History of Women's Perfume
Other cultures and civilizations followed the Egyptians in perfume making, including, the Chinese, Hindus, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans.
Egyptians first used perfume as part of religious ceremonies. The two primary methods were the burning of incense and the application of balms and ointments. They also used perfumed oils that were applied to the skin for medical or cosmetic reasons.
In fact, perfume use was limited for cleansing and spiritual use only During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, and began to be used by widely by women for beauty, cosmetics and as part of making love in the form of perfumed creams and oils in the New Kingdom (1580-1085 BC)
Perfume soon quickly spread to Greece, Rome, and the Islamic world. The spread of Christianity led to a decline in perfume popularity, though it remained popular in the Islamic community.
Perfume had great success during the 17th century. The use of perfume grew steadily in France and the popularity of perfumed gloves grew in 1656 when the guild of glove and perfume-makers was established.
The court of Louis XV was named "the perfumed court" because of the scents that were applied to skin and clothes.
During the 18th century eau de Cologne was invented which was a major turning point for perfume. Eau de Cologne was a combination of rosemary, neroli, bergamot and lemon. It was used in many ways, including as a bath oil and scent, as a mouthwash, on clothes and skin and even in wine.
19th Century
The advances of modern chemistry brought a big change for the world of perfume and laid the foundation for the modern bottle of perfume. New and better fragrances were created and not even the French Revolution could diminish the desire for perfume. In the post-revolutionary government, there was a demand for luxury goods such as perfume and an influx of vanity boxes containing perfumes appeared in the 19th century.
The town of Grasse in Provence was known for its mass production of jasmine, rose and orange and the statutes of the perfume-makers of Grasse were passed in 1724. Paris in turn became the commercial counterpart to Grasse and the world center of perfume.
The first perfume houses became established such as the Houbigant, which is still very popular today, Lubin, and Geurlin were all based in Paris.
With the turn of the century more and more fragrance houses emerged in Europe. The Crown Perfumery was founded in 1872 by William Sparks Thomson. He catered to the rich and elite society of England and launched a collection of floral fragrances called Flower Fairies.
20th Century
In 1921- In a historic moment Couturier Gabrielle Chanel launched her own brand of perfume, created by Ernest Beaux and called it Chanel No.5, and the rest as they say is history, as Chanel No5 is still one of the most popular fragrances to date.
In the 1930's leather fragrances emerged and florals gained a high amount of popularity with the creation of Worth's Je Reviens (1932), Caron's Fleurs de Rocaille (1933) and Jean Patou's Joy perfume (1935), which is still one of the most exclusive, gentle and fantastic perfumes available today.
At the peak of French perfume market that was so popular in the 1950's, new perfume makers emerged such as, Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, Nina Ricci perfume, Pierre Balmain, all creating their own signature scents.
The Modern Day and Celebrity Perfumes
Though most experts in the perfume industry view the latest influx of celebrity perfumes as a fad that will not last, so far it has seen great popularity, especially among the younger female generation. Celebrity signature scents continue to drive the fragrance market, and are trendy and hot.
Today there are over 30,000 designer perfumes and scents and they are widely used by all demographics of women, as opposed to history when they were reserved for the wealthy upper classes.
All though, the evolution and history of perfume has seen immense changes through the centuries, their popularity has only increased and perfume remains a highly sought after product that creates a wonderful air of aroma, mystery and romance for women around the world.
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