia, there are many differing preferences for fragrances in general. Jasmine is always a safe bet, but some areas prefer it to be heavy and some prefer it to be a background note instead. Sweet candy like fragrances always go down well here  and light florals such as rose too. Grapefruit and sharp lime notes are deemed too sour, and cherry is too medicinal. Fresh, clean citrusy aromas tend to be found in most products.

As we make our way back to Jakarta for my last night in Indonesia, I am looking forward to a hot bath and a mojito before the long flight back to the UK. I hope you enjoyed my adventures here as much as I did

Bali next……

 I have been here once before in 2007, and i felt that it was a very spiritual place – I couldn’t really put my finger on why….. I hope that my second visit leaves the same impression.

Its night time when I arrive, and one thing I hadn’t noticed before was the shape of the moon. When we have part moons in the UK , we get a crescent shape, but the moon here is lit from the underside making it look like a large Cheshire cat smile in the sky.

As you can imagine its very warm here even at 9pm but guess what, they even have hoodies here in Bali! They are all hanging around the airport asking if you need any help with your bags. I arrive at my hotel and am given a beautiful free garland of flowers and a glass of fruit nectar! The flowers smell divine  – a combination of fragrant Jasmine blossoms and small red rose buds, and the aroma hangs around for 3 days (much longer than the delicious drink!)

The following day I am collected from my hotel by our local agent for Bali, Mr Benny and our Indonesian agent Andy for today’s visits. I notice that a lot of the trees and the roadside statues have checked cloths around them. I ask the reason for this and am told that they denote cosmic duality – the concept of good versus evil. The Balinese see the world in terms of opposites, night and day, good and bad, mountain and sea. One cannot exist without the other. The cloth is known as Poleng and is the perfect representation of this view – the squares are of equal size, perfect black and perfect white. Grey squares contain both black and white strands to show that you cannot have one without the other.

Most of the statues are also shaded by ornate parasols which are seen as symbols of protection for obvious reasons.

There seems to be an awful lot of activity around the temples and this is because there are many public cremations to be held today. In Denpasar alone there are a total of 40 bodies waiting to be cremated. It is a day of great ceremony –  all the villagers help to build the funeral pyres, even the children help to thread the flower garlands that will decorate the cemeteries  and the bodies. Cremations are an important and elaborate event in Bali, but because of the monetary cost, most people can’t afford to have their departed cremated straight away. Families therefore, often wait months for the public cremation so that the villagers can pool resources and have a ceremonious send off. I think the fact that everyone is involved whether you have anyone to cremate or not brings the village together as a whole and also de-mystifies the process of death….here it is always a celebration of life rather than a sad occasion. I like the idea of death being so much a normal part of life.

Our main business here in Bali is fragrance for Incense. The whole island has a fragrant aroma, with incense being burned on every street corner, in every home and every temple. It is burnt as an offering to the Gods. No-one knows exactly where the Gods might be at any given time, but the Balinese believe that smoke from the incense will find its way to the Gods, assuring that the relevant prayers and offerings will be delivered.

As I leave Bali on my way up to Jakarta, I spy a wooden lizard in one of the craft stalls at the airport. The lizard now adorns my lounge wall and is known to everyone as Mr Benny!

Next stop Surabaya and Jakarta…..

Its at this time of the year that most people start to either look forward to or yearn for a good holiday (Icelandic volcanos permitting of course!). I’m looking forward to a break next week, it’s my annual family jaunt down south – in this case it’s going to be Dorset. I haven’t been there before as we usually head towards Cornwall and occasionally Devon, so i’m really looking forward it. I just hope the predicted heatwave arrives in time otherwise we’ll be the ones sat on the beach in Poole, hoods up, eating fish n chips, shivering and teeth chattering but determined to have our chippy tea outdoors in true British spirit – ‘because it is our holidays!’

So we have been having a chat in the office about holidays, and holiday memories, and whether certain places can be remembered by a specific scent.

Both Anne-Marie and Linda have said their main olfactory memory for Tunisia and Spain is the beautifully fragranced Jasmine, and for Greece the main flower memory would be Geraniums. Name any one of the seaside resorts around the UK, and you’ll remember the smell of hot sugary doughnuts, battered fish and chips complete with salt and vinegar and the smell of the sea and the ozone as you walk along the promenade. The smell of freshly cut grass reminds Aimi of all her summer dog shows and camping trips.

Mr Chris cant smell a fragrance by the name of Seychelles without remembering his holidays in North Wales. Its a scent that reminds him of walks along by the sea with the smell of ozone in the air. For Miss Chris, its the smell of that first smattering of rain as the heavens open after a long dusty dry spell, that reminds her of her festival days – one in particular actually, Billy Idol at last years Download festival who took to the stage just as the heatwave broke.

Any beach in the world usually has a lingering aroma of coconut suncream that you just cant escape. Companies such as Thompson and First Choice have utilised this information, and as you walk into one of their stores to book your annual summer holiday you will be blasted with the scent of suntan lotion as you walk in the door. Apparently this puts you in the mood for a holiday before you’ve even picked out your brochure, and therefore gives them the edge when it comes to securing a deposit from you before you leave the store.

They aren’t the only big companies using scent to put you in a feel good holiday mood. Fred Olsen apparently rubs coconut oil into the backs of  their seats to promote caribbean cruise sales. The big hotel chains cottoned on to the fact that their customers associate holidays with certain scents years ago.  Chains such as the Shangri-La,  Le Meridien, The Dorchester and Mandarin Oriental to name but a few, have all decided to make an impression through scent. Of course a comfortable lobby, beds and high quality service are essential, but among the more subtle cues, fragrance plays a big part. Data has shown that the subtle use of fragrance creates memories and drives loyalty to the brand.

You can even take a bottle of the signature scent home with you to remind you of your week in the sun.

Due to the global recession still being in full flow, even the budget hotels such as Travelodge and Holiday Inn have started trialling scented bedlinen in an effort to relax their guests. Aromas such as freshly mown grass, to remind you of summer, or sweet apple pie to remind you of home.

So i’ll keep all my senses on heightened alert next week to see what scent memories I can bring back from the hopefully sunny Dorset coast – unhurried mornings, restful afternoons and leisurely evenings. Let me know if there are any fragrances that particularly remind you of your holidays…….

It seems that the world has been gripped by royal wedding fever. I’m not sure whether it is more to do with the fact that the majority of us have been granted an impromptu extra bank holiday though, but hey ho, I’ll take it with a gracious smile and I’ll definitely be watching at least some of the wedding on Friday.

Most of the available wedding information is being guessed at, as the whole event is shrouded in secrecy. Usually we at least know the name of the dress designer by now, but even that has been kept a closely guarded secret, with a rumour that in fact, 3 designers have been commissioned to create wedding dresses in case of any spillages  to the press!

The royal wedding bouquet will however continue one tradition, which dictates that a royal bouquet should contain a sprig of Myrtle from the bush grown from the original Myrtle in Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. The Myrtle symbolises a long and happy marriage.

 All royal bouquets contain fragranced blooms designed to evoke lasting memories of the occasion.

Kate (or Catherine as we will now have to get used to referring to her) will not be following the tradition of throwing her bouquet back into the crowd of waiting ladies, ready to find out who will be getting married next, but will send her bouquet back to Westminster Abbey to be placed on the black marble resting place of the unknown soldier as  royal brides have done in previous years.

There has also been a lot of speculation with regards to the fragrance that Kate will wear on her special day. The big money must be on Houbigant, founded in Paris in 1775, and who have a long historical royal link. (it is rumoured that Marie Antoinette was recognised and captured because the Houbigant perfume she wore was recognised as a royal fragrance – no-one else could afford to use it).

Diana, Princess of Wales wore Houbigant Quelque Fleurs on her wedding day, and it may be the choice for Kate, as Prince William has made it clear that he would like to think his mother will be there with them in spirit. It is a floral classic created with a plethora of jasmine, rose, tuberose, carnation and ylang, gently warmed by precious sandalwood, powdery orris and musks, all combining to give a fresh, warm powdery effect.

And finally, here are some facts and figures about the upcoming nuptuals…

At 29 Kate will become the oldest royal bride to walk down the aisle – most royal brides are in their teens when they marry.

If William becomes King, then Kate will be the 6th Queen Catherine of England – until then, she will be known as HRH Princess William of Wales, unless they are given a Dukedom……

Westminster Abbey is over 700 years old and holds 2,200 people. It has been the site of Coronations since William I’s in 1066. Many royal weddings have taken place here, including our current Queen Elizabeth II’s to Prince Philip in 1947.

After the formal ceremony a lucky 600 chosen guests will attend a wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace including Champagne, canapes and speciality hors d’oeuvres. Desserts will include petit fours, mini eclairs and assorted mousse. A multi-tiered wedding cake will take centre stage, and will most likely be adorned with sugar flowers and perhaps William’s coat of arms.

As well as over 40 foreign royals, including the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the emperor of Japan, and the kings of Malaysia, Tonga and Thailand, Prince William has invited some guests who have affected him personally in one way or another, including members of the homeless community and soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq.

My last little nugget of information comes from one of our local Bolton businesses, Greenhalghs Craft Bakery, who after hearing that the happy couple were touring the North West, decided to create sugar crafted models of Wills and Kate in order for them to embark on a mini tour of the local Greenhalghs shops, ending up back in Bolton’s Deansgate store in time for the wedding on Friday.

So, whatever you have planned on Friday, whether you want to watch the wedding or just chill in the garden, I hope you all have a lovely long Bank Holiday weekend.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post – January always finds both Luke and myself in Manila to host a fragrance seminar alongside our agents for the Philippines, Proessences, Inc.

The event is held in one of the Edsa Shangri-La conference rooms, and is always well attended by both new and existing customers, R&D staff and company directors. As well as the topic that I touched on for the main fragrance trends over the coming 12 months, we also did some research into one of the most widely used flowers in perfumery – Jasmine.

It is sometimes quite difficult to come up with a topic that will engage people on all levels and language barriers, but this little flower, also known as the Sampaguita,  just happens to be the national flower for the Philippines so therefore, a perfect choice.

It seems that this ancient shrub has been highly prized since antiquity. The origin of all Jasmine is said to be Kashmir, a disputed area between Iran and India.

In perfumery we tend to use just 2 main types of Jasmine – Jasminum Sambac and Jasminum Grandiflorum. As anyone in the fragrance industry knows, the price of Jasmine is extremely expensive with 1 kg of oil costing anything between £1300 and £2000 per kg depending on the success of that seasons harvest. the reason for this is the lengthy process required to actually obtain 1kg of this precious oil.

An agile flower gatherer can pick 3-5 kilograms of flowers in a morning session. 1kg of flowers equates to 8,000 to 10,000 flower heads. In order to create 1kg of essence, an estimated 7 million flowers are required!

The best method for the extraction of the oil from the blossom is a process called enfleurage. This can be done in two ways. Cold enfleurage – whereby a large glass frame is smeared with animal fat onto which a single layer of flower heads are placed. Their scent is allowed to diffuse into the fat over a period of 2-3 days. Ths process is repeated until the desired degree of saturation is reached. For hot enfleurage, the fats are heated and the flower heads stirred in. Spent flowers are repeatedly strained off and replaced with new ones until the fat is saturated with fragrance.

In both instances, this fragrance saturated fat is now known as the ‘enfleurage pomade’. This pomade is now soaked with ethyl alcohol which draws the fragant molecules out from the fat and into the alcohol. The alcohol is now separated from the fat and allowed to evaporate, leaving behind the essential oil.

The spent fat isn’t wasted – it is usually used to make soaps since it is still relatively fragrant.

Today, synthetic Jasmine is easily produced and is often preferred due to the high cost involved in the enfleurage production, with Hedione being the most usual substitution. It’s aroma is of the fresh, greener part of the Jasmine – however, in high end products some actual absolute is also added to remove some of the residual harshness.

Jasmine is a middle note in perfumery meaning that it evolves in the heart stages of development on the skin. Heart notes impart warmth and fullness to fragrance blends and embody the passion of a fragrance.

In conclusion, despite all the economic challenges, the use of the Jasmine flower in perfume production remains one of the most essential elements in the structure of some of the worlds greatest perfumes.

We have a collection of stand alone Jasmine fragrances suitable for a wide variety of products, and also some gentler blends including Green tea & Jasmine, Freesia & Jasmine, Jasmine & Sandalwood and Jasmine & Peach Blossom.

If you would like any samples or any further information, then please do not hesitate to get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.