Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a "pleasant" smell.
The word perfume used today derives from the Latin "per fumum", meaning through smoke. Perfumery, or the art of making perfumes, began in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and was further refined by the Romans and Persians. Although perfume and perfumery also existed in India, much of its fragrances are incense based. The earliest distillation of Attar was mentioned in the Hindu Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. The Harshacharita, written in 7th century A.D. in Northern India mentions use of fragrant agarwood oil. The world's first recorded chemist is considered to be a woman named Tapputi, a perfume maker who was mentioned in a cuneiform tablet from the second millennium BC in Mesopotamia.She distilled flowers, oil, and calamus with other aromatics then filtered and put them back in the still several times.
Perfume types reflect the concentration of aromatic compounds in a solvent, which in fine fragrance is typicallyethanol or a mix of water and ethanol. Various sources differ considerably in the definitions of perfume types.
The concentration by percent/volume of perfume oil is as follows: Perfume extract (Extrait):
a) 15-40% (IFRA: typical 20%) aromatic compounds
b) Eau de Parfum (EdP), Parfum de Toilette (PdT): 10-20% (typical ~15%) aromatic compounds. Sometimes listed as "eau de perfume" or "millésime"
c) Eau de Toilette (EdT): 5-15% (typical ~10%) aromatic compounds
d) Eau de Cologne (EdC): Chypre citrus type perfumes with 3-8% (typical ~5%) aromatic compounds
e) Splash and After shave: 1-3% aromatic compounds
The precise formulae of commercial perfumes are kept secret. Even if they were widely published, they would be dominated by such complex ingredients and odorants that they would be of little use in providing a guide to the general consumer in description of the experience of a scent. Nonetheless, connoisseurs of perfume can become extremely skillful at identifying components and origins of scents in the same manner as wine experts.The traditional classification which emerged around 1900 comprised the following categories:
- Single Floral: Fragrances that are dominated by a scent from one particular flower; in French called a soliflore. (e.g. Serge Lutens' Sa Majeste La Rose, which is dominated by rose.)
- Floral Bouquet: Containing the combination of several flowers in a scent.
- Amber: A large fragrance class featuring the sweet slightly animalic scents of ambergris or labdanum, often combined with vanilla, flowers and woods. Can be enhanced by camphorous oils and incense resins, which bring to mind Victorian era imagery of the Middle East and Far East.
- Wood: Fragrances that are dominated by woody scents, typically of agarwood, sandalwood and cedar. Patchouli, with its camphoraceous smell, is commonly found in these perfumes.Leather: A family of fragrances which features the scents of honey, tobacco, wood and wood tars in its middle or base notes and a scent that alludes to leather.
- Chypre: Meaning Cyprus in French, this includes fragrances built on a similar accord consisting of bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli, and labdanum. This family of fragrances is named after a perfume by François Coty. A notable example is Mitsouko (a popular name for girls in Japanese) by Guerlain.
- Fougère: Meaning Fern in French, built on a base of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss. Houbigant's Fougère Royale pioneered the use of this base. Many men's fragrances belong to this family of fragrances, which is characterized by its sharp herbaceous and woody scent.
Natural and synthetics are used for their different odor characteristics in perfumery:
| Naturals | Synthetics | |
|---|---|---|
| Variance | Vary by the times and locations where they are harvested. It's much more difficult to produce consistent products with equivalent odor over years of harvest. As such, the perfumer has to "manually" balance-out the natural variations of the ingredients in order to maintain the quality of the perfume. | Much more consistent than natural aromatics. However, differences in organic synthesis may result in minute differences in concentration of impurities. If these impurities have low smell (detection) thresholds, the differences in the scent of the synthetic aromatic will be significant. |
| Components | Thousands of chemical compounds. | Depending on purity, consists primarily of one chemical compound. |
| Scent Uniqueness | Bears a somewhat similar scent to its originating material, depending on the extraction method. | Similar to natural scents if the compounds are the same. Novel scent compounds not mimicking natural compounds however, bear little scent likeness to natural materials. |
| Scent Complexity | Deep and complex fragrance notes. Softer with subtle scent nuances. | Pure and pronounced fragrance notes. Structural and defined. |
| Price | Perfume composed of largely natural materials are usually much more expensive. | Perfumes using largely synthetic aromatics can be available at widely-affordable prices. However, synthetic aromatics and perfumes are not necessarily cheaper than naturals. Some synthetics can be more costly than most natural ingredients due to various factors such as the complexity of systhesis or extraction procedure. |
Fragrance compounds in perfumes will degrade or break down if improperly stored in the presence of:- Heat
- Light
- Oxygen
- Extraneous organic materials
The Greatest Perfume over The Century:
| 390 | Fiori di Capri | Carthusia | |
| 1709 | Farina Eau de Cologne | Johann Maria Farina | Johann Maria Farina (1685-1766) |
| 1714 | Kölnisch Wasser | Farina gegenüber | Johann Maria Farina |
| 1780 | Royal English Leather | Creed | |
| 1789 | Number Six | Caswell-Massey | |
| 1792 | 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser | 4711 | Wilhelm Muhlens |
| 1798 | Eau de Lubin | Parfum Lubin | Pierre François Lubin |
| 1799 | Gold Medal | Atkinsons | |
| 1806 | Jean Marie Farina | Roger & Gallet | |
| 1815 | Freshman | Truefitt & Hill | Francis Truefitt |
| 1821 | Lavender | Floris | |
| 1828 | Pot Pourri | Santa Maria Novella | |
| 1853 | Eau de Cologne Imperial | Guerlain | Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain |
| 1862 | Fantasia de Fleurs | Creed | |
| 1872 | Hammam Bouquet | Penhaligon's | William Henry Penhaligon |
| 1889 | Jicky | Guerlain | Aimé Guerlain |
| c. 1900 | Bouquet Nouveau | Roger & Gallet | |
| 1901 | Edwardian Bouquet | Floris | |
| 1902 | Blenheim Bouquet | Penhaligon's | William Henry Penhaligon |
| 1904 | Mouchoir de Monsieur | Guerlain | Jacques Guerlain |
| 1908 | Florida Water | Murray & Lanman | |
| c.1910 | Astris | L.T. Piver | L.T. Piver |
| c.1912 | Chypre | D'Orsay | |
| 1911 | English Fern | Penhaligon's | William Henry Penhaligon |
| c. 1911 | Illusion | Drake | |
| c.1911 | Narcise Noir | Parfums Caron | |
| 1912 | L'Heure Bleue | Guerlain | Jacques Guerlain |
| 1912 | Quelques Fleurs L'Original | Houbigant | |
| 1913 | April Violets | Yardley | |
| c. 1913 | La Feuilleraie | Gueldy | |
| c.1913 | Muguet | Coty | |
| 1913 | Violette Précieuse | Parfums Caron | Ernest Daltroff |
| 1916 | Acqua di Parma Colonia | Acqua di Parma | |
| 1917 | Chypre de Coty | François Coty | François Coty |
| 1919 | Mitsouko | Guerlain | Jacques Guerlain |
| 1919 | Tabac Blond | Caron | Ernest Daltroff |
| 1921 | N°5 | Chanel | Ernest Beaux |
| 1922 | June Roses | Morny | |
| 1922 | No. 22 | Chanel | Ernest Beaux |
| 1922 | Nuit de Noël | Caron | Ernest Daltroff |
| 1924 | Cuir de Russie | Chanel | Ernest Beaux |
| c.1925 | Mon Studio | Calliste | |
| c.1925 | My Sin | Lanvin | |
| 1925 | Shalimar | Guerlain | Jacques Guerlain |
| 1926 | Bois des Îles | Chanel | Ernest Beaux |
| 1926 | Paris | Coty | |
| 1927 | Arpège | Lanvin | André Fraysse |
| 1927 | Bellodgia | Caron | Ernest Daltroff |
| 1927 | L'Aimant | Coty | Francois Coty, Vincent Roubert |
| 1928 | Soir de Paris | Bourjois | Ernest Beaux |
| 1929 | Liu | Guerlain | Jacques Guerlain |
| 1930 | Acqua di Parma Profumo | Acqua di Parma | |
| 1930 | Joy | Jean Patou | Henri Alméras |
| 1932 | Je Reviens | House of Worth | Maurice Blanchet |
| 1932 | Tabu | Dana | Jean Carles |
| 1933 | Vol de Nuit | Guerlain | Jacques Guerlain |
| 1933 | Angélique Encens | Creed | |
| 1934 | Blue Grass | Elizabeth Arden | Fragonard |
| 1934 | Dunhill for Men | Alfred Dunhill | |
| 1934 | Pour Un Homme | Caron | Ernest Daltroff |
| 1935 | Nuit de Longchamp | Parfum Lubin | |
| 1936 | French Cancan | Caron | Ernest Daltroff |
| c.1936 | Kobako | Bourjois | |
| 1937 | Colony | Patou | |
| 1938 | Dancing Time | Durbarry | |
| 1939 | It's You | Arden | |
| 1940 | Snuff | Schiaparelli | |
| 1943 | Arôme 3 | D'Orsay | |
| 1944 | Bandit | Robert Piguet | Germaine Cellier |
| 1944 | Femme | Rochas | Edmond Roudnitska |
| 1945 | White Shoulders | Elizabeth Arden | |
| 1946 | Coeur-Joie | Nina Ricci | Germaine Cellier |
| 1946 | Ma Griffe | Carven | Jean Carles |
| 1947 | Vent Vert | Balmain | Germaine Cellier |
| 1948 | Fracas | Robert Piguet | Germaine Cellier |
| 1948 | L'Air du Temps | Nina Ricci | Françis Fabron |
| 1949 | Rose | Caron | Michel Morsetti |
| 1949 | English Leather | Dana | |
| 1950 | Orange Spice | Creed | |
| 1951 | Eau d'Hermès | Hermès | Edmond Roudnitska |
| 1951 | Prince Douka | Marquay | |
| 1952 | Wind Song | Prince Matchabelli | Georges V. Matchabelli |
| 1952 | Quadrille | Balenciaga | |
| 1953 | Youth Dew[1][2] | Estée Lauder | Estée Lauder |
| 1954 | Electrique | Max Factor | |
| 1954 | Poivre | Caron | Michel Morsetti |
| 1955 | Chanel Pour Monsieur | Chanel | Henri Robert |
| 1955 | Pine Sylvestre | Silvestre | Lino Vidal |
| 1956 | Diorissimo | Christian Dior | Edmond Roudnitska |
| 1957 | Le De | Givenchy | |
| 1957 | L'Interdit (original) | Givenchy | Francis Fabron |
| 1959 | Monsieur de Givenchy | Givenchy | Michel Hy |
| 1959 | Cabochard | Parfums Grès | Bernard Chant |
| 1960 | Unforgettable | Avon | |
| 1961 | Eau d'Hadrien | Annick Goutal | Annick Goutal |
| 1961 | Vetiver | Guerlain | Jean-Paul Guerlain |
| 1962 | Bal a Versailles | Jean Desprez | Jean Desprez |
| 1963 | Diorling | Christian Dior | Paul Vacher |
| 1964 | Idole de Lubin | Parfum Lubin | |
| 1965 | Aramis | Aramis | |
| 1966 | Eau Sauvage | Christian Dior | Edmond Roudnitska |
| 1967 | Climat | Lancôme | |
| 1968 | Irisia | Creed | |
| 1969 | Ô | Lancôme | Robert Gonnon |
| 1969 | Chamade | Guerlain | Jean-Paul Guerlain |
| 1970 | Equipage | Hermès | Guy Robert |
| 1970 | Sélection Verte | Creed | |
| 1971 | No. 19 | Chanel | Henri Robert |
| 1972 | Diorella | Christian Dior | Edmond Roudnitska |
| 1972 | Fleurissimo | Creed | |
| 1973 | Charlie | Revlon | Harry A. Cuttler |
| 1973 | Ciara | Revlon | |
| 1974 | Baby Soft | Love's | |
| 1974 | Cristalle | Chanel | Henri Robert |
| 1974 | Eau de Guerlain | Guerlain | Jean-Paul Guerlain |
| 1975 | Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse | Creed | |
| 1976 | Lily of the Valley | Penhaligon's | |
| 1976 | Violetta | Penhaligon's | |
| 1976 | Z-14 | Halston | Vincent Marsello |
| 1977 | Opium | Yves Saint Laurent | Jean-Louis Sieuzac |
| 1978 | Anaïs Anaïs | Cacharel | Raymond Chaillan/Roger Pellegrino |
| 1978 | Azzaro Pour Homme | Azzaro | Gérard Anthony, Martin Heiddenreich, Richard Wirtz |
| 1978 | Bluebell | Penhaligon's | Michael Pickthall |
| 1978 | Cinnabar | Estée Lauder | |
| 1978 | Magie Noire | Lancôme | G. Goupy / J-C Niel |
| 1978 | White Linen | Estée Lauder | Sophia Grojsman |
| 1979 | Nahéma | Guerlain | Jean-Paul Guerlain |
| 1980 | Ivoire | Balmain | Francis Camail |
| 1980 | Patou Pour Homme | Jean Patou | Jean Kerleo |
| 1981 | Kouros | Yves Saint Laurent | Pierre Bourdon |
| 1981 | Must de Cartier | Cartier | Jean-Jacques Diener |
| 1981 | Nombre Noir | Shiseido | Jean-Yves Leroy |
| 1981 | Giorgio | Giorgio Beverly Hills | Group Work: M.L. Quince, Francis Camail, Harry Cuttler |
| 1982 | Drakkar Noir | Guy Laroche | Pierre Wargnye |
| 1982 | Trussardi | Trussardi | |
| 1982 | Quorum | Antonio Puig | |
| 1983 | Paris | Yves Saint Laurent | Sophia Grojsman |
| 1984 | Coco | Chanel | Jacques Polge |
| 1985 | Obsession | Calvin Klein | Jean Guichard |
| 1985 | Poison | Christian Dior | Jean Guichard |
| 1985 | Green Irish Tweed | Creed | Oliver Creed |
| 1986 | Prescriptives Calyx | Prescriptives | Sophia Grojsman |
| 1987 | Lou Lou | Cacharel | Jean Guichard |
| 1988 | Cool Water | Davidoff | Pierre Bourdon |
| 1988 | Eternity | Calvin Klein | Sophia Grojsman |
| 1988 | Fahrenheit | Christian Dior | Jean-Louis Sieuzac, Maurice Roger |
| 1989 | Red Door | Elizabeth Arden | Carlos Benaim, Olivier Gillotin |
| 1989 | Samsara | Guerlain | Jean-Paul Guerlain |
| 1990 | Trésor | Lancôme | Sophia Grojsman |
| 1991 | Gendarme | Gendarme | |
| 1992 | Angel | Thierry Mugler | Olvier Cresp |
| 1992 | Bois de Violette | Serge Lutens | Christopher Sheldrake |
| 1992 | L'eau d'Issey | Issey Miyake | Jacques Cavallier |
| 1992 | Feminitè du Bois | Shiseido | Christopher Sheldrake |
| 1993 | Jean-Paul Gaultier Classique | Jean-Paul Gaultier | Jacques Cavallier |
| 1994 | CK One | Calvin Klein | Harry Fremont and Alberto Morillas |
| 1995 | 24, Faubourg | Hermès | Maurice Roucel |
| 1995 | Hugo | Hugo Boss | Francis Kurkdjian/Creations Aromatiques |
| 1995 | Le Mâle | Jean-Paul Gaultier | Francis Kurkdjian |
| 1995 | Millésime Impérial | Creed | |
| 1996 | Acqua di Gió Pour Homme | Giorgio Armani | Alberto Morillas and Jacques Cavallier |
| 1996 | Angel Men/A*Men | Thierry Mugler | |
| 1996 | Dolce Vita | Christian Dior | Pierre Bourdon and Maurice Roger |
| 1996 | Spring Flower | Creed | Olivier Creed |
| 1996 | Tommy Girl | Tommy Hilfiger | |
| 1996 | Organza | Givenchy | Sophie Labbé |
| 1997 | Envy | Gucci | Maurice Roucel |
| 1997 | Lolita Lempicka | Lolita Lempicka | Annick Menardo |
| 1998 | Hypnotic Poison | Christian Dior | Annick Menardo |
| 1998 | Bulgari Black | Bulgari | Annick Menardo |
| 1998 | Noa | Cacharel | Olivier Cresp |
| 1999 | Dzing! | L'Artisan | Olivia Giacobetti |
| 1999 | J’Adore | Christian Dior | Calice Becker |
| 2000 | En Passant | Frederic Malle | Olivia Giacobetti |
| 2000 | Tea for Two | L'Artisan | Olivia Giacobetti |
| 2001 | 1872 | Clive Christian | |
| 2001 | Chergui | Serge Lutens | Christopher Sheldrake |
| 2001 | Coco Mademoiselle | Chanel | Jacques Polge |
| 2001 | Light Blue | Dolce & Gabbana | Olivier Cresp |
| 2001 | Mugler Cologne | Thierry Mugler | Alberto Morillas |
| 2001 | No. 1 | Clive Christian | |
| 2001 | Nu | Yves Saint Laurent | Jacques Cavallier |
| 2001 | X | Clive Christian | |
| 2002 | Addict | Christian Dior | Thierry Wasser |
| 2002 | Black Cashmere | Donna Karan | |
| 2002 | 2 | Comme des Garçons | |
| 2002 | Chance | Chanel | Jacques Polge |
| 2002 | M7 | Yves Saint Laurent | Alberto Morillas, Jacques Cavallier |
| 2003 | 100% Love | Shaping Room | Sophia Grojsman |
| 2003 | Amor Amor | Cacharel | Laurent Bruyere, Dominque Ropion |
| 2003 | Beyond Paradise | Estée Lauder | |
| 2003 | Brit | Burberry | |
| 2003 | Narciso Rodriguez For Her | Narciso Rodriguez | Francis Kurkdjian & Christine Nagel |
| 2004 | Eau des Merveilles | Hermès | Ralf Schwieger / Nathalie Feisthauer |
| 2004 | Flowerbomb | Viktor & Rolf | Olivier Polge / Carlos Benaim / Domitille Bertier |
| 2004 | Pure Poison | Christian Dior | |
| 2005 | Alien | Theirry Mugler | Dominique Ropion / Laurent Bruyere |
| 2005 | Chinatown | Bond No. 9 | Aurelien Guichard |
| 2005 | Euphoria | Calvin Klein | |
| 2005 | Un Jardin sur le Nil | Hermès | Jean-Claude Ellena |
| 2006 | Black Orchid | Tom Ford | |
| 2006 | Terre d'Hermès | Hermès | Jean-Claude Ellena |
| 2006 | Rose 31 | Le Labo | Daphne Bugey |
| 2006 | Lily & Spice | Penhaligon's | |
| 2006 | Insolence | Guerlain | Maurice Roucel |
| 2006 | L'Homme | Yves Saint Laurent | |
| 2007 | Fleur du Mâle | Jean-Paul Gaultier | Francis Kurkdjian |
| 2007 | Prada Infusion d'Iris | Prada | |
| 2007 | Gucci by Gucci | Gucci | |
| 2007 | Black | Roberto Cavalli | |
| 2008 | 8 88 | Comme des Garçons | |
| 2008 | Gucci by Gucci - Pour Homme | Gucci | |
| 2008 | Diamonds | Emporio Armani | |
| 2009 | It's Me! | CnRCreate |
p/s: well, i loves collecting perfume. My favorite is Dunhill and Dolce&Gabbana.
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