History
Sacred smoke
Incense and resins are burned in temples in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The word 'perfume' comes from the Latin per fumum, 'through smoke'.
Rosewater and distillation
Scholars of the Islamic world write about distilling rosewater: al-Kindi already describes it in the 9th century, and Avicenna (Ibn Sina) is often credited with refining the method. Persian rosewater becomes prized far beyond Iran.
Perfume in alcohol
According to legend, 'Hungary Water', rosemary in alcohol, is made for a Hungarian queen: one of the first alcohol-based perfumes in Europe.
Grasse and eau de Cologne
Grasse, in southern France, turns from tanning leather to growing jasmine, rose and tuberose, and becomes the capital of perfume. In 1709 Johann Maria Farina creates his citrus 'Eau de Cologne'.
The first modern perfumes
Houbigant's Fougère Royale (1882) is built around synthetic coumarin and names a whole family. Guerlain's Jicky (1889) mixes naturals with new molecules too, and is still sold today.
Chanel N°5
Ernest Beaux uses a daring overdose of aldehydes: an abstract floral that doesn't smell of any one flower, and the most famous perfume in the world.
Shalimar and the ambers
Guerlain's Shalimar wraps bergamot around vanilla and resins and sets the model for the warm, sensual amber family.
The powerhouses
Opium (1977), Poison (1985) and their peers fill the room: big, spicy, sweet perfumes for a decade of shoulder pads.
The fresh and aquatic wave
After the loud eighties, clean and light wins. Cool Water (1988) launches the fresh trend; L'Eau d'Issey (1992) and Acqua di Giò (1996) carry the 'sea air' style through the decade, helped by molecules like Calone.
The first gourmand
Mugler's Angel pairs patchouli with candy-floss and caramel: perfume you could almost eat, and a family that still dominates bestseller lists.
Niche, oud and the Middle East
Independent houses put the perfumer first and use bolder materials. Oud and rose, long the heart of Middle-Eastern perfumery, go global, and the Gulf and Iran become some of the biggest perfume markets in the world.
Where does the word 'perfume' come from?