Do we really need another fragrance company?  This was the question that weighed heavily on my mind as I contemplated opening the doors of Charenton Macerations.

Every year, the fragrance industry floods our noses with thousands of new scented products. Fine fragrances, soaps, body washes, detergents… we are simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of scent being developed. Some of these products are good, some not so good. Still, we are presented with an endless procession of new, new, new. In the world of fine fragrance alone, over 1100 new fragrances were introduced in 2010. Would there be space for yet another company, and what about this company would help strengthen not just the industry, but challenge you, the user’s, perception of fragrance?

So I set out on a long journey to help me understand the entirety of this olfactive world, traveling the globe, examining 1000’s of formulations, and talking with everyone from respected perfumers to loving consumers.

Regardless of which country I was in or to whom I spoke, the number one complaint was that things were beginning to smell the same. Dare I say people were dispassionate.   Whenever a new fragrance would find an audience (i.e. Narciso Rodriguez For Her), within a matter of a few months, a dozen or more copycats would follow (i.e. Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely), with many developed by exactly the same creative teams. While this type of creation is prevalent, especially in the fashion world, the degree and magnitude to which it is happening in fragrance is having devastating consequences. Consumers are less impressed with what is being offered; perfumers are increasingly frustrated by the near disappearance of real creativity. Both opine the near-death of the art of perfumery.

Meanwhile, marketers defiantly continue to pull back on the amount of information used to construct fragrance briefs. Instead of getting an idea of who would be drawn to a scent, or crafting memorable ingredient stories, they lazily borrow from others in a feeble attempt to speed up the development process. The result has led to wafer thin concepts that seem detached from any real audience. Just look at the exponential increase in celebrity scents. Without going too much into detail, I will say that oftentimes the briefs for these projects (if there is a brief at all) do little more than present a bio of the star, a person who normally has very little to do with the crafting of the final product, with the idea being that the identity of the celeb trumps the impact of the final product. The expectation is that in 3-6 months the consumer will tire of whatever scent and move on to the next. It is predatory in its very nature, cynically cherry-picking from a star’s existing audience for a quick payout.

As these problems persist, the line between mass and prestige continues to evaporate, with luxury and quality exchanged for speed to market. Like wine, there has always been an expectation that when you spend a few more of your hard earned dollars, you are rewarded in quality, yet this no longer seems to be the case for fragrance. A decade of “trading up” has shaken the confidence of prestige manufacturers who continue to cheapen formulations to remain competitive with their mass counterparts. Polarizing notes such as the vanguard almond praline accord of Thierry Mugler’s Angel seem distant memories of our fragrant past, deemed too risky for retail shelves. The new rule of the land: the focus group. Like the world of politics, true leadership and expertise is being deferred to the whims of the masses. We are no longer challenging, but instead placating to the so-called greater good. Fragrance is no longer aimed at making a statement.

Yet, somehow these visible cracks continue to be glossed over. While there are always exceptions (Histoires de Parfums, Etat Libre d’Orange, CB I Hate Perfume…), they are being drowned out by the noise of the rest. For this reason I founded Charenton Macerations: to challenge your minds and open your noses; to return to the beauty that I have always known as the world of perfumery, a gilded craft as old as civilization; a world of alchemists and provocateurs, of collaborators and seers… people inspired by the power of fragrance and infused with the spirit of activism… People who expect more than just the status quo.

At Charenton Macerations, we create fragrances that make a statement. Our fragrances are not aspirational accessories. They are crafted from the raw emotional experiences of those who encounter them. They flower from the rituals and revolutions of our collective past. They provoke hopeful dreams of brighter tomorrows. They speak using the rich vocabularies of all genders. They are transcendent, irreverent and provocative. Yet they are always incomplete. The final ingredient is always you.

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