If we can’t meet in Milan, we can meet online! Ever supportive of the artistic perfumery community, Esxence was not about to let a pandemic stand in the way of keeping our annual rendez-vous! Calling on industry insiders, observers, and experts, Esxence created a rich calendar of online live talks, webinars and lectures to continue the discussion with the purpose of keeping business leaders and fragrance lovers updated on the sector. The event held 21 – 30 June, can be watched on replay on the Esxence YouTube channel as well as on Essencional’s Vimeo channel. Here is a brief overview of what awaits you.

The first day started with opening remarks from Esxence Co-Founders, Maurizio Cavezzali and Silvio Levi, followed by a lively discussion on how storytelling and sampling is evolving in the retail environment. What new solutions and new directions can we expect to see in store? What value does storytelling play when interacting with the consumer? Journalists Annalisa Betti and Sarah Colton and Claudia Stagno, Editor-in-Chief of Export magazine, join Silvio Levi to explore this topic.

On the next day, the webinars revealed the results of two studies sponsored by the Essencional Study Center in collaboration with the Develon Group. Artistic Perfumery in the Digital World continues the observation of web searches and online conversations, began in the previous analyses “Whispers about Artistic Perfumery” (2018-2019) presented at Esxence in 2019. The panel share comparisons, observations and hypotheses based on a wealth of data culled from web listening. In the second discussion, the panel examines the results of the survey taken in Spring 2021 on the effect of the pandemic on the artistic perfumery sector, both for B2C and B2B communities. In addition to Mr Levi, panelists include Alice Rizzetto of Develon, Marco Ricchetti of Blumine, and Chiara Toniello and myself, both from Esencional.

At the midpoint, the conversation turned to artistic perfumery and the olfactive culture. Maria-Host Ivessich, art director and perfume collector, and former Esxence guest, Beatrice Balzarotti, sensory anthropology expert, share thought-provoking insight and opinions.

Over the next few days a series of discussions take a look at Artistic Perfumery on an international scale by diving into key regions – the Middle East, China and the US. I met with seasoned specialists in each country to find out what are the challenges and opportunities as well as how brands can launch successfully in each market, given the specific dynamics. Guests include Talal Beydoun, the Dubai-based Business Development Director at Creation Alexandre Miya Paris, California-based François Duquesne, CEO Maison Duquesne, and, representing China, Song Yuan Jessica, founder Perexpo Group and Paris-based Meg Zhou, Business Analyst, TME Consultancy.

In the final days our attention is drawn to history, first when Stéphanie Bakouche, perfumer and representative of the Osmothèque talks about the evolution of fragrance over the ages, followed by Professor Giuseppe Squillace of the Università di Calabria, who provides a lecture on the “Scented Cities” of the Ancient World, focused on Greece, Egypt and Rome.

The week ends with a hot topic: Sustainability in the field of packaging, raw materials and olfactory creation. Alessandro Brun, associate professor at the Politecnico di Milano, co-founder and co-creative director of MASQUE Milano, tackles this complex subject that touches all of us.

In this time, when the world is getting back on its feet, we appreciate the moments to come together as a community, even if only in a digital universe. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for March 17 – 20, 2022, when we meet again at Esxence.

For more information visit: www.esxence.com/esxence-on-air/?lang=en#

Esxence – The Art of Perfumery Event, is the world’s most important exhibition in the field of Artistic Perfumery. It is a showcase for artisanal products, and it is an incubator for new trends. Devised and created by a group of experts whose involvement in the niche fragrance sector can only be described as a passion, Esxence is the worldwide benchmark event for niche Artistic Perfumery.