Before the widespread use of synthetic perfumes that are familiar to us today, perfumes were made with natural ingredients such as essential oils. The ancient Egyptians used plant oils in perfumes and there is archaeological evidence of the use of plant oils in perfumes in the ancient ruins of Pompeii in Italy and home made perfumes were popular from the sixteenth century onwards. There are different types and strengths of perfumes and a variety of essential oils are used to make natural perfumes.
Ancient History
Julia Lawless, in “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils,” writes that Papyrus manuscripts, that date back to 2800 B.C., describe the use of oils and perfumes by the ancient Egyptians not just for medicinal use but for fragrant purposes too. Carlo Giordano and Angelandrea Casale, in “Perfumes, Unguents and Hairstyles in Pompeii,” also write of the wide use of perfumes made with plant extracts, materials and oils, by the Pompeians in the years leading up to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
Sixteenth to Eighteenth Century History
Home made perfumes were popular in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the sixteenth century. Many country houses had their own still rooms, a place where perfumes and remedies were made from essential oils. During the eighteenth century, Marie Antoinette of France not only had a passion for dresses, but also for perfumes. Elisabeth De Feydeau, in “A Scented Palace,” writes that Queen Marie Antoinette had her own perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon, who made an extensive array of perfumes for her from various plants and flowers.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are extracted from different parts of a plant such as the leaves, flowers, bark, fruit and seeds. They are extracted from a wide number of aromatic plants that include trees, grasses, flowers and herbs. Pure essential oils have healing properties too, depending on the type of plant and as a result, a perfume made with pure essential oils is both fragrant and healing.
Top Note Perfumes
Perfumes are made with different types of fragrances that are categorized according to their fragrance and rate of evaporation. Top note fragrances evaporate the quickest and are lightest in fragrance. According to Valerie Ann Worwood, in “The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy,” top note essential oils are lemon, mandarin, lime, bergamot, coriander and chamomile.
Middle Note and Base Note Perfumes
Middle note fragrances take a little longer to evaporate than top note fragrances and last a little longer too. Middle note fragrances include geranium, marjoram, jasmine, ginger, pine, angelica and lavender. Base note fragrances are the heaviest essential oils used in perfume and linger for the longest time. Base note fragrances include rose, ylang ylang, patchouli, frankincense, labdanum, myrrh, cedarwood and sandalwood.
Types
There are different types of perfumes. According to Worwood, types of perfumes include eau de perfume, perfume and eau de toilette. Perfume lasts the longest whereas eau de toilette is the lightest of the types of fragrances. Natural perfumes are made not only with essential oils but with absolutes, concretes and resinoids too. Absolutes, concretes and resinoids are extracted from the plant with the use of chemicals so are not as pure and do not possess the same healing properties as essential oils. Natural perfumes may contain pure essential oils or a mix of essential oils, resinoids, absolutes or concretes.
References
- “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils”; Julia Lawless; 1995
- “Perfumes, Unguents and Hairstyles in Pompeii”; Carlo Giordano, Angelandrea Casale; 1992
- “A Scented Palace”; Elisabeth De Feydeau; 2006
- “The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy”; Valerie Ann Worwood; 1991
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