Joanna McLaughlin

Perfume Industry Secrecy, Secrets, and How to Buy the Best Perfume

The perfume industry makes the CIA look like an open book. The world of perfume is big business, but it's a business built on preferences, noses, tastes, and the ability to protect your formulas. There is no legal protection for a perfume formula. I... Read >

Perfume For Mother's Day: Knock-Off, Counterfeits, and Other Perils

Perfume is one of those things that cannot be protected by a copyright. That may not seem exactly worrisome to you, but considering fragrance is a $4 billion a year industry, it gives a lot of business people insomnia. The perfume industry is unlike... Read >

Seven Tips for Picking Out Perfume for Mother's Day

May Day! May Day! Mother's Day is May 11! For many of us, even avid and intrepid shoppers, Mother's Day poses a special challenge. That's why perfume is a favorite gift. It's luxurious, appreciated, and most women love it (and rarely buy it for themsel... Read >

Need to Buy Perfume as a Gift but Hate the Perfume Counter? Here's How to Shop Online

From time to time, we all feel inclined to give a gift to a special person and perfume is often a very appreciated, much valued treasure. If you're thinking of buying perfume for a special woman in your life, don't despair. It isn't all that hard. Even if... Read >

What Perfume Lovers on Cruise Ships Must Know to Get the Best Deals in Fragrance

I do not know of any perfumist who has created a perfume for cruises although Boston-based perfume maker Neil Morris (http://www.nielmorrisfragrances.com) once told me that he was considering introducing such a scent. Despite the fact that there is no spe... Read >

Why Marie Antoinette Wore Perfume and Why You Should be Glad You're Alive Now

Perfume isn't new. Marie Antoinette wore perfume when she was Queen of France. She wasn't even the first queen to wear perfume or engage the services of an official perfume-maker. Catherine de Medici (also Queen of France, many years earlier) brought with... Read >

Perfumes, Memory, and Gift-Giving: What You Should Know Before Buying a Perfume as a Gift

A friend of mine was recently stopped in mid swipe of a credit card as she tried to buy her mother's favorite cologne. Her mother was in the hospital dealing with a serious illness but was expected to make a full recovery. The daughter thought some fragra... Read >

Six Cool Ways to Get a Good Buy on Fragrance

If you are one of those perfume lovers who adores fragrance but has limited (as in finite) financial means, you will often be faced with problems at the perfume counter. Unless you're a one-fragrance woman, it can be hard to narrow down your fragrance nee... Read >

The Sweet Smell of Sugar-Like Perfumes

Diabetes is epidemic. Obesity is increasing, even among children. And right now, most of the hot new perfumes smell like sugar. Traditional perfume notes typically included flowers, plants, certain tree barks, spices, and a few unusual ingredients like... Read >

The Fine Art of Interpreting Perfume Review

If you like fragrance, you've probably run into the perfume review. They appear on websites, in magazines, and sometimes are even given verbally as one person tells another about some new perfume on the market. It is actually very difficult to write or ta... Read >

Why You Really Need More Perfume (Even if You Have a Bunch Already)

In a recent conversation, I was asked how much perfume a woman really needs. My interrogator used the term "a woman," but she really meant me. She was not being unkind; I think she was willing to assume that this hypothetical woman was a woman of fragranc... Read >

Secrets of Perfume Ingredients

Perfume today is produced mainly in laboratories but often relies on ancient ingredients. Some perfume ingredients still in use today are mentioned in ancient Egyptian texts and the Bible. Some of these ingredients had medicinal roles as well as aromatic ... Read >

What to Do When Perfumes Make You Sick

Aromatherapy has never been more popular. Scented candles are everywhere and there are dozens of types of fragrant air sprays. A recent study in a dermatological journal reported that the scent of sandalwood really does promote a physical response, namely... Read >

Synthetic Perfume versus Natural Scents: Which is Better?

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel did not literally create the fragrances that bear her name. Her first creation occurred as she was on the brink of stardom, about to launch a new line of fashion. She wanted a perfume to symbolize that line of clothing, so she soug... Read >

Can the Internet Replace the Perfume Counter?

There is something wonderful about buying perfume in a store. That is, until you find out that the store does not have the perfume you want. If you are a perfume devotee, that happens pretty quickly. There is no store that has all of the perfumes in the w... Read >