subject: Early History And Origin Relating To Perfume And Cologne [print this page] Perfume and cologne has scented the skin of humanity for many centuries. The name cologne originates from the town of Cologne in Germany and is a combination of alcohol, essential oils sometimes mixed with water to be called eau de cologne. Perfume is a less dilute form of fragrance usually of a higher quality with a more long lasting fragrance that is usually more expensive than the cologne.
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.
The priests soon came to realize that the oils took on the fragrance of the herbs and resins and a tradition of rubbing these scented oils upon their hair and skin came into being. It was the very beginnings of perfume and for centuries only the priesthood would anoint their bodies. It took some time for the popularity of this idea to spread to the common people, who adopted it for their 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.
Still, the scents were cloying and heavy thanks to the use of resins and such overpowering herbs as rosemary and other powerfully scented herbaceous plants. The use of perfume spread across the modern world but it was a French perfumer who first introduced the subtle scent of rose petals as a perfume.
The sweet scent became extremely popular and the delicate scent or roses soon became a signature of many fragrances. Perfumers began to design perfumes, picking out what is referred to as different perfume notes. These can include powdery notes, herbaceous notes, floral and leather notes, wood notes, spice notes, fruity notes, green notes, tea notes and oriental notes.
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.
Top, middle and base notes refer to the varying fragrances that are released as the perfume reacts with your natural oils and acids present in your skin. The top notes are what are first noticed about the perfume directly after it is misted onto the skin. The middle notes become apparent roughly fifteen to twenty minutes later, with the final base notes coming to the fore within an hour after the perfumes application.
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.
