The Sweet Smell of Success

With the recession tightening everyone's belt, the enticing indulgence of perfume is one of the first things many people have crossed off their shopping lists. It's really a shame, particularly since, when you divide the cost of your bottle into a thousand morning spritzes, fragrance can be a much more economical luxury than, say, a weekly venti skim latte.

Last night, the American fragrance industry came together for the annual FiFi Awards, its top honors. The event is put together each year by the Fragrance Foundation, a nonprofit organization that's dedicated to all things olfactory. Yep, that's right: They're committed to smelling good. It runs one of the world's biggest libraries dedicated to perfume, and also works with doctors and universities around the world to study how scent affects both body and mind. The group also reaches out to high school and college students — and execs too — with networking initiatives to help the industry grow and thrive, even in these, um, stinky economic times.

Last night's FiFi Awards, held in New York's cavernous Downtown Armory, drew a handful of boldfaced names, including Queen Latifah, Mary J Blige, Paris Hilton, designer Marc Jacobs and Sean John (pictured), whose I Am King won men's luxe fragrance of the year. Jacobs and Hilton also won awards, as did country singer Tim McGraw, whose fragrance was handed top honors in the "men's popular appeal" — in other words, affordable instead of splurgy — category.

Admittedly, educating people on the power of fragrance is not exactly curing cancer or helping the homeless. But an organization that helps a huge international industry survive and prosper in a tight economy still deserves kudos … and a glamorous awards night as well.

For more information on the Fragrance Foundation, go to www.fragrance.org.