Perfume

Perfumes have for centuries been used to render the body with a pleasant fragrance. While being first invented in Egypt in around 2000 BC, perfumes were later created in Rome and Arabia as well. During the early days, perfumes were mostly incense-based. Much later, an Iranian chemist, Avicenna, initiated the usage of oil extracted from plants in the perfumery industry. The precursor to the perfumes of today was the mixture of scented oils in alcohol used in Hungary in the fourteenth century. The art subsequently moved to France, which became the world center of perfume making, a title it still holds today.

Modern perfumes combine essential oils, solvents, aroma compounds and fixatives. Even today the ingredients used and the manufacturing procedures of the perfumes is a guarded secret. The perfume’s intensity depends on the concentration levels of the aromatic compounds, with the perfume extract having 20 to 40 percent, Eau de parfum having 10 to 30 percent, Eau de toilette having 5 to 20 percent and Eau de cologne having 2 to 5 percent.

Present day perfumes are grouped into five major categories. Floral perfumes exude a distinctly flower-like odour, the fragrances ranging from rose to lavender. Fruity perfumes combine spiciness with freshness, making them suitable for all weather conditions. Woody perfumes have sandalwood and cider-like fragrances, integrating natural smells with sophistication. Green perfumes are reminiscent of green plantations and grasslands. The strongest perfumes are the Oriental ones that render musk and vanilla fragrances. Perfumery is now a global industry and the variety of perfumes produced such as scents, after shaves and deodorants for body odour is truly endless.