If they’re written in a manner that appears to brook no further argument, that’s mainly a reflection of the craftsmanship of their authors. Contrary to what some seem to think, his and Sanchez’s reviews are not an attempt to have the final say on their subject. On the one and only occasion – thus far – that I’ve met him, Turin said that one of his favourite books is James Carse’s Finite & Infinite Games, because it celebrates the unending pursuit of knowledge, the denial of all-conclusive answers, the refusal to bring the game to an end. Thank goodness! After all, that is the main purpose of criticism. Of course, the precise contents of that truthfulness are up for discussion. Turin and Sanchez have returned at just the right time to prove that truthfulness – no matter how subjective it may be – is always going to be more helpful and more constructive in the long run than some inane copy-pasting of a nonsensical press release. At a time when both social media and brands are conspiring to persuade follower-hungry ‘influencers’ (has there ever been a more asinine word?) to paste a gelatinous gloop of positivity over every single product, the value of criticism is in serious danger of being compromised. Nowadays, perfume reviewers are hardly a novelty. It needed the efforts of people like Turin and Sanchez to legitimise it and place it within the wider context of the work of creators and retailers. Ten years ago, the world of perfume criticism was a very different place. But that’s precisely why this release should be welcomed with scented arms. And of course, in the middle, hundreds of juicy reviews of new and new-ish fragrance releases. At the end: a glossary, indices and some Top Tens. At the beginning: a few excellent essays – including a characteristically thought-provoking appraisal of the current state of the industry – followed by FAQs. The structure of this particular tome is not a departure from what has come before.

Those attributes come to the fore in Perfumes The Guide 2018, their most far-reaching release since their rightly lauded and influential guide from 2009.

In this case: the quality and honesty of Turin and Sanchez’s fragrance assessments. When you pick up a new book by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez and you discover that a review of a gardenia perfume begins with that familiar refrain of ‘Not gardenia’, you find yourself heaving a mightily stress-banishing sigh of relief, because you realise that, no matter how insane the world around you may seem, at least a few things can be relied upon to remain the same.

Luca turin top 10 perfumes