Perfume Through the Ages

Perfume has very ancient origins. The first recorded use was several thousand years ago. Egyptians were the first to use it. It was later adopted by the Arabs, Chinese and the Romans. The origin of the word Perfume is form the Latin language; per meaning through and fumus means smoke. Myrrh and Frankincense were the earliest such fine fragrance that was burnt especially during the religious ceremonies and other festivals. Perfumed oils were also used as applications for cosmetic and medicinal uses. Greeks and Romans thus developed a liking for bathing in scented water.



The first modern perfume was introduced in 1370 by request of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. The new scent was known all over Europe as Hungary Water. Perfume in England rose in popularity during the Tudor period. Queen Elizabeth I couldn't stand the foul smell of public places and had them doused in perfume.

In France perfume found much favour during the 17th century. The guild of glove and perfume makers was constituted in 1656 following the rise in popularity of perfumed gloves. Louis XV was renowned for applying scents daily not only to the skin but clothing, furniture and soft furnishings.

In the next century, Perfume developed further. A new and fresh fragrance Eau-de-Cologne was invented by the Italian Giovanni Farina. It was citrus oil mixed in alcohol and he named it after the home town he adopted. It remained the mainstay of the wealthy due to its expensiveness.

The best part of the Perfume was the bottle. In the beginning, these were made of clay or from stone. Slowly, the containers started being made from metal and glass. It was important to keep the Perfumes safe from deterioration when it was exposed to air or light. Glass has been made by man since 4000 B. C. But it only became popular after it was used to store Perfumes in the 1800s. Louis XIV preferred to store his in pear-shaped containers of glass.

Perfumes were further improved by chemists in the beginning of the 1900s. Alchemists had made them in a way that was entirely different till now. America started to create its fashion statements using Perfumes in the 1920s. Chemists were employed by almost fashion houses to create exclusive scents for them. Now there are so many different fine fragrances and scents which are marketed by celebrities and fashion houses with equal fervor. This billion dollar industry has captured in the imagination of people the world over.