PRACTICAL PERFUMERY AND INSTRUMENTATION 203 PRACTICAL PERFUMERY AND INSTRUMENTATION G. L. GARDEL* Presented at the Symposium on "Perfumery", organised by the Society, at Cheltenham, Glos., on 14th November 1962. Analytical instrumental methods contribute effectively to the establish- ment o• acceptable standards o• quality particularly in the field o• synthetic aromatic chemicals, also •or rapid control o• manufacturing processes. Invaluable in pure and applied academic research, as a direct means o[ creating new fragrances their per[ormance has at the present time but empirical value only. OVER THE LAST few years many interesting and informative accounts were published in the technical press on advances in the field of pure and applied research by means of instrumentation, notably vapour phase chroma- tography, usually referred to as V.P.C. Most of the p.ersonnel, whether engaged in perfumery, cosmetics or other allied industries, will by now be familiar with the potential of this new tool. As usual with the advent of new developments, exaggerated claims were made for this instrument, either inspired by wishful thinking or due to imperfectly understood applications, leaving one to believe that this instrument would provide the answer for, among other things, the matching of perfume compounds. There are many technical reasons why this is not possible. This does not, however, detract in the slightest degree from the extreme usefulness of the instrument. Technologists can be justly proud to have at their disposal such an elegant and accurate weapon for research, which, when coupled with I.R. and U.V. spectrophotometric methods, has opened avenues of approach to problems which, by the older more conventional methods of research, would possibly have taken months for their resolution. Thus the technologists have had the floor, their demonstration of the usefulness of this method is universally acknowledged, but we have failed to find among the many accounts a practising perfumer stating his or her attitude to this advance in modem instrumental analysis. I am glad, therefore, to have this opportunity to put forward what must be of necessity my own views and beliefs as a perfumer, and perhaps find some corresponding echo from other perfumers. My views might also give the technologists some insight into the working mind of the perfumer. But *Colgate-Palmolive, Ltd., Manchester 5, Lancs.

204 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS let us pause for a moment and re-state the function of the perfumer in society, which is, and has always been, to pander to the esthetic which creates cultural well-being this basic function sometimes appears to be forgotten or ignored. Perfumery has its feet firmly planted in antiquity, it is an art and not a science, its working is empirical, and no precise laws govern its practice. If we agree to this basic function, then we have to concede that the perfumer's concern is entirely with odour, and while he is working on the concept of a new fragrance such considerations as physical constants and chemical or instrumental analysis are completely meaningless, since by themselves they contribute nothing to the creation of fragrances. The perfumer, however, realises his indebtedness to the technologist for having added to his palette many new and wonderful aromatic chemicals, thanks to the enquiring mind of the research chemist, but do not expect the perfumer to be overawed by the chemical configuration of a compound or by its molecular orientation in space to which the compound owes its odour. Odour is the only governing factor which impresses the perfumer. This does not mean that the perfumer ignores the help that the chemist can give him--such factors as stability and discoloration indication which are of the utmost value in his work, but are by the nature of his work of secondary importance. Many of us remember the times of yesteryear when the perfumer had to be a Jack of many trades, when he could take the time to study for himself the behaviour of his materials, which were considerably fewer, as were also the preparations for which his fragrances were required. Today he has to "remember" upwards of a thousand individual materials. When he builds a perfume complex he builds an edifice with bricks, the shape, size and dimensions of which he cannot see, but which nevertheless have to fit pretty accurately if the edifice is to stand up. You will readily appreciate, there- fore, that the perfumer works on a completely different plane from the technologist who, by virtue of his academic training, moves along well- ordered theoretical rules and laws, and even though the paths he treads are unknown, he has for his guidance the object of his research. Not so the perfumer: Each step he takes is into the unknown, no rules apply, no limitations exist, even when working with familiar substances a slight change in proportions can often make or mar his efforts. He can, however, use all of the artistic licences of which he is capable, and this perhaps more than anything e!se makes the charm of his creativeness. No two perfumers ever approach the same problem in an identical manner, each having his own conception for a particular fragrance, their work being so completely indi- vidualistic but it is really the end-result of their endearours that provides the answer.