Alice du Parcq explores history and future of fragrance in new book 

Fragrance journalist Alice du Parcq is publishing a new book spanning the history, creative process and future of fragrance through British Library Publishing on 8 October 2026.

The 112-page hardback, titled The Philosophy of Perfume, features more than 30 colour illustrations and is aimed at both established perfume enthusiasts and readers beginning to explore the category.

Approaching perfume as both an art form and a reflection of changing cultural tastes, the book traces fragrance from its ancient ceremonial uses to celebrity scents and today’s online communities, where consumers exchange recommendations and seek out niche releases.

Chapters explore the origins and psychology of perfume, rare ingredients, iconic bottle designs and techniques for analysing a scent. Perfumers also discuss their creative processes, while a section on artificial intelligence considers how the technology is affecting fragrance development.

Actor and fragrance enthusiast Richard E. Grant described it as “a perfect pocket-sized olfactory guide to all things perfume - inhaled at a single sitting”, while du Parcq emphasised that the book is intended for a broad readership, including those outside the industry.

“It was so important to me that this book was not for perfume experts, but for fragrance lovers of all ages who want a moment of enchantment laced with interesting facts, a sprinkle of science and some practical guidance when on their next scent shopping safari,” she said in the show notes for an episode of On The Scent.

Du Parcq is a fragrance journalist and award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Vogue, Glamour, The Sunday Times Style and The Telegraph. She also works as a presenter and event host and has built an audience of more than 30,000 fragrance followers across Instagram and Substack.

Her book arrives as consumers increasingly use social platforms to learn about notes, application techniques and fragrance combinations. British Library Publishing cites more than 1.7 billion views for #PerfumeTikTok and more than 25 million Instagram posts carrying #perfume, although the figures were not attributed to a named analytics provider.

British Library Publishing estimates that the global perfume market was worth £41.46 billion in 2024 and projects that it will reach £57.58 billion by 2030.