Perfume is an oily liquid that combines a blend of essential oils and other ingredients to create a unique and often long-lasting aroma. It can contain natural ingredients like flowers, grasses, spices and herbs, or synthetic chemicals.
People have been using perfume for thousands of years. Its name comes from the Latin verb, per fumun meaning to smoke through, and it was originally used to emulate nature’s pleasant aromas by releasing a subtle, enduring fragrance. Perfume was first recorded in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Over time, it became an art form that was mastered by the Roman and Arab civilizations.
The ancients extracted oils from a variety of flowers, trees and plants. These were then combined with spices, herbs, animal secretions and resins, and other natural materials to create their scents. These fragrances were used in a variety of ways, from dressing wounds and hair to cleansing and reviving the body. Today, perfumers use a wide range of raw materials to create unique and original scents that are infused into lotions, gels and colognes.
A perfume has three main components: Top notes, Heart and Base notes. The chemistry of the skin and perfume combine to cause these notes to smell differently throughout the day. Perfumes are generally classified into one of two categories: Floral or Oriental. Floral fragrances are most popular, and they can be further categorized into red or white florals, or into a more general group called ‘flora-Orientales’ that includes gardenia, jasmine, tuberose, orange flower, ylang ylang, freesia and muguet. These may be complemented with green, aldehydic or fruity facets.
Other natural materials such as barks, roots, seeds and gums can also be found in perfumes. They can be derived from plants, such as cinnamon or ambergris, or from animals, such as the castor oil of beavers and the musk of male deers. The odor of coal, tar and petroleum are also sometimes used to make perfumes.
Besides plant extracts, perfumers often employ the use of synthetic chemicals to recreate natural fragrances and to develop new scents that are not found in nature. The most common synthetics include coumarin, linalool and hedione.
The modern perfumery industry is very complicated and requires an advanced knowledge of raw materials and chemical composition. The creation of a perfume is a process that takes days, even weeks, to complete, and the cost of making a single bottle can exceed $20,000. Perfumers must be skilled at mixing the various elements to create a desirable scent. They are trained to recognize the different qualities of each ingredient, combining them in a way that evokes an emotional response from consumers. Creating a perfume is not an easy task, but it can be incredibly rewarding and exciting for the perfumers who have mastered this art form.