Perfumemart Fragrance Facts

The History of Fragrance [ top ]

We are unsure as to when women first began perfuming themselves, although it was most likely in pre-historic times. However, the civilisation that is usually, and probably correctly, accredited with being the first to make lavish use of perfume is that of Ancient Egypt.

The word itself, Perfume, comes from two Latin words ‘Per’ meaning ‘through’ and ‘Fumum’ meaning through smoke.

What were the first known fragrances?

Aromatic oils and essences developed by the Egyptians 5000 years ago. These perfume loving people used almond and rose oil, frankincense, myrrh, cedar, mimosa, lily, nutmeg, sweet balsam, cassia in such diverse preparations as aphrodisiacs, medicines, cosmetics and incense.

The art of perfumery was so sophisticated in Ancient Egypt, that when archaeologists opened Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 they discovered ointments that were still fragrant.

The Egyptians taught the world to use fragrance. Make-up and waxing also had their origins with Egyptian royalty, as well as incense.

The Ancient Greeks went one step further and used a different perfume to scent different parts of the body. The perfumes were mostly oils or wines, scented with flowers which were then rubbed into the skin.

In the temple of Rome, crushed flowers, leaves, wood shavings, spices and aromatic resins were thrown onto the burning coals as sacrificial offerings to the gods. Perfumes were also carried on the wings of white doves, which fluttered about the room exuding their fragrance. Roman woman would anoint their bodies with scented oils after bathing.

With the fall of the Roman Empire, power and perfume moved to the Eastern Empire, and the Arabs, in their turn became the perfumers of the world. They were responsible for the most important discovery in the history of perfume ALCOHOL.

The discovery that the scents of flowers and plants could be extracted and preserved by a process of distillation allowed the development of perfume as it is today.

In England the greatest period for perfume was that of Elizabeth 1. The fashion for the lavish application of scent was brought to England from Italy. In the 16th Century Italy led the western world in the development of perfume.

The perfumes worn by Queen Elizabeth would have been far too pungent for our current tastes. They had to be strong enough to overcome the smell on unwashed bodies and clothes, as bathing at the time was not considered healthy.

The French transformed the way fragrance was created and worn. They created gentle toilet waters, which transformed the development of fragrance. Since the 18th century the French perfume industry has been centred around Grasse, France.

It was just after the First World War that America became fascinated with fragrance. Soldiers fighting on the continent took fragrance and silk stockings home to their loved ones. American woman became captivated with fragrance and hence launched America’s involvement in the fragrance manufacturing.

What is Perfume?

Fragrance is a blend of natural and synthetic ingredients. The finest ingredients are used and due to the ever-increasing cost and rarity of the natural products more and more synthetic products are being used.

The creation of a new perfume will take many years to perfect. Surrounded by as many bottles as a pharmacist, each bottle contains an essential oil scent which the perfumer begins blending. They start of course with an idea or a theme. From there on, they start refining their creation, at times adding a drop here or two drops there which alters the scent.

The perfumer continually dips small strips of blotting paper into the mixture and then examines this work until the right mix is achieved.

Making a Perfume

A good Perfumer needs both a creative imagination and an extraordinary olfactory memory. They need to remember up to 3500 different odours. To compose a fragrance requires, in addition to inspiration, years of research and development.

It can take up to 3-5 years of painstaking research to develop a fragrance. Today, the perfume industry is constantly seeking to improve its techniques and to expand its fields of research in order to respond to the greater expectations of an increasingly demanding public.

In the words of one great perfumer, Perfume is a weapon. But it is a weapon of peace, of love and of beauty. Through perfume one being touches the soul of another. Creating a perfume is similar to a composer creating a symphony the symphony being made up of varying notes so too, is a fragrance classified in notes.

Fragrance Notes [ top ]

Head Note - The beginning of the fragrance should immediately attract attention contains the lightest most evaporative, most volatile elements the fragrance makes when applied.

The head of the fragrance will take around 15 - 20 minutes to settle on the skin.

Heart Note - contains the body of the fragrance. As the warmth of the skin affects the fragrance, it mingles with the wearer’s own chemistry and gradually develops and gets richer, lasting for several hours.

The heart of the fragrance will last around 2 hours on the skin.

Soul Note- is often just referred to as the soul of the fragrance. The soul gives the fragrance its aura and contains the long lasting ingredients, which appear only after several hours. The soul note gives the fragrance its lasting impression.

The soul of the fragrance will last for around 3-4 hours on the skin.

Good perfume always keeps its unity. It should emerge smoothly and progressively and continue in a harmonious blend.

Classification of Fragrances [ top ]

Finding the right fragrance for a customer can be a daunting task. With over 3,000 fragrances on the market, understanding the similarities can be overwhelming. Fortunately we have an international expert living in Australia. The Michael Edwards Fragrances of the World book classifies all the fragrances on the International market which makes it easier for you to cross-sell from fragrance to fragrance.

All fragrances are classified into groups. How does this help you?

Since emotion plays a large part in the sense of smell and the purchase of fragrance most people will find they enjoy at least two if not more fragrances from the same family. The fragrance classification will help you make recommendations to customers on their likes and dislikes.

Most people, without realising it, select their fragrances from just one or two of the twelve families.

This will take time to develop and understand.

CITRUS

The clean tangy aroma of citrus fruit: lemons, limes, mandarins, bergamot oranges, and grapefruit. They are fresh and bright.

  Cristalle - Chanel

  Heaven - Chopard / Lancaster

  YSL - Pour Homme

  Bulgari Eau Parfumee - Bulgari / Cosmax

  Baby Touch - Burberry / Cosmax

GREEN

The sharp green scent of crushed leaves, fresh cut grass. These perfumes are usually fresh, vivid and young. Crisp, clean outdoor scents.

  Private Collection - Estee Lauder

  Sung Spa - Alfred Sung / Elizabeth Arden

WATER

The marine notes are new to the fragrance classification. Soft sea breezes, the smell of the sea, the aroma of the air after a thunderstorm.

  L’eau D’Issey - Issey Miyake / Cosmax

  Sunflowers - Elizabeth Arden

  Kenneth Cole NY - Kenneth Cole / Lancaster

  T Girl - Tommy Hilfiger / Aramis

  L’eau D’Issey Pour Homme - Issey Miyake / Cosmax

FLORAL

This remains the most popular fragrance family. On opening the bottle a single dominant floral note can be found or a heady mixed bouquet.

  Marc Jacobs - Marc Jacobs / Lancaster

  Paris - Yves Saint Laurent

  Fragile - Jean Paul Gaultier / Cosmax

  Baby Doll - Yves Saint Laurent

  Birmane - Van Cleef and Arpels / Yves Saint Laurent

  Bulgari Pour Femme - Bulgari / Cosmax

  Red Door - Elizabeth Arden

  Paul Smith Woman - Paul Smith / Cosmax

  So De La Renta - Oscar De La Renta / Yves Saint Laurent

  Arden Beauty - Elizabeth Arden

SOFT FLORAL

These soft powdery floral aldehydes blend nature’s flowers with the perfumer’s aldehydes.

An aldehyde is a family of aroma notes, cloned from nature, with a distinctive clean scent that adds a soft sparkle to a floral bouquet. Think of the aroma notes as the perfumer’s notes, created in a laboratory to add originality and a new character to natures note.

Chanel No 5 was the first fragrance to use an aldehyde which was launched in 1921.

  White Diamonds - Elizabeth Taylor / Elizabeth Arden

  Rive Gauche - Yves Saint Laurent

  No. 19 - Chanel

  Jill Sander Woman Pure - Jill Sander / Lancaster

  Glow - J. Lo / Lancaster

FLORAL ORIENTAL

The soft florals with spicy notes of orange flowers, sparkling aldehydes and sweet spices.

  Oscar - Oscar De La Renta / Yves Saint Laurent

  Rococo Soleil - Joop! / Lancaster

  Jean Paul Gaultier Classique - Jean Paul Gaultier / Cosmax

  Allure - Chanel

  Van Cleef - Van Cleef and Arpels / Yves Saint Laurent

SOFT ORIENTAL

Incense adds a sensual softness to heady flowers, spices and amber. These types of fragrances are not as heavy or as sweet as a true oriental. The result is a much softer fragrance.

  Coco Chanel - Chanel

  Opium - Yves Saint Laurent

  Bulgari Petits et Mamans - Bulgari / Cosmax

  Theorema - Fendi / Yves Saint Laurent

ORIENTAL

The hypnotic fragrances of oriental resins, night-blooming flowers, vanilla and musk. Orientals are the exotic queens of perfumery. Rich and full-bodied that adds a touch of mystery and seduction.

  Jaipur Saphir - Boucheron / Yves Saint Laurent

  Adrienne Vittadini - Elizabeth Arden

  Dior Addict - Christian Dior

  Shalimar - Guerlain / LVMH

WOODY ORIENTAL

Rich Oriental notes blended with the potent wood scents of patchouli and sandalwood. This family emphasises the woody character of Floral Orientals. The key difference is that their flowers and spices are second to the dominant sandalwood and or patchouli notes.

  Angel - Thierry Mugler / Trimex

  Chance - Chanel

  Coco Mademoiselle - Chanel

  Sonia Rykiel - Sonia Rykiel / Cosmax

  Wish - Chopard / Lancaster

MOSSY WOODS

Perfumers call these forest notes of oak moss, woods and citrus. Chypre is also part of the fragrance composition. Chypre takes its name from the first significant mossy woody fragrance chypre. Chypre is the French name for the island of Cyprus the legendary birthplace of Venus, Goddess of Love. The mossy-woody notes of chypre fragrances contrast the freshness of bergamot with the warmth of oak moss, sandalwood and patchouli.

  Libertine - Vivienne Westwood / Lancaster

  Yvresse - Yves Saint Laurent

  Y - Yves Saint Laurent

  Pour Monsieur - Chanel

DRY WOODS

Dry resins, cedar and tobacco make a mossy-woody fragrance drier, sometimes a little smoky. The dry woods family is often referred to as leather, after the dry, smoky scent of Russian leather. Fresh citrus notes play an important role in most Dry Woods fragrances.

  Donna Karan - Estee Lauder

  Bulgari Black - Bulgari / Cosmax

  Polo - Ralph Lauren / L’Oreal Luxury

  Oscar for Men - Oscar De La Renta / Yves Saint Laurent

  Polo Sport Extreme - Ralph Lauren / L’Oreal Luxury

AROMATIC FOUGERE

Sexy, cool, warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices and oriental woods. This is the universal fragrance family. It takes its name from Fougere Royale introduced in 1882. Fougere meaning Fern, which has no smell. Men grow up with this family and hence are very comfortable wearing fragrances from this classification. Most of the key men’s fragrances since the mid 60’s have come from this family. Both men and women are comfortable with the zesty, masculine character associated with this family.

  Jicky - Guerlain / LVMH

  Kouros - Yves Saint Laurent

  Burberry London for Men - Burberry / Cosmax

  Bulgari Pour Homme - Bulgari / Cosmax

  Heaven -Chopard / Lancaster

Applying the Fragrance [ top ]

The best way to apply fragrance is by means of a perfume atomiser. If you use the stopper or your finger to apply the fragrance, minute cosmetic and toiletry particles can find their way into the flacon, hastening deterioration. Should you use the stopper, always clean it with a dry cloth before replacing. Never add oil or water to fragrance.

Fragrance is applied to the pulse points of your body. A pulse point is where the flow of blood is closest to the surface of the skin. This part of the body is warm and the fragrance will mix, blend and develop on the skin.

Fragrance Concentrations

Depending on a persons skin type will determine how long a fragrance will last. It will vary from person to person however below is a guideline for you to work with.

Eau De Toilette (EDT)

This is the most common form of fragrance concentration. The EDT has the highest concentration of alcohol and the lowest concentration of essential oils.

EDT will last on the skin for 4-6hours.

Eau De Parfum (EDP)

This has a higher concentration of essential oils and a lower concentration of alcohol.

EDP will last on the skin for 6-9 hours.

Parfum

This is the most luxurious form of fragrance to wear. It is the most concentrated and long lasting. Parfum has the highest concentration of essential oils and the lowest concentration of alcohol. Unlike the EDP and EDT, parfum does not come in a spray, only dab on due to the richness and concentration of the essential oils.

The Parfum will last on your skin for 9-12 hours.

Alcohol Free

Is designed for people who have are sensitive to alcohol on their skins. Often used in summer to spray fragrance to refresh and cool often when outdoors and or in the sun.

Alcohol Free fragrances will last on your skin up to 3hrs

Storing the Fragrance [ top ]

Fragrance should be stored in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight and heat. It should never be kept in a bathroom where condensation might occur in the bottle.

Wearing the Fragrance [ top ]

Fragrance is a living, delicate product that reacts differently according to the body chemistry of the person who wears it. This is what gives a fragrance its quality. It “dresses” a person differently depending on the nature of their skin - for example.

  Our skin becomes more acidic as we get older, this can affect the wearing of fragrance.

  Changes in hormonal balance of the body can change the action of fragrance on one’s skin

  Diabetics or persons on a stringent diet may find that their fragrance doesn’t appear to be as intense as before.

  Altitude has a noticeable effect on fragrance - in high altitude a far greater fixation is required to offset the changes in head notes - closer to the ocean, the impression of perfume is much greater.

  The wearing of metal bangles and watch-straps can change some fragrances, since the oils may be affected by metallic ions.