The History of Perfume / Perfume Through the Ages

By Perla M James


The use of fine fragrances and Perfumes has origins which date back to the time to the Egyptians. This was thousands of years ago, and it was later used by Arabs. It then went to China and eventually to Rome. The word Perfume originated from Latin in which per fumus meant through smoke. Burning of Myrrh or Frankincense and similar fine fragrance was a common practice during most religious ceremonies and all festivals. The application of Perfumed oil for cosmetic as well as medicinal purposes began to grow. This is one reason why Greeks, Romans and countrymen developed a liking for baths using 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.

During the start of the 17 Century Perfumes started finding acceptance in France. Perfumed gloves were responsible for the constitution of the Guild of Glove-and-Perfume Makers in 1656. Louis XV was so obsessed with fragrances that he used to apply them not only to his clothes and skin but also to the furniture and furnishings around him.

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.

Perfume bottles have been around since the first existence of perfume itself. Originally fabricated from clay and stone containers have been made from glass and metal later on. Protecting perfume from light and air is very important since it can deteriorate over time when exposed. Although man-made glass has been around since 4000BC it wasn't until the end of 18C that glass became popular. Pear-shaped glass bottles were filled with perfume for the court of Louis XIV.

In 19C perfume changed again as chemist's took over where alchemist's left off. New techniques and changing tastes laid the foundations of perfume as we know it in 20C. Perfume became a fashion statement in America during 1920's, design houses had their own chemists producing their own scent. Today there are 10's of thousands of designer fragrances on the market and every celebrity has their own scent. Today fine fragrance is a billion dollar industry and everybody has their own favourite.




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