The Latest Developments on IFRA and EU Perfume Regulations: Inside Job or Not?

"The idea that IFRA is an inside job to kill the natural raw material side of the fragrance industry may seem like an attractive conspiracy theory at first, but upon even cursory examination, this idea falls apart.
Natural fragrance materials represent a sizeable chunk of the fragrance and flavour industry’s profits (and this includes the main IFRA members). Creating new aroma chemicals is extremely costly, a big risk, and burdened with its own regulatory pressures. Never mind the all too real possibility that an aroma chemical you have brought to market gets restricted or even banned by IFRA in the future if it is found to be problematic by their standards.
If IFRA were an inside job, this sort of thing would never happen."

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The low down on the European Union and IFRA regulations on fragrance and potential allergens as of this very minute is on Basenotes, as written by the knowledgable Pia Long. Please take a look if you haven't by now.

I have personally preached (forgive the emphatic word, I do consider myself an educator and an eternal student first and foremost) the complexities of the matter and the simplistic context of "just follow the money". It's more than that. You can find some of my old articles when the furore online first started under the Restrictions tab.

But perfume is considered such a frivolity by so many people that the greater issues that the industry itself experiences seldom get the limelight. It's high time that we sat down, ignored getting our panties in a wad for once and gave it some balanced attention.

Death is Yellow and Smells of Vanilla (La Mort Est Jaune Citron et Sent la Vanille)

-Death is yellow and smells of vanilla.
-Are you sure of it?
-I'd bet money on it.

The above quote is from Patrice Leconte's film Le mari de la coiffeuse (The Hairdresser's Husband*, 1990). Jean Rochefort in fine comedic (and dramatic) form.

I found the quote interesting both in the sense of an unexpected joke and in the sense of expressing a certain zen acceptance on the matter of death. The film is infused in the pleasure of the senses (and of erotic love) anyway and there are several glimpses of the beautifying hair products and perfumes, in retro style bottles, on the shelves of a traditional French hairdressing salon.


*please disregard the faulty description as an "Italian movie"

Best Wedding Fragrances: For the Bride and the Groom with a Side Dish of Bridesmaids & Guests

Weddings are a loaded affair for most folks, usually requiring months of preparation in advance. The weight of the dress, the feel and fit of the satin shoes, the jewelry and the heirlooms (not to mention the hair accessories), the sugared almonds, the reception tableware and menu and the invitations, the groom's suit and of course the choice of fragrant flowers for the bouquet... Summer wedding can be even more demanding, when you monitor in the heat and the humidity and the locales which often embrace the great outdoors.

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Weddings can also be a breezy eloping decision, but in that case you wouldn't be consulting an online guide to the best fragrances for the occasion anyway. So this post addresses the first demographic.
Does a specially chosen fragrance for the bride and groom create potent memories? You bet.
Do peripheral players in the ceremony play a role with their scent of choice? Of course they do. Imagine if your mother gassed the room with a heavy hitter that distracted from the proceedings. Or if your best man chose to wear something ultra challenging and while leaning over to give the rings emitted the ...shall we say "surgical ambience" of Secretions Magnifiques, for instance? (That'd be a cruel prank to carry out).

I have compiled a top wedding perfumes for brides and bridesmaids (or guests) on this slideshow and another one on best wedding colognes for the groom (and possibly the best man, just make sure they don't "clash") on that slideshow.

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Enjoy and may your new life together be paved with happiness!

Christopher Lee: 1922-2015

The defining voice of British horror and the towering stature are no more.
Here Christopher Lee is reading one of the best tales by an American dreamer...

A small piece of everyone's heart in childhood just died.

And in the following clip, one of my personal favorites, also American born and in great comical shape, pays a tribute to the handsome Sir Christopher.

At The Moment

Oddly enough June hasn't yet scorched us like I expected, which is a good thing. Dipping my body in the sea for prolonged stretches of time is of course a remedy of the first magnitude, a true baptism.
So far so good, nevertheless, so I am sharing with you some of my latest discoveries and treats. And please feel free to share yours too, in the comments below the post!

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Wearing

Remember how we used to knot the edge of our baggy T-shirts back in the 80s to imitate our pop idols? It seems like there's a ready made solution out there to have the look without the fuss. This Asos slouchy top with twisty front gave me a good jolt of recollection and made me smile. It also goes with everything.

via Asos.com

I also wear a straw fedora for days spent in the sun or when out and about in the city. (Don't look at me that way. We have to wear sunglasses in the wintertime as well, in Athens.)
This one by David Young, found on Nordstorm, is perfect.



Reading

Nabokov's Speak Memory, a stylized autobiography. It's not only the language that is marvelous, it's the merging of cultures in a complex childhood which leaps off the page.


Beautifying

Latest discovery has been that elusive perfect sunscreen (at least for now, don't know about next year): photo-stable, very high protection (SPF60), mostly mineral filters to reduce inflammation, waterproof to withstand sweat, light tint to avoid the Casper look, smooth texture, no irritating or pore-blocking ingredients. It's Filteray Face SPF 60 Tinted Cream by Coverderm in shade Light Beige.

On my nails and toenails I'm sporting this gorgeous fuchsia-pink nail polish, shade Watermelon (#31456) from Oriflame's seasonal The One collection.


Listening

I have occupied myself with covers these days.
Trifono (aka, "3 voices" in Greek) hereby sing, almost completely a capella, a classic Greek song by Mikis Theodorakis in a quite memorable way.

And I still think that AHA's (remember them?) rendition of the golden standard of the Everly Brothers is very very good indeed.

Perfuming

I've been wearing a hell of a lot my Antaeus (Chanel) and Gomma (Etro) lately. The onset of heat usually means I bring out these leathers and the fang-like acid green chypres. Bandit eau de parfum by Piguet is the logical bridge between the two and that gets a lot of mileage as well.

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Eating and Drinking

Addicted to cornichons (what the British call gherkins I believe) which I put into everything, notably potato salad and salmon sandwiches. (Love the spice-blend brine!).
I'm also drinking iced cider for a spike of fruity freshness and enjoy the sunny togetherness too!

What are you enjoying at the moment? 
Please share in the comments!