The History of Perfume

Perfume remotes to thousands of years back. It has been used by our ancestors for centuries, and will continue to be used by new generations to come. Perfume or fragrance was first used by the Egyptians in their religious ceremonies, both as balms or ointments and as part of preludes for love making. People have used perfume on their bodies, both as oil (balm) and ointment (unguent), for thousands of years in lesser or greater amounts dependant of the occasion. The word “perfume” comes from the Latin per fume, which means “through smoke”. Egyptians used to burn incense and aromatic herbs to be used in rituals and religious services. Such fragrances were extracted from trees back then. We know for a fact that frankincense and Myrrh were among their favorites. Their scent was perfect for their ritual atmosphere. Other plants, such as rose and peppermint were also used as oil and unguents to be rubbed into the skin with cosmetic or medical purpose. Followed by the Egyptians we find large lists of perfume lovers such as the Ancient Chinese, Hindus, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. It was around 1000 BC that Egyptians invented glass and perfume bottles. Perfume use declined during early Christianity, but was revived again during the twelfth century thanks to the development of international trade. By the seventeenth century perfume popularity in France grew steadily. The court of Louis XV was called “The perfumed Court” for the vast use of perfume. A revolutionary advance in perfumery was seen in the eighteenth century when Eau de Cologne was invented. You could be able to find different uses for Eau de Cologne. Following this period and with the opening of the Baccarat glass factory in 1765 perfume and perfume bottles became increasingly popular. Eau de Cologne was at that time something similar to what we now know as Eau de Toilette. It was the cheapest of all perfume type. Perfume oil or pure Parfum continue being the most expensive of all types. Of course, Eau de Toilette, now days, can last longer than Eau de Cologne; all this due to the machinery revolution, Alchemy and chemistry. There has always been a trade in scents and their raw materials. By the year 2007 perfume had become a $12 billion industry. Nowadays, women and men have fragrance wardrobe of at least half dozen different scents, rather than a single perfume; one perfume scent for every occasion, saving that special fragrance for that special moment. Fascinating is the fact that nowadays we do exactly what our ancestors did. Looking for high quality perfumed oils to improve the smell of the body and the ambiance around us it’s been in our culture for centuries.