"If the marketing for a launch is really flimsy and I have to write something about it because of an event, then I really feel bought."
Watch episode 2 of the second season of The Cosmetics Conspiracy: The Podcast. What's it like at launch events for brands both large and small , and what do you focus on as a journalist? Dr. Barbara Geusens talks with Sofie Albrecht, a journalist also known as The Perfume Doctor, about press in the beauty industry, her expertise with perfume, and which fragrances are her absolute favorites.
"First a private tour of the Kremlin, then dinner at Moscow's most iconic restaurant—and three tables over: Sharon Stone. Yeah, that was truly decadent?"
"I recently had to think about it again. We were invited there by a luxury brand, but I couldn't quite remember which product it was for. And actually, it's a bit of a guess. A while ago, I was also invited to a small launch of a Belgian perfume brand, which organized a very intimate dinner with a story. I know I'll never forget that."
"On her, it smelled so irresistible that for a moment I felt like I was Grenouille from Perfume — I would follow her around just to keep smelling that scent."
As a perfume doctor, I always told my patients: test a fragrance on your skin, not on paper. What you like on a strip can have a completely different effect on your skin. The same perfume can smell wonderful on one person, irresistible on another, and simply unbearable on a third. Take, for example, a chypre fragrance like Clinique's Aromatics Elixir—a spicy classic. It doesn't do much for me, but an editorial colleague wore it with such flair that it became her signature scent.
