5/12/10

The Fragrance Time with Pierre Negrin 香水相對論


Pierre Negrin, the perfumer at Firmenich said, 
Della, have you heard of any artist saying that they mixed Red-orange with Blue-violet, Green, Yellow-green, et cetera, et cetera, in order to deliver a sensual expression in their paintingNo, not to my knowledge, Okay, my point is that, what makes the audience appreciate and understand an artwork is based on the artist's creative stories not the colors they use, you know, the same scenario applies to perfumery, Do you mean that a list of the fragrance ingredients does not necessarily correspond in how they communicate with the consumer? That's right, take Patchouli as an example, how many consumers can actually distinguish its smell from fragrance? Sheepishly I admit: It ain't easy for me, Voila, I don't blame you, a perfume story that focuses mainly on the ingredients makes the consumer draw a blank, Yes, I agree with you, it should be the creative thoughts of perfumers, not the inert materials that entice the audience to experience fragrances, but why does the industry still keep telling the same old ingredient story to connect with us?  

Pierre Negrin, 紐約Firmenich的調香師說,
Della, 妳曾聽過任何畫家解釋他們是如何使用橘紅,藍紫, 色,黃等等的顏色來完成一幅感性的畫作嗎?依本人拙見, 還未曾聽說過,那麽我的重點是,其實點燃普羅大眾對創作熱情的重點在于畫家的創意故事而不是顏色的名字,你是說一份香水成分的名單不能反映出消費者對香水的了解,是嗎?是的,就以廣藿香為例,請問有多少人可以從香水中辨別出它的味道來?心虛得很,連我這個香水包裝設計師來說也不是一件容易的差事。嗯,情有可原,以“成分”故事來牽引香水消費者的心只能讓他們丈二金剛摸不著頭,是, 同意你的看法,調香師的創意思維比那些毫無生命力的材料有意思多了, 可是我就是不了解為什麽業界還是一意孤行,老調重談那些“香水成分”的故事呢?

4 comments:

  1. A fragrance is an olfactive journey much like a painting is to the eyes. Only difference our medium is not as tangible. An ingredient story does not allow one to imagine the emotion of the liquid. It has been a wonderful marketing story.... full of fluff at times. hmmmmmmmmm

    That is a good question Della... Why does the industry keep telling the same old ingredient story.

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  2. Thank you for your comment, Ray.

    In my humble opinion, an ingredient story helps to communicate effectively IN the professional environment. But as to communicate with the consumer outside the fragrance industry, we need to explore new possibilities for creating a beautiful ripple effect, both with and between them.

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  3. I find the ingredient story helps, but only if it's told in conjunction with an emotional tale. The story can pull the consumer in through familiarity with scent notes, but there has to be an effort at emotional connection in order to ground the experience.

    The word "patchouli" is static on its own, but once given context -- for instance, "the patchouli of a Soho vintage shop, with traces of faded roses and amber beads" -- the mind is given a handle it can grasp.

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  4. "Emotion" is truly the key... Your "the patchouli of a Soho vintage shop, with traces of faded roses and amber beads" works for me.

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