© The Diary of a Nose by Jean-Claude Ellena, Rizzoli ExLibris, 2013

Chances are that if you are a lover of fine and niche perfumes, Jean Claude Ellena is amongst your favorite perfumers. There can be now doubt that he is one of the most influential perfumers of the late 20th and right now in the 21st century. Since 2004, M. Ellena has held the position of In House Perfumer for Hermes after leaving his own Parfumerie, The Different Company. M. Ellena was the student of the brilliant Edmond Roudnitska and went on to create legendary perfumes for such companies as Bvlgari, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Amouage, Sisley (Eau de Campagne was his first fragrance,1994), Frederic Malle and Van Cleef & Arpels (First ).

I have interviewed many renowned perfumers over the past six years, but my interview with M. Ellena in 2009 always stood out for me. M. Ellena told me he considered himself a writer of perfumes, the scent are the words and these words construct the story : "The idea that the smells are words, my words to write (this verb is important for me) explains my way of thinking the perfume. I believe that the perfume is a cultural language, not universal as can be the music today. It is necessary to learn the smell to understand the perfume. We can like without understanding but it is to do without certain enjoyments".

It is with great anticipation that a new book will be launched named Diary of A Nose: A Year in the Life of a Parfumeur on February 2013 under Rizzoli's new imprint ExLibris. According to the release, the book will be a meditation on the world of scent and insights into his creative process. I will be reviewing an advance copy and sharing with our readers an opportunity to win a copy in the near future.

 –Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief