IFRA, which counts about 90 per cent of the global fragrance industry as its members, will be asking the question ‘Fragrance in our lives – a choice worth making?’
According to IFRA spokesperson Stephen Weller, the symposium is part of a series of events that aims to make contact with stakeholders and present the latest in olfactory research.
“It is part of a long running programme to reach out to stakeholders and put the use of fragrance into context, explaining the latest in olfactory science and the benefits fragrance can bring to peoples lives,” he told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.
Past symposiums have been held in Brussels and the UK, and there are ideas to hold more in the next two years across Europe and in the US, Weller added.
Smell and human psychology
The half-day symposium, which will be held on 9 September 2010 in Paris, will open with a talk from Professor Tim Jacob who is researching the contribution smell makes to human psychology and physiology.
Human behaviour when presented with certain scents will also be touched upon by Allan McRitchie; a perfumer who will explore in his presentation the important role scent plays in a brand’s identity.
McRitchie has worked with a number of iconic household brands such as Bold and Persil and will examine why a scent can make a consumer choose one brand over another.
The incidence of allergies to fragrance ingredients in the population will be examined by Professor Thomas L. Diepgen, who has authored over two hundred papers on dermatology, allergology and epidemiology.
Life without smell will also be looked at during the day, with Professor Thomas Hummel who specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of olfactory loss.
The Symposium will be closed by perfumer Laurence Fanuel from Takasago who will explore the role of scents in various cultures of the world before the panel discussion will tackle the pros and cons of fragrance use.