March 9, 2007

The Exotic History of Perfume

by Terrie Tulane

The history of perfume goes back to Egypt, although it was ubniquitous in East Asia as well. Early perfumes were based on incense, not chemicals, so aromas were passed around through fumes. The Roman and Islamic cultures further refined the harvesting and manufacturing of perfumery processes to include other aromatic ingredients.

Thus, the ancient Islamic culture marked the history of present state perfumery with the introduction of spices and herbs. Fragrances and other exotic substances, such as Jasmine and Citruses, were modified to be harvested in climates outside of their native Asia.

The extraction of fragrances was perfected through steam distillation. In turn, the Islamic cultural creation of fragrances and distillation technology inspired the scientific communities of western culture during the fourteenth century, especially in France, which brought further cultivation of these raw materials and introduced chemical-based perfume.

Modern innovation in the history of perfume can be credited to the West, but the cultural conceptualization still belonged to Islam: ‘The taking of a bath on Friday is a must for every male Muslim who has attained the age of puberty [and then] the using of perfume if it is accessible.’ (a claim made by The Prophet Mohammed, which is also recorded in Sahih Bukhari).

The use of spiced and fragranced perfume during the Renaissance was available only to the royalty and wealthy for the purpose of covering body odors relevant to their sanitary habits. Thus, perfumery as an industry was established in the West. This is where the story of perfume denotes the association of perfume with the upper-class.

It wasnt until the eighteenth century that the Grasse region of France harvested aromatic plants to account for the growing demand for fragranced and spiced perfumes. Perfumery flourished! The world history of perfume came to a head. France is still the perfume center of modern-day Europe, which exchanges with the United States.

The latter, however, has based its own perfume industry and trades with the rest of the globe. Perfumery is now a global affair and serves as a major division of the world fashion industry. The history of perfume is now globally involved.

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