Perfume is a pleasant-smelling liquid that you put on your skin to make yourself smell nice. It is made of different ingredients, some natural and some synthetic, and can be found in products from soap to hair spray to scented lotions. The word perfume comes from the Latin words for fragrant oil, and its history dates back at least as far as Roman times.
The first perfumes were probably simple, but over the centuries people developed more sophisticated formulas using various extracts from plants and animals. These perfumes, which are often referred to by the names of the flowers, fruits, or plants they contain, come in many forms and are available at any supermarket.
These days, most perfumes are a combination of essential oils and other synthetic chemicals. These artificial scents can offer a variety of odours not found naturally in nature, from floral effects to the smell of metal and ozone. Perfume producers also use certain animal secretions as fixatives, preventing more volatile perfume ingredients from evaporating too quickly. These substances include ambergris from sperm whales, castor (castoreum) from the beaver, and musk from civet cats or musk deer.
A fine perfume typically contains more than 100 ingredients. A perfume’s odour changes throughout the day as the chemistry of the human body and the raw materials in the fragrance interact. The odour changes are a result of the different layers in a perfume: a top note, the refreshing, volatile odour that you perceive immediately; a heart note, which develops over time and is usually composed of floral and herbal fragrances; and a base note, a rich, longer-lasting odour, which is a mixture of resinous or woody elements like vetiver or oak moss.
Depending on the ingredients used, the odour of a perfume can change with the seasons and even from one person to another. This is why it is recommended that you use a perfume within three years of opening it. The odour of the perfume can also change if it is exposed to sunlight, or if it comes into contact with other fragrances such as a strong soap or food.
The olfactory sense plays an important role in our perception of the world around us, and it can be quite surprising how much power a single scent can hold over emotions and memories. The story of a perfume can be just as intriguing as the fragrance itself. Whether you are interested in learning more about the history of perfume, or if you’re looking for a new signature scent, we hope these links will be helpful to you.