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Perfume (Latin "per fume" meaning "through smoke") was highly favored
by the Egyptians, Romans, and Arabs. In East Asia, perfumes were
incense based. People used to make perfumes from spices and herbs like
bergamot, myrtle, coriander, conifer resin, and almond. The use of
flowers came only after Avicenna, an Iranian doctor and chemist showed
the process of distillation, whereby oils could be extracted from
flowers. In 1370, at the behest of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, the
world's first modern perfume - "Hungary Water" was made by blending
scented oils in alcohol solution.
The composition of a perfume is of vital significance and is handled by
an expert known as a perfumer, who deals with primary scents like rose,
jasmine, cola, etc; modifiers like esters; blenders like linalool and
hydroxycitronellol; and fixatives like resins, wood scents, and amber
bases. The resulting scent is explained in a musical metaphor of three
'notes', namely, top notes (consisting of fast evaporating small size
molecules) like citrus and ginger scents; middle notes (consisting of
slow evaporating medium size molecules) like lavender and rose scents;
and base notes (consisting of slowest evaporating largest size
molecules) like fixatives etc. All these notes work together like a
musical chord.
Perfume oils contain volatile compounds in high concentrations and thus
have to be diluted by solvents, so that injury is not caused when
applied directly on skin or clothes. The common solvent is pure ethanol
or ethanol mixed with water. Fractionated coconut oil or wax, neutral
smelling fats such as jojoba, can also act as solvents and dilute the
perfume oil. The perfume oil is further mixed with other aromatic
compounds. Generally, the percentage of aromatic compounds in perfume
extract is 20% to 40%; in eau de parfum is 10% to 30%; in eau de
toilette is 5% to 20%; and in eau de cologne is 2% to 5%.
The oil concentration in a perfume along with other aromatic compounds,
determines the intensity, longevity, and price of the perfume and thus
it is a closely guarded secret of every perfumer and perfume house. By
adjusting the percentage level and the notes of the perfume, variations
on the same brand may be created like Chanel's Pour Monsieur and Pour
Monsieur Concentree.
Classification of perfumes is never complete, due to its ever-evolving
nature. The traditional classification comprises of categories like
Single Floral, Floral Bouquet, Ambery, Woody, Leather, Chypre, and
Fougere; while the modern classification comprises of Bright Floral,
Green, Oceanic/Ozone, Citrus/Fruity, and Gourmand. In 1983, Michael
Edwards, a perfume consultant, created a new fragrance classification
"The Fragrance Wheel", which classified and sub-grouped five standard
families, namely Floral (Floral, Soft Floral, Floral Oriental),
Oriental (Soft Oriental, Oriental, Woody Oriental), Woody (Wood, Mossy
Woods, Dry Woods), Fougere (has fragrance elements from all the
families), and Fresh (Citrus, Green, Water).
Perfumery has used a number of aromatic sources like plants, animals,
and synthetic sources in the making of perfumes. Plants are used as a
source of aroma compounds and essential oils. The parts of plants that
are used are:
Animal sources include Ambergris, Castoreum, Musk, Rom terpenes,
Honeycomb, and Civet. Other natural sources include Lichens and
Protists. Synthetic sources include synthetic odorants synthesized from
petroleum distillates, pine resins, etc. Modern perfumes are mostly
made from synthetic sources as they allow fragrances not found in
nature, like Calone is a synthetic compound that imparts a marine
metallic ozonous fragrance. Synthetic aromatics are more consistent
than natural aromatics, and are hence, widely used nowadays in modern
available perfumes.
Author Bio
This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/perfume-fragrancia.php - Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for PoloMercantil
