Perfumery Ethics Pledgers To Provide Unfiltered Information To Journalists

Pledgers to the Perfumery Code of Ethics have organised to provide writers, journalists, and academics with broader, less filtered information. By writing questions, requests for interviews, or fact-checking to [email protected], professional journalists, writers, and fact-checkers can receive priority responses. The volunteer work of the pledgers does not allow them to answer every request or cater to perfume fans and the general public at this point.

Once a request is received, one of the pledgers will answer queries on a "best-to-their-knowledge" basis or dispatch the request to other pledgers with more insights. Requests may also be forwarded to organisations such as the Osmotheque or professional bodies like Fragrance Creators and the International Fragrance Association, depending on the query's content. Links to published or unpublished data may be provided for cross-checking answers.

Access to ethical and reliable information in perfumery is extremely difficult. The fragrance industry is known for its secrecy. Some perfume brands exercise significant control over magazines and websites due to their advertising spending. Most staff and perfumers working for large brands are bound by non-disclosure agreements or do not wish to jeopardise future luxury projects. Retired perfumers traditionally do not convert into reliable sources of information either.

The academic programs offered by a few organisations have not been vetted by academia at the same level as STEM or art history programs at reputable universities. Fact-checkers often struggle to verify their sources in the perfumed microcosm. They may rely on simple Google searches or declarations by individuals with vested interests in the story. When something as simple as a bergamot is often wrongly pictured on search engines, access to specific information remains unreliable or misleading.

The Perfumery Code of Ethics was organised in 2019 and currently gathers 130 pledgers from perfumers, writers, brands, and store owners who have committed to abide by eight ethical principles. It is the only code of its kind in the perfume industry targeting a wide range of subjects specific to fragrance creation, distribution, and communication.

Contact: Terry Carter, Elena Cvjetkovic, Tanja Deurloo, Christophe Laudamiel, Pia Long at [email protected]