This article isn’t going to give you some magic formula for
world’s best fragrance; I am not even going to talk about best perfumes on market today. Perhaps even more interesting is a subject that few would think of, and even fewer know about.In this article I will discuss origins of perfume and how it came to be industry that it is today.
Egyptians pioneered use of many things and fragrances are no exception. The Egyptians used perfume mainly for religious purposes, but medicine was another area that scented oils were used in.
Soon use of perfume spread to Rome, Greece, and various Islamic cultures. Unfortunately with fall of Roman Empire came fall of fragrance trade for some time. It wasn’t until around 12th century that things started picking up again.
You may have heard before that perfume is very rooted in French Culture – This is true. In fact, you could almost say that real perfume industry began there. It all started in 17th century when guild of perfume makers was established. Perfumed gloves were very popular during 17th century, and French kings would even have their court furnishings scented with fragrances.
A big breakthrough came in 18th century with invention of Eau de Cologne. Yes there is an Eau de Cologne still available today, but it is much different than that of old Eau de Cologne. In 18th century EDC was a mixture of lavender, bergamot, and neroli – And get this… It could be consumed! Yes that’s right; EDC in 18th century was not only a fragrance but a favorite beverage of Napoleon himself. In fact, Napoleon really helped make Eau de Cologne very popular in 18th century.
