Discontinued Perfumes and The IFRA.

2009-04-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

The IFRA is the International Fragrance Association. They are the regulating body that governs Fragrance manufacturing companies that are members of their association. Their regulations are carried out through what they call their "Code of Practice" which stipulates how manufacturers are to manufacture and handle fragrance materials according to a pre-defined set of standards.

Their clients or members are not only the perfume manufacturers but also producers of toiletries and household products. So they also govern how the raw materials that go into creating the fragrance for a product like "Lectric Shave" all the way to a product like "pledge". The intent of course is to ensure that manufacturers are making products that are safe for consumers and the environment.

They accomplish this by making safety assessments on hundreds of separate ingredients that have been in use in the cosmetics and toiletries industries and many others that include fragrance ingredients in their products. The intention is to establish safe use levels of fragrance materials which has resulted in the banning of some major fragrance ingredients that were in use in the 70s and 80s. As a result your Joy perfume and Chanel No 5 will smell remarkably different in todays bottles compared to what was produced 10 years ago.

Restrictions on such ingredients as oakmoss, Jasmine extract and others will have resulted in major changes to the fragrance notes of many classic perfumes. The musks and the florals of yesteryear will have all changed by now. Fragrances like Opium for men, Lair Du temps, and many dior fragrances are now a shadow of their former selves.

Ysatis was one Givenchy's great fragrances of the 80s and 90s. It appealed to younger and older women alike. It was feminine but not flowery and powdery. It was not pungent like Poison or Opium but was more along the lines of Paco Rabanne's "Eau de Metal". Distinctly feminine, a little spicy, and definitely Sexy while being elegant and womanly. You can kiss the original formulation goodbye.

Original fragrances and the perfume houses that brought them to life are now about marketing, celebrity, product launches, and fashion rather than perfumery. What is left is the name behind the fragrance whether a celebrity or otherwise and the general Fragrance idea that can be packaged into an attractive product for public consumption.

Why perfumes are discontinued

2009-04-05T19:06:00.001-07:00

Modern perfumes are a a combination of both natural and synthetic ingredients in varying proportions. As sensitivities are noted in the general population to certain ingredients perfume manufacturers have become increasingly heavy handed in restricting many natural ingredients in perfume today that would have been OK in the 70s and 80s. Food manufacturers and the cosmetics manufacturers must list the ingredients on the packaging. That way people who are allergic to certain ingredients may be alerted to that fact and able to avoid purchasing and using products that could be harmful to them.

The perfume industry on the other hand has taken a different approach. Instead of trusting the consumer to read labels on their products they take draconian steps to reduce the natural ingredients like rose petal oil in their products and replace them with something else. This has resulted in the reformulation of many classic fragrances followed suit resulting in many of them not having the scent that they started off with. People who were used to their classic fragrance smelling a certain way didn't find much appeal to the reformulations. This resulted in lowered sales to the point where many of these classic perfumes were discontinued

The original perfumes were created for a certain type of target audience and underwent many tests to insure their appeal. It comes as no surprise that these reformulations would never smell as good as the originals.