It is believed that the perfumes first started way back in the 10^th Century BC among the Medes and Persians, primarily to hide their bad hygiene. During that time, scented waters and aromatic lotions were made out of rose, fig, absinthe and nard. These were also served as aromatic wines. The Egyptians also used perfumes for the purpose of mummification. In fact, research has shown that the Egyptians even considered perfumes to be part of worship. Their perfumes were made from flowers and spices like saffron, irises, cinnamon, heliotrope, myrrh and cedar oil. Egypt was probably the first lead for perfume in the ancient world. The Greeks and Romans also had an equal love for fragrances in the ancient world.



During the arrival of Christianity in the period of Galo-Romans to Gothic Era, churches were known to have used perfumed wax candles and fragrant incense. The essence of perfume stretched all the way to the period of monarchy of Valois Kings, Renaissance and Bourbons Kings. At these times, perfumes were even used as magic potions and whatnots to entice and deceive - totally different reason and purpose compared to modern times.

The modern perfume revolution came into full swing when perfumer Paul Parquet created the first modern perfume for Houbigant in 1882 under the name of 'Fougere Royale'. A method known as enfleurage was used to process the natural ingredients. This method produces very fine tuberose and jasmine oil but in small amounts hence making them extremely costly. During the industrial revolution, powerful European chemical companies made a breakthrough discovery in aroma-chemical such as heliotropine, coumarin, artificial musk, vanillin, ionone and l'hydroxycitronellal.

The dawn of the 20^th century marked crucial discoveries for perfumes. The first discovery was in 1903 when Moureu and Delange discovered methyl heptine carbonate and methyl octine carbonates which fragrances were similar to those of violet leaves. The surfacing of department stores in Europe was the perfect platform for perfumers like Francois Coty who was the first person to produce a combination of natural and synthetic fragrances. He created a perfume called L'Origan in 1905. By 1930, there were numerous perfume houses like Houbigant, Rigaud, Lubin, Guerlain, D'Orsay, Roger & Gallet and a host of others.

Today the perfume is industry is booming and with new fragrances and designers, mushrooming it is unlikely that the perfume industry would ever go on slow mode. Famous fragrances by top-notch designers like Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gauthier, Kenzo, Yves Saint Laurent, Kelvin Clein and a host of other labels, are constantly reinventing themselves to produce top quality irresistible perfumes.