One would think that flowers would have been one of the first ingredients that would be used to make perfume but in fact, flowers weren’t used for that purpose until the 9th century. Before that, perfumers as far back as four thousand years ago used herbs, spices, resins and bark. Extracting the oils from flowers by distillation was first introduced by a Persian chemist named Avicenna and his procedure is still in wide use today. Until Avicenna’s discovery, it was a laborious process to use flowers in perfume, requiring hours of effort to pulverize the petals finely enough to extract some of the oils. Years later, the Hungarians would be the first to make modern perfume from flower oils blended in a solution of alcohol.

Most flowers are fragrant but some are exceptional enough to be used in perfumes. The best known and one of the most popular throughout perfume history is the rose, generally known as the queen of flowers. Perfumes made of roses were favorites in Greece and Rome. By gathering the flowers at night they would be at their best since they begin losing their scent after sunrise. Cristalle by Chanel uses roses as the chief ingredient along with aldehydes to enhance the bouquet, amber and patchouli.

CRISTALLE BY CHANEL(WOMEN)

Price : $103.19

Jasmine is another flower used in perfumes, also harvested just before dawn. Processed immediately before their fragrance fades, special care must be taken to keep the fragile petals from bruising and affecting the balance of the bouquet. Special baskets for just this purpose are kept for transporting them. Jasmine is used with vanilla and bergamot by Guerlain in the manufacture of Shalimar Light perfume, a refreshing feminine fragrance that is airy, pleasant and light.

SHALIMAR BY GUERLAIN (PURE PERFUME SPRAY REFILLABLE 1/4 OZ)

Price : $88.85

Violets are also favorites but produce so little essential oil that they’re rarely used these days. Instead a synthetic replacement is used, usually combined with oils that resemble that of the violet.

Flower of fruit are also used in many perfumes. Those who know the heavenly scent of orange and lemon blossoms will understand why they are a popular ingredient in many floral perfumes. Jasmine, mimosa and lily blossoms as well as lily of the valley are also quite common in perfumes. Unopened flower buds of clove add spice to perfume concoctions and a member or the orchid family, vanilla, also is a favorite ingredient.

A few terms may come in handy for understanding floral perfume descriptions. When you hear a perfume referred to as a “single floral” it means that the fragrance is dominated by one particular flower such as rose or lily. “Floral Bouquet” means it contains the scent of several flowers and “bright floral” is a combination of the two.

Tim Walt

Leather is a scent that is either loved or hated with very little expression in between. Most people are attracted to it, visualizing wonderful memories from their childhood or vacations spent camping or a carefree day in the saddle. But did you know there are different classes of perfume in the leather category? There are true leathers, floral leathers with influences of iris or violets and even tobacco leathers that have smoke or wood notes added. 

Leather perfumes originated in the 16th century when perfumers were asked to alter the smell of freshly tanned hide used to make gloves and boots for the upper classes who didn’t particularly care for the gamy smell of their new garments. Since tanning leather in those days involved the use of animal excretions, the odor could be quite strong and unpleasant! 

Leather perfumes are most often associated with masculine images but several varieties are made for women. Fendi makes a perfume of the same name for women that tempers the scent of leather with rose, amber, musk and sandalwood for a creation that is alluring as well as intriguing. Combining the scent of leather with subtle floral notes imparts an unmistakable air of femininity and freshness to the full-bodied and memorable scent of leather. 

FENDI BY FENDI (EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY 3.4 OZ)
- Price : $38.13

Of course, men’s perfumes make liberal use of leather scents to impart a rugged impression of authority and strength. In 1996 the late Luciano Pavarotti commissioned a perfume he named Pavarotti Donna whose fresh leather aroma was combined with subtle tobacco and wood scents. It is still a very popular cologne; its use of elements usually associated with male attributes is said to make it a definition of masculinity. 

PAVAROTTI DONNA BY LUCIANO PAVAROTTI (EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY 1.7 OZ)
- Price : $10.78

Leather is a very versatile scent for perfumers to work with and has inspired many great perfumes. Tempering the leather with citrus, spices or floral oils can produce nearly endless formulas both manly and feminine. Leather perfumes can convey strength and aggression or delicate sophistication and all the conception between those two
extremes. It can be manipulated by using spices, woods, citrus and florals to create moods ranging from free and easy fun to adventure and rugged strength.

Some perfumes using leather essences invoke a strong impression of fine luxury such as leather upholstery while others use the scent as a means of tempering florals or spices, lending them a more basic, earthy quality. Leather is a wonderful attribute to many perfumes, truly versatile and consistently pleasant.

Tim Walt