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Articles by John Biebel
ScentXplore 2026: Restaurando un sentido de experimentación
ScentXplore de Nueva York ha sido un evento en constante crecimiento durante los últimos años. Con cada temporada que pasa, ha atraído a una gama más amplia de expositores y asistentes. La ciudad tiene su propio sabor, y lo que encontrarás en esta feria comercial no será lo mismo que en otros eventos en Europa, Asia, Sudamérica, Medio Oriente o incluso en otras partes de los EE. UU. Lo que más me llamó la atención en ScentXplore 2026 fue una cara nueva y fresca orientada hacia la experimentación.
La inesperada complejidad de Tobacco Chocolat de Tom Ford
He notado que Tom Ford ha estado ocupado este año con varios lanzamientos diferentes, y mi atención se despertó con el nombre de Tobacco Chocolat. Confesaré que momentáneamente fue porque tuve que mirar dos veces: pensé que había visto Tobacco Chococat, mi personaje favorito de Sanrio. Siempre he sido un gran admirador de Tobacco Vanille, y lo considero uno de los lanzamientos de fragancias más importantes del siglo XXI.
L'Heure Bleue 2026 y las arenas movedizas
Se ha generado bastante revuelo en torno al lanzamiento de la última versión de Guerlain de su clásico perfume de 1912 L'Heure Bleue. Al echar la vista atrás a los últimos meses, nuestros lectores pueden ver fácilmente que redactores de Fragrantica de todo el espectro han compartido sus opiniones sobre este lanzamiento, sus expectativas personales y sus sentimientos acerca de cómo nació este perfume.
Avance de ScentXplore 2026: ¿Qué hay en el radar del equipo de Fragrantica?
ScentXplore 2026 arranca en apenas un par de días y el equipo de Fragrantica ya se está preparando: recientemente, Adam publicó su guía sobre todo lo relacionado con los perfumes en la ciudad anfitriona de la feria, Nueva York (que incluye una práctica lista de lugares imperdibles en Google Maps); y Beth se encargó del programa del evento.
Los perfumes que queremos usar este otoño: Parte 2
Comenzamos nuestro viaje por las fragancias de otoño que nuestros escritores internacionales están deseando usar este próximo otoño en la Parte 1. Continuamos nuestro viaje aquí en la Parte 2. ¿Qué significan los perfumes de otoño para ustedes, nuestros lectores? ¿Es el momento de sacar las oscuras fragancias de ámbar y vainilla que han guardado en el fondo del armario desde el invierno pasado, perfumes como Parfums de Marly Harod con su intenso tabaco, canela, osmanto e incienso?
O, Wilderness: Ylang-Ylang in Perfume
About four years ago, I gave an online talk called "Developing Smell through Verbalization." The idea was that you can enlarge, extend, and refine your sense of smell by learning new ways to talk about it. As I was preparing the slides for the talk, I wanted to present a writing and thinking technique sometimes referred to as word clusters or word clouds. In its simplest form, you write the words that come into your head when you think of a central idea.
Unearthing The Forgotten Brand: Studio Girl
Sometime in the 20th century in Hollywood, California, an idea was born. It was, in some ways, similar to another American company, Avon (which had begun as the California Perfume Company in the late 19th century.) This new company, which found its footing in the Hollywood Hills, was also a door-to-door sales company, but had a slightly different flavor.
Scent Week and the Art and Olfaction Awards, Los Angeles, 2025
The Institute for Art and Olfaction held its annual awards this year at the Cicada Club in Los Angeles, an exciting event that captures the essence of what's happening in niche and independent fragrance around the world. As part of the Institute's new tradition, they hold their awards each odd numbered year in Los Angeles, and every even-numbered year in another city.
Gardenia in Bloom: An American Love Story
America has had a complex relationship with the gardenia. It's a flower that nearly everyone knows and has smelled in some form or another, whether as actual blossoms in the deep south or on the western coast, or as florists' prizes, usually from a now bygone age when they were considered an essential part of a woman's evening ensemble for a formal event. They've also figured prominently in our imaginations, fueled by where or when we grew up.
Ten Years of Vertus' Vanilla Oud: Retaining the Mystery
I first encountered the Vertus perfume brand at ScentXplore in New York in 2023. It was one of the highlights of the event: so many quality fragrances and compelling profiles all under one creative umbrella. The brand itself has deep roots and began as a personal products and perfume venture in 1969 by founder Halil Akat, and has since been carried on by his family.
Mallo's Ora Shapes a Rose with Dark Pine and Oud
Mallo's perfumes are handmade in Zaragoza, Spain, utilizing tantalizingly specific botanical ingredients, brought together into unique profiles that both delight and confound with their unexpected scent journey. Having smelled a few of the perfumes from Mallo, I'm convinced that founder and perfumer Antonio Lasheras has a vision that extends beyond known fragrance tropes, mixing together the expected and the unknown to form foundations that extend upward like adobe walls into a dark night sky.
Revisiting the International Perfume Bottles Auction 2025 - The Results
Earlier this month, Fragrantica reported on the annual Perfume Bottles Auction handled by Ken Leach. This serves as the official auction of the IPBA (the International Perfume Bottles Association). The auction features bottles from the golden age of perfume manufacture, and this year's auction was particularly special for its celebration of the Centennial of the 1925 Paris Exposition of Modern and Decorative and Industrial Arts.
What Are Fragrantica Writers Wearing This Autumn? Julia and John
The cool season of autumn is upon us... In a series of articles by our Fragrantica writers and editors, we explore the fragrances that we plan to wear as the chilly season approaches. Autumn in New England, USA BY JOHN BIEBEL New England comes alive in autumn. Is that a contradiction? In a way, yes, as the leaves end their growth for the year, and various animals harvest much of nature's food for a long winter ahead.
Fragrantica Interviews Sarah McCartney: Perfumer of 4160 Tuesdays
Earlier this summer, Nicola Thomis and John Biebel had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah McCartney, perfumer for the independent British fragrance brand 4160 Tuesdays. Sarah has also created perfumes for Aura of Kazakhstan, Blackcliff Parfums, Sarah Baker, and Zoologist, among others. She's been a force in the indie scene for many years, and is often consulted for her keen ability to work across a multitude of fragrance genres.
TASTE & SMELL: Chinese Pickles ~ Flavour Fusions ~ Fragrantica
While many of us were stuck inside at the beginning of this decade, I found myself trying out new hobbies, usually involving explorations in the kitchen. One world cuisine I've always loved but never learned much about is Chinese food. I started following a few YouTube channels (my favorites are Chinese Cooking Demystified and Souped Up Recipes).
The Many Numbers of Press Gurwitz Perfumerie
Press Gurwitz Perfumerie is a family-owned fragrance house based in Marathon, New York; this is upstate, and not too far from Ithaca. They've been a working venture since 2019, and they have produced many perfumes, fifteen so far. There is great variety among their scents, which range from classic fougères to gourmand profiles. They have also branched out to room fragrance diffusers, body care products (including skin lotions, hair care, bath salts, men's products) and candles to name a few.
The Wild Retro World of Bianco Profumo
Chicago is a fascinating city, one of my favorites in the US. It's fun enough that despite visiting there during one of the coldest Decembers on record, I still had a blast walking all over the place. The city has its cultural institutions like The Art Institute of Chicago, Wrigley Field, The Magnificent Mile, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House (one of the coolest buildings ever made, in my humble opinion).
Hidden Habits: A New Perfume From Temporal
Perfume ideas mostly come from memories - sometimes these memories are recent, fresh, and relatable, and others are highly stylized versions of the past, perhaps collective memories of great empires or gilded ages. Yet others are not quite our own, but recollections that are somewhat dependent on other characters that were part of our past. Such is the intriguing backstory of Temporal's Hidden Habits, a fragrance from the new Los Angeles-based entity, Temporal.
Nuevas fragancias de Gallagher: Emerald Ambergris y Skydive
Las mentes creativas de Gallagher Fragrances han visto cómo su empresa se expandía significativamente a lo largo de los años, ahora con su segunda línea, la Pearlescent Collection, y una serie de fragancias de edición limitada. Dan y Mindy, la pareja afincada en Texas que dirige las obras desde la idea inicial hasta el producto final, tienen ahora sus fragancias representadas en tiendas de todo el mundo, además de su presencia en línea.
New Fragrances from Gallagher: Emerald Ambergris and Skydive
The creative minds at Gallagher Fragrances have seen their company expand significantly over the years, now having branched into their second line, the Pearlescent Collection, and a series of Limited Edition fragrances. Dan and Mindy, the Texas-based couple who shepherd the works from initial idea to final product, now have their fragrances represented in shops around the world in addition to their online presence.
Scents of New England: Ivy, Apple Blossom, and The Sea
There are many fascinating smells that I associate with the area where I grew up and where I chose to settle. But before I even begin to talk about them, I should tell you a bit more about what this place is.
Areej le Doré: New Musk Collection
Indonesian-Russian based perfume house Areej le Doré has released an important new series of perfumes for 2024 that focus on natural musk. Each of the five has a central musk component at the core of its architecture. Royal Barn utilizes civet to build an earthy profile of luxurious flowers and savory, animalic botanical accords. Creme de la Creme utilizes different ambergris tinctures to create a soft, creamy-saline texture with spices and oud.
ESXENCE 2024: Boujee Bougies, Eau de Boujee, y la nueva: Infleurno
Reunirse con los creadores de Boujee Bougies, Pia Long y Nick Gilbert, es embarcarse simultáneamente en varios viajes en alfombra mágica, todos delirantes e imaginativos, impregnados de bromas privadas y montones de historias personales. Y aunque sus historias, inspiraciones y "líneas maestras" no parezcan en absoluto tradicionales, no se puede evitar sentir que existe una lógica refrescante en la forma en que su trabajo se materializa.
ESXENCE: 2024 My Unusual Experience (And the Importance of Friends)
There have been many great articles about the Esxence 2024 experience this year from my colleagues and friends here at Fragrantica. Today I am adding mine, but I must preface it to help set some expectations. I was only able to see a mere fraction of the event (far less than the four days that most other people were able to.) And why is that? you may ask...
ESXENCE 2024: Boujee Bougies, Eau de Boujee, and New Fragrance: Infleurno
To meet with the creators of Boujee Bougies Pia Long and Nick Gilbert is to embark upon a few magic carpet rides simultaneously, all delirious and imaginative, infused with private jokes and loads of personal backstories. And though their stories, inspirations, and "through-lines" may not seem at all traditional, you can't help but feel there is a refreshing logic to how their work comes into being. A good way to demonstrate this is to begin with some vocabulary.
Of Unicorns, Medieval History, and Perfume
To visit The Cloisters in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood is to step back in time. The museum and compound is a special arm of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it is composed of numerous Medieval European church cloisters that were dismantled, transported to the US, and rebuilt as a fascinating museum of connected pathways, halls, open-air gardens, and stone-walled galleries featuring some of the best Medieval art that can be seen in the United States.
"Nightcap" la edición limitada de GUY FOX
Liam y Grant, los fundadores de los perfumes GUY FOX, se han centrado en su filosofía de la Costa Oeste. Todas sus fragancias son agradables de llevar, cómodas sobre la piel y, en general, transparentes sin perder una huella olfativa distintiva. Los perfumes han vivido principalmente en el ámbito de la ropa de día: aromas herbales, perfiles de sándalo, el floral de manzana de Preston o la menta y lima de Vince.
GUY FOX's Limited Edition "Nightcap"
Liam and Grant, the founders of GUY FOX perfumes, have put a focus on their West Coast ethos. All their fragrances are pleasurable to wear, comfortable on the skin, and generally transparent without missing a distinct olfactive imprint. The perfumes have lived primarily in the realm of daytime wear: herbal aromatics, sandalwood profiles, the apple-floral of Preston, or the mint-gin-lime of Vince.
Jadon (Roots): La Fleur by Livvy's Ode to Spice ~ Fragrance Reviews ~ Fragrantica
Olivia Larson is a perfumer living and working in Colorado, USA. As her repertoire of fragrances has grown over the years, so has the respect and esteem with which her peers hold her and her work. In 2023, her perfume house La Fleur by Livvy was the recipient of a Perfume Foundation International award: Best Perfume in the New Luxury category for her fragrance Jadon.
Alessandro Brun, Director Artístico de Perfumes, ha fallecido
El mundo de las fragancias ha perdido a un importante colaborador: el director creativo y educador Alessandro Brun, de Masque Milano y Milano Fragranze. Alessandro ha sido un fijo en la perfumería nicho desde el lanzamiento de Masque Mlano en 2010. Creó la marca con uno de sus antiguos alumnos, Riccardo Tedeschi.
Fragrance Artistic Director Alessandro Brun Has Passed Away
The fragrance world has lost an important contributor: creative director and educator Alessandro Brun of Masque Milano and Milano Fragranze. Alessandro has been a fixture in niche perfumery since the launch of Masque Mlano in 2010. He created the brand with one of his former students, Riccardo Tedeschi.
New Perfumes from Phronema
Weston Adam is a perfume maker who makes you work. I say this with a slight smile because any "work" that might result from contact with his perfumes is most welcomed and enlightening. He's also someone who presents his inspirations in such a way that you want to investigate more so that you understand what brought him to make his decisions, why something might have moved him.
Azman Risk: A Mythic Oud
I believe oud is having another moment (something I wrote about in my "Best of 2023" round-up late last year), and this is a very good thing, particularly if you're an oud admirer. I'm old enough to remember that oud had become quite the frustration to many perfume lovers for quite some time, and it never fully receded from the modern perfume maker's palette, but I'm forever grateful for its introduction to our general consciousness.
ScentXplore: BOHOBOCO - The Brand of Mesmerizing Duets
One of the great joys at fragrance events is to see perfume brands who are clearly enjoying themselves. ScentXplore had an amazingly upbeat presence in general, but a few presenters were really excited to be there, and their enthusiasm was infectious. This was definitely the case with BOHOBOCO, the niche perfume brand from Poland, run by creative director Michaeł Gilbert Lach.
BEST PERFUMES 2023: Fragrantica Team Favorites
This year has seen many perfume releases, and there were enough good ones that I had trouble whittling down a list to just nine. If I could add on some "runners up" I would, but perhaps that's the content for another article. What I've liked about this year is that perfume palettes were different from what I've seen in other years.
Mallo & Balkrishnan Create ARC: A Modern Fougère — With a Giveaway for Fragrantica Readers ~ Fragrance News ~ Fragrantica
This year, perfumers Antonio Lasheras (of Mallo Parfums, Spain) and perfumer Rajesh Balkrishnan (Bortnikoff, DI SER) have teamed up to release a formidable fougère of large and lasting proportions, ARC. The project is a limited edition release packaged in an artful wooden box with the Mallo logo embossed on one side. Rajesh has kindly offered one 30ml bottle of this fragrance as a giveaway to a Fragrantica reader. He's asked for some interesting feedback to be eligible; please see below.
La luz y la oscuridad de Poivre Noir
La pimienta negra es la más común de las variedades de pimienta disponibles en todo el mundo. Es lo bastante omnipresente como para que en gran parte de Europa, EE.UU. y Australia, la pimienta negra molida forme parte, junto con la sal, del conjunto de condimentos indispensables para la comida cotidiana. El olor de la pimienta negra es un arquetipo en sí mismo; es difícil describir la pimienta negra sin mencionar los propios granos de pimienta.
The Dark and Light of Poivre Noir
Black pepper is the most common of the peppercorn varieties available to us around the world. It is ubiquitous enough that in much of Europe, the US, and Australia, ground black pepper sits besides salt in the set of indispensable seasonings for everyday food. The smell of black pepper is an archetype in itself; it's hard to describe black pepper without mentioning peppercorns themselves. There is an unmistakable allure to the fragrance that comes from the oil trapped within black peppercorns.
Tobacco Honey: Guerlain se lanza a lo grande
Siento un gran amor por el Midtown East de Nueva York. Cuando se lo digo a algunas personas, me miran extrañadas como diciendo: "¿En serio?". No es un barrio al que uno vaya cuando piensa en Nueva York, y sólo este hecho puede ser una de las razones por las que me gusta tanto allí. También trabajé en la Tercera Avenida durante varios años, así que ahí está ese apego.
Tobacco Honey: Guerlain Builds Big and Bold
I have a great love for Midtown East in New York City. When I tell some people this, they kind of look at me quizzically as if to say, "Really?" It's not a neighborhood that one grabs for when thinking of New York, and this fact alone may be one of the reasons I love it so much over there. I also worked on Third Avenue for a number of years, so there's that attachment.
Eau de Rochas Citron Soleil: El último suspiro del verano
Me arrastrarán pataleando y gritando hasta el final del verano actual porque lo he estado disfrutando demasiado. Sin embargo, todos mis deseos de alargar la temporada no detendrán el inevitable avance del otoño. Incluso los catálogos habituales con las nuevas camisetas y sudaderas de rugby están llegando a mi buzón, así que hay pocas esperanzas de detenerlo.
Eau de Rochas Citron Soleil: Last Gasp of Summer
They will drag me kicking and screaming to the end of the current summer because I've been enjoying it far too much. Yet all my strongest wishes to extend the season won't stop the inevitable advance of autumn. Even the usual catalogs sporting the up-and-coming rugby shirts and sweaters are making their way into my mailbox so there's little hope of stopping this.
The Secret Treasure of Canoe
A few months ago, I purchased a vintage bottle of Canoe. Much has been written about this storied cologne and aftershave, and there was a time when many American bathrooms had a bottle of Canoe sitting in the medicine cabinet. There have been a few different bottle shapes and designs over the years, but the classic round glass with sloping top edges and white cap are minimal and distinctive, never dated or out of touch.
The Smell of Compliance
I had to drop my computer off at the Apple Store and decided to take advantage of a rare opportunity to spend time at the mall. When I was younger, malls were wonderful places, of course changing dramatically over the years and many have even unfortunately dried up and are just shells with no shops inside any longer. But there is a busy mall in the city where I live, and inside is a store that's become ubiquitous in the world of perfumery: Sephora.
Fragrantica Talks: Perfumes de verano que no son cítricos
En busca de la flor: Lily Of The Valley by 4711
Algunas opciones frescas para las mañanas de verano
Me gusta el reto de encontrar nuevas e interesantes opciones de perfumes ligeros y frescos cuando suben las temperaturas aquí, en la mitad norte del mundo. Aunque me gustaría pensar que puedo llevar cualquier fragancia en cualquier época del año, en realidad no es mi caso: Cuando el calor es intenso, prefiero las fragancias más fáciles de llevar, sobre todo porque los olores fuertes no son tan agradables cuando el sol me está golpeando.
Some Fresh Choices for Summer Mornings
I like the challenge of finding new and interesting light and fresh perfume options when the temperatures are rising here in the northern half of the world. As much as I'd like to think that I can wear any fragrance at any time of the year, it's not really the case for me: I do reach for things that are "easier wears" when I'm walking around in the heat, mostly because heavy scents are not as pleasant when the sun is pounding down on me.
The Mysterious Flower Within: Goldfield & Banks' Ingenious Ginger ~ Fragrance Reviews ~ Fragrantica
Goldfield & Banks has released a new perfume, Ingenious Ginger: a fragrance with a name that reflects a startlingly accurate match between idea and final product. The perfume company is one of a small group of larger-distribution Australian perfume houses, and they have focussed much of their creative efforts toward raising the awareness of endemic Australian fragrant materials.
La actriz e intérprete Ann-Margret lanza un nuevo perfume
Ann-Margret, actriz y cantante ganadora de múltiples premios, ha lanzado un perfume coincidiendo con el Memorial Day (Día de los Caídos) en Estados Unidos. La fragancia es su primera incursión en el mundo de los perfumes, y se presenta como edición limitada. Todos los beneficios de las ventas se destinan al fondo conmemorativo de los veteranos de Vietnam.
Actress and Performer Ann-Margret Launches New Perfume
Ann-Margret, multiple award-winning actress and singer, has released a perfume timed to coincide with Memorial Day in the US. The fragrance is her first foray into the world of perfumes, and it is presented as a limited edition. All proceeds from sales support the Vietnam Veterans Memorial fund. I had a particular interest in this project because it represents the meeting point of a number of areas of interest for me: perfume, the Vietnam memorial in Washington D.C., and Ann-Margret's career.
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