US: The New York Times has announced the appointment of its first perfume critic, in what the paper describes as a breakthrough for olfactory journalism and a wake-up call for a secretive, hype-driven industry.
There are a couple of websites devoted to fragrance and there is a scent columnist at a Swiss newspaper but, as far as the New York Times is aware, Chandler Burr, a journalist and author, will be the first full-time perfume critic for an English-language newspaper.
"Perfume is an art form just like other art forms from theatre to painting to music, so we're excited to be the first to cover perfume in this way," said Diane McNulty, a Times spokeswoman.
Mr Burr's column, Scent Strip, in the paper's style section, will assess old and new perfumes for men and women as well as the occasional scented candle, and rate them from zero to four stars. Some company executives are not going to be happy.
In his first column on Sunday, he says he will describe one fragrance as smelling like "fresh insecticide", although he says he gives another from the same company a three-star rating. He argues that the industry as a whole will benefit because the column will enliven public interest.
"All false humility aside, I and the New York Times hope it will do that. We would not be doing this if we didn't intend for the column to become the reference point for perfume around the world," Mr Burr said yesterday.
Mr Burr said he would focus on the perfumers working behind the scenes for big-name companies and promised to dig beneath the advertised ingredients and look at the chemical make-up of perfumes.