Here is our growing reading list of recommended books related to scent, the history of perfume and contemporary practices with scent, as well as open source methodologies. Where possible, we have linked to either the author’s stores, or to smaller online book retailers with social consciences. But, you know, you can probably find them on Amazon, too.
Did we miss a book or a great online read relating to the history of perfumery or the materiality of working with scent? Let us know at hello@artandolfaction.com
IAO PERFUME PRIMER
The basics of perfumery for newcomers to the field, written by the IAO team (Ashley Eden Kessler, Timothy Van Ausdal, Minetta Rogers and Saskia Wilson-Brown). This document is published under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please review the license!
+ Download Here (opens PDF)
TRADE MAGAZINES
Nez, La Revue Olfactive: Link
Perfumer + Flavorist Magazine: Link
OPEN SOURCE AND OTHER PRINCIPLES IN PERFUMERY: OP-ED
‘Open Sourcing Smell Culture‘ in Perfumer and Flavorist Magazine
by Saskia Wilson-Brown
Read Online
Download PDF
Perfumery Code of Ethics
by Christophe Laudamiel
Read Online
Open Source Licensing Resources
Creative Commons
Link here
KNOWLEDGE BASES
BoJensen.net
Online materials database with chemical information
Visit Website
TheGoodScentsCompany.com
Amazing database of materials, including links to suppliers
Visit Website
Scenttree.co
A beautiful visualizer of perfume categories
Visit Website
Scentspiracy
The blog run by Fulvio Ciccolo is factual and well-researched.
Visit Blog
PERFUME: IMPORTANT CULTURE + HISTORY BOOKS
‘The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession’
by Chandler Burr
Buy Online
‘Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent’
by Mandy Aftel
Buy Online
‘Perfume: A Century of Scents’
by Odette Toilette
Buy Online
“The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York”
by Chandler Burr
Buy Online
‘Cult Perfumes’
by Tessa Williams
Buy Online
‘A Natural History of the Senses’
by Diane Ackerman
Buy Online
‘Essence and Alchemy’
by Mandy Aftel
Buy Online
‘Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent’
by Jean-Claude Ellena
Buy Online
‘Perfumes of Yesteryear’
by David G. Williams
Buy Online
‘Scent and Subversion’
by Barbara Herman
Buy Online
‘Sandalwood and Carrion – Smell in Indian Religion and Culture‘
by James McHugh
Buy Online
‘Sense of Smell’
by Marcel van Brakel, Wander Eikelboom, Frederik Duerinck
Buy Online
‘Nose Dive’
by Catherine Haley Epstein
Buy Online
‘Masterpieces of the Perfume Industry’
by Christie Mayer Lefkowith, Editions Stylissimo 2000
Buy Online
‘Atomizer’
poems by Elizabeth A.I. Powell, 2020
Buy Online
‘Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance’
by Elise Vernon Pearlstine
Buy Online
‘Revelations in Air’
by Jude Stewart
Buy Online
PERFUME: SCIENCE + TECHNICAL
‘The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell‘
by Luca Turin
Buy Online
‘An Introduction to Perfumery’
by Tony Curtis, David G. Williams
Buy Online
‘Scent and Fragrances: The Fascination of Odors and their Chemical Perspectives’
by Günther Ohloff
Buy Online
‘The Chemistry of Fragrances: From Perfumer to Consumer’
by Charles S Sell (Editor)
Buy Online
‘Organic Chemistry Made Ridiculously Simple’
by Gene A. Davis
Buy Online
‘The Chemistry Of Essential Oils Made Simple’
by K.G. Stiles
Buy Online
‘Perfume Engineering: Design, Performance & Classification’
by Miguel A Teixeira, Oscar Rodriguez, Paula Gomes, Vera Mata, Alirio Rodrigues
Buy Online
‘What the Nose Knows: The Science of Scent in Everyday Life‘
by Avery Gilbert
Buy Online
‘The Art of Perfumery’
by G. W. Septimus Piesse 1855
Buy Online / Free version at Gutenberg Project
Also check out British perfumer Karen Gilbert’s list of recommended books, right here.