Titanic's lost perfume set to resurface for festival

Published on Friday 9 April 2004 01:00

A PERFUME which was presumed lost forever when the Titanic sunk has been revived and was set to be showcased for the first time today.

David Pybus, director of ALQemy Limited and a perfume historian, was expected to offer an exclusive preview of a scent salvaged from the doomed liner at the Edinburgh Science Festival tonight.

It was more than three years ago when Mr Pybus, known as the Indiana Jones of the perfume world because he travels around the globe looking for lost scents, read about a case which had been found on the seabed containing 65 intact vials of perfume.

He later discovered the case had belonged to Adolphe Saalfeld - a German-born perfumer who was taking the samples to America to seek his fortune.

Even though Saalfeld survived the sinking of the Titanic, he never made any more perfume.

Mr Pybus has now recreated one of the scents, which is nicknamed "pink" because of its rosy and violet smell.

Though the perfume has not yet been named it will be launched later this year by a major international firm.

He said: "I cannot wait for this to hit the shelves as I will finally be able to realise the dream of Adolphe Saalfeld more than 90 years on."

Mr Pybus will be talking at the Royal Museum in Chambers Street at 7pm.