Finding Your Signature Scent: Discover Your Fragrance Personality

Fragrances are a combination of organic compounds that produce a distinct smell or odour. They are chemical mixtures that have a smell or odour but also carry cultural, historical, social, economic, and emotional value. Fragrances are unique and designed with care, passion, and ingenuity to give pleasure to billions of people worldwide. They are derived from natural and synthetic methods, with synthetic fragrances being nature-identical or artificial. While fragrances bring joy to many, some fragrance ingredients are toxic chemicals that can cause health issues such as allergies, migraines, and even cancer.

Fragrance in history

The use of fragrance dates back thousands of years, with ancient civilisations such as the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Persians, and Indians all incorporating scents into their daily lives and rituals.

The first form of perfume was incense, which was burned during religious ceremonies by the Mesopotamians and, later, the Egyptians. The word 'perfume' itself comes from the Latin 'per fumum', meaning 'through smoke'. The French later named the smells produced by burning incense 'parfum'.

In ancient Egypt, fragrance was of great importance, with perfume even playing a role in their mythology. The god Nefertem, often depicted carrying water lilies, was regarded as the lord of perfume. Egyptians made perfume by distilling natural ingredients with non-scented oils, with popular scents including floral, woody, and fruity fragrances. The trade of incense and myrrh was also a significant aspect of Egyptian international relations. Notable Egyptian figures such as Cleopatra and Hatshepsut are said to have used fragrances to scent their bodies, baths, and quarters, even taking perfume with them to the grave.

The ancient Greeks are credited with creating the first liquid perfume, with the development of distillation by the Arabs making perfume manufacture more viable. During the 17th century, perfume enjoyed huge success, especially in France, where hygiene was often lacking, and fragrances were used to mask unpleasant body odours.

In ancient China, perfume was infused into daily items such as ink and stationery, as well as being used to scent homes and places of worship. The Chinese believed that perfume could help rid a room of disease and bring about purity and disinfection.

In medieval Europe, the use of fragrance increased during the Crusades, with crusaders bringing fragrance-making materials and techniques back from the Middle East. During the bubonic plague, doctors wore bird-like masks filled with herbs, spices, and oils, believing that scented oils could eliminate the 'stench of pestilence'.

By the 14th century, Italians had almost perfected the perfume-making process, and liquid perfumes began to replace solid ones. The Italian perfumer, Rene le Florentin, created a signature scent for Catherine de Medici, who married the French king in 1519. This fragrance, made from orange blossom and bergamot, is often credited with bringing perfume to the rest of Europe.

Today, perfumes and fragrances are used by millions of people worldwide and are considered a popular fashion accessory.

Natural vs synthetic fragrances

Natural fragrances are aromatic materials physically obtained from natural sources like trees, plants, and animals. They are typically obtained by distillation, extraction, or expression and are commonly referred to as essential oils. However, natural fragrances can also contain chemical solvents to produce aromatic materials called concretes or absolutes. Rose Absolute is an example of this.

On the other hand, synthetic fragrances are developed in laboratories, replicating natural accords without harming the environment. They are created from chemical processes in a lab, often derived from petroleum. Synthetic fragrances are not necessarily artificial, as they can be nature-identical, meaning they have an identical chemical structure to those found in natural sources.

There is a common misconception that synthetic fragrances are worse than natural fragrances due to the belief that natural materials are better for health and sustainability. However, natural fragrances can contain multiple chemicals classified as allergens or potentially harmful substances. Additionally, the demand for natural fragrances contributes to deforestation and is affected by climate change, leading to unstable supply and costs.

Synthetic fragrances offer benefits such as consistent quality, longer-lasting scents, and increased stability. They are easily mass-produced, have a greater shelf life, and are generally more stable and easier to work with than natural fragrances.

Both natural and synthetic fragrances have their advantages and drawbacks, and the choice between the two depends on specific fragrance needs and preferences.

Fragrance extraction methods

There are several methods used to extract fragrance from natural ingredients such as plants, flowers, and woods. The type of extraction method used depends on the composition, volatility, and fragility of the plant being processed. Here are some of the most common fragrance extraction methods:

Steam Distillation

Steam distillation is the most popular method used to extract and isolate essential oils from plants. Steam is injected through the plant materials, which traps the plant's aromatic molecules in the water vapour. The steam is then transferred to a condenser and cooled, allowing the water to naturally separate from the plant's essential oils (which are then drawn off). Steam distillation is commonly used for extracting oils from lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, and other fresh flowers, stems, leaves, roots, barks, and seeds.

Cold Press Extraction

Cold press extraction is specifically used to capture citrus essential oils from the fruit peel. The whole fruit is pressed by a machine to extract the juice and oil, which are then separated through centrifugation.

CO2 Extraction

CO2 extraction is a sustainable process that occurs at a lower temperature than steam distillation, resulting in plant matter and essential oils that remain undamaged by high heat. Carbon dioxide is pressurized into a liquid-gaseous state and introduced into the plant material, acting as a solvent to pull out and dissolve the essential oils. The mixture is then returned to normal pressure, causing the CO2 to evaporate and leave behind the essential oil.

Solvent Extraction

Solvent extraction is similar to steam distillation but uses a solvent such as hexane or ethanol instead of water to lift the aromatic plant oils. This method is suitable for plants with low amounts of essential oil, largely resinous plants, or delicate plants that cannot withstand steam distillation. Solvent extraction produces a more potent essential oil than other methods.

Enfleurage

Enfleurage is a traditional and labour-intensive method of manufacturing perfumes by using a fatty substance to absorb odours from flowers. There are two types of enfleurage: cold and hot. Hot enfleurage, also known as maceration, involves infusing heat-resistant flowers and fragrant raw materials in a preheated fatty substance. The mixture is stirred until the fat is saturated with aroma, resulting in a pomade that is then filtered and decanted with alcohol to obtain an absolue. Cold enfleurage is used for more fragile plants and flowers, where the flowers are placed on a layer of fat spread on a glass plate, with fresh flowers replaced every 24 to 48 hours until the fat is impregnated with perfume. The pomade is then melted, decanted, and filtered to obtain the absolute.

Fragrance allergies

Fragrances are chemical mixtures that have a smell or odour. They are unique and designed with care, passion and ingenuity. They are also rooted in nature, with people connecting a scent to something in the natural world.

However, fragrances can also cause allergies. Fragrance allergies are a common condition, with about 2.5 million Americans suffering from them, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Fragrances don't just affect the nose; when you use a scented product on your skin, some of the chemicals in it are absorbed. The AAD reports that allergies to fragrances are the main cause of cosmetic contact dermatitis, which can range from skin itching and redness to blisters and swelling.

Deodorants are the leading cause of allergic contact dermatitis to fragrance ingredients. Other common sources of fragrance allergies include skincare products, colognes, perfumes, moisturisers, soaps, and aftershave.

Even if you don't show classic signs of fragrance allergies, you may still be irritated by scented products worn by other people. In several recent studies, nearly one-third of people polled said they were irritated by such products, with 19% experiencing headaches, breathing difficulties, or other problems from air fresheners or deodorizers.

Some of the chemicals used in fragrances have been linked to health issues, including reproductive problems and asthma. Phthalates, for example, are a controversial family of chemicals that can mimic the effects of hormones in the body. They are often added to fragrances to help smells last longer.

If you have sensitive skin or other health sensitivities, it's important to work with your physician to learn your triggers and avoid fragranced products when needed.

Fragrance regulation

Fragrances are chemical mixtures with a particular smell or odor. They are regulated by different organisations and laws, depending on the type of product they are used in.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates fragrance ingredients as cosmetics if they are in a cosmetic product and function to provide scent. The FDA does not approve or test cosmetic products, including fragrances, before they are available for sale. Manufacturers are legally responsible for ensuring product safety when used as intended. If there is a safety issue, the FDA can and will test products and issue recalls when necessary. Other fragrance ingredients may be treated as drugs by the FDA if the manufacturer intends for the ingredients to treat a condition. For example, if a product claims to "ease muscle aches", the FDA will treat it as an over-the-counter drug, meaning it is governed by the same FDA rules and regulations as any other over-the-counter pharmaceutical medication.

Scents containing products that are not applied directly to the body, such as laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and room fresheners, are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC is responsible for creating voluntary standards, issuing and enforcing mandatory standards, and recalling and potentially banning products that can cause harm. Like the FDA, the CPSC does not require premarket approval for products, but manufacturers are legally responsible for ensuring product safety, so the CPSC can issue recalls or ban products containing ingredients known to cause harm.

In addition to the FDA and CPSC, other organisations that monitor fragrances include the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and The Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM). These organisations support manufacturers and researchers globally on fragrance and fragrance safety. IFRA maintains a list of fragrance ingredients, while RIFM explores the safety profiles of these ingredients.

In the UK, IFRA UK ensures members are kept informed of the regulatory environment in which they operate. Examples of sector-specific legislation that affects the UK fragrance industry include the European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling, and packaging of substances and mixtures (the CLP Regulation); REACH, a European Union Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and restriction of Chemicals; Regulation (EC) N° 1223/2009, the main regulatory framework for finished cosmetic products placed on the EU market; and Regulation 648/2004 on Detergents, which covers the conditions for placing detergents on the market.

While fragrance regulation exists, it is important to note that fragrance chemicals can have negative effects on health and the environment. Fragrance ingredients are not required to go through FDA review before being put into use, and manufacturers are not required to list individual ingredients that make up a product's fragrance concoction. Some fragrance allergens will need to be disclosed under a new federal law that passed in December 2022, but as of January 2025, the list of allergens that must be disclosed has not yet been released, and the requirements will not be in effect until at least 2025.

Frequently asked questions