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The
Origins and History of Perfume
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Perfume
was first used by the Egyptians as part of their religious
rituals. The industry was completely in the hands of
priests, who kept workshops behind their temples. The
two principal methods of use at this time was the burning
of incense and the application of balms and ointments.
Perfumed oils were applied to the skin for either cosmetic
or medicinal purposes. Perfumes were an essential part
of life in ancient times as reflected through archaeological
evidence. It was acknowledged to have some sort of power
in purification from death or disease and to cleanse
the impure.
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was so essential to the lives of the ancients that it
was buried with the dead for use in the afterlife. Glass
was similarly valued, it was buried with the dead and
highly prized by Kings and courtesans. The Egyptian
mummies were embalmed through a lengthy process using
aromatic herbs and perfume oils. During the Old and
Middle Kingdoms, perfumes were reserved exclusively
for religious rituals such as cleansing ceremonies.
During the New Kingdom (1580-1085 BC) they were
used during festivals. Egyptian women also used perfumed
creams and oils as toiletries or cosmetics and as preludes
to love-making.
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In the ancient days, only the priests held the knowledge
to make perfumes. Priests kept old glass making knowledge
and acted as the patrons of new production techniques.
Perfumes and glass have an ancient relationship due
to the liquid nature of perfumes and the threat of evaporation.
The first recorded glass production and consequently
the first technique similarly originated in Egypt. The
church played an important part in keeping the glass
industry alive.
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use of perfume then spread to Greece, Rome and the Islamic
world. Perfume was extremely difficult to produce requiring
a large quantity of different ingredients to produce
a very small amount of ‘essence’. The difficulty of
production resulted in scarcity and made the substance
even more valuable and expensive. Both in Greek and
Roman societies, perfumes were highly valued as exemplified
through the public baths and were the main symbol of
beauty. In Rome a part of the public treasury was used
to stock perfume for public baths so that all the citizens
of Rome had a supply. Wealthier citizens could either
purchase more expensive perfumes at the public baths
or they could bring their own supply. Cleanliness was
highly valued and perfume was a manifestation of cleanliness.
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In
other European cities, particularly in London and Paris,
cleanliness was not valued to the same degree. Bathing
was rare, even among the nobility. The streets were
dirty and odors flared. Members of the upper class carried
perfume soaked handkerchiefs or gloves to combat the
foul odors of the outside world. Perfume enjoyed huge
success during the seventeenth century. Perfumed gloves
became popular and in 1656, the Guild of Glove and Perfume-makers
was established in France. The use of perfume in France
grew steadily. The court of Louis XV was even named
“The Perfumed Court” due to the scents which were applied
daily not only to the skin but also to clothing, fans
and furniture. Through trade, perfume and glass
making techniques spread to the rest of the world.
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perfumes seldom contain the ‘essential oils’ of either
animals or flowers. Advances in chemistry provided synthetic
substitutions. From 1870 onwards chemists searched for
synthetic chemicals to replace those naturally occurring
ones and new fragrances were created. The eighteenth
century saw a revolutionary advance in perfumery with
the invention of eau de Cologne in Germany. This refreshing
blend was used in a multitude of different ways like
diluted in bath water, mixed with wine, eaten on a sugar
lump, as a mouthwash and so on. French perfumers were
wary of the new synthetic scents primarily due the threat
to the essential oil business. The French feared that
synthetic processes would corrupt the art of perfume
making. Synthetic perfumes have contributed to the rise
of commercially available perfumes for the mass market.
They have allowed all economic areas of society to possess
scents of various values. The French revolution had
in no way diminished. |
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The
variety of eighteenth-century perfume containers was
as wide as that of the fragrances and their uses. Sponges
soaked in scented vinaigres de toilette were kept in
gilded metal vinaigrettes. Liquid perfumes came in beautiful
Louis XIV-style pear-shaped bottles. Glass became increasingly
popular, particularly in France with the opening of
the Baccarat factory in 1765. Lalique later discovered
a method to mass produce it’s luxurious and exclusive
perfume bottles at a lower cost, so that the house
maid could own the same bottle as her mistress. Soon
alliances between glassmakers and perfumers developed. |
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Perfume
maker Francois Coty formed a partnership with Rene Lalique.
Lalique then produced bottles for Guerlain, D’Orsay,
Lubin, Molinard, Roger & Gallet and others. Baccarat
then joined in, producing the bottle for Mitsouko (Guerlain),
Shalimar (Guerlain) and others. Brosse glassworks created
the memorable bottle for Jeanne Lanvin’s Arpege, and
the famous Chanel No.5. Today in perfume ads,
the consumer first sees the bottle which plays the most
influential role. In fact, it remains physically impossible
to represent the fragrance itself. Together with the
packaging, and naturally the marketing concept which
precedes its creation, the bottle is in some way the
perfume's messenger. |
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Credits : Grasse Museum, France.
Barcelona Perfume Museum, Spain. |
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