What was the first perfume ever made? The first modern perfume(oils blended in an alcohol solution) ever made was Hungary Water. This perfume was a blend of lemon, orange blossom, thyme, and rosemary notes. It was made for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in 1370.
A faithful testament to the evolution of perfume making, the attar – or Ittar – boasts more than 60,000 years of history and an ancestral tradition of secret formulas that were passed down from generation to generation.
In 2003, archaeologists uncovered what are believed to be the world's oldest surviving perfumes in Pyrgos, Cyprus. The perfumes dated back more than 4,000 years. They were discovered in an ancient perfumery, a 300-square-meter (3,230 sq ft) factory housing at least 60 stills, mixing bowls, funnels, and perfume bottles.
Most fragrances in early to mid-Victorian times were delicate and floral. They were understated, feminine – and often simply conjured up the scent of a particular flower, such as jasmine, lavender, roses, honeysuckle…
This article was updated on October 28,2021.
Perfume usage goes back thousands of years, as examples of fragrances have been discovered in ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, Mesopotamia and the Persian Empire. Perfumes were used for hygiene and cleanliness, as well as ceremonially and as a symbol of nobility.
Chanel N°5 is, without a doubt, the most iconic fragrance of all time. It's been a staple within many a glamorous woman's fragrance wardrobe since its creation back in 1921.
They used to make perfumes from many different plants, flowers, and wood fragments along with the addition of required fats and oils. Ancient Egyptians often used moringa, linseed, sesame, and, castor oils in their perfumes.
The best known Old Lady Perfume is probably the classic Chanel No. 5, which launched a century ago. The main ingredients in this iconic blend are synthetic aldehydes, which were groundbreaking in 1921 and impart the powdery soapiness we've come to associate with the famous blend.
Essential oils used for scents included lavender, patchouli, sandalwood, and lemon. Many of these essential oils added desirable scents, and they often had medicinal properties that helped with health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Flowers and leaves were also used to make perfume.
In ancient Egypt, frankincense, opopanax, and myrhh were used. Throughout ancient Africa, various scented oils were used as sun protection as well as for their smell. In Mesopotamia and Babylonia, favored scents included cedar, myrrh, frankincense, and cypress.
If your empty perfume bottles are rare, old or from an iconic brand, you can sell them to discerning collectors. Some major retailers offer to return your bottles in exchange for a discount on the purchase of a new perfume.
The French later gave the name “parfum” to the smells produced by burning incense. Indeed, the first form of perfume was incense, first made by the Mesopotamians about 4000 years ago. Ancient cultures burned a variety of resins and wood at their religious ceremonies.
Marie Antoinette never voyaged again without the Trianon essence, to the extent that the perfume was found among her personal belongings when the tragedy at Varennes occurred. Even at the most dramatic points of her life, the Queen remained attached to the magic of the Trianon bouquets.
"Taylor's White Diamonds wasn't the first celebrity fragrance — there was Cher's Uninhibited in 1987 and Sophia Loren's Sophia in 1981 — but it's known as the first hugely successful celebrity fragrance that told the world back in 1991 that if you're famous, a perfume might not be that bad of an idea."
Ingredients including cardamom, olive oil and cinnamon were added to produce the ancient perfumes, which were, in general, much thicker and stickier than the stuff we spritz on today. In turn, the perfumes produced strong, spicy, faintly musky scents that tended to linger longer than modern fragrances.
In Greece and Rome, the abundance of olive oil made it the most popular oil for the perfume industry, though other oils such as almond were popular as well. Cheaper oil was better (and still is) because it has less of its own scent to compete with the fragrant materials.
Philyra was an ancient Greek goddess of perfume and beauty, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was also associated with perfume.
The late Princess of Wales wore Houbiquant's Quelques Fleurs, a sumptuous blend of tuberose, jasmine, lily of the valley, and rose to marry Prince Charles. In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry also revealed his mother's favorite scent—First by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Queen Elizabeth reportedly wore Guerlain L'Heure Bleue, a spicy citrus with a powdery dry down. It's been a classic for the fragrance house ever since the scent was created in 1912.
Take a whiff of the Sixties.
What did the Sixties smell like? No, the answer is not "hippies." For those who grew up in the era, the decade was a bouquet of fresh grass, new plastic, Ipana toothpaste, orange sherbet and meatloaf.
The oldest perfume bottle containing a well-preserved fragrant substance was discovered in Cyprus. The perfume dates back around 4000 years, and an analysis of the content shows that it was a mixture of lavender, rosemary, pine resin and coriander extracts.
In Roman mythology, Sterquilinus — also called Stercutus and Sterculius — was a god of odor. He may have been equivalent to Picumnus. The Larousse Encyclopaedia of Mythology gives the name as Stercutius, a pseudonym of Saturn, under which the latter used to supervise the manuring of the fields.
The study revealed that the Prophet (peace be upon him) encourages the use of perfume, and by adhering to this Sunnah (prophetic tradition), a Muslim can achieve good here and hereafter, and become more pleasant. One the other hand, by adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet, one can go closer to the Almighty Allah.