A History of Perfume or a History of Humanity

To give a brief history of perfume is probably to give a brief history of human civilisation during which references to aromatic oils perfumes and fragrances abound.  One can only speculate on their uses during the pre-history of humanity, but there is little doubt that they played important parts in religious and political rituals. The Sumerian Queen, Schubab, was found to have cosmetics and perfume bottles in her grave indicating the importance of perfumes to that very ancient culture.

The use of perfumes was first recorded in hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt when the use of aromatic oils, perfumes and fragrances in the highest religious acts are described.  Later, one can get a sense of their importance in the cultural exchanges of the times.  Queen of Saba is recorded giving King Solomon incenses, perfumes and fragrances in such abundance that she had scores of camels loaded with them.  Even the commoners of the time put great store in fragrances.  It is recorded that soldiers habitually carried small phials of perfume and fragrances to war with them!

Their daily use inevitably found its way into the Greek and Roman civilisations' religious and political ceremonies.  Indeed one's status in the Roman Empire could be measured by the fragrance worn and what time of day a certain (expensive) perfume was applied.  The daily use declined somewhat following the fall of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity, but the Islamic community kept a tradition of fragrance and perfume use alive during this decline.

In the twelfth century the widespread use of perfume became a common occurrence when international trade flourished.  And the seventeenth century saw a real revival in its everyday use, particularly in France.  The court of Louise XV was named the ‘perfumed court' after his addiction to perfumes and fragrances became obsessive.  He used them on furniture, fans, gloves, clothing and insisted on court attendees wearing it at all times - no doubt to mask the unpleasant odours of the times.

This use significantly contributed to the widespread acceptance of the use of perfumes and fragrances by both men and women and the establishment of the perfume tradition in France.  That tradition survived the French revolution when wearing them was considered un-patriotic and the industry was revived under the ministration of Napoleon.  However, the cost of the perfumes and fragrances proved to be beyond the commoner and up until as late as the 1930's the wearing of perfumes and fragrances was considered an extravagant luxury by many.

It was about this time when more affordable perfumes and fragrances from the likes of Max Factor, Revlon and Yardley were produced.  The use of these affordable scents grew during the late 50's and 60's with popular brands lasting throughout the seventies. The 1980's saw the more affluent person seeking out the expensive perfumes and fragrances and the 1990's witnessed a boom in production of exotic and expensive products.