Once Upon a Time in Perfumery
The word perfume is used today to describe scented mixtures and is derived from the Latin word, "per fumus," meaning through smoke.
Perfume is a very interesting smoke. During the ancient times, smokes were only for the gods. The burning of animals and human sacrifices for pleasing the gods gave birth to perfumery. The use of incense and myrrh later followed. These scents graced millions of altars all over the world.
The golden age of perfumery started when the world discovered the use of flowers for perfume making β together with a variety of fruits that later turned to the discovery of almost every part of the plant to create perfumes. Later, the discovery of animal scents such as musk and civet, which can hold the sweeter and softer notes longer, opened a much greater spectrum for complex fragrances.
In the modern world, our preference for the perfect scent that stimulates the humanityβs olfactory system has evolved. Through a long process of trial and error, chemists create characters out of mixing chemicals to produce the scent that captivates the heart of the many. They seal them in beautiful bottles, place tags and labels and sell them.