Comments on: Who is this guy?

Question: Who is this guy?

Karcy — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:58:01 -0800

Several years ago I listened to a radio show which mentioned that there was this chemist who invented a perfume that had the smell of earth after rain. I need to find out this guy's name. The guy is (probably) British, and is more likely to be a chemist than a perfurmer. The scent was not part of any fashion line then.

I've tried Googling, Yahoo'ing, and BBC Online'ing, but to no avail. Variations include 'British chemist earth scent' or 'British perfumer earth scent' or 'chemist earth scent'. Does anyone here know who this person could be -- or could have any clue or indication on this person?

By: ceri richard

ceri richard — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:59:49 -0800

Have you tried English instead of British?

By: ceri richard

ceri richard — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:01:48 -0800

(and Welsh, Scottish and Irish?)

By: Kreiger

Kreiger — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:13:28 -0800

Could you be thinking of Christopher Brosius? One of the 'accords' that he uses is called 'Dirt
(Soaked Earth)'.

By: Karcy

Karcy — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:21:24 -0800

OMG Kreiger, I honestly never expected to find the answer! The hive mind is *fantastic*!

By: Cuppatea

Cuppatea — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:49:45 -0800

There is a word for this smell, petrichor.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:54:57 -0800

Nah, it's Bear and Thomas, and they're Australians.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:57:08 -0800

Oops. Cuppatea beat me to it.

By: sully75

sully75 — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 07:41:20 -0800

Was the show Studio 360 by any chance? Out of NY? I think the guy on it wrote the perfume column for the NY Times.

By: kcm

kcm — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 07:48:58 -0800

A complete aside but you may like:

The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell

The Emperor of Scent

The former is by Luca Turin, and the second is about him.

By: cubby

cubby — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:44:17 -0800

some excellent scents can be found at Demeter Frangrance Library. Its not exactly what you're looking for, but they do have things like dirt, rain, and my favorite beetroot. They have many interesting scents, and mixed in with compelling ideas like "tomato" you'll find some teeny bopper ones like "bubble gum" -- scroll through the "flavors" menu for a list of them all.

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:42:28 -0800

Smell: the secret seducer is a neat book too.

Note that the colon is important in this book title.