the sense of scent : a manifesto for olfactory sensibility, by cartier's in-house perfumer

Résumé

The sense of scent « Because it is directly linked to the vital breath that gives us life ; because it is intrinsically connected to our very existence, for me, smell is the king of the senses. The sense of life. » Over the course of thirteen chapters, to be read in any order, Mathilde Laurent reflects on her career, her explorations, and shares her convictions about a craft she wants to enable the widest possible audience to discover : perfumery. Defending a « perfumistic » vision of her profession, she strives to "bring sense, emotion, symbols and art" to her creations. In her view, imparting true and accurate information about the world of perfume is the only way for people to appropriate it, enjoy it and, more broadly, to learn to contemplate the world through the sense of smell. This personal, engaged narrative is a genuine manifesto for olfactory sensibility.