Perfume: A Century of Scents

Perfume: A Century of Scents is by Lizzie Ostrom, a UK writer and events host better known under her Odette Toilette persona, through which she has run numerous London fragrance events. First published in 2015 by Hutchinson (an imprint of what is now Penguin Random House UK), the 384-page, Cynthia Kittler-illustrated book was reissued in paperback in February 2024 under the Cornerstone/Penguin imprint, and remains in print.

Its structure is a genuine point of difference from most perfume books: ten fragrances per decade, 1900 to 1999, a hundred scents in total, each treated as a lens onto its era rather than ranked for quality. Ostrom is explicit that this is social and cultural history - sex, snobbery, hygiene and aspiration - rather than a technical breakdown of notes or a 'best of' list, which lets her include cultural touchstones like Impulse O2 and Hai Karate alongside the expected classics.

UK perfume critic Persolaise reviewed it enthusiastically on release, praising Ostrom's 'lack of clichés' and her 'facetiousness, irony and graceful knowledgeability', highlighting her fresh angle even on well-trodden ground like Chanel No. 5, while noting - as a running joke rather than a serious complaint - that the book's biggest omission is Shalimar. The review's verdict was a simple 'buy this!'

For a UK-first audience, this is the strongest home-grown option in this directory's history category: written by a UK author with real scene credibility, well reviewed by UK critics, and still commercially available new via its 2024 reissue.