Few perfume wearers realise that the beautiful, scented creation in the bottle is achieved by a very special relationship between mother nature and mankind's creativity.
Naturally-sourced perfume ingredients are familiar and complex - they can be thought of as nature's own perfumes. Synthetic perfume ingredients are often single molecules with a beautiful history: the product of mankind's curiosity and ingenuity.
Without the harmonious relationship existing between the two worlds, the beauty and diversity of modern perfumery would simply not exist. Chaperoned by chemist perfumers, the greatest romance in chemistry started over a century ago and is set to continue long into the future...
Will Andrews, a fragrance scientist and odour enthusiast, gave a memorable talk about the value of synthetic chemistry to perfumery and the harmonious partnership which exists between synthetics and naturals.
The audience were given the full sensory experience as Will handed out samples of different scents for comparison, providing some beautiful, some overpowering, and some downright unpleasant smells. Combined in the right way, the unlikeliest of partners gave surprising results - evidenced by the appreciative oohs and aahs as the audience smelled citrus, vanilla and cinnamon together: the unmistakeable smell of cola.
Photos from this talk