Can we still imagine original perfumes?
Here is one of the many philosophical questions that animate our conversations at VIOLET! But before answering it, a little bit of contextualization. One day, while I had been sucked into the YouTube vortex and frantically descending into the digital depths, drowned in a flood of information, a video challenged me. It was titled “Can we still write original songs? » And, to this question, Brian Molko, member of the Placebo group replied « I abandoned the search for originality, because it was a bit too much like the quest for the Holy Grail. » This thought shook me. I grabbed my cell phone and quickly wrote this message to Anthony and Victorien: “Guys, I think we're screwed! Brian says there that everything has already been done in music. Do you think that also applies to perfume? »
The following is a structured summary of our arguments:
Yes, everything is already done and all we have to do is lie down on the ground and let the vultures peck us! For what ?
— Each new fragrance invariably fits into a family/category. And since fragrance families are olfactory structures that affiliate smell with lots of little relatives everywhere, no juice can be perfectly new. Alfred said it very well “the apple never falls far from the tree, Mr. Wayne”. There is enough resemblance between a novelty and one of its peers to hardly consider the perfume as "original".
— Then just look at the current releases. There are many perfumes that are so similar that one is almost jaded at the idea of putting one's nose on a smear.
— Finally, perfumes respect a certain structure. So yes, there will always be smart guys to turn everything upside down, but if you want to get a perfume that holds up, you have to respect a certain cohesion between the raw materials. And that casually, even if that takes nothing away from creativity, it arranges it, organizes it. To judge a painting, you must already have a support.
Speaking of support, another area where there is not much left to invent. Alcohol, oil, water, balm, etc. Everything seems to already exist and happy is the one who will revolutionize the base! He will be named king of perfumery. SO ? No future for industry?
But no ! The original perfumes still exist and fortunately. Certainly they are more rare, but it's like for everything, you have to know how to look.
— Niche perfumery allows itself more inventiveness. Since it is not obsessed or subject to the diktat of performance and does not respond to “algorithms”, creativity and originality seem to be more easily preserved in this sector. She dares more and that feels good. Even a little too much sometimes, to the point where some perfumes literally become importable, but that's okay, what counts here is originality and in this area the niche is queen.
— Synthetic molecules to the rescue. Each year, new odorous molecules are synthesized. Where it is more difficult to invent new colors or new sounds, perfumery allows itself the luxury of inventing new smells.
— Natural raw materials are not left out either, since sourcers like Dominique Roque are sent around the world to unearth the next explosive note that has never been felt.
Ultimately perfumery still has a bright future ahead of it and even if we took away all the discoveries and all the advances in this sector, there would still be the inventiveness of perfumers. They are the most fertile ground for creativity. They reinvent formula after formula of their art and break both codes and preconceived ideas. Dear Placebo's Brian Molko, perhaps the quest for the Holy Grail begins on the shelves of a perfumery.
