A Brief History of Perfume and Cologne

Although the rich fragrances of any given perfume and cologne may seem like a luxury reserved for the modern day, our ancestors have experimented with fragrances for far longer than you might imagine. Perfumery has existed as an art form for thousands of years and, even more amazingly, has popped up in almost every major culture since the dawn of civilization (and beyond). As a result of this, the history of perfume and cologne is as rich and diverse as many of the other, more widely-regarded, staples of human culture.
From what we can gather, the ancient Egyptians were one of the first major civilizations to hold perfumes in high regard—although ancient perfumes were nothing more than the crushed remains of plants soaked within oils. Records of Queen Hatsheput’s infatuation with these alluring fragrances can be found on temple walls detailing expeditions for new plants from which pleasing scents could be found. Although perfumes were initially reserved for pharaohs and religious ceremonies, they eventually became an important part of the commoner’s bathing rituals.
Perfumery is said to have spread from ancient Egypt to Crete. This would lead to perfume’s special place in the Western world, as both the Greeks and Romans were similarly smitten by such sensuous smells. It should also be noted that the influence of perfume can even be seen in the Occident’s most cherished book: the Bible. If you ever wondered why frankincense and myrrh were befitting of a god, it is because they were two of the most luxurious scents at that time.
As trade opened up between civilizations and explorers charted new lands and discovered new plants and animals, perfumery not only spread, but advanced. Exciting new fragrances from the lands of East Asia and the dark forests of Africa yielded new mixtures to excite the nose. A few enlightened men and women began to analyze perfumes and noticed its affect upon the human mind.
It would be the Arabs, however, that would truly revolutionize the art. By applying their knowledge of distillation to perfumery, they turned perfumes into the more delicate substances we are familiar with. No longer were fragrances simply crushed and mixed in with oils but rather they were elegantly withdrawn from their hosts through the processes of vaporization and condensation.
As Islam clashed with Europe, the prototype for modern-day perfume resulted as a byproduct. The Hungarians mixed the distilled fragrances with alcohol and thus perfume as we know it was born. The Renaissance would further enhance perfumery, and within no time at all Europe was swept up into a frenzy over the most sensual art of all. With all this history behind it, not wearing perfume and cologne seems almost unnatural.