This fifth edition of Nez looks at the issues surrounding the use of natural and synthetic ingredients in perfume. What role has chemistry had in building the perfume business of today? Why are natural products so favoured, and are they always preferable to synthetic fragrances?

THE NOSE OF ARCHITECTS
Does architecture offer space to a sense of smell?

ICONS
Making good use of their noses, each in their own manner contributes to the world of olfaction.

ODORAMA
Everything you always wanted to know about smell but were afraid to ask.
The story of calone
The sense of smell of insects
All about cardamom
Analysing the smells of a holiday home

CONNECTIONS
Invisible yet undeniable, smells feature in all creative fields.
Extract: Musk, by Percy Kemp
Huysmans: a spiritual voyage, nostrils wide open
A smell-binding tour of Camden town
Creative spirits: Marlène Staiger and Nicolas Julhès
Flower dance by Goldie Poblador
A table of desserts by Jan Davidsz de Heem
Olfactory column by Céline Ellena

MAGAZINE
Exploring the world of perfume through its origins, its trade secrets, its history and its professionals.
Bergamot, the prized scent of Calabria
Interview: Michel Almairac
Flashback: La Belle Époque
The fantasy perfumery

NATURAL VS. SYNTHETIC
We examine and debate the use of natural and synthetic ingredients in perfumes, viewed from historical, scientific, legal, industrial and marketing perspectives.
Nature is chemistry! mapping the fragrant molecules of the vegetal world
The genesis of synthetics: how perfumery entered modernity in the 19th century
How tomorrow's scents are invented: the search for new molecules
Who's afraid of the big bad perfume? an investigation into the real or supposed dangers hidden in perfumes
The fetish for naturals: when an ingredient becomes the selling point
In the garden of lost scents: the forgotten plants of perfumery
Making an odour more real than nature: the nose and palate can no longer tell the synthetic from the natural

PERFUME PAGES
From consumer products to works of art, Nez takes a look behind the scenes of the perfume industry, and also appraises the 30 new fragrances making the news.
Investigation: the era of computer-assisted perfumery
Behind the brand: Parfum d'Empire
Genealogy: Tabac Blond by Caron
The selection: what's new and our picks,perfumes, cosmetics and home fragrance
Point of view: sensorial virtualities