Movers and shakers in the fragrance industry were happy to descend on Florence, Italy for the return of Pitti Fragranze. The event, held at Stazione Leopolda, took place from September 17 – 19, and although attendance was visibly lower than in prior years, it didn’t lack enthusiasm or new brands to discover. I happily ran across several old friends and finally met in person with people I’d zoomed with over the past few months. In some respects, it felt like family coming back together after a long absence. The pandemic may have forced us all to live and work differently, but in no way has it stifled the passion, energy and creativity of the artisan fragrance world.

I never know what to expect when I catch up with Christophe Laudamiel. The multi-talented master perfumer, author, performer, chemist and fragrance visionary is always at the helm of cutting-edge, avant-garde projects that mere mortals can barely imagine. Spanning topics as diverse as ambient scent, scent and art, communication transparency as well as education, the conversation was more than lively.

Many small brands think the Holy Grail of success is to be sold in the US market. Is this still the case or is this antiquated carryover thinking from the Nineties and the Aughts? Having left the US twelve years ago, I knew I needed to get the real story from someone with current experience, so I turned to François Duquesne who, through his Maison Duquesne, is an incubator of independent perfumery with expertise in brand management, creation, development and distribution.

What a treat – and absolute pleasure – it was for me to interview Ralf Schwieger, the nose behind such masterpieces as Hermès Eau de Merveilles and Atelier Cologne’s Orange Sanguine. Moving from childhood memories to a discussion on the creative process plus the ever-changing role of the perfumer, he never ceases to surprise with glimpses into the challenges of his craft and his creative triangle of inspiration.

It’s time to renew our love for fragrance, for innovation and for creativity because Esxence, the art perfumery event, is back! This is the annual rendez-vous in Milan where fragrance professionals and aficionados congregate to celebrate every aspect of artistic perfumery. Founded in 2009 by Maurizio Cavezzali and Silvio Levi, this year marks the 12th edition of Esxence which resumes the live format after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus.

The luckiest, and probably the happiest, people in the world are the ones who work doing something they truly love. Michael Donovan, Managing Director at Roullier White, a London-based independent perfumery, is clearly one of these people. He exudes enthusiasm and passion for fragrance, and his tongue-in-cheek humor is decidedly British. In this exclusive interview we touched on the evolution of retailing, the art of selling and the responsibility of the independent shop, along with a mixed bag of other subjects including career pivoting and the golden age of PR.