Olfactory girls
Looking for personalized perfume? Two experts from Estée Lauder are here to make one for you.
Imagine sniffing out a perfume made just for you. With help from Catherine Barber and Trudi Loren, you might just do that. Barber and Loren, vice presidents at Estée Lauder for global education and fragrance development, respectively, lead teams that rely on images, colors, and sounds to hone in on your "fragrance profile."
The duo will be at Bloomingdale's today and tomorrow whipping up personalized aromas for those who spurn the mere whiff of conformity -- and simply must have their own signature scent.
"I am what is known as 'the nose,' " says Loren, "which doesn't sound very glamorous. But I do the actual development of the fragrances that go out on the market. I . . . [she pauses for effect] smell all day long." To train her nose, Loren wears no fragrances, not in her deodorant, lotion, or soap, to avoid "conflicting scents." And she only eats garlic on Friday and Saturday nights: "Garlic seeps through the skin."
Last year alone, 160 new perfumes and aftershaves went on the market, so "we developed this Ascent system to clear through the clutter for the consumer," says Loren. "We incorporate all the other senses to interpret which scent reflects the real you."
The problem is, hit fragrances are like hit music singles: in your face everywhere you go. Even the greatest perfume can lose its appeal if everyone is wearing it.
"What happens is that people lose their own scent after about an hour," says Loren. "Very often people say their fragrances don't last very long. So they apply more. Well, they might not be able to smell it, but everyone else can.
"Throughout history, fragrance has been intertwined with the development of humanity." The world's oldest perfume factory was discovered on the island of Cyprus, she notes, "and dates from more than 4,000 years ago."
"Interesting that it was on Cyprus," interjects Barber, "the birthplace of Aphrodite." She adds: "We want the consumer to feel like they are in a Parisian perfumer's atelier. We are trying to bring back the magic to perfume."
Estée Lauder "Ascent Event" Bloomingdale's, The Mall at Chestnut Hill, 225 Boylston St. Today and tomorrow, 12:30 and 6:30 p.m. Reservations: Women's fragrance counter, 617-630-6760; Men's fragrance counter, 617-630-6072.
