NEW! Jo's Scent Notes: The Scented Letter 'The Perfumer's Garden' free summer issue

Something new, today – and every other week, from here on in, alternating with Sarah’s Health Notes, enjoy Jo’s Scent Notes.

When it comes to health, Sarah (Stacey) is our resident expert. But in terms of fragrance, that’s the area of expertise of Jo (Fairley); she has won seven Jasmine Awards for fragrance-writing, for a long time had a blog called ‘The Scent Critic’, then set up The Perfume Society with Lorna McKay, co-wrote The Perfume Bible with Lorna, and still edits the Society’s multi-award-winning magazine, The Scented Letter. (For more about that, read on.)

That’s not to say Sarah doesn’t love fragrance and isn’t a bit of an expert herself – she did win a Jasmine Award for writing about fragrance, and adores it too – but we thought it would be good to share Jo’s fragrant finds here, on a regular basis. So, we kick off with a post that will direct you to somewhere you can read EVEN MORE about fragrance…!

As Jo writes…

‘Fragrance and aroma has been a part of my life since I could toddle. My very first memory is a scent memory: the smell after my darling grandmother rubbed my fingers on scented geraniums in her lean-to greenhouse, off the kitchen of the house where she lived, and lifted them to my nose. It’s such a vivid memory that I can not only recall her face, but the pattern on her dress – yet I couldn’t have been more than two.

I started writing about fragrance in 1991, immediately winning a Jasmine Award for my very first article. I realised I’d found a real writing passion, and I’m obsessed with the challenge of trying to turn smells – such ephemeral, invisible things – into words. My fragrant adventures have taken me all over the world, including to some incredibly memorable adventures – the launch of Lancôme Poême in Paris, with a private recital by Charles Aznavour; a trip in LVMH’s private jet and a helicopter to the Dordogne for the unveiling of a Givenchy fragrance; a visit to the Guerlain family’s estate, on the outskirts of Paris; time in Grasse, perfume capital of the world, seeing the harvests of rose, jasmine and tuberose (even taking part in that one!) So many unique experiences, etched on my memory, and always a joy to share.

In 2014, The Perfume Society launched The Scented Letter, and it’s one of my proudest achievements, bringing together the most talented fragrance writers in the UK (and beyond), in a downloadable quarterly publication that’s entirely free. (Click here, and the pop-up that appears will invite you to sign up, so you can receive it four times a year in your inbox.) We interview the world’s leading perfumers – such wizards, and fewer of them than astronauts! – as well as cover all the perfumery trends, news and happenings.’

We thought this first column would be a great opportunity to share with you the most recent issue of The Scented Letter – so click here and sign up. And scroll down, to see some of the articles you can look forward to…