Pecunia non olet (money doesn't smell) was the reply of the 7th century Roman Emperor Vespasian when he was criticized for imposing a new tax on the use of public urinals in Rome.  The death on September  21, 2017, of  Liliane Bettancourt, at 94 , was a reminder that in early to mid 20th century France, perfume, whether devised by Francois Coty, Coco Chanel, or L'Oreal,  smelled of money used for vile purposes.  All the perfumes of Arabia cannot sweeten the memories of the mischievousness of those perfumiers. Their beauty creams, fragrances, and hair dyes cannot overcome the smell of their collaboration with Nazis.  Mme. Bettancourt was the richest woman in the world, worth about $40 billion, as the heiress of the large L'Oreal cosmetics empire of which she owned about a third.  She had inherited her fortune on the death of her father in 1957. Bettancourt was involved in a number of personal, legal problems and...(Read Full Article)