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Thanks to its ability to enhance and release notes, Hedione is widely used in the perfume industry.
To truly grasp the implications of research in this field,
I sit down with Christian Margot, at Firmenich headquarters in Geneva.
He is a doctor in organic chemistry,
and likes nothing better than to draw molecular structures on the big blackboard that sits in his office.
I started a long time ago, too long ago to tell you when.
First I designed new molecules for perfumery, now I mainly carry out activity measurements,
that is finding out how we perceive molecules, and understanding how perception works.
We owe the discovery of Hedione to our former colleague Edouard Demole,
who found Hedione in jasmine around 1960.
Hedione is an interesting molecule for it is similar to a hormone that enables plants to repel caterpillars.
And for us, well, Hedione is magic.
Add just a few drops to a blend and it will become much more natural, much more vibrant.
Even an untrained nose such as mine recognises it smells better when Hedione is part of the mix.
Christian Margot’s field of expertise is odour perception by the brain.
And even though it is commonly agreed that Hedione enhances the aromas it is combined with,
it is still rather difficult to scientifically measure its effect.
Modern methods of investigation let us take a look inside the brain,
with magnets, in cerebral imaging devices.
We can see what happens when scents stimulate us,
but the resolution is not high enough yet to tell Hedione from another jasmine molecule.
Mystery lingers, it is quite hard to spot Hedione,
because the first time you smell it, it is vague, faint, and you need to mix it to smell its prodigious effect.
This is something that cannot be forseen from simply inhaling it. This can take some time.
Reasearch is all about finding new molecules with that same capacity to radiate blends,
though on a different range of aromas.
Hedione is especially active with some notes, citrus notes.
And it might be interesting to find a new Hedione, one that would be more specific to other bouquets.
However, it is also a matter of exclusivity.
Since perfumes cannot be patented, copying is easy.
This is why big names in the industry are keen to create molecules only they can use.
Hedione has not given away all its secrets yet,
and I shall stay in Geneva for a few more days to carry out my mission.