| The perfume caters to our smell - olfactory | | | | - single floral, floral bouquet, ambery (admixture of |
| sense. Our five senses are - touch, hearing, | | | | scents from animals, flowers and woods), woody |
| seeing, tasting and smelling. Corresponding to | | | | (mainly sandalwood and cedar), leather (honey, |
| these are the five sense organs - the skin, the | | | | tobacco, wood and wood tars), chypre (cyprus) |
| ears, the eyes, the tongue and the nostrils. Over | | | | and fougere (fern). |
| and above these gross physical senses is another | | | | Since 1945 perfumes have been divided into |
| - the sixth sense that is something intangible | | | | bright floral, green, oceanic, citrus and gourmand. |
| which, leads to a feeling of wellbeing upon inhaling | | | | From 1983 the fragrance-wheel is being used to |
| a delicate perfume. | | | | simplify classification - floral, oriental, woody, |
| In animals smell is very strong. The predators | | | | fougere and fresh. Each are divided into |
| mark their territory with urine, which by the way | | | | subgroups. |
| each one has a distinctive odour. The pet in the | | | | Perfumes are metaphorically said to contain three |
| house knows about our individual perfume more | | | | musical notes - top, middle and base. Top notes |
| than we know ourselves. Perfumes have two | | | | are the scents that are immediately perceptible. |
| functions, negative and positive. It covers up stale | | | | Middle notes emerge after the first effect |
| smell of sweat and on the other hand it exudes | | | | dissipates. The base note persists in combination |
| intoxicating fragrance. | | | | with the middle after the top goes. Perfumes can |
| Perfume is from Latin `per fume` meaning | | | | be dissipated due to exposure to heat, light, |
| `through smoke`. It goes back 4000 years to | | | | oxygen etc. |
| Mesopotamia and Egypt before being improved | | | | The sources from which perfume is drawn are |
| upon by Romans and Arabs. In Europe it came in | | | | plants, animals and synthetic bases. Plants are the |
| the 14th century. Hungary produced the first | | | | largest sources - its bark, fruits, flowers, leaves, |
| modern perfume in 1371. Renaissance Italy saw a | | | | twigs, roots, seeds and bulbs. In the animal world |
| burst of activity in perfume making. France | | | | perfumes are extracted from whales, beavers, |
| became the centre of perfumes made from | | | | civets, honeybee and musk deer. Synthetic |
| aromatic plants being grown from the 18th | | | | perfumes are cheaper but not quite so fine and |
| century in Grasse. | | | | delicate. In the case of the latter there are health |
| Man wants to pocket everything - from the | | | | risks connected to rashes, asthma and even |
| diamond in dark caverns to pearls in ocean | | | | cancer. |
| depths. The perfume is the victory of man over | | | | Perfume is extracted by soaking the raw material |
| Nature - capturing the cream of her scent spread | | | | in a solvent for any length of time from few |
| all around. The perfume is a mixture of oils, | | | | hours to months. In distillation the process of |
| aroma and fixatives blended with solvents. The | | | | condensation is used, while in destructive-distillation |
| industry is shrouded in secrecy. Not everybody | | | | method the raw stuff is heated directly. |
| can understand the language of perfume making. | | | | Squeezing and pressing are also common |
| Each perfume belongs to a family. | | | | methods. Another method is absorbing the aroma |
| Perfume making starts with dilution of the oil with | | | | in wax. Perfumes are part of industry and used |
| a solvent. Ethanol mixed with water is the most | | | | for the food and chemical business. |
| common solvent. Others are coconut oil, wax and | | | | The person who makes perfumes is known |
| jojoba. The increase or decrease of aromatic | | | | affectionately as The Nose. Next time you go to |
| compounds relates to scent`s intensity and | | | | buy a bottle of perfume give a thought to the |
| longevity. The amount of oil used varies from one | | | | efforts that go behind creating that exquisite |
| perfume family to another. | | | | bottle for you! |
| From 1900 perfumes were categorized in groups | | | | |