A Brief History Of Perfume

If you are reading this then you are, more than likely, a perfume devotee, like myself!

My name is Debbie, I am 39 and I work in retail (in Quality Assurance). I live with my (long suffering) boyfriend and my dog, rabbits, chinchillas and snakes (yes – I have many unusual hobbies!)

However, once of my greatest passions is a life-long love of fragrance. One of my earliest memories, as a toddler, was of my mother getting ready to go out for dinner-parties, and my fascination with the perfume she wore (incidentally it was Joy by Jean Patou). Indeed, it may speak volumes that the only thing I kept from my grandmother’s possessions was an empty perfume bottle, as its lovely scent reminds me of her, and brings back happy memories.

Since my earliest interest in fragrance, I have worn and tried many, many different perfumes. Although I have my favourites, I am a great believer that women should have a choice of perfume to suit different occasions. Statistics now show that (on average) women own up to six perfumes rather than just one signature fragrance. Personally, I don’t think a woman can own too much fragrance, as there is one to suit every mood and every occasion.

My first article for Perfume Fairy attempts to unravel the types and classification of modern fragrance, do read on...

A Brief History of Perfume

The word perfume is derived from the Latin "per fumum", which roughly translates as; "through smoke".

I have no doubt that perfume, in its raw state, has been used since man first wore clothing, but the actual art of making perfumes, probably started in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and was further progressed and refined by the Romans and Persians, using herbs and spices, like coriander, tree resins and bergamot in conjunction with flowers.

The skills of perfumery came to Europe in the 14th century. But it was actually the Hungarians who have been credited with the first modern-style perfume. It consisted of blended scented oils distributed in an alcohol solution. It may come as no surprise to learn that it was made for Hungarian royalty!

France has since become the Epicentre of perfume manufacture. By the 18th century, plants (such as lavender) for the perfume industry were being grown in huge numbers in the Grasse region of France. Even today, France is synonymous with haute couture and perfume design.

Types of Fragrance

Perfume is graded according to the concentration of aromatics in a solvent (usually ethanol or a water/ethanol mix). Perfume oil has to be diluted with a either solvent (or oils and waxes in the case of cosmetics) because raw essential oils, if applied directly to the skin, can and will result in allergic reactions and contact dermatitis.

The strength of a fragrance is based on the concentration of the aromatics (essential oils) used. Different perfumeries/fashion houses put slightly differing quantities of oils into their fragrances. Therefore, EDT from one perfumery may be stronger than an EDP from another (confusing eh?).

A guideline is below (source: Wikipedia):

• Perfume: 15-40% aromatic compounds
• Eau de Parfum (EDP) & Parfum de Toilette (PDT): 10-20% aromatic compounds
• Eau de Toilette (EDT): 5-15% aromatic compounds
• Eau de Cologne (EDC): 3-8% aromatic compounds
• Aftershave: 1-3% aromatic compounds

Mens fragrances (or colognes) are rarely as EDP or perfume extracts. Likewise, women's fragrances are rarely sold in Cologne (EDC) concentration.

Verbal Classifications of Fragrance

The ingredients of most famous perfumes are kept strictly secret. However, even unskilled lovers of perfume can become extremely adept at identifying the various compounds and essential oils that make up a fragrance (a bit like wine-tasting, but more dignified!)

To further explain a fragrance verbally (always hard), it is described in very colourful and "flowery" (excuse the pun) terms. Below is a non-exhaustive and non-technical list of both classic and more modern descriptions. (source: Wikipedia)

Traditional classifications (with modern equivalents in brackets) loosely comprise the following categories:

• Single Floral: Main scent from one particular flower.
• Floral Bouquet: A blend of several floral scents.
• Amber (Oriental): A large group of spicy fragrances categorised by the sweet scents of ambergris or labdanum, often combined with vanilla, flowers and woods. Can be complimented by aromatic resins.
• Wood (Woody Oriental): Fragrances that are primarily woody scents, mainly agarwood, sandalwood and patchouli.
• Leather (Dry Woods): A family of fragrances which features the scents of honey, tobacco and woods, building a scent that is similar to that scent of slightly astringent leather. E.g Clinque – Aromatics Elixir.
• Chypre (Mossy Woods): This means Cyprus in French. These are fragrances built on similar slightly earthy themes primarily consisting of bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli, and labdanum. e.g. Gucci by Gucci.
• Fougère: This means fern in French, built on a base of lavender, coumarin and oak moss. Many mens fragrances belong to this family whose signature is a sharp herbal and woody scent. e.g. Paul Smith for Men.

Modern Classifications

Since the mid 1940's the technical advances in perfume synthesis and the progression of styles have created new categories:

• Floral: A combination of the original Single Floral & Floral Bouquet categories. e.g. Ralph Lauren Romance.
• Soft Floral: - These fragrances contain soft floral overtones and powdery textures. This category is diverse and often quite quirky. e.g. Kenzo Flower (no surprise there)!
• Green: a modern description of the Chypre type, (think; cut grass and cucumber undertones!!). e.g. Chanel Chance.
• Oceanic/Ozone: Floral and spicy with marine tones. This is the newest category, first appearing in 1991 with Christian Dior's Dune (also described as being Floral Oriental).
• Citrus or Fruity: An old family of scents that originally consisted mainly of splashes and eau de colognes due to the lack of "staying power" of citrus scents (technical advances have remedied this). e.g CK One
• Gourmand: scents with "edible" overtones. These often contain notes like vanilla. e.g. Britney Spears Fantasy.

Glossary:
Coumarin is a chemical compound found in many plants, It has a sweet scent, like newly-mown hay, and has been used in perfume making since about 1882.
Labdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Cistus ladanifer and Cistus creticus, both species of rockrose. It has a history of use in both herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient.

Combinations of the above terms are often used to describe today’s fragrances, for example:

Floral Chypre
Fruity Floral
Floral Oriental
Fruity Aromatic
Spicy Oriental
Spicy Wood

And so on, and so forth...

I trust that this article will assist readers when it comes to identifying genres of fragrance, and de-mystify some of the colourful descriptions that are often used to classify a perfume.

In future articles, I hope to further explore the wonderful array of perfumes that are available through Perfume Fairy, when and where to wear them, how to make them last and I will reviewing the latest releases. I hope this helps readers make a more informed choice when purchasing that next bottle of perfume. Go on, treat yourself!

About the author
Debbie Cave works in Quality Assurance for a large home improvement retailer. She lives in Hampshire with her partner and dog. Amongst numerous interests and hobbies, Debbie has held a lifelong love of fine fragrance and hopes to be able to share some of that passion with Perfume Fairy readers.