In Search of Perfumes

In order to pro­duce one kilogram of rose oil, one million flowers must be picked, by hand. This book is my homage to the harvesters of the world. When it comes to nature, Dominique Roques is a unique authority. He has spent the last thirty years working closely with local communities across the globe to establish a sustainable supply of natural ingredients crucial to perfume making. From resin cultivated by traditional methods in El Salvador to rose oil distilleries in India as old as the Taj Mahal, his network reveals an elusive trade built on the fault lines of tradition and modernity. With In Search of Perfumes, Roques takes us on a fragrant journey from Andalusia to Somaliland, revealing seventeen of the industry's most precious ingredients and the vast but delicate ecosystem sustained by the artisans who are its caretakers. Roques shows us the beauty and mysteries of a familiar trade. This is a return to the source of the world's scents.

DOMINIQUE ROQUES is the head of sourcing at Firmenich, a Swiss company which provides the world's leading perfume brands with natural fragrances, essences, and extracts. Over the last thirty years, he has worked with companies such as Bulgari, Thierry Mugler, Guerlain and Yves Saint Laurent. STEPHANIE SMEE is a translator of French literature into English.