The subject "From the Creation to the Retail Shelf," from the standpoint of an American perfumer in an American fragrance compounding house presents much to think about.
First of all, do we have a problem--or does everything work so well from creation to the retail shelf that there is nothing to worry about? I think not. I have had the good fortune in my career to have been a creative perfumer, as well as having been involved in the purchase of raw materials, production, and contact with customers on their final selections for the retail shelf. Let’s take each of the above one at a time.
First--the creative perfumers. Do they have any worries after creating? After all, their job is to create. Why should they worry about anything else? How about the availability of materials for starters? I can remember a few years ago a perfumer creating a fragrance for a mass market product involving large tonnage and using a very rare essential oil that had a worldwide production of only a few kilos. This could have been a total disaster. Fortunately, it was caught in time, before the submission.
