EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PERFUMES
Archaeologists discovered on the island of Cyprus, some of the oldest perfumes, dating as far back as 4000 years BC. A cuneiform tablet from Mesopotamia, dating back more than 3,000 years BC, identifies a woman named Tapputi-Belatekallim as the first recorded perfume maker.
At a time when standards of hygiene were poor, people resorted to wearing perfumes to drown unpleasant body odors and to be accepted in society. Over the years, the use of perfumes has come to be associated with affluence and sophistication. Ideally, people started identifying themselves with certain scents, and currently, with certain brands.
In the World of Perfume, a “CognoScenti” is a person who loves perfume. In other words, a connoisseur can distinguish between a good and a poor fragrance. A “Parfumeur” is an expert at creating good perfumes. Whatever a fragrance is, it falls under various categorizations depending on its concentration and intensity. A perfume suggests a stronger or heavier concentration, known as an “Extrait de Parfum” or “Parfum Pure”. It can contain up to 30% concentrated oils, although their intensity may deplete on the shelf over time. The higher the concentration, the longer the perfume lasts on the skin, with traces that may last 2 or 3 days later. Sometimes the scent may be overbearing when applied. To subdue it, it is best to use a few drops of water to blend and apply, certain that its trace will last long after it dries on the skin.
Poor-quality perfumes do expire, although the superior quality matures like good wine. The secret is in the high quality of their ingredients and their method of formulation. Usually, a commercial hybrid of natural and synthetic ingredients do not interact well over time, and thus “turn” a few months after the bottle is opened. Some even leave a light stain on clothing due to the coloring utilized. Because of the purity of ingredients of good brands, the cost is usually higher. I still retain a “Nino Cerrutti 1881” since 1987, which smells as lovely as it did 36 years ago (circa 2023). I bought a selection of other perfumes including a “Gianni Versace” which I had to promptly give away because it left an embarrassing stain on my formal shirt the first night I applied it. Besides, the scent barely lasted more than 2 hours.
There are four scent categories: woody, floral, amber, and citrus. These ‘families’ each occupy a space on the Fragrance Wheel — a circular diagram illustrating the four scent ‘families’ corresponding to their subfamilies.
The romantic French or Italian brands obscure the origin of their exotic ingredients from the remote sources and corners of the world. They only conjure up the glossy images of the beautiful advertisements we see everywhere. The Perfumer has a vast array of raw materials to work with. Approximately 3,000 synthetic products and 1,000 natural raw materials. Non-human mammalian pheromones are commonly used as a fixative, a carrier, or an odor enhancer for other ingredients, contributing to the wholesome scent of the perfume.
Some of the most valuable raw materials in perfumery are natural Ambergris and Civet. They are both worth thousands of Dollars per ounce because of their scarcity and indispensability. They help a scent attach to human skin over a long period. Ambergris is derived from the vomit of the sperm whale and pygmy sperm whale, while civet is a musk derived from the anal glands of the mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa. It is not only their scarcity that makes them so expensive, but also their lipophilic properties holding scent molecules together and holding them longer on the skin. The beaver secretions are amongst other animal sources. They all act as fixatives for anchoring scents in fragrances. Nonetheless, there exist plant-based tinctures, gums, and resins extracted from trees as well.
It is important to note that pheromone perfumes do not contain real human pheromones. Instead, they contain chemicals designed to mimic the effect of human pheromones in the body. This is a purely artificial process. They are blended with jasmine, musk, rose, vanilla, and ylang-ylang, all hedonistic notes appealing to the skin and alluring to all sexes.
Other common ingredients found in perfume are benzyl alcohol, acetone, linalool, ethanol, ethyl acetate, benzaldehyde, camphor, formaldehyde, methylene chloride, and limonene. Synthetic musk and phthalates are potentially hazardous compounds that are also used as ingredients.
It is worth knowing that there are high-end and exclusive perfumes for those who can afford their price tags. The 10 most expensive ones are:
1. LE MONDE SUR MESURE @1.5 to 7 million USD in exclusive bottles with gold armor and encrusted diamonds, created by the French Perfumer Morreale, Paris.
2. LE MONDE SUR MESURE @1.8million USD for 5kg in an exquisite 2kg gold bottle, encrusted with 1,000 diamonds all around, developed by the French company Morreale, Paris.
3. SHUMUKH @1.3million USD for a 3L in a 2.5kg exotic Italian Murano crystal bottle adorned with a gold falcon, Arabian horses, roses, and a globe representing the spirit of Dubai. The bottle contains 3,571 diamonds (a total of 38.55 carats), large natural pearls, 2.5 kg of 18-K gold, and 5.9 kg of pure silver. It is 2 meters high on a 2-meter cushioned leather stand. It won 2 Guinness World Records. One for most diamonds set in a perfume bottle, and the other for being the tallest commercial, and remote-controlled fragrance spray bottle. The perfume has notes of sandalwood, musk, ylang-ylang, Turkish rose, Indian agarwood, musk, and patchouli. It was created by Nabeel (“Creators of Spirit”) Perfumes in the UAE. The name of the perfume means “The most Elevated” (noble).
4. DKNY GOLDEN DELICIOUS @1million USD. The bottle is encrusted with 2,909 precious stones comprising 183 yellow sapphires, 2,700 white diamonds, a 7.18-carat oval cabochon sapphire from Sri Lanka, 15 pink diamonds from Australia, 4 rose-cut diamonds, a 1.6-carat turquoise Paraiba tourmaline from Brazil, a 3.07-carat oval-cut ruby, a 4.03-carat pear-shape rose-cut diamond, and a 2.43-carat yellow canary diamond that caps the whole collection. The precious stones took 1,500 hours to encrust through skilled hands. The concept is symbolic of the New York City skyline, created jointly between DKNY and the renowned Jeweler Martin Katz.
Its proceeds were donated to the Action Against Hunger charity organization.
5. IMPERIAL MAJESTY №1 @12,721.89USD/Ounce. One of the most expensive perfumes, featuring the Tahitian vanilla scent, with Rosa Centifolias, representing Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, created by Clive Christian.
6. LES LARMES SACREES DE THEBES («The Sacred Tears of Thebes») @6,800USD/Ounce. One of the 3 Limited Edition fragrances, comes in a pyramid-shaped crystal bottle with frankincense and myrrh, created by the world-famous French crystal company, Baccarat.
7. GRAND EXTRAIT (“The Grand Extract”) @4,200USD/Ounce, is one of the highly-sought perfumes representing a bagatelle of exotic flowers. The bottle is a “chef d’oeuvre” (a masterpiece) on its own, created by Chanel.
8. CLIVE CHRISTIAN №1 @2,150USD/Ounce. In 2001 and 2006, it was known as the most expensive perfume in the world. It comes in 2 versions, the Oriental fragrance for men, and the floral fragrance for women.
9. HERMES 24 FAUBOURG @1,500USD/Ounce. This is a Limited Edition, produced in only 1,000 pieces. It represents a unique combination of fragrances, accentuated by orange blossom, jasmine, tiare flower, patchouli, ylang-ylang, vanilla ambergris, sandalwood, and iris.
10. CARON POIVRE @1,000USD/Ounce. Caron created this special edition marking their 50th anniversary of producing unique fragrances. This handcrafted bottle (representing a spice box) is a masterpiece of wild and gentle scents. From spicy with a floral hint, to a musky woody fragrance.
For those who love perfumes, this is a broader perspective, and for those who are merely curious, this article may have been informative and insightful. Find your fragrance range and identify with it. You will appreciate a good perfume anytime. Leave your mark wherever you go!
Sammy RNAJ — sammy.rnaj.writer@gmail.com — WhatsApp +96170499352.
