Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV.

Today is Friday, June 19, a date also known as “Juneteenth.”

I’ve been thinking for a couple of weeks about whether there is an appropriate way for this blog to address any of the issues that have surfaced around race in recent weeks. The blog is a hobby for me, one that I use as an escapist outlet from stress. In my real job, I deal with issues related to race, injustice, diversity, equity and inclusion almost daily, so I’m involved in the struggle to make things better, although I am making that effort from a position of privilege.

One thing I’ve realized is how few of the perfumers we perfumistas know about and cherish are black. So something I’d like to do is seek out more information about black perfumers and black-owned perfume lines, from all over the world, not just the USA, and write about some of their creations. I’ve identified some: Chris Collins, Hive, Maya Njie, Savoir Faire. Can you suggest any others? And how was your week?

Featured image: Chris Collins.