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Perfume on paper strips- Why?

post #1 of 7
12/5/08 at 2:30pm
Thread Starter 
I read the article on Chandler Burr- "Sniffing the Good, the Bad and the Glandular" in which the author mentions the practice of designing perfume so it smells good on paper, not on people. This, I don't get. Why not educate the public. They've got them snorting coffee beans, how hard could it be?
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post #2 of 7
12/6/08 at 6:54am
Paper is more reliable because it allows for little variation due to different lifestyle choices (food and meds mostly) that might alter the perception of scent on skin. Therefore something that smells good on paper each and every time and for each and every consumer guarantees a better sale, rather than risking other factors getting in the way (of course when the consumer gets home and smells it on his;/her person, that's another story...). Not that perfumers and companies don't test on skin as well, however. But you see my point.
Education on the other hand is something that is slower and harder to achieve. And is open only to the willing in the first place (not everyone wants to learn, many just want to spray something pleasant on and be done with it! ~not faulting them, mind you)

BTW, the coffee beans trick has been debunked by now, but the mainstream follows with delay.
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post #3 of 7
12/6/08 at 7:17am
Also, when testing a large number of fragrances or variations
i) you would run out of skin
ii) you can't really label it to remember which is which
iii) it is hard to keep them distinct from each other so you can be sure you are only smelling the one you wish to.
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post #4 of 7
12/6/08 at 7:23am
Most people smell a scent on paper, first and it's that first impression that often makes people interested in a frag. If they like it on a paper strip (or tissue) they may also like it on their skin. Many people buy a frag, after only smelling it on paper. (Not that I recommend that!)

I always do the "paper sniff test," first! If I don't like it, I usually won't bother trying it on my skin.
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post #5 of 7
12/6/08 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
Ok, but I think you'd agree that a great perfume responds to the warmth of the human body, no? Surely the final testing before going to the consumer should be on skin. Also, Luca Turin tested on paper for his book which I found to be very problematic. It has a definite effect on the classically constructed perfumes like the Carons especially. Those smell bad on paper. They were not meant to be WORN on paper!
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post #6 of 7
12/6/08 at 10:30am
I remember reading in Chandler Burr's book that while developing Un Jardin Sur Le Nil, they found that a sample smelled entirely different on paper than on skin.

I, too, have tended not to spray onto my skin any perfume I don't like on paper, but now I'm thinking that I could be missing some great perfumes that way.
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post #7 of 7
12/6/08 at 10:37am
I definitely think Dior's Hypnotic Poison smells very different on paper than on my skin. Both good, but it's even better on me.

One perfume that smelled better on paper than on me was Dior's Midnight Poison, which is contrary to what the sales assistant claimed. Perhaps it smells better on *her* than on paper. I'll pass, though.

Here's a question though. . . what paper do they use? Do they use archival acid-free? Cotton-fiber? Linen? Recycled? Hemp?
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