In Search of Perfumes A Lifetime Journey to the Source of Nature's Scents

"[An] immersive debut... with detailed accounts of his trips and vivid descriptions of the scents ... [Roques'] rich travelogue will transport readers." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
In this intoxicating concoction of history, travelogue, and memoir, one of the perfume industry's leading scouts of natural ingredients tells the story of the precious ingredients needed to make our favorite fragrances.
Do you know how many flowers it takes to produce a kilo of rose oil? One million roses, each handpicked. When it comes to nature, Dominique Roques is a unique authority. He has spent the last thirty years working closely with local communities across the globe to establish a sustainable supply of natural ingredients crucial to perfume making.
From resin cultivated by traditional methods in El Salvador to rose oil distilleries in India as old as the Taj Mahal, his network reveals an elusive trade built on the fault...