Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps

During the past decade there have been many changes in the perfumery industry which are not so much due to the discovery and application of new raw materials, but rather to the astronomic increase in the cost of labour required to produce them. This is reflected more particularly in the flower industry, where the cost of collecting the blossoms delivered to the factories has gone up year after year, so much so that most flowers with the possible exception of Mimosa, have reached a cost price which has compelled the perfumer to either reduce his purchases of absolutes and concretes, or alternatively to substitute them from a cheaper source, or even to discontinue their use. This development raises an important and almost insoluble problem for the perfumer, who is faced with the necessity of trying to keep unchanged the bouquet of his fragrances, and moreover, to ensure no loss of strength and diffusiveness. Of course, this problem applies more especially to the adjustment of formulae for established perfumes, because in every new creation the present high cost of raw materials receives imperative con sideration before the formula is approved.

w. A. Poucher's original 'Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps', first published in 1923, were the first comprehensive text books to deal exclusively with the work of the perfume and cosmetic industry, and received recognition and approval throughout the world. Their success and popularity was due primarily to the fact that they provided a practical guide not only to those engaged in the industry, but to a section of readers interested in the mystique and romance which at that time was associated with the perfume and cosmetic arts. It was also an outstanding feature that the books were easily readable, subject matter being expressed in a clear and under- standable fashion without the frills of pseudo-science or advanced technology. In revising Volume III and editing Volume I it has been my aim to continue in the pattern and style of their author, and to this end I have not intended to write a new book, but have attempted a true revision, and it is a remarkable fact that many of the original writings made nearly 50 years ago can still apply to an industry which since that time has developed beyond recognition.