The Fragrance Foundation & Jasmine Awards 2023!

We are still absolutely BUZZING with excitement from The Fragrance Foundation U.K. Awards 2023, where over 500 guests and nominees gathered at The Brewery in the City of London, to celebrate the fragrance industry and our passion for perfume…

Having begun in 1992, and known as ‘the Oscars of the fragrance industry’, the Awards recognise ‘excellence within the fragrance arena, from Packaging, Advertising through to Best New Fragrance and Ultimate Launch’. With sequins and scent a-go-go it was surely the most glamorous (and definitely the best smelling) location in London!

Part of The Fragrance Foundation award ceremony now also includes The Jasmine Awards, which were launched in the UK in 1990, and are recognised as:

‘…the most prestigious journalistic awards in the beauty industry. They recognise and reward the talents of journalists & visualisers whose difficult task it is to translate the complex art of perfumery into words and pictures.’

Before we get in to the Jasmines (scroll down to see the winnersincluding the award WE WON!) let’s take a breath and raise our glasses to the incredible fragrance awards winners – many of which are fragrant friends of The Perfume Society, and all of which we whooped with joy for…

 

 

We were ecstatic to see the talents of Ruth Mastenbroek on stage collecting the Perfume Extraordinaire award for Zephyr – a gorgeously luminescent and crisply shimmering breeze of a scent we adore. And you can try a sample of the award-winning scent in our Platinum Discovery Box!

 

 

And the loudest whoop of the evening was surely from the team at the Versace, when Eros Parfum won the People’s Choice Award!

 

 

Versace Eros Parfum is a flamboyantly jubilant modern fougere that exudes confidence via mint, lemon, apple and a unique smooch of tonka, geranium and ambroxan in the heart before woody notes, oakmoss and vanilla swirl the base. And you can try this award-winner as part of our Men’s Must-Have Discovery Box!

 

 

Audrey Semeraro, founder of Edeniste, was absolutely glowing with joy to win the Newcomer award for her fabulously mood-enhancing fragrance house…

 

…as were we, having taken the decision to stock the entire Edeniste collection in our shop as soon as we smelled them, plus putting the Edeniste Vétiver Imaginaire as part of our curated Feel Good Fragrances Discovery Box.

 

 

With the announcement of every award, the room lit up with cheers – it’s such a mood of celebration for all, and for fragrance itself! Here are the other proud Fragrance Foundation Award winners who were also whooping it up during the evening…

 

Media Campaign: Prada, Paradoxe

 

 

Design & Packaging: Dries Van Noten, Soie Malaquais

 

 

Independent Fragrance: Angela Flanders, Leather Rosa

 

 

Interior Fragrance: Diptyque, Roses

 

 

Readers’ Choice: CHANEL, Paris-Paris

 

 

Newcomer: By Far

 

 

Innovation: Launch of Jo Malone London ‘Shining a Light on Mental Health Foundation’

 

 

Retailer of the Year: Harrods

 

 

Limited Distribution: Diptyque, Opsis Eau de Parfum

 

 

National Distribution: Gucci, Flora Gorgeous Jasmine EDP

 

Online Retailer of the Year: The Perfume Shop

 

Best New Fragrance: Prada, Paradoxe

 

 

Best New Fragrance Collection: Tom Ford, Enigmatic Woods Collection

 

 

Ultimate Launch: Frédéric Malle, Uncut Gem

 

 

Ultimate Launch: Prada, Paradoxe

 

 

We were also so pleased to see the previous Chair of the Fragrance Foundation, the hard-working and supportive Annalise Fard welcomed into the Circle of Champions (the Fragrance Foundation’s equivalent of the Hall of Fame) – such a well-deserved tribute for this incredible woman.

 

 

 

And it is always especially heart-warming to see the importance of brilliant consultants recognised, with Kenneth Green Associates’ Nathan Macpherson La Maire receiving the award for Consultant of the Year Award for 2023. Bravo!

 

 

 

And now, let us take a moment to celebrate the Jasmine Awards section of the evening – a highly anticipated and incredibly prestigious collection of awards which receive hundreds of entries from the biggest names in publishing.

 

 

At The Perfume Society, we were so excited to be finalists with FIVE nominations this year, for articles published in our magazine, The Scented Letter (sign up to get your FREE digital copy, here, if you’ve not done so already), and for our blog. It was a genuine THRILL to see The Perfume Society celebrated on the huge screens at the venue, among such talented company as the other incredible nominees and all the fragrance houses. And well, we only went and WON!

 

Practical Guide: The Scented Letter Magazine, Time to Spray Your 5 a Day – Suzy Nightingale

 

 

Creativity: Instagram, All The Perfumes I Wore Last Week – Sali Hughes

 

 

Literary: Glamour Magazine, It’s time to stop treating affordable perfumes like dirt and champion the must-smell-now scents for under £30 – Alice du Parcq

 

 

Short Piece: Country & Town House, The Green, Green Grasse – Jan Masters

 

 

Rising Star: Fabulous, How to smell expensive (without breaking the bank) – Tara Ledden [NB: We couldn’t find this piece online, but you can read Tara’s other work for Fabulous here]

 

The prestigious judging panel had to read so many submissions, and we were full to the fragrant brim with gratitude for this recognition, and send huge congratulations to ALL the finalists, and to the winners, which we were over the moon to be among.

Until next year, fragrant friends, we’ll be wafting on a scented cloud!

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

 

 

Jasmine Awards 2023 Finalists (and why we’re squealing with joy!)

The Fragrance Foundation Jasmine Awards 2023 finalists have just been announced, so if you heard a high-pitched sound and dashed to check your fire alarm batteries didn’t need changing – worry not: it was merely the sound of The Perfume Society team squealing with joy!

The Fragrance Foundation says: ‘Launched in the UK in 1990 the Jasmine Awards are recognised as the most prestigious journalistic awards in the beauty industry. They recognise and reward the talents of journalists & visualisers whose difficult task it is to translate the complex art of perfumery into words and pictures.’

We are thrilled to have FIVE nominations this year, for articles published in our magazine, The Scented Letter (sign up to get your FREE digital copy, here, if you’ve not done so already), and for our blog. Amidst such talented company as the other incredible nominees, and with so many submissions the prestigious judging panel had to work their way through, we are full to the fragrant brim with gratitude for this recognition, and send huge congratulations to ALL of the finalists…

 

Jasmine Awards 2021

Practical Guide:

The Scented Letter magazine50 Perfume Icons, by Suzy Nightingale

The Scented Letter magazineAny Colour, So Long As It’s Green, by Jo Fairley

The Scented Letter magazineTime to Spray your 5 a Day, by Suzy Nightingale

@FabulousmagHow to Smell Expensive (Without Breaking the Bank), by Tara Ledden

 

 

The Jasmine Awards 2021

 

Short Piece:

Perfume Society blogChapter & Verse: fragrances inspired by literature, by Suzy Nightingale

The Scented Letter magazineIt Takes Me Right Back (To the Hardware Store), by Jan Masters

@CountryandTownHouse – The Green, Green, Grasse, by Jan Masters

@BeautyMatterofficial – Safety in Numbers: The Henry Rose Team on a New Era of Ingredient Transparency, by Carla Seipp

How to Spend it (Financial Times)Help, I’ve Been Discontinued… by Mark C O’Flaherty

 

 

The Jasmine Awards 2021

 

Creativity:

Instagram, All The Perfumes I Wore Last WeekSali Hughes

Instagram, Desert Island (little) Spritz with Poppy du ParcqAlice du Parcq

Instagram, Desert Island Spritz, My Top 10 Guerlain FavouritesAlice du Parcq

Instagram, Slutty PerfumesSali Hughes

@OnTheScentPodcast, Scented Story Time & Perfume Prescriptions (Episode 56) – Suzy Nightingale & Nicola Bonn

 

 

The Jasmine Awards 2021

 

 

Rising Star:

@FabulousmagHow to Smell Expensive (Without Breaking the Bank), by Tara Ledden

Harrods (Instagram Stories)Trending Oud Scents to Try Immediately, by Shannan Sterne

Harrods MagazineWhat’s the Hype?, by Nateisha Scott

 

 

Meanwhile, we are also excited to share with you the HOT OFF THE PRESS just-launched edition of The Scented Letter magazine, which you can have sent straight to your inbox by signing up here, and purchase gorgeous glossy print copies of, here!

The Fragrance Foundation UK Awards 2021 – one, two, THREE reasons we’re celebrating!

We’re still reeling from the dreamlike evening that was The Fragrance Foundation UK Awards 2021. Quite apart from the overwhelming emotion of seeing everyone (in the flesh!) again, and celebrating the continued success of fragrance – at a time it became more important to our everyday lives than some could ever have imagined; at The Perfume Society, we had not one, not two, but THREE very particular reasons to pop the Champagne corks…

The Fragrance Foundation say: ‘Known as the ‘Oscars’ of the fragrance industry, the 29th annual Fragrance Foundation UK Awards 2021 took place at The Brewery in the City of London. With a room full of fragrance lovers, it was a wonderful celebration after the unprecedented of times of the last 18 months.

 

 

The event was hosted by TV Presenter Natasha Kaplinsky, Chairman of The Fragrance Foundation UK Annalise Fard, and its CEO Linda Key Jackson. During the evening recognitions were given for the astounding support given during the global pandemic, from producing hand sanitisers, face masks, or donating to charities. With quick thinking and acts of kindness we have all come together.’

And come together we did, dressed in our finery (and footwear other than slippers or trainers), many seeing colleagues and friends for the first time outside of a Zoom call since the start of the pandemic. It’s difficult to express the outpouring of emotion, the buzz of energy and pure joy that coursed through the venue. A glow that grew stronger still when the entertainment began and internationally acclaimed act Björn Again had people up and dancing, whole tables standing together and swaying, arms in the air, smiling and singing.

 

 

Emotions bubbled to the fore again when Chairman Annalise Fard gave a heartfelt speech to the memory of Jim Jackson, who sadly died earlier this year. Jim founded Aspects Beauty with his wife, Jill, and Annalise spoke fondly of his wit, hard work and commitment to the industry. As the entire room raised a glass in his tribute, there wasn’t a dry eye (or wine glass, which he would have approved of) to be found.

The event now encompasses The Jasmine Awards – often likened to the Oscars, but perhaps more accurately ‘The Pulitzer Prize of perfume writing.’ We’d already been thrilled to be finalists with six pieces shortlisted in four categories. Imagine the WHOOPS that went up, then, on discovering we’d won two of those four categories, AND a Special Recognition Award for an entire issue of The Scented Letter MagazineA Life in Scents!

This was a really important issue of the magazine for us, which we dedicated to everyone who’s lucky enough to work in fragrance – or who dreams of doing so. There’s so much that goes into taking a perfume from the spark of an idea, into the bottle and beyond. So for this edition we interviewed everyone from perfumers to distributors to the sales consultants  who slip our purchase into a carrier bag for us to enjoy. We were extremely moved by Head Judge, Catherine Mitchell, saying how vital The Scented Letter Magazine is for industry in siders and perfume-lovers alike, and how she wanted every career’s advisor in the land to read it. We agree! So, we’re making it available for you to read in full.

Click the link or picture, below, to read the entire issue for free, and then click the pictures to read each of the other award-winning pieces

 

 

HUGE congratulations, too, for our friends and colleagues who are the creatives behind the scenes in these incredible fragrance houses: perfumers, designers, marketing teams and retailers who went home clutching statuettes (Lalique, darling!) too. We raise a glass to each and every one of them, and urge you to seek out the scents behind their well-deserved wins…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loudest whoops of the evening (apart from our own) we think were on the Floral Street table, and no wonder – the continued blooming of this innovative and, so importantly, eco-conscious independent British fragrance house is wonderful to see (and smell!) We were so proud, too, for Thomas Dunckley‘s sixth (!) award, and of Nafia Guljar, whose beautiful piece she wrote for The Scented Letter magazine on the scent of night blooming jasmine, and the precious memories it holds of her late father, was also shortlisted.

The Champagne may no longer be fizzing, but you can be sure our joy – and that of all the winners and worthy finalists – will be bubbling over for some time…

Jasmine Awards 2021 – The finalists are announced (and we’re overjoyed!)

The Jasmine Awards 2021 finalists have been announced, and we’ve news of all those shortlisted… (including *blush* *squeal* *scream* The Perfume Society!)

These annual awards ‘recognised as the most prestigious journalistic awards in the beauty industry,’ were begun in the UK by The Fragrance Foundation in 1990. They present the Jasmines in order to ‘…recognise and reward the talents of journalists & visualisers whose difficult task it is to translate the complex art of perfumery into words and pictures.’

With a new panel of judges recruited each year, for 2021 the mammoth task of reading all the entries fell to Catherine Mitchell, (also acting as Chairman of the Judging Panel) of IFF; Beth Horn – Facebook’s Head of Industry for Retail & Ecommerce; Brix Smith – songwriter and guitarist best known for her work with The Fall (and an avid fragrance lover); Sali Hughes – author, journalist and broadcaster (and a previous Jasmine Award winner, whose fragrance collection rivals our own) and Sarah Jossel – the award-winning journalist, writer and TV presenter.

 

The Jasmine Awards 2021

LITERARY

Cosmopolitan – Kate Pasola – When did we all start smelling the same

Financial Times – How to Spend It – Nicola Moulton – Which scents made sense in the year of no scent?

thegloss.ie – Sarah Halliwell – Where the Wild Roses Grow

The Scented Letter Magazine – Suzy Nightingale – Don’t Stand So Close To Me

The Scented Letter Magazine – Suzy Nightingale – Note Perfect

The Candy Perfume Boy – Thomas Dunckley – Trapped in a Scent Memory

 

CREATIVITY

YouTube – Luca Turin – The Secret of Scent Lectures

instagram.com/RoseGallagher – Rose Gallagher – Various submission

Stylist Magazine – Shannon Peter – Good Clean Fun

The Perfume Society Instgram – The Perfume Society Team – Smelfie Campaign 2020

Fume Chat (Podcast) – Thomas Dunckley & Nick Gilbert – Fume Chat S3 EP06 Bon Anniversaire, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle!

The Candy Perfume Boy – Thomas Dunkley – Material Focus: Cashmeran

 

PRACTICAL GUIDE

Glamour Magazine – Alice du Parcq – The 5:2 Fragrance Plan

We Wear Perfume – Amanda Carr & Tamara Fulton – The Long Read: why the future of buying fragrance is online

The Scented Letter Magazine – Suzy Nightingale – Modern Florals

The Scented Letter Magazine – Suzy Nightingale – Straight to the (Pulse) Point

The Candy Perfume Boy – Thomas Dunckley – Material Focus: Cashmeran

 

SHORT PIECE

marieclaire.co.uk – Fiona Embleton – Perfume became the soundtrack to my lockdown

marieclaire.co.uk – Fiona Embleton – Where are all the black perfumers…?

The Scented Letter – Nafia Guljar – It takes me right back – Night blooming jasmine

How To Spend It, The Financial Times – Rosanna Dodds – It’s a real headturner

The Scented Letter – Suzy Nightingale – Petrichor & Pluviophiles

The Scented Letter – Suzy Nightingale – Vellichor: Capturing the Scent Memories of Old Books

 

The Jasmine Awards 2021 shortlist announcement is now part of the seven-day scent-fest of The Fragrance Foundation National Fragrance Week celebrations. You can join in the fragrant fun and see the other olfactory events occuring by cheking out their website, here.

The award ceremony itself is due to be held in September, with all winners being announced during the glam-filled affair, when the scent of success (and oodles of perfume, obvs) fills the air.

Until then, we raise a glass to ALL the worthy finalists, in what must have been very difficult decisions for the judges to make. We’re utterly thrilled to have SO many nominations, and are especially honoured to be among such great names. Cheers!