The History And Evolution Of Perfume And Cologne
Perfume and cologne has been a staple in every household the world over and for centuries these wonderful fragrances have scented our skins. Not many may know that the origins of cologne began in the German town named Cologne. It is a combination of fragrant essential oils, water and alcohol, whereas perfume is a stronger version of this formula.
Traditionally, it is cologne that is preferred by men due to its more spicy or aquatic fragrance notes, while perfumes are generally more floral and are worn mostly by women. The early origins of perfume dates back to a time when resins and herbs were thrown onto fires along with oil to ensure that the woods burnt vigorously. The fragrant smoke was desirable for religious ceremonies.
People came to realize that the oils poured onto the wood absorbed the fragrance of the resins and herbs and it became common for them to rub these oils onto their skins and in their hair. It was a much heavier base than the perfumes that are commonly popular today, but after a time these oils became an integral part of the bathing ritual.
Early perfume was much heavier, the scents being much stronger and the mixture a heavy oil that was used to coat hair and skin. It took a few more centuries before an Arabian doctor created the first perfume-like substance by diffusing essential oils with alcohol and oil to make a version similar to today’s modern perfumes.
A French perfumer later decided to distill the essential oils found in rose petals and the first floral scent was created. Keep in mind that the early perfumes were heavily scented with resins and overpowering herbal scents like rosemary, cloves and so on. The delicate floral scent of roses was a revelation in the perfume world and the modern perfume was born.
Different notes could now be added to fragrances and included a wonderful array of scents. Spice, citrus, leather notes, floral notes, fruity notes, incense notes, tea notes, green notes, oriental notes, wood notes, powdery notes and herbaceous notes are but some of the options available.
Other available fragrance notes include tobacco notes, aquatic notes, resinous notes, salty notes, linen notes and gourmand notes. These gourmand notes include rich, decadent scents that can range from coconut to caramel, chocolate, coffee, amaretto, gingerbread, honey, almond and cherry.
Perfumers devised clever ways of layering their fragrances, dividing the scent into base, middle and top notes which revealed themselves over time. Top notes are the first things you notice about a perfume directly after it is applied to the skin and will last for roughly fifteen minutes. The middle notes then become apparent and these will last roughly twenty minutes to half an hour. The base notes will then come to the fore.
Perfumes and colognes tend to react to the individuals body chemistry and the exact same perfume can smell completely different on a number of individuals. One type of fragrance may match a persons personal scent very well, but clash with another. The best is to try different fragrances until you find the one that suits you best.
If you buy perfume on the Internet, you have the widest possible choice of designers and brands. Cologne fragrances can be as exotic or traditional as you want.
