Roja Dove’s passion for fragrance is contagious. As the world’s leading perfume authority, Dove leads us on an extravagant journey through the world of scent, from Ancient Egypt, where myth has it that the fragrance Kypi induced mass surrender, through to the 1920s, when Jean Harlow’s husband—maddened by his love and frustrated by his impotence—drenched himself in his wife’s perfume before ending his life. We hear about the many episodes born from the bitter rivalry between Coco Chanel and “that Italian”, Elsa Schiaparelli, and which of today’s celebrity fragrances are the most offensive.

The Essence of Perfume is the first book by the world’s only Professeur de Parfums, and it is as captivating as it is informative. Beginning with a comprehensive discussion of the sense of smell and the materials of the master perfumer, The Essence of Perfume goes on to celebrate the great classics, the makers who brought them to life and the bottle makers who gave them shape. In an age where the methods and motivations of the original perfumers are all but forgotten, Roja Dove unfolds the gripping story of scent with all the passion and devotion of a true artist.