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Has anyone read THE GHOST PERFUMER by Gabe Oppenheim?:)

Has anyone read THE GHOST PERFUMER by Gabe Oppenheim?:) 2 years ago 3

If you've been searching for the PERFECT story to read, look no further than The Ghost Perfumer! 

Have you read it yet? Would love to discuss different points of view!

Salah

2 years ago 2

I would love to read it. It’s great to see this author digging so deep for truth and lies behind Creed. Massive credit for doing that. Lying about your history, and not giving perfumers credit where it’s due, is not acceptable. No matter if it’s Creed or any other house. Would also like to hear from anyone who has read it. Very interesting indeed. 

Brilliant 2 years ago 4

Simply brilliant book. Creed new management must be still scratching heads about what the hell they bought. Explains so well why all the batches are so different. 

Re: Brilliant 2 years ago
PerfumeaholK

Simply brilliant book. Creed new management must be still scratching heads about what the hell they bought. Explains so well why all the batches are so different. 


Interesting! So were they serving the royal family of that time, or was it all lies.. Also, does it mention who the real perfumers are..? Too many questions I know… I should probably read it myself.. 😅 

2 years ago 4

The book contains a list of the real perfumers. All that royal family history is made up, as are the celebrity endorsements.

Re: Brilliant 2 years ago 1
Nathan
PerfumeaholK

Simply brilliant book. Creed new management must be still scratching heads about what the hell they bought. Explains so well why all the batches are so different. 


Interesting! So were they serving the royal family of that time, or was it all lies.. Also, does it mention who the real perfumers are..? Too many questions I know… I should probably read it myself.. 😅 

Yes it does and so much more. There are a lot of insights why certain houses produces fragrances smelling the same, how perfumers create and get inspired, how they get paid. Various luxury houses being clones. It is great overview of the industry in general but the main thread is indeed fake establishment of Creed as a house with family members calling them perfumers when they were not. 

2 years ago 1

Let's wait a bit - but looks like we will probably have to revise several perfumes here 🙄

Re: Brilliant 2 years ago 1
PerfumeaholK

Simply brilliant book. Creed new management must be still scratching heads about what the hell they bought. Explains so well why all the batches are so different. 

It explains it pretty well, but to be honest, I found it way too long. The whole thing could have been boiled down to half the length. That's why I'd rate the actual writing low. The information we got was certainly detailed, but in general most of it has been known for a long time. No one really believed the Creed backstory, did they? I mean it's been talked about for years how things didn't add up.

Good read 2 years ago 1

I finished it and its a joy to read, quite captivating. I also understand now the batch variations, plus the original releases were done with expensive ingredients and to the original formula. During the years, the quality went down to save cost and the new chemists also brought their own touch - just like ATH suspected. 

Roya Oud smells like French Lover (Angelica) and it was always curious for me why a CREED smells like a Bourdon creation. Julien confirmed to me on Insta that he created Royal Oud and we see in the book that Pierre was his mentor. 

2 years ago 1

Great book,lots of industry info..

Basically,unveils the mystery behind the Creed brand.

Nice

1 year ago

I did enjoy reading the book a lot, although I found Oppenheim's style at times clumsy/lumbering. But apart from that, I found it a very necessary book for any fragrance enthusiast. As someone wrote above, many of the facts were known/suspected already in "initiated circles", but the larger audience had little chance to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

I only regret that Oppenheim's had to write his book with so much emphasis on the groudbreaking aspect of the revelations in his book. He probably felt he had to do so in order to sell the story and it also feels that he wrote it in a rush as he was worried that Creed was going to release something in parallel.

But anyway, there are so many interesting bits in it that I recommend anyone to read this book!

Good Information - long read 1 year ago 2

Read it January 2022. I agree with Melipone, at times it's repetitive and unnecessarily long. Not a good writing style but great research and industry information, though.

According to Oppenheim the C. family created a myth about the origins of the company (they lied, but when has marketing has been truthful?). They (ab-)used Mr Bourdon talents, never gave him credit for his compositions, and underpaying him terribly. On the other hand, Oppenheim did acknowledge that Creed has been an excellent evaluator and they never set cost limits about the quality of the ingredients. It is an interesting book worth reading.

For me personally, reading the Ghost Perfumer marked a turning point on how I choose the perfumes I want to buy. As a rule I test before I buy and try to avoid YT reviews. Not to fall for the hype is a struggle and admittedly I´m not always successful. Would I still buy Creed perfumes, maybe... if I like the scent. I do have a regret from reading the book, I blind bought Judith Williams´ "L´Amour", Masterpiece by P. Bourdon. Nope. Can't spray it without my family protesting about how bad it is. Thanks Gabe Wink

Re: Good Information - long read 1 year ago
Cocopah

Read it January 2022. I agree with Melipone, at times it's repetitive and unnecessarily long. Not a good writing style but great research and industry information, though.

According to Oppenheim the C. family created a myth about the origins of the company (they lied, but when has marketing has been truthful?). They (ab-)used Mr Bourdon talents, never gave him credit for his compositions, and underpaying him terribly. On the other hand, Oppenheim did acknowledge that Creed has been an excellent evaluator and they never set cost limits about the quality of the ingredients. It is an interesting book worth reading.

For me personally, reading the Ghost Perfumer marked a turning point on how I choose the perfumes I want to buy. As a rule I test before I buy and try to avoid YT reviews. Not to fall for the hype is a struggle and admittedly I´m not always successful. Would I still buy Creed perfumes, maybe... if I like the scent. I do have a regret from reading the book, I blind bought Judith Williams´ "L´Amour", Masterpiece by P. Bourdon. Nope. Can't spray it without my family protesting about how bad it is. Thanks Gabe Wink

Nice, glad you enjoyed reading, Cocopah! 

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