Book description
The Diary of a Nose is the story behind the creation of a
perfume, from the head perfumer at Herm s.
Perfume creation is an exclusive and secretive endeavour. What is
day to day life like for a perfume-maker? How does the creation of a
new scent begin? How do you capture the essence of a smell on the skin?
For one year, Jean-Claude Ellena kept a diary of his life as
'parfumeur exclusif' ('le nez' or 'the nose') for Herm s. Believing
that creating a scent is like creating a work of art, and describing
himself as a writer using 'olfactory colours', he explains how all of
the five senses come into play when creating a perfume. He also
reveals how inspiration can come from a market stall, a landscape, or
even the movement of calligraphy, and concludes this charming,
perceptive diary with recipes for natural fragrances, each made up of
three synthetic ingredients, to create the illusion of smells like
freesia, orange blossom, grapefruit, pear, chocolate, cashew and
cotton candy.
This is the story of a quest to capture what is most elusive.
Jean-Claude Ellena offer readers a rare insight into the secrets of
his business, his art, and his life as one of the world's most
important and admired perfumers.
In 2004, Jean-Claude Ellena was made Herm s' first 'perfumeur
exclusive' at Herm s. He lives and works in the hills in Grasse in
France, and designs his scents at his studio in Cabris.
