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Perfume in antiquity -

Perfume is as old as humanity. Perfumery—the art of making perfumes—began in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley civilization. Pictured: fragment from the decoration of an Egyptian tomb depicting the preparation of lily perfume, c. 2500 BCE.

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Perfume vessel -

An ancient Egyptian perfume vessel in the shape of a monkey dated 1550-1295 BCE.

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Cosmetics in ancient Rome -

Cosmetics were part of daily life for women in ancient Rome, and scent was an important factor in beauty. The Romans refined the art of perfumery, and created fragrances using flowers or herbs and oil.

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'Book of the Chemistry of Perfume and Distillations' -

The Arab chemist Al-Kindi (c. 801–c. 873) authored the 'Book of the Chemistry of Perfume and Distillations,' which contained more than 100 recipes for fragrant oils, salves, and aromatic waters. The book also described methods and recipes for perfume-making and perfume-making equipment. Later, the Persian chemist Ibn Sina (also known as Avicenna) introduced the process of extracting oils from flowers by means of distillation—the procedure most commonly used today.

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Perfumery arrives in Europe -

The Crusaders brought back perfume from the Levant, effectively introducing the art of perfumery to western Europe in the early 12th century.

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Catherine de' Medici and her perfume -

However, perfume didn't become popular in Europe until the 16th century when Renato il Fiorentino, the personal perfumer to Italian noblewoman and queen consort to France Catherine de' Medici, relocated to Paris and established himself as one of the leading perfumers of the day.

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Origin of Eau de Cologne -

In 1693, Italian Giovanni Paolo Feminis created a perfume water called Aqua Admirabilis—a concoction of lemon, orange, bergamot, rosemary, bitter orange, and neroli. He later settled in Cologne in Germany where the scent became known as Eau de Cologne. Pictured is a late 17th-century advertisement for the perfume.

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Family business -

A nephew of Feminis, Johann Maria Farina, took over the business in 1763. Today, the 8th generation of the Farina family still produces the original Eau de Cologne.

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Italy and France -

Meanwhile, France and Italy had become the European centers of perfume and cosmetics manufacture. Aromatic plants to provide the burgeoning perfume industry with raw materials were being cultivated in the Grasse region of France, as well as Sicily and Calabria in Italy. 

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Musée du Parfum Fragonard -

The Perfume Museum in Paris houses a rare and unique display of perfumery objets d'art. Must-see exhibits include a 16th-century pomander, a Louis XIV perfume burner, and a rosine bottle by Paul Poiret. Entry to the museum is free. 

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The Osmothèque -

Based in Versailles, France, the Osmothèque is the world's largest scent archive. Exclusive to the collection are countless rare masterpieces, including an original bottle of Fougère Royale by Houbigant. Created by Paul Parquet in 1884, it is one of the most important modern perfumes and inspired the eponymous Fougère class of fragrances.

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Perfume organ -

The perfume organ dates back to the 19th century and was invented by French chemist Septimus Piesse. Traditionally a perfumer would sit at a semi-circular desk with stepped, curved shelves above, which would hold small bottles of all the raw materials that the perfumer used.

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Perfumer's "nose" -

Shopping for the right perfume can be exacting. But imagine sitting down at the organ and actually composing perfumes that will be sold. The perfumer is an expert on perfume composition and is often affectionately referred to as a "Nez" (French for nose), due to their fine sense of smell and skill in smell composition.

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Blotter strips -

Paper blotters are commonly used by perfumers to sample and smell perfumes and odorants.

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Raw materials -

There are numerous aromatic sources used in the creation of perfumes. Undoubtedly, the largest and most common source of perfume aromatics is flowers and blossoms, including the flowers of several species of jasmine (pictured).

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Flowers -

The flowers of many species of rose have long been used to create perfume. The blossoms of citrus and ylang-ylang trees are also prized for their aromatic qualities.

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Resins -

Highly valued since antiquity for their fragrance, resins including labdanum, frankincense (pictured), myrrh, and benzoin are commonly used in perfumery.

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The controversy behind animal sources -

Controversy surrounds the harvesting of animal parts for use in perfumery. The rare Siberian musk deer (pictured) is still hunted by humans who use the musk pod found in the male deer to make medicines and perfumes. Similarly, the odorous sacs of civets are prized for their oil. Fortunately, the manufacture and use of synthetic animal oils musks is now the preferred option.

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Woods -

Wood oils and distillates are vital in providing the base notes to a perfume, for example those extracted from juniper (pictured), sandalwood, and pine.

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Coco Chanel (1883–1971) -

Fashion designer Coco Chanel is synonymous with one of the most famous perfumes ever created.

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Chanel No.5 -

Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume launched by the French couturier, in 1922. The scent formula for the fragrance was compounded by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux. It remains one of the most famous perfumes in the world.

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India's perfume capital -

The ancient city of Kannauj in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is celebrated for the distilling of scents, and is known as India's perfume capital. More than 200 perfume distilleries are located here.

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The world's oldest scent -

One of the oldest production sites for perfume ever discovered is located at Pyrgos, in Cyprus. Scientists were able to extract essences of the world's oldest scents and reconstruct the aromas used four millennia ago from fragments of clay perfume bottles (pictured).

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Chemicals -

Around 4,000 chemicals are currently used to scent products, and a single scent may contain anywhere from 50 to 300 distinct chemicals, a report revealed in the Guardian newspaper suggests.

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Perfume and publicity -

The marketing of perfume began as modern advertising took shape in the 16th and 17th centuries with the advent of newspapers, magazines, and trade cards (pictured).

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Inspirational and desirable -

But promoting a fragrance soon became far more than just selling an aroma. Advertising executives quickly realized that to successfully advertise a fragrance, you had to tap into human psychology and link your brand with a desirable abstract idea.

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Promoting perfume -

Today, those ideas revolve strongly around passion, femininity or masculinity, and celebrity! Pictured is Gwyneth Paltrow launching the 'Pleasures' fragrance range for Estée Lauder.

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"Sexy" -

It's no surprise that so many perfume advertisements are erotic in nature. Not for nothing is Kylie Minogue's fragrance called Sexy Darling.

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"Classic" -

As a famous alpha male, David Beckham's Classic fragrance more than hints at aspiration and success.

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Perfume in popular culture -

Perfumes and fragrances have featured in music, film, and television. Oliver Hardy (pictured) got in another fine mess by drinking his fragrance in 'Early to Bed' (1928).

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'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer' (2006) -

Set in 18th century France, this thriller tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), an olfactory genius, and his homicidal quest for the perfect scent. Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, and Dustin Hoffman costar.

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Sweet smell of success -

The global perfume market reached a value of US$38.8 billion in 2018, according to Globe Newswire. Looking forward, the market value is projected to reach a staggering US$48 billion by 2024.

See also: The celebrities who have their own brands of perfume.

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