This is what I needed to wake me up yesterday morning: a short spot for the latest fragrance release from surf-lifestyle brand Roxy, Roxy Love. If anyone knows the music, please comment!

Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour has been hired by niche line L'Artisan Parfumeur, but he will not be the "house nose". He will be in "in charge of creating bespoke fragrances and of other olfactory projects for the brand". L'Artisan will continue to use a variety of outside perfumers to develop new fragrances, and Duchaufour will continue to work for other brands as well. (via osmoz)

Duchaufour's past creations for L'Artisan include...

For anyone else needing a little perfume porn on this Monday morning (I, for one, am having a very hard time waking up today) here is a short film from Caron introducing their latest vintage reissue, Montaigne. Includes some great shots of the interior of Caron's boutique on Avenue Montaigne in Paris. In French, 2 1/2 minutes.

With perfume sales in much of the rest of the world slowing or declining, the industry, primarily based in Paris and New York, hopes for significant growth in China. The market there remains small, though sales are rising exponentially. Nobody knows the exact growth rate, but Patrick de Lambilly, the vice president for Asia for Coty, says, “You can see 20, 30, and 40 percent a year.”

— Columnist Chandler Burr, in Fragrance Market Is Establishing a Foothold in China, in the New York Times.

The faux-badass packaging warns Love Kills Slowly. So does this juice.

— Canada's National Post smells the new Ed Hardy Woman. 

Kurt Anderson of Studio 360 takes Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez of Perfumes: The Guide to a Duane Reade pharmacy to smell things. Perfumistas, take heart, you won't have to hear another long discussion of Eau de Toilette vs. Eau de Parfum, etc etc etc. About 11 minutes long. You can listen below, or download an MP3 file at the website.

Update: I had trouble getting the embedded whatchamacallit above to work in Firefox; it worked perfectly for me in Internet Explorer. Your mileage may vary.

“Those Axe ads are relatively accurate,” Herz says of the TV spots depicting women mauling cologne-doused schlubs. “If a woman likes how you smell, she’ll be drawn to you.” (That’s not a license to shower in Drakkar Noir, gentlemen—we still have to like the stench you’re sporting.)

— Rachel Herz, author of The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell, quoted in Follow your nose: Arousal starts with a sniff—so watch where you dab that perfume in Time Out New York. Thank to Jessica for the link!

A recent study shows a strong correlation between the lack of genetic diversity and the poor population density of sandalwood trees in south India. Penalties and absence of uniform laws have been a deterrent to nurturing this treasure.

— From Fading Fragrance?, an article about the threats to sandalwood in the wild, in the Deccan Herald.

Miomia, "New York's first truly unisex apothecary", is holding a Beauty Event this coming Saturday, May 10th:

You're invited to MIOMIA's Big Spring Beauty Event this Saturday, May 10, from 1-5pm!

MIOMIA's Spring Beauty Event will be featuring Ashley, a stylist from Cutler, who will address haircare needs and provide spring touchups with Cutler products. Melissa from Osea will pamper you with a personalized skincare analysis and mini-facial...

Actress Naomi Watts is the new face of Thierry Mugler Angel:

Naomi Watts was the inspired choice for Thierry Mugler, over and above her beauty and her star image. Displaying a modern touch, the actress projects a personality that blends sensuality, voluptuousness and evanescence to evoke the many facets of Angel. A blond fragility, a natural tenderness, an emotional seductiveness...

I have a confession to make: I'm a fragrance fanatic. I don't bathe in scent and asphyxiate fellow elevator passengers, but lately no reading interests me as much as the well-crafted description of how something smells. It's similar to how people used to read Pauline Kael's film reviews for the sake of artistry, not to decide whether they'd see the movie.

Still, it feels strange to confess to an obsession that few are aware exists.

— From Charting the ascent of scent: why the olfactory arts are set to be the next great obsession in The National Post...

CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) has announced the winners of their 2008 Beauty Awards. The awards in fragrance went to:

Women's Scent ~ Marc Jacobs Daisy

Men's Scent ~ Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory

You can see the rest of the award categories and winners at CEW.

See also: the Fragrance Awards page.