The story of perfume goes back to Egypt, although it was widespread in East Asia as well. Early perfumes were based on incense, not chemicals, so aromas were passed around through fumes. The Roman and Islamic cultures further refined the harvesting and manufacturing of perfumery processes to include other aromatic ingredients.

Thus, the ancient Islamic culture marked the history of contemporary perfumery with the advent of spices and herbs. Fragrances and other exotic substances, such as Jasmine and Citruses, were adapted to be harvested in climates outside of their indigenous Asia.

The extraction of scents was improved through steam distillation. In turn, the Islamic cultural creation of fragrances and distillation innovation inspired the scientific communities of western culture during the fourteenth century, especially in France, which brought further cultivation of these raw materials and introduced chemical-based perfume.

Modern technology in the history of perfume can be credited to the West, but the cultural envisioning still belonged to Islam: "The taking of a bath on Friday is required for every male Muslim who has attained the age of puberty [and then] the using of perfume if it is accessible." (a claim made by The Prophet Mohammed, which is also recorded in Sahih Bukhari).

The use of spiced and fragranced perfume during the Renaissance was exclusive to the royalty and wealthy for the purpose of covering body odors pertinent to their sanitary habits. Thus, perfumery as an industry was established in the West. This is where the origins of perfume denotes the affiliation of perfume with the well to do.

It wasnt until the eighteenth century that the Grasse region of France exploited aromatic plants to account for the growing demand for fragranced and spiced perfumes. Perfumery flourished! The world history of perfume came to a head. France is still the perfume center of modern-day Europe, which trades with the United States.

The latter, however, has based its own perfume industry and exchanges with the rest of the globe. Perfumery is now a global affair and serves as a major division of the world fashion industry. The history of perfume is now globally involved.