Perfume’s History

Perfumes+History

Ève moreau, Journalist, photograph

A mixture of fragrant essential oils, usually in liquid form, is used to give the human body a pleasing smell.

The first form of perfume was incensed, it was made by the Mesopotamians about 4000 years ago. Perfume usage goes back thousands of years. Fragrances have been discovered in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, and the Persian Empire. Perfumes were used for hygiene and cleanliness, as well as ceremonially and as a symbol of nobility. 

Back in the day, floral scents were from flower oils or water distilled from the blooms like roses, orange flowers, and jasmine. These scents are almost at the top of the modern note range. Although, “vanilla seems to have the most pleasing scent in the world” according to a new study. 

Once you open a perfume bottle, it immediately starts the process of expiring but some will begin to expire after a year. When your perfume is really expired you might smell a slightly sour scent to it, in other words, an unpleasant smell can be noticed. It can also irritate the skin and could lead to an allergic reaction. The average lifespan of a fragrance is around three to five years. According to experts, perfumes with heavier base notes will last the longest.

The best way to keep a fragrance’s original scent is to keep it in the darkest place possible, keeping it in a cool dry place keeps it very fresh. sunlight, heat, and extreme temperature changes can really ruin a perfume’s smell. Shaking is as bad, it creates air bubbles that contain oxygen which agitates the chemicals which could lead to the oxidation of your fragrance’s delicate smell.

In general, Eau de Parfum scents are heavier and are most likely to last all day because it is more concentrated than the Eau de Toilette.