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                                                              Perfume –  food of the skin

800 different ingredients

Since the beginning of recorded history, humans have attempted to enhance their own natural odor by using perfumes, which emulate nature’s pleasant aromas. Many natural and man-made materials have been used to make perfume to apply to the skin and to clothing, to be put in cleaners, as cosmetics, or to scent the air and, because of differences in body chemistry, temperature and body odors, no perfume will smell exactly the same on any two people. 

Perfume comes from the Latin “per” meaning “through” and “fum um” or “smoke” derived from the ancient art of extracting natural oils from plants through pressing and steaming, and then burning those oils to scent the air. 

Ancient Egyptians burned an incense called Ky phi – made of henna, myrrh, cinnamon and juniper, as a religious offering. They soaked aromatic wood, gum and resins in water and oil and used the liquid as a fragrant body lotion. The early Egyptians also perfumed their dead and often assigned specific fragrances to deities. Their word for perfume has been translated as “fragrance of the Gods”. It is said that the Muslim prophet Mo-hammed wrote, “perfumes are foods that reawaken the spirit”. 

Eventually Egyptian perfumery influenced the Greeks and the Romans. For hundreds of years after the fall of Rome, perfume was primarily an Oriental art, only spreading to Europe when 13^th century Crusaders brought back samples from Palestine to England, France and Italy. In the middle ages Europeans often used leather pouches containing pungent cloves, cinnamon and spices over their faces, believing that it protected them from infectious diseases, even plague. 

Perfume soon became widespread amongst the monarchy, the rich and the powerful. France´s King Louis XIV used it so much that he was called the “perfume king”. His court contained a floral pavilion filled with fragrances, and dried flowers were placed in bowls throughout the palace to freshen the air, an early pot-pourri. Royal guests bathed in goat’s milk and rose petals and visitors were often doused with perfume, which was also sprayed on to clothing, furniture, walls and tableware.  

It was at this time that Grasse, a region of southern France where many flowering plant varieties grow, became a leading producer of perfumes. The men who treated leathers in the same area found the smells so bad they perfumed themselves and the leathers. They were knowledgeable about making the botanical essences and became the early perfume experts or “noses”. However, it was only in the 20^th century that scents and designer perfumes began to be mass produced. Previously, the only large producers that existed were Coty and Yardley who produced fairly light scents with familiar smells. 

One of the most famous early perfumes is Chanel No.5, created in 1921 by Ernest Beaux for Coco Chanel. It has a floral top note of ylang-ylang and neroli, with a heart of blends of jasmine and rose all above a woody base of sandalwood and vetiver.  Guerlain´s Shalimar was first launched in 1925 and relaunched in 2001. In 1932 Dana made the exotic Tabu, Worth made the memorable Je Reviens, which remained popular in the 50s and 60s and in 1934 Elizabeth Arden developed Blue Grass. All are still sold today with Chanel No.5 selling one bottle every 30 seconds. 

Later Molyneux and Schiaparelli produced exotic perfumes in direct competition with Chanel. Jean Patou launched Joy in1935 whilst 1944 saw the launch of Femme by Rochas. After the second world war, lighter fresher perfumes by Dior and Balmain became more popular with Dior launching Miss Dior in 1947. 

Scents for everyone continued to be produced by the likes of Coty, Yardley, Max Factor and Revlon. With Tweed by Lenteric and Coty´s L´Aimant popular throughout the 50s. and Charlie by Revlon becoming a top seller of the 70s.  

Today the manufacturing process to create a perfume begins with the collection of the multiplicity of ingredients which together create a modern and lasting scent. Ingredients come from many different sources such as flowers, grasses, spices, fruit, wood or leaves. Only about 2,000 of the 250,000 flowering plant species actually produce oils naturally, so synthetic chemicals are often used to duplicate these smells. Perfumes may also incorporate animal products (e.g. musk from a male deer, castor from beavers or ambergris from the sperm whale – collection of which has been outlawed since 1977). These extracts are often used as fixatives that prolong scent by slowing the evaporation process. Other fixatives often used are coal tar, mosses, resins or synthetic chemicals.  

When applying perfumes it is best to apply them to pulse points such as the folds in the crook of the elbow, backs of knees, wrist, neck and cleavage. Walking through a mist of sprayed perfume also helps it to subtly diffuse about the body. Because the choice of perfume is so individual it is important to test it for a minimum of ten minutes to allow the scent to develop on the skin. Some perfumes can continue to develop up to one hour after application.  

It is the ratio of alcohol to scent that determines whether the perfume is “eau de toilette” or cologne. Most perfumes are 10-20% perfume oil dissolved in alcohol and a trace of water. Colognes contain approximately 3-5% oil diluted in 80-90% alcohol, with water making up about 10%. Eau de toilette has the least amount – 2-4% oil in 60-80% alcohol and 20% water. 

After collection of ingredients, comes extraction of the oils.  

Several methods are used including steam distillation - where the steam is used to turn essential oils into gas which is then liquefied. Solvent extraction - when flowers are put into large tanks or drums and benzene or a petroleum ether is poured over the flowers, reducing them to a waxy residue which is then, in turn, heated to release the oils, enfleurage - when flowers are spread on glass sheets coated with grease, which absorbs the fragrance. The glass sheets are then placed between wooden frames in tiers, then the flowers are removed by hand and changed until the grease has absorbed sufficient fragrance, maceration is a similar process and expression, the oldest method, where the oils are simply pressed until all the oils is squeezed out, now most commonly used for the extraction of citrus oils from the rind. 

Once all the perfume oils are collected, they are ready to be blended together. It may take as many as 800 different ingredients and several years to develop the special formula for a scent. Whilst the rarity and difficulty of obtaining the most pure oils is a factor in the costings of the perfume it is most often the length of development and the desire for “exclusivity” that is most influential in the final pricing. In a desire for sales and profitability, producers have in recent years begun the re-launch of original formulae. Ô de Lancôme and Yves St Laurent´s Opium are examples – having been updated in 2000-1.

By 2004 perfume had become a $12billion industry worldwide. The average woman is said to have six different perfumes, rather than one single signature perfume – but keeps one special perfume for special occasions. 

The next step in manufacturing is aging. Fine perfume can be aged anywhere from several months to several years after it has been blended. It is continually tested to determine when the desired scent has been achieved. When testing, the ´nose´ is looking for three specific “notes” – the top note, which has a tangy or citrus smell, central notes that will provide body – such as rose or jasmine ; and base notes that provide a lasting fragrance – woody fragrances.  

Because perfumes depend so heavily on harvests of plant substances and the availability of animal products, perfumery can be risky. Thousands of flowers are needed to obtain just one pound of essential oils and consistency is also hard to maintain with the same species of plant raised in different areas having slightly different oils.  

Synthetic perfumes have therefore allowed perfumers more freedom and stability in their craft, event though only the finest natural ingredients are used for the finest perfumes. Less concentrated forms of perfume are also becoming increasingly popular – reducing the costs. But whatever ingredients are used, the choice of perfume is, as said, a very personal one – the sense of smell is a right brain activity, which rules emotions, memory and creativity – a powerful combination.  

It is interesting to note that perfume has come full circle today as more and more of us seek out high quality aromatherapy oils, for burning and for massage, just as our ancestors did. Essential oils which are said to cure physical and emotion problems and may also be used to help balance hormonal and body energies – so for the future, perfume may not only keep us smelling sweet it may also improve our physical and emotional well being as well. MAJORCA  A  PEARL IN THE BALEARIC ISLANDS:

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