The Sweet Smell Of Success

Perfume has recently become hijacked by the cult of celebrity. And it's no wonder. Of all the exquisite smells perfume gives off, it's the one of money that's the strongest.

"The painter learns to see, the pianist learns to listen, I learned to smell," says French perfumer Jean Claude Ellena, who by his own reckoning took 20 years to master his craft. "It's a question of the brain, not of the nose, and you learn it simply by experience. Everyone can smell everything I can smell, but they don't know how to understand it, distinguish the elements, or how to speak about it. That's why I'm a perfumer."

So it's probably safe to say that neither Celine Dion nor Britney Spears, both of whom were said to be involved in 'every step' of their signature scents had much to do with the actual making of them. The scents sold by fashion houses such as Donna Karan and Christian Dior aren't made by Donna Karan and Christian Dior, and Estee Lauder, long celebrated for her perfumes, didn't make her scents herself either - they were all created by perfumers. Even Coco Chanel's enduring No. 5 wasn't made by her - in fact, it was called No. 5 for the simple reason that it was the fifth option that her perfumers offered her.

Britney's first scent, Curious, is marketed by Elizabeth Arden and described variously as 'clean', 'summery', 'fresh', 'subtle', 'sweet' and 'sexy' it certainly seems to have covered all the possible Britney bases.

Grab Some For Yourself

Perfume.com offer an amazing selection of high quality perfumes including Estee Lauder, Hugo Boss, Cartier and many more at discounted prices. Click here to visit Perfume.com

Celebrity Sells

Whatever the actual extent of these stars' involvement in the development of their signature smells, the fact is: celebrity sells scent. That's why Christian Dior employs actress Charlize Theron as a spokeswoman for it's phenomenally successful J'adore and Nicole Kidman signed on to promote No. 5. It's why Beyonce, launched her on fragrance, True Star and Jessica Simpson came out with Deliciously Kissable.

And it gets even more obvious. Socialite Paris Hilton's fragrance is called, originally, Paris Hilton; Stella McCartneys fragrance is simply Stella and Jenifer Lopez most recent fragrance is Still Jennifer Lopez. Even Barbie has her own perfumed, named. rather unimaginatively 'Barbie.'

Even B List celebrities are in on the act. Survivor all star Rob Mariano (Boston Rob) is peddling his own fragrance , Foreman, a reference to his pre Survivor job.

Purists deplore this slide into commercialism. They point out that these scents represent only marketing teams' immediate sense of the cultural pulse, and have nothing to do with history, tradition or craftsmanship. But that's not what the modern perfume industry is all about. Today what counts is the amount of cash a scent makes.

But creating a scent is an expensive gamble, and the number of failures greatly exceeds the number of successes. Some recent big name disasters include Champs Elysees by Guerlain, C'est la vie by Christian Lacroix and Kingdom by Alexander McQueen.

And even naming a scent for a celebrity is no guarantee that a perfume will take off. Failed celebrity fragrances of the past few years include the Olsen Twins, Elton John and Shaquille O'Neil. Success, says scientist Branson Dray, depends on three ingredients: "You need an appealing scent and a star with a following, but that audience has to want to smell like that star."

Still, when it works, it really works. Celine Dion's range of scents have earned her an estimated $10 million and Jennifer Lopez first perfume Glow, has already passed the $80 million mark.

Fine perfumes may contain more than 100 ingredients. Each perfume is composed of a top note (the refreshing, volatile odour perceived immediately), a middle note (providing the full, solid character) and an end note (generally the most consistent).

What's That You're Wearing?

Can't smell the difference between perfume, eau e toilette and cologne? Here's a guide:

Perfume contains the highest amount of fragrance concentration and the least amount of alcohol. It's the purest form of fragrance and the most expensive.

Eau de parfum is the most popular and common form of fragrance. It's long lasting and doesn't cost as much as perfume.

Eau de toilette has a lighter scent that doesn't last as long as perfume or eau de parfum.

Eau de cologne is the most diluted fragrance.

Smell Your Best

Perfume.com offer an amazing selection of high quality perfumes including Estee Lauder, Hugo Boss, Cartier and many more at discounted prices.