Fragrance: From Plant To Perfume

Are you a bibliophile, a bibliophage or a reader? The joy of disappearing into a book is something that the world rediscovered during the years of lockdown and, forgiving the slight downturn as the world reopened, has remained strong during 2024. New authors come and go, new subjects are touted as the next new thing, but there are some book categories that remain solid sellers. Perfume and horticulture are two such topics, which does beg the question, “why has it taken so long to combine them into the perfect coffee table tome?” Well, the wait is finally over as we welcome Fragrance: From Plant To Perfume.

Kew Gardens, also known as the Royal Botanic Gardens, originally started life in 1759 and is the undisputed leader in the preservation and cataloguing of rare and unusual botanical specimens. However, there’s no elitism there, and your standard garden varieties also have their place amongst the showstoppers. Today it serves as a leading centre for research and conservation, with over 80,000 living plants and thousands of preserved specimens, and many of these can be viewed within its vast glasshouses. Kew Gardens is no stranger to being the focus of books, but was there a new way to showcase the collection?

The perfect partnership came in the form of Josh Carter and Samuel Gearing, better known as the boys behind Fiole. Their similarities with Kew are that they have a carefully curated selection of fragrances from around the world, allow full public access thanks to their ingenious sample boxes, as well as sharing a passion for the ingredients that produce our favourite fragrances. These two have become the go-to destination in London, thanks to their counter in Fortnum & Mason, and the knowledge that they share made them the ideal pair to create the perfect printed perfume present.

The concept of Fragrance: From Plant To Perfume is remarkably simple, but it absolutely delivers an original and “un-put-downable” book. Josh and Samuel have picked the key ingredients found in both perfumery and the Kew Gardens specimens, and weaved the story of their origins, their extraction processes, as well as suggesting some notable perfumes that feature the ingredient. The experts at Kew Gardens have provided some fascinating additional notes, as well as stunning archive illustrations from their collection, so you really are treated to a fully immersive experience from plant to perfume. It’s clear why it took a year to write!

There are eleven sections, covering everything from citrus to spices, and two of the chapters having detailed introductions to the world of citruses and roses. With perfume suggestions from the likes of Guerlain, Grossmith and even the classic 4711, this is a book that is guaranteed to surprise and delight whether you’re a gardener, a scent fanatic, or even new to both. As is the way in the digital age, the book is available to download or as a physical copy. One thing to consider thought, the act of reading a physical book is said to stimulate the sense of touch, vision, and smell, and isn’t that what this book is all about?

Fragrance: From Plant To Perfume is available from all good booksellers, and also online from Kew Gardens and Fiole, priced at £16.99 for 208 pages. [Sample provided by Fiole]