History of perfume: Some curiosities

As human beings, we have always been fascinated by our history, as it teaches us about our past, our culture, and who we are today. When it comes to the history of perfume, it should come as no surprise that it also dates back to ancient times.

It's interesting to know where certain things come from, like perfume ingredients, their history, and the raw materials used to make modern perfumes as we know them.

 

The origin of the word perfume

The word perfume comes from the Latin "per fumus," meaning through smoke. The word "perfumery" refers to the art of making perfumes.

Later, the French modernized the word to "parfum," which refers to the odors produced by burning incense resin.

The first recorded female perfumer/chemist in the world was named Tapputi, a woman from ancient Babylon, in Mesopotamia. Records of her still exist on a cuneiform tablet from 1200 BC.

Where does the art of perfumery come from?

The earliest documented discoveries of perfumes date back to the early Egyptians (3000 BC to 1000 BC). However, perfumery is known to have originated in ancient China, Egypt, and the Indus Valley Civilization, and was perfected by the Romans and Arabs.

It is good to know that the Egyptians used aromas to enhance their lives and also their deaths through the use of oil-based perfumes as a celebration of rituals and prayers.

Thus, burned oils served different functions such as:

• divine protection
• transmitting prayers
• purifying the dead
• embalming ceremonies
• medicines

Among other things, these oil blends were found in the tombs of pharaoh mummies, which also meant that perfume was used as a status symbol.

Finally, the Egyptians knew how to capture fragrance by storing it in fat (hot decoction and cold maceration), but they were unaware of the distillation used in perfumes today.

What was the first perfume in history?

The first modern perfume (oils mixed in an alcoholic solution) was "Hungary Water." This perfume was a blend of lemon, orange blossom, thyme, and rosemary notes.

It was made for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in 1370.

What is the oldest perfume still in production?

The two oldest perfumes in production are:

- 4711 By Muelhens (Mäurer & Wirtz)

In production since 1799, created by Wilhelm Muelhens, whose main notes are lemon, neroli, jasmine, basil, and orange.

- Eau de Cologne (Kölnisch Wasser) by Farina

Created in 1709 by Johann Maria Farina, its main notes are lemon, orange, tangerine, neroli, and lavender.

How are modern perfumes made?

Modern perfumes are composed of pure ethanol or a mixture of water and ethanol, with perfumed essential oils mixed in an alcoholic solution. These essential oils can come from natural or synthetic sources.

The longevity and projection of perfumes depend on the combination of the perfume oil concentration, raw material, and aromatic compounds. You can find more information about perfume concentrations in this post.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this post about the history of perfume and the most important facts related to it.

We can see from history that although trends change and there are always new innovations, perfumes, like many other things, always return to or refer back to their origins.