Reluctant Lovers

Epic stories of starcrossed lovers abound throughout history, from Zeus and Demeter, Adonis and Aphrodite, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Guinever and Lancelot, to Tristan and Isolde, Paris and Helena, Odysseus and Penelope. Remarkable love stories all, highlighting the trials of separations sometimes resulting in great tragedy, sometimes in great reunion and jubilation.

A perfumer’s love affair with natural fragrances , too, can turn into an ordeal of personal drama. Especially when it comes to the wooing of fruit, delicate spring florals, and exotic tropicals.

In a paradoxical contradiction, it is just plain hard to coax certain natural fragrances out of their corresponding plants.

When asked to give up a little of their lovely fragrance for a perfume material, certain flowers and fruits are like the stingy millionaire who buys his girlfriend shoelaces or a gopher trap for her birthday.

The basic nature of these ungenerous lovers has been that, even with dedicated wooing, they have continued to withhold their precious fragrance.

Fortunately our persistence has now been rewarded - a stunningly beautiful array of notes has at last been coaxed from some of our previously most reluctant fruits and flowers.

Lab Update: A few weeks ago a class about botanical natural isolates (the fragrance materials referred to above) was mentioned in this blog.

The class and corresponding kit of 18 natural botanical isolates are now ready for delivery.

If you have questions or would like to partake, let me know at dariaesque2001@yahoo.com.



Image Credits:

http://tnaron.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/stranger-than-reality/
http://people.hofstra.edu
http://underpaintings.blogspot.com/2009/04/2009-portrait-society-of-america.html