"Her team's analysis of the residue samples contained beeswax, plant oils, animal fats, bitumen, and resins from coniferous trees such as pines and larches, as well as vanilla-scented coumarin (found in cinnamon and pea plants) and benzoic acid (common in fragrant resins and gums derived from trees and shrubs). The resulting fragrance combined a "strong pine-like woody scent of the confers," per Huber, mixed in with "a sweeter undertone of the beeswax" and "the strong smoky scent of the bitumen.""
"Then they worked with perfumer Carole Calvez, who created a scent formulation befitting a museum environment. "The real challenge lies in imagining the scent as a whole," said Calvez, emphasizing that the task amounted to more than mere replication. "Biomolecular data provide essential clues, but the perfumer must translate chemical information into a complete and coherent olfactory experience that evokes the complexity of the original material, rather than just its individual components.""
Residue analysis identified beeswax, plant oils, animal fats, bitumen, conifer resins from pines and larches, coumarin and benzoic acid. The reconstructed fragrance combined a strong pine-like woody note, a sweeter beeswax undertone, and a smoky bitumen scent. An efficient museum workflow linked biomolecular data to perfumery practice and produced a scent formulation for display. The perfumer translated chemical markers into a coherent olfactory experience that evoked material complexity rather than isolated compounds. Two museum formats were produced: a portable scented card used on guided tours and a fixed scent station that added emotional and sensory depth to interpretations of embalming.
Read at Ars Technica
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