Wednesday, July 1, 2009

What money doesn't buy


I can only imagine how much time, energy, and money went into the development of a Hermes scent. Chandler Burr did the research that gives us a glimpse into this exactly in his "The Perfect Scent."

What I want to know is how, after all this time, energy, and money, does Hermes' Eau de Gentiane Blanche smell exactly like a dryer sheet? Mind you, if it was a dryer sheet, I'd use it. But at 145 bucks for their smallest bottle, I'll pass.

Image note: From the "Secret Garden", which you can read, free, as an eBook.

2 comments:

BitterGrace said...

"What I want to know is how, after all this time, energy, and money, does Hermes' Eau de Gentiane Blanche smell exactly like a dryer sheet?"

Hmm, probably for the same reason Ambre Narguile smells like flea shampoo, as one of the art students I spoke to said. Same chemicals, same aromas. You can tart that mess up with all the fancy packaging you want, but the nose is not fooled. You can't really blame Hermes, though, since most people actually want a perfume that smells like a dryer sheet, or something equally bland.

Julie H. Rose said...

I treated myself to a full bottle of Frapin 1270, which I received today. It sits in it's rather plain bottle, in a box, and always will, as I don't want to ruin it by exposing it to light. Those pretty bottles of nothing can afford to be admired.

Given that there's laws against wearing perfumes, it's no wonder that most are eaus de rien. Isn't there a scent by that name?