Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents in liquid form used to give the human body, animals, food, objects and living-spaces an agreeable scent. The word perfume derives from the Latin ‘per fumum’, meaning “through smoke” and is related to the ancient practice of anointing the body with aromatic oils for both cosmetic and religious purposes.
The ingredients of a perfume are combined in three layers: top notes (the first smells your nose notices), middle notes and base notes (the lingering scents). Perfume can have hundreds of different ingredients, which vary by the type of plant or animal from which they are extracted, and by the methods used to extract them.
Modern perfumery is a very complex science that can employ synthetic chemicals as well as natural oils, herbs and spices. The fragrance of a perfume is determined by the way in which those ingredients are combined and blended with each other. It can also be affected by the way the perfume is stored and how it interacts with a person’s own skin chemistry.
The olfactory system is very sensitive, with the ability to detect thousands of different aromas. Scents can have a powerful effect on mood, and it is often said that a person’s personal fragrance is an immediate reflection of their personality and character. This is due to the fact that perfume can affect our limbic system, which is responsible for producing emotions, memory and arousal.
Perfume is used for a variety of reasons, from enhancing self-esteem to attracting potential romantic partners. In addition to these psychological effects, there are many pharmacological and physiological responses that can be triggered by certain scents. These include positive mood changes, heart rate and blood pressure increases. [1]
Traditionally, perfumes were made from natural ingredients gathered from the flowers, fruits and trees of various plants, herbs, spices and animals. During the time of ancient civilizations, these oils were considered sacred and mystical. They were used to anoint the bodies of the wealthy and royalty and even in some cases for religious purposes.
Today, perfumes are created in laboratories using a variety of ingredients that may be either natural or synthetic. Most perfumes contain some amount of alcohol to dilute the other ingredients so that they will spread and last longer on the body. They are also mixed with various fixatives that help the perfume cling to the body and not fade too quickly.
Some of the fixatives in perfume are animal products, such as ambergris from sperm whales and castor beans from beavers, as well as mosses and woods. A few perfumes are entirely synthetic and use a combination of chemicals to mimic the odours produced by natural materials.
There are several different concentrations of perfume oil, with the strongest and most expensive being parfum or extrait, which has between 20-30% fragrance oil concentration. It is recommended that perfumes be used within three years, as they will change in composition over time and start to smell different.