How was the perfume born? Brief olfactory history

The term “perfume” derives from the Latin phrase per fumum, which literally means “through smoke”. Initially this product was considered the link between the terrestrial and divine dimensions. Its purpose is therefore sacred and fumigations are used as vectors to transport prayers to the afterlife, to the gods or lost loved ones.

According to the record, Egypt was the first civilization that generally used perfume. At that time the Egyptian people used perfume to treat corpses. From 1558 to 1085 BC, perfume began to spread and be used in daily life. In the Hellenistic era, Greek perfumes became exportable goods: made from fragrant plants and spices fixed with olive oil, the aromas reached the whole world .

The Roman Empire did not remain at all indifferent: they acquired the Greek arts and perfected them through the invention of soap, a scented paste with which both rich and poor could wash themselves in public baths. According to Zosine's chemical treatise, the Romans were the first to master the distillation of perfumes, but the greatest innovation was the introduction of glass containers starting from the 11th century BC

In the 18th century, Grasse reached the peak of its popularity, putting aside the perfumed leather industry and moving on to the production of only perfumes, made from the distillation of citrus fruits and flower essences.

The invention of private bathrooms inside the richest homes allowed the spread of scented salts and soaps. The taste for softer and more delicate smells returned, as opposed to the strong perfumes that were fashionable in previous centuries.

But we have to wait until the year 1889 when the historic maison Guerlain began to create the first marketable perfume in history which combined natural and synthetic elements (vanillin, coumarin). To tell the truth, it is precisely this event that gives impetus to the birth of modern perfumery, as we understand it today.

How does the olfactory pyramid work?

Its reading must be carried out from top to bottom, therefore going from the most volatile odors to the most persistent ones. When these different notes are mixed together an agreement is created, or a perfume.