Perfume

This primer is provided in order to help those desiring to try their hand at the art of perfume-making.

What is perfume?
The word perfume is derived from the Latin perfume, meaning "through smoke." The art of perfumery was known to the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Egyptians, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. References to perfumery materials and even perfume formulas are found in the Bible. The burning of incense in religious rites of ancient China, Palestine, and Egypt led gradually to the personal use of perfume known as attars, widespread in ancient Greece and Rome. During the Middle Ages Crusaders brought knowledge of perfumery to Europe from the East. After 1500 Paris was the major center of perfume-making.

Perfume consists of fragrance oils diluted in a carrier agent. Pure natural oils are too concentrated for use directly on to the skin.

How To Make Parfume

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, objects, and living spaces a pleasant smell.Perfume comes from the Latin “per” meaning “through” and “fumum,” or “smoke.” Many ancient perfumes were made by extracting natural oils from plants through pressing and steaming. The oil was then burned to scent the air. Today, most perfume is used to scent bar soaps. Some products are even perfumed with industrial odorants to mask unpleasant smells or to appear “unscented.”Aroma VocabularyAccord: An accord is the perfumery equivalent to a chord in music. It’s a blend of 2 or more smells that produce a third and distinctive smell. An accord may be a simple mixture or consist of many components and applies when each component material is in balance and harmony with each other material so that no single component can be detected. Aroma Chemical: Any chemical compound created and used for its aromatic properties.