The aromatic history of perfumes

These days, almost everyone uses perfume to feel attractive and confident.

But who would have thought that nineteenth-century women used perfume as a drink? This proves that perfumes, like anything else, have evolved over the years.

So, fasten your seatbelts and travel back in time to discover the exciting history of fragrances!

The ancient Egyptians began to use perfumes for various purposes as early as 3000 BC.

The ancient Egyptians used perfume to celebrate religious ceremonies; this was discovered thanks to recipes inscribed on the walls of temples built in Ptolemaic Egypt.

They also used perfume in mummification because they considered the good smell a sign of holiness.

Kyphi was the most popular perfume used for mummies as incense for the temple, and a drink with healing properties treated diseases such as asthma.

As is the case today, the ancient Egyptians valued personal hygiene, so they smoothed and cleansed their skin with perfumes to prevent unpleasant odors.

To make perfumes, the ancient Egyptians used a perfume-making technique called impregnation, and also used ingredients such as moringa, flaxseed, sesame, and castor oils.

Archaeologists have found the composition of the perfume "Tabooti", which was made in 1200 BC.

Known as the first female chemist in history, the Tabuti-Belakalim worked as a perfumer in Mesopotamia.

Her works in Akkadian were written on clay tablets in the cuneiform way, and after translating them, perfume experts discovered that she actually used the perfume-making techniques (such as distillation and cold impregnation) that we use today.

According to an ancient perfume expert, the coffin made perfumes using flowers, tree resin, spices and plants.

One of the surviving sarcophagus recipes was said to be an aromatic ointment made for the Babylonian king. Two sarcophagus tablets can be found in the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Girl's Museum in Germany.

Amber was first used in the X century.

The longevity of perfume scent, when made, is one of the most important factors to consider, which is why amber is added to perfumes. This ingredient will make your eyes widen, because it is made in the intestines of sperm whales... f)Due to its rarity) it can cost up to $7,000 per pound (453 g)!

Some examples of perfume companies using amber are Chanel, Creed and Roja Parfums.

But amber is not the only exotic ingredient in perfumes. Civet, custorium and musk are also exotic things used to improve perfumes, as they are obtained from the anal glands of different animals.

The Eau de Toilette was made in the fourteenth century.

Toilet water is the English translation of Eau de Toilette, or "toilet water", so it may seem like it smells, but it is actually the best-selling type of perfume because it is less expensive, making the Eau de Toilette ideal for everyday use.

It is known that an unknown Hungarian man is the inventor of the Eau de Toilette. It is said to have been made for the Hungarian Queen Elizabeth at her command, and this led to the emergence of the first alcohol-based fragrance, Hungarian water, where notes of lemon, orange flower, thyme and rosemary are mixed with an alcoholic solution to make Hungary water.

Cologne water was made in the XVIII century.

Johann Maria Farina invented the water of cologne after feeling homesick.

Farina even wrote to his brother in 1709: "I discovered a smell reminiscent of an Italian spring morning, daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain."

But Farina named his invention after the place where he lived after emigrating from Italy – Cologne, Germany.

When you visit Cologne, you will see the Farina Perfume Museum, where you can learn about the humble beginnings of Farina and its rise to fame through a guided tour.

Cologne water became so popular that Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military and political leader, loved its smell - ordering 50 bottles of cologne water every month.

The original 4711 brand (Eau de Cologne) was released in 1792.

Wilhelm Mülhenz introduced the original Eau de Cologne 4711, the oldest perfume still manufactured today.

It is a unisex fragrance that smells like citrus due to its ingredients such as lemon, orange and bergamot, but was first marketed as a healthy drink.

4711 is named after the house number that Charles Laurier, a French soldier, gave to the Glockengasse building in Mülhens in 1796 to receive soldiers. The building was a factory of the 4711 brand but has since been renovated and is a tourist attraction today.

Perfume production in large quantities began in the XIX century.

The addition of synthetic chemicals has made perfumes accessible to the general public.

This has become the starting line for the modern perfume industry, as alcohol-based fragrances are becoming more prevalent than oil-based fragrances.

The first perfume to contain synthetic ingredients was Guerlain's Jicky perfume in 1889 – the same year the Eiffel Tower was built in France. Jicky was primarily composed of lavender and vanilla notes, with a small amount of citrus and a bouquet of classic Guerlain fragrances as supporting ingredients.

Chanel was also one of the pioneers of the synthetic fragrance industry, launching Chanel N° 5 in 1921. Its fragrance was created by a Russian-French perfumer named Ernest Poe.

Poe's assistant is believed to have mistakenly added more aldehyde to the fragrance, which turned out to be a revolutionary mistake.

Celebrity perfumes began in the early eighties.

Sophia Loren was the first celebrity to launch her own fragrance in 1981.

Then came other celebrity fragrances, such as Cher's Uninhibited and Elizabeth Taylor's Passion in 1987. But Elizabeth Taylor had the biggest influence on celebrity perfumes when she launched her second fragrance, White Diamonds, in 1991 and it was a huge success.

Today, many celebrities, including Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift, have their own perfume line.

Scientists have been trying to reproduce Cleopatra's perfume since 2012.

Cleopatra, the queen who ruled ancient Egypt, used a perfume called Mendesian, which is described as thick, spicy, and contains a bit of musk aroma. Researchers believe that its fragrance consists of myrrh, cinnamon and essential oils.

The idea of recreating Mendessian began when archaeologists discovered the remains of what is said to be a 2,300-year-old perfume factory.

In September 2021, a paper titled "Eau de Cleopatra" was published in the Journal of Near Eastern Archaeology, showing how researchers were able to reproduce her fragrance.