Leading fragrance expert Michael Edwards has published the 30th edition of his Fragrances of the World guide book, widely regarded as the fragrance industry “˜bible’. First published in 1984, the guide book has documented all the key fragrance trends and launches of the past three decades.
“On the 30th anniversary of Michael Edwards’ masterwork, Fragrances of the World, it is remarkable to realise that what he has accomplished will serve the industry for generations to come,” noted The Fragrance Foundation President Emeritus Annette Green.
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The Fragrances of the World guide features the innovative Fragrance Wheel | |
Edwards began working in the industry in the 1970s, and experienced first hand the speed at which ingredients and technology changed. He also noted how sales associates struggled to keep track of all the new releases, mostly selling their “˜tried-and-tested’ favourites. Edwards envisioned a guide to help distance them from their personal likes and dislikes, and simplify the process of selecting alternative fragrances from similar families.
A transfer role from his role at Halston in Paris to Sydney proved to be the catalyst. “One of my first clients was a group of pharmacies, who asked me to help develop their fragrance category,” Edwards explained. “I could train their staff, but I needed a guide, a sales tool to help them select the right fragrances for each customer. The only one then available was very technical, which was why I was forced to create my first guide.
“The 1984 edition listed just 38 new fragrances. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined that thirty years later, I would track more than 1,400 new fragrances in a single year, or that the tiny guide would grow to become the industry’s ‘fragrance bible’.”
Yves de Chiris, former Senior Vice President at Quest observed: “Today there is nothing in the industry that matches the quality of Michael’s material. His classification is not only simple and easy to use but also extremely rich. It has everything one may wish to make fragrance recommendations and of equal importance, it is the only one to remain consistent from year to year.”
Edwards and his team make no charge for listings and do not accept advertising, enabling them to work independently with every brand and every perfumer. Every fragrance launch including celebrity, limited edition and niche is categorised, giving the reader the ultimate reference tool at their fingertips.
For the 30th Anniversary Edition, Edwards’ famous Fragrance Wheel’ comes to life with a pictorial timeline that shows the evolution of the iconic fragrances within each family.
For further information please visit www.fragrancesoftheworld.com or contact Margaret Khoury email: mk@fragrancesoftheworld.com or tel: +61 2 9546 2951.
