PERFUME

The word perfume is derived from the Latin “per fumum”, meaning "through smoke". The history of perfume goes back to the ancient times. Magicians and wizards may be said to be the first perfume producers. Cleopatra is known to be fond of fragrances, and she is said not to go out without using a fragrance.

The first perfume in modern sense is produced by the Hungarian Queen Elizabeth in the 14th century. Although Arabs are thought to be a nation which does not understand perfume, their exotic fragrances played a big part in the development of perfume. Perfume found its real identity in France Grasse in the 17th century, and the palace of the Louis IV was named “la cour parfumee” (perfumed court) in that time. In fact, one may assert that the development of perfume at that time is caused by the bad smells emitted from palaces and the people who do not bath, in a sense.

It was only in the 18th century when the nice fragrances have been famous in England. Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress Josephine may be deemed to be vanguards of the use of perfume in France in 1804. The couple is known to have used the mixture of lavender, rosemary, bergamot and orange flower brought by the soldiers returning from the German campaign, as an “eau de cologne”.

Towards the end of the 1800s, the artificial vanilla, violet, rose and daffodil fragrances were produced and the lavender achieved to be the most popular fragrance at the beginning of 19th century. At that time, women and men started to use the same fragrance. Then, in the 20th century, the mystery and magic of the East became dominant and perfume essences have become as important as the perfume bottles.