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Yesterday I was opening boxes of materials, some samples of new things I had never tried before. While I was organizing things into groups, writing notes for the labels that I would make for the re bottled diluted versions that I would make up for the lab, I thought about all of the materials that have been restricted or banned by the keepers of the gate in the perfume industry. I thought about the materials in front of me and wondered how long it would be before one or a few of them would be legislated out of use. I felt very sad about it. Sad that in a world of seemingly rational people, the over regulation and insanity was allowed to get as far as it now is, and will continue to become. Sad that the beauty and artistry of perfume had been replaced by arrogance and greed. That individuals with no concept whatsoever as to the beauty and artistry of scent making, were calling all the shots. Sad that many of the commercial perfumeries that we have come to think of as grand institutions of integrity and vision, will likely go out of business. particularly so if they do not take a stand and fight for their legacy, fight for their right to exist and create beautiful works of art. I am an independent perfumer and very little of this really touches me or my business. But on the larger scale, I love this work and have great respect for the legacy of fine artistically crafted perfumes. For the industrial chemical complex, who are still adamant about creating luxury personal scent, and aggressively marketing themselves as perfumeries, choices must be made. I doubt they saw it coming, but surely they must now realize that the legislation and regulation that they once supported, is now threatening their very existence.
I don’t like feeling sad about these things, I would much rather look at the industry as a rational well organized progressive entity. One that has great respect for the artistry of scent and its history. One that understands the human need for beauty. Because beauty is the art of the soul. When everything is reduced to only shades of gray, the soul moves on, it seeks out the bright colors and complexity, it searches out the unique and innovative. The things that words are unable to describe. A perfume, a masterpiece is like this, complex and beguiling. Food for the soul. When all of the beautiful perfume’s are gone, the soul will move on. It must.
Peace & Blessings, ZZ……
