Capturing the Fragrance of flowers
The fresh scents of gardens meadows fields and forests are caused by minute droplets of oily liquid produced by plants. These essential oils together with synthetically produced scents form the basis of the perfume industry. Why plants produce essential oils is uncertain. Some attract insects for pollination other ward off parasites or marauding animals. Off the many plants in the world only a few hundred are used to produce essential oils which perfumeries create their perfume. In many places oils are produced at the rate of only a few tons a year. The oils are bought by brokers who sell them to exporters and last of all to the perfumeries who compose their own fragrances which is a difficult to get right and is a delicate art.
Some history and Background on Fragrances
The history of perfume began in antiquity. The word perfume is used today to describe scented mixtures and is derived from the Latin word, "per fumus", meaning through smoke.Perfumery, or the art of making perfumes, began in ancient Egypt but was developed and further refined by the Romans and the Arabs. Although perfume and perfumery also existed in East Asia, much of its fragrances are incense based. The basic ingredients and methods of making perfumes are described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia.
A fragrance is a blend and mixture of extracts, alcohol and purified water; every Perfume, Cologne, Fragrance, is characterized by the ratio of ingredients. A perfume has a high concentration of extracts compared to an Eau de Toilette which has a lower concentration. Perfume fragrances leave an intense lingering scent. Eau de Toilette with the same scent lasts for less time than perfume, and the least concentrated fragrance being Eau de Cologne which can last for minutes.
As far back as 200 years before the birth of Christ, the Babylonian ruler, Hammurabi, decreed that everyone in his kingdom (men and women) had to wash in perfume.
Frankincense and myrrh figured strongly in the Bible as gifts to the Christ child from the Three Wise Men.
Assyrian warriors curled their long beards with scented oils.
Napoleon is said to have used an average of 54 bottles of cologne each month, and always wore his favorite scent into battle.
King Louis XIV of France prescribed that members of the court should use a different fragrance each day.
Sir Walter Raleigh regularly drank a mixture of wild strawberry leaves - and always placed potpourris of roses and orris powder throughout the rooms of his home.
During the 17th century, gentlemen carried aromatics in the heads of their walking sticks so that they could to open them and inhale whenever the occasion demanded it.
There was nothing sissy or feminine about the early American cattlemen who came into town for their monthly baths and took to lilac water in an effort to mask the trail smells composed of horses, cows, sweat, trail dust, sweat, and whiskey. It almost seems lilac water may not have been strong enough. But by the turn of the century nobody giggled when the well dressed, starch-collared man left the barbershop with his hair slicked and parted and smelling of petunias. There was nothing un-masculine about their use of fragrance.
Prior to World War I, the only fragrant lotions used by men were Bay Rum and Witch Hazel. During the Roaring 20’s those men who wished to be dashing applied a dose of women`s perfume under their jacket lapels
Rudolph Valentino, one of the greatest screen lovers of all time, wore cologne that reportedly charged the air with a cool, citrusy, masculine scent, and he inspired a following of men who slicked their hair as he did and habitually used his very brand of citrus. Women across the country reacted with overwhelming enthusiasm.
The Roaring Twenties liberated men (as well as women) but they could not as yet choose from a family of products developed for and marketed specifically to men.
It wasn`t until the late 20`s, during the Depression, that an American cologne after-shave was introduced to capture the imagination of men across the country. It was an instant success and was considered the ultimate "morale booster."
In the mid-60`s, social and economic changes inspired men to start and experiment with fashions and fragrances. It is during this time that we begin to see the proliferation of Fragrances, colognes, and cosmetics for men.
In the early 1970’s, fragrances for men began to be taken more seriously as a marketing category. Several companies entered the market to give men a range of products and fragrances to choose from.
Acknowledgements Wikipedia The perfume shop