Everything you need to know about Fragrances!
Written by: Anusha Sree Kakara.
The concept of ‘Fragrance’ has been around since the earliest civilizations. People use to apply fragrant oils, powders, and pastes on their skin and clothes to smell and feel better. They used to carry poultices of spices and flowers to ‘carry’ the scent and ward off evil spirits and diseases. Even today, the importance of pleasant smells is not lost on people, Psychologists believe that fragrances have the power to bring out your emotions, and specific scents evoke feelings of joy, power, confidence, enthusiasm, love, and togetherness. Here is a short story on how it all started.
Fragrance - Once upon a time…
As a symbol of wealth, status, and power, perfumes were believed to be exclusively used by royalty and some members of the wealthy elite in later days. Fragrances made of essential oils have been used to mask bad odors in public places. The earliest fragrances are credited to Mesopotamia, India, Cypress, and the Middle East. The first modern perfume was commissioned by the Queen of Hungary in the late 1300s which was a fusion of a variety of essential oils, we can consider this to be the first women’s perfume ever. Although, using different perfumes for men and women was not a thing back then!
During the reign of Henry II and Francis II in France in the 1500s, Catherine de Medici - the Queen consort (later Queen mother), was a patron of perfume making. Her Italian perfume maker Rene the Florentine was the celebrated part of the royal entourage and as a result of his work and appreciation, the region of Grasse in France became the origin place of the perfume industry. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Kings and Queens appreciated the art of perfumery and the rich sources of fragrant raw materials in the region enabled the rise of perfume production.
Perfumes were also used in medicine and the treatment of various ailments, an aspect still in practice known as Aromatherapy. The most interesting fact is that plague doctors used heavily scented perfume and herb poultices to avoid the epidemic and it supposedly helped them evade the most painful ‘black death’!
Gradually, the usage of perfumes for men and women slowly gained popularity among nobles all around the world, and the wealthy few doused themselves with strong fragrances to set them apart from the common people. In some parts of the world, it remained their only form of hygiene for years. King Louis XIV of France had a new perfume for each day of the week!
From the 16th to 18th centuries, some royals like Queen Elizabeth I of England and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom made perfumes available to their subjects. The industrial creation of perfumes started in the 18th and 19th centuries and the commercial cultivation of raw materials for perfumeries became popular.
The 20th century saw the rise of many perfume designers like Ajmal Perfumes, Guerlain, Chanel, Dior, etcetera have gained popularity for creating signature fragrances and synthetic perfumes for men and women. In the late 1990s, the first unisex perfume created by Calvin Klien redefined the world of perfumery.
Now luxury brands like Ajmal Perfumes are creating sustainable and affordable androgynous fragrances and perfumes for men and women.
Here is something everyone should know about Fragrances -
Fragrance Concentrations
Fragrance concentration is the percentage of fragrant material in fixatives like water and alcohol. Parfum is the strongest form of fragrance and is available as wax and oil. EdP or Eau de Parfum is the most popular choice of fragrance for women and EdT(Eau de Toilette) and EdC (Eau de Cologne) are preferred by people who like mild fragrances with a soft sillage. Some Parfums last up to 24 hours on your skin and clothes whereas Eau Fraiche or Mists give a refreshing scent that lasts only up to an hour or two.
Ajmal Perfumes USA has the best collection of Concentrated Perfume oils, Eau de Parfums, and Eau de Colognes.
Fragrance Notes
Every fragrance is made of three notes Top Notes, Middle Notes, and Base Notes. The Top Notes open the fragrance and are usually made of fresh scents like citrusy, floral, fruity, and spicy notes. These notes remain on your skin for 1-2 hours. As the top notes slowly fade away, the Middle Notes take over with scents like green, woody, powdery, floral, and fruity scents. Middle notes remain on your skin, a little bit longer than the top notes. The Middle Notes slowly transition into Base Notes, which are the soul of any fragrance. Base notes bring the fragrance together and last the longest on your skin and clothes. These are usually made of potent fragrance essences like woody, animalic, aromatic, and resinous accords.
The intricate layering of the top, middle and base notes gives a fragrance that unique scent profile and character.
Despite being extravagant and expensive, perfumes have stood the test of time - wars, famines, revolutions, and the ever-changing world and later became appreciated by everyone. For more information about fragrances and interesting luxury scents, visit Ajmal Perfumes USA!
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