The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-03-23

the public nose. Before World
! War I, there were only a few
standard perfumes used widely in
America. Of course, eau de Co.
longne, eau de toilette and mild
lotions were in use, but not I'M
til after World War l did the
average American woman be-
come perfume conscious in the
complicated scale played on the
olofactory nerves. Simple floral
"odors" we're the most used:
violet, lilac, rose and the like.
Doughboys who came back from
France with more expensive per-
fume gifts were largely instru-
mental in introducing the art Of
smelling pretty" in a more in
dividual way, Loesch said.
An army may not be thought
of as the avantgarde of Injuries,
but remember that the Crusaders
first brought aromatic oils and
priceless tinctures back to Europe
after those excursions against the
Eastern Infidels. Since bathtubs
were not invented, the disgusting
perfume must have been almost
welcome addition to court ladies
and court dandies. The poor vas
! sails, of course, just had to be
resigned to fate and callouSed
nostrils. Shakespeare referred to
Perfumes of Araby'' in his hand
washing scene in Macbeth. That's
just one literary a,lusion about
the delightful Illusion Of being, a
lilly-of the.valley or a Sprig OF
apple BLOSSOM.
All the glamor, and the glow.
ing terms of modern perfume
advertising stimulates the ina
gination. To get down to the rea-
listic facts, Loesch pointed out
that perfume bases Of raw mater
ials are made of strange and
very unromantic items. Fixa-
tives used to retain the most deli
cate "odeur" may be a hunk Of
material tossed up by a whale.
If the monster swallows some
thing which gives him indiges.
ton for example, his system
forms a protective layer Of en-.
casing ambergris which is final
ly elected. There is no record but
it wouldn't be surprising to learn
that Jonah might have been so
encased. Other tixatives are ex-
tracted from animals: civit, musk
and castorium among them.
These raw materials bind COM
bined ingredients and slow up
evaporation.
They are used solely in the
very best perfumes and cost
from three to five hundred dol
lars an ounce, Loesch stated.
Some of the essential oils are
extracted from Iowly roots or the
bark or leaf of plant. Flower
petals are of course also used,
but it takes tons of roses, for
example. which must be pressed
under tremendous weight to pro-
duce a very small and potent
concentration of Altar or Roses,
Bulgaria's chief perfume oil.
Synthetic connections and COM
binations have been tested and
mixed to create not only seem.
ingly true flower scents but ina
ginative and individual blends.
Lowly coal tar by-products are
utilized for some, Sc the perfume
game is something like that old
parlor game of questions and
answers. is it animal, mineral
or vegetable?
| Blends of various materials are
used to create special scents
which may indicate a PERSONAL
! tv. mood, as for example
Tweed" Lentheric perfume,
which has, as LoeSch explained,
universal appeal but is a
. typical American outdoor per-
/ fume" He ought tn know. ii
was one Of his first sginative
/ introductions. He described Con
fetti'' as a scent for the holiday
mood. Shanghai was made for
I the European market but was
adapted from an exotic Chinese
favorIte.
/ Said be, Perfumes come about
gradually. First you have TO have
an idea. You do . little day
dreaming As Ia music, you have
tn piece together the keynotes.
You create By intimate knowledge
Of each arrangement selected"
He pointed cut that not only
chemistry vas une of the big tn
duStFles involved. but that attrae-
tive packa ging and tempting ad-
yertlsing wen, into the program
2 which makes the perfume indus.
try worth malsons q dollars.
Nearly every seesia. cf the world
makes some contribution Laven-
der from Franee ard England:
71teAo1li oil from Tndia; sandal
wood from tie Orient. yglangs-
yiang from the Philippines: Jas.
mia aud wallet leaves from
France. peppermint o. frSsa Eng
lAa3, eF2ags. hSrg4a9sss at le.
a44a oils tram LAZY tAsms. SPIKE
lAyea4er aa5 SAGE frosr SApta:
pine sgsm Austria ard Siberia.
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